Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Episode 67

The fact that the Empire managed to unify the entire continent did not mean the cessation of hostilities. Conflicts over control and influence among members of the aristocracy and landowners continued with the same intensity as always.

These disputes over land and resources were frequently categorized as the “battles for the granary.”

However, those feudal frictions did not constitute the only sources of violence on this planet.

In the island region of Britannia, located beyond the Strait of Calais at the eastern confines of the continental territory, a celebrity nicknamed the “Holy Maiden” emerged. This woman managed to gather the defenders of the sovereignty of the ancient dismantled kingdom, initiating an armed uprising.

Soon, chronicles of her mystical feats spread everywhere, highlighting that occasion in which she managed to thwart an imperial contingent composed of 45,000 combatants, having only 10,000 men at her service.

A girl of rural and humble origin had climbed the ranks until she assumed absolute command of the militias, managing to pulverize an opponent that outnumbered her in a proportion of almost four to one. Such a feat only found an explanation in an authentic divine concession.

The Holy Maiden, mobilized by the dictates and visions coming from the Sistine Goddesses, gave her life to the cause of the emancipation of her people.

The earthly manifestation of divinity.

In this way, the British War of Independence was formally inaugurated.

The commercial value and prestige of Black Armor Company did not stop increasing.

The plan drawn up by Dale, consisting of exhibiting a combat prowess substantially greater than what his own clients possessed, was gradually transforming into an undeniable fact.

Despite this, certain aristocrats, dissatisfied with the resolutions of the border lawsuits, chose to sue Dale by sending the case to the Empire’s court.

They firmly maintained that the magical resources that the leader employed during the contests completely exceeded the theoretical capabilities of a simple sorcerer attached to the third circle.

And their suspicions were correct. Dale’s effectiveness in the middle of combat left the standard of anyone of the third circle far behind.

The Empire’s regulations strictly prohibited initiates of the fourth circle or higher ranks from intervening in minor disputes between low-ranking landowners. However, after a meticulous inspection executed by the court’s specialists in mystical arts, the official results determined that Dale legally belonged to the third circle.

Only three circles.

“Is a practitioner of the third circle really capable of deploying such a magnitude of force…?”

“It is inadmissible! He certainly resorted to some dirty trick!”

“The tactics Dale employed in the contest do not in any way correspond to the limitations of the third circle!”

The resolution was incomprehensible to many, but legality forced them to abide by it.

“Well, the authorities have ratified that my rank is limited to the third circle,” Dale commented with a tone of total disinterest in front of the group of plaintiffs.

That judicial appeal, which represented the last and desperate attempt by the nobles to reverse their situation, ended in an absolute failure for them. Contradictorily, the legal process served as an extraordinary promotional campaign at no cost to Dale and his Black Armor Company, expanding his renown throughout the corners of the Empire. Those landowners were forced to pay for both the litigation costs and those of the unforeseen advertising broadcast.

Subsequently, Dale continued to exhibit his talent under the official label of “third-circle mage” in every encounter.

He took advantage of every favorable circumstance to accumulate dividends, using these resources as the ideal platform to project his definitive rise toward the fourth circle.

The influence of Black Armor Company continued to multiply, which propitiated the constant arrival of new recruits to the organization.

The financial resources and political weight of the Saxon duke—acting as his main investor—constituted the fundamental pillar upon which the organization’s infrastructure was built.

During that period, requiring the services of Black Armor Company was considered an absolute guarantee of triumph.

For this reason, in seigneurial rivalries, the outcome was reduced simply to determining which of the sides possessed the necessary capital to secure the backing of Black Armor Company before their rival.

In parallel, the old-school mercenary corporations, which suddenly found themselves devoid of contracts due to the absolute control that Black Armor Company exercised, began to forge coalitions.

From the perspective of these combatants, Black Armor Company represented a monstrous corporate entity that suffocated them mercilessly.

The Free City of Hamburg within the imperial borders.

Recognized globally for being the core of origin of the “Amber Road,” it represented the nerve center for commercial transactions of the entire continent.

However, a complication of unforeseen proportions appeared to truncate Hamburg’s economic well-being.

The aristocrats settled in the central sector of the Empire, coveting the riches generated by the constant commercial flow, consolidated a cooperation block.

These central governors structured a coalition baptized as the “Thieves’ League,” proceeding to obstruct the river’s channel through heavy iron chains and capturing ships along with their goods under the justification of demanding transit taxes.

The interruption of this indispensable waterway dealt a devastating blow to Hamburg, placing the city in a highly vulnerable scenario.

Facing a unified block of central nobles, Hamburg lacked the military means to ensure a victory on its own.

Subjected to constant demands, they were warned that they would suffer a permanent economic siege and total financial bankruptcy unless they agreed to pay disproportionate monetary sums each year.

The central area suffered from the presence of a great lord capable of implementing discipline, transforming into a lawless region where lesser aristocrats acted with total impunity.

Given this panorama, Hamburg’s leaders had only one viable path of action.

Shortly after, an emissary dispatched from Hamburg managed to successfully cross the domains controlled by the Thieves’ League, reaching the lands of the Saxon duchy.

Their main objective consisted of formalizing the hiring of Black Armor Company to neutralize the Thieves’ League once and for all.

An armed corporation equipped with first-level tactical resources. The offer proposed by Hamburg fit perfectly with the plans that Dale had been drawing up.

They delegated entirely to Black Armor Company the responsibility of coordinating and executing the dissolution of the Thieves’ League.

Throughout that same period.

“Baron Bolvar, Baron Basel, Sir Peter… multiple members of the coalition have cut off all types of correspondence.”

Those names corresponded to the corsair aristocrats and the deserter warriors who gave life to the Thieves’ League.

Upon processing the situation update, Count Robert, who acted as the main head of the Thieves’ League, contracted his face with dissatisfaction.

“Could we be dealing with a punishment contingent sent by the central authorities?”

“They have not issued any communication about their origin nor have they shown intentions to engage in dialogue.”

Assuming they came from the central command, certain institutional protocols and prior administrative phases would have been respected.

“Reflecting on the facts, there are comments circulating that a commissioner from Hamburg managed to interview in the territory of the duchy of Saxony…”, intervened a lower-ranking officer, causing Count Robert to experience deep tension.

“Could they have closed a deal with the Black Armor Company…?”

“For the moment we only have conjectures.”

The Black Armor Company had not made any visible official movement on the ground. However, considering the imminent danger, ignoring the matter by cataloging it as a simple assumption constituted an unacceptable imprudence.

“A group of perfect incompetents!”

Thump!

Count Robert discharged a punch onto the wooden surface moved by anger.

“Transmit an alert notification to all allied leaders and concentrate the totality of our battalions.”

After calming his momentary frustration, Count Robert resumed speaking.

“… I anticipated a scenario like this and I have a strategic alternative.”

He then showed his most valuable resource, kept specifically for critical contingencies.

“Let the mercenary association know that the moment has arrived to take action.”

As the Black Armor Company chained one triumph after another, the rest of the soldier-of-fortune groups experienced the impact on their finances directly.

Feeling cornered by this “unified adversary” that put their economic survival at risk, diverse heavy mercenary firms initiated a process of integration.

In those days, the news spread that Black Armor Company had formally involved itself in the territorial dispute between the Free City of Hamburg and the Thieves’ League in the intermediate sectors of the Empire. Upon being informed, a large quantity of squadrons associated with the mercenary federation did not show any hesitation.

The opportune moment had arrived to teach those implacable monopolists a lesson regarding the codes of honor of their profession.

In the facilities of the Municipal Palace of the Free City of Hamburg.

“We have already managed to dismantle several of the smaller groups that made up the Thieves’ League.”

In that space, the commander of the Black Armor Company’s forces, known popularly as the “Black Prince” of Saxony, exposed the advances.

“The core of the confrontation will be located in the sector where the Thieves’ League keeps the river passage obstructed and in the particular domains of Count Robert, its main leader.”

He spread a cartographic plan on the table while examining the details with absolute coldness.

“Because they operate on the margins of legality, we do not have the slightest obligation to restrict ourselves under the parameters of ‘imperial law’.”

There was no requirement to adhere to the imperial regulatory framework. In other words, Dale enjoyed the freedom to manifest the full potential of his magical skills without any type of governmental containment.

“I have reports that Count Robert has also mobilized multiple mercenary collectives by making use of the guild’s services…”.

“These are groups that feel vulnerable before the advance and fame of the Black Armor Company.”

The civil regent of Hamburg expressed his concerns with caution, obtaining a gesture of confirmation from Dale.

“If they manage to concentrate a large quantity of armed corporations… will it not represent an excessive risk?”

Even taking into account the fearsome effectiveness that distinguished the Black Armor Company, the circumstances presented themselves as complex.

“As I indicated to you, we are facing a conflict where we are exempt from complying with the restrictions of imperial legislation.”

The forced obstruction of the commercial activities of the independent metropolis by the Thieves’ League represented a flagrant affront to the Empire’s codes. However, the central zone of the Empire lacked a feudal authority of weight to reestablish control, and the central government organisms were located at an excessive geographical distance to act in time.

An environment where regulations are distant and the effectiveness of steel is immediate. Those were the rules of the current world, and the rivals intended to take advantage of the fact that “civil justice is far away.”

“There is no campaign more accessible than that which is waged against opponents who lack the protection of legal mechanisms.”

However, the planning designed by Dale contemplated that same premise, keeping it hidden from the eyes of his rivals.

“Proceed to decree a general mobilization that encompasses the totality of the urban population.”

While finalizing the details for the imminent armed clash, the strategist in command of the Black Armor Company dictated his orders.

“If one wishes to safeguard stability, it is indispensable to structure the preparations for the confrontation.”

Evoking with that the stories about the implacable determination that characterized the “Black Prince.”

“It will be executed according to your instructions.”

Hamburg’s leader experienced a sudden shudder, feeling a cold gust run down his spine.

The Viper group, the Golden Lion contingent, and the Brotherhood society.

The most influential military blocks of the continent’s main soldier-of-fortune corporations concentrated their personnel in the possessions of Count Robert, the head of the Thieves’ League.

In the operative nucleus of these three independent combatant firms, a section composed of highly specialized soldiers stood out. In parallel to them, a coalition of highway robbers joined, who had transformed the activities of pillage against interprovincial passersby into a trade transmitted from generation to generation.

Facing the unstoppable advance of the Black Armor Company, and resolved to safeguard their sources of income, both factions opted to structure a common front to face the opponent that threatened them all equally.

Constituted by lesser-ranking aristocrats who operated essentially as bandits with noble titles and outlawed warriors, and backed by one of the most fearsome mercenary machineries in the region, the situation had ceased to be a minor conflict of boundaries between small landowners.

It had transformed into a war scenario situated beyond the control of the Empire’s regulations, a duel devoid of standards of chivalry.

It presented itself as an authentic war scenario, the kind of scenario that Dale had always desired to find.

In these clashes on the margins of minor authorities, the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) resources, penalized by the Empire’s legislation, was not limited exclusively to wiping enemy contingents off the map through large-scale destructive spells.

The forbidden knowledge coming from the Black Tower enjoyed a terrifying reputation.

The necromancy practices executed by the specialists of the dark arts in the combat field also fell within the imperial restrictions applied to prohibited weapons of mass destruction.

Additionally, the inexistence of a control based on “imperial law” implied that these forbidden arts could be employed in an absolute manner and without fear of institutional reprisals.

In the lower sectors of the Elbe river channel, the fortification under Count Robert’s command interrupted the transit of vessels by means of monumental metallic chains suspended over the current.

Site frequently identified as the toll collection station.

Under the dense gloom that characterizes the hours before dawn, a sentry posted on the fortification’s walls turned his gaze and remained completely immobile out of fear.

At that point, the silhouette of a warrior covered by black armor was cut out. However, it was not an ordinary combatant. Beneath the metallic pieces of the structure, there remained no trace of organic tissue on his bony frame.

“A… a… death knight…”

That undead warrior, firmly holding Saxon’s Black Sword, advanced implacably in the direction of his position.