CHAPTER 2: SUSPICIOUS

At the campsite placed between the forest and river, people actively do things that make a bustling atmosphere in this place- some are outside as a watch out in this camp, for them to be aware of any hostile groups that making way towards them.

Others were inside doing their work, they were either cooking some porridge, making tents, and grooming their horses, weapons, or armors, and some were practicing their skills with their weapons.

"huff, huff. Why aren't our general moving the campsite to support the other crucial places what if the other kingdoms retaliate at this moment? I thought that was the order of his majesty,"

a burly man complains under his breath while talking to a man piercing his spear in the air.

"The real question is why his majesty assigns an incompetent man to lead this army,"

he replies with a dissatisfied expression to the burly man.

"hey, sir don't speak out that so loudly, or you may encounter his wrath...The least you can receive for that is a demotion, and the worst is you may get executed under the reasoning of military punishment"

The burly man looks to his left and right. Making sure that no one hears the comment about his companion.

"don't be so nervous Aeron, I leave some soldiers under me to guard the proximity because I know that the general is always up to something no good."

"..."

they got silent because of the incoming sound of a horseshoe that slowly got louder until they saw someone coming in their direction in a faraway

- Neigh!!!! –

-clop-clop-clop-

The horse's rider is hard to recognize because of the black armor covering him from head to toe.

When the horse came to the position of the two men, it raised its two feet on the front like it was imposing its arrogant air on the two.

"ORDER FROM THE GENERAL!!!!"

The clad messenger in armor shouted full of confidence when his horse settled down.

"lieutenant Brald, the general, invites you to participate in the meeting this afternoon at the main camp."

Then the messenger pitched a piece of bamboo stick that contains the manuscript towards brald

"What is the meeting all about,"

lieutenant Brald who was holding a spear ask a question.

"you are not in place to ask a question. It was your duty to obey on General's order, no matter what happens… be on time lieutenant. or you may face the consequences" he threatened the man called Brald even though Brald technically had a higher position than him.

The arrogance of the horse and its rider was out of the league.

When the messenger was already gone, the burly man named Aeron finally commented.

"What kind of mouth does that little bastard have. Did he know that I'm a bigger bastard than him? If it was outside on the campsite, I already slice him in half,"

he said while rotating his sword, and it seemed like he was so itchy to take the life of the messenger that was left a minute ago.

"calm yourself you will have a turn to do that, just wait for the right moment"

Brald calmly took his cape in the nearby boulder of rock and warped it into himself before taking a leave.

"Hmm yes, sir"

Aeron put his sword at the scabbard and prepared to also take leave.

"faster Aeron,"

Brald reminded him

"yeah sir"

"we will make some mess for the general"

Brald skillfully gets ridden on his horse with a smirk on his face.

"hyaaa"

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Brald was a nobleman's son, but he attained his position in pure hard work and kept aside his father's political influence.

He became lieutenant at the age of 19, where the typical age of personnel in lieutenant positions was in the range of 28 to 40 years old.

It was a praiseworthy achievement enough to become poison to anyone who achieves it at this young age, which may greatly erode their own egos and significantly hindered their future prospects.

But Brald was not just anyone who you can see in your everyday life, he was known as a boy who built up his name in full of concentration towards his goal and thirst to grow to become a figure that can stand on the same stage as the supreme powers of this continent, and this kind of fame was not enough to corrupt his resolve.

"Ohh, if I'm not mistaken, your name is lieutenant Brald, am I right?"

At the meeting place in the center camp. While Brald and Aeron were enjoying their own pace and waiting for the meeting to start, there was a big belly man in his thirties who approached them, out of nowhere with a smug smirk etches on his whole face- He was accompanied by two petite women with bottle-shaped bodies as his hand was grappling their bountiful ass, nevertheless, they are not distracted by this kind of act, and they just let him erotically caress their bodies without reservation.

"Yeah… You are right. What can I help you?" Brald bluntly replied to the man

"...HAHAHA!!!"

The big belly man just laughed at the top of his lungs like he owned this whole place, his mood turns three hundred sixty degrees in an instant when he heard the casual reply of Brald without any politeness pact in his voice that greatly offended him.

Although he was hysterically laughing at this moment, in truth he was already at his limit and totally pissed off because of Brald's blunt reply without being courteous to him. He wants to impose on this young man who is much more superior between the two of them like he usually does to any newbies in the camp.

He believes that he deserves to receive respect from anyone, especially from those people who are much lower than him, like this young man. In his perspective- yes, they have the same titles, but he was much higher than him because of the experiences he possessed both in politics and on the battlefield

"What are you laughing at?....sir "

Aeron cannot bear the rudeness of the man anymore and stand up with a furious expression. His usually calm brown eyes squinted like a hungry predator as he emits an intimidating pressure with his towering body paired with his tan furry skin and brown hair, his appearance was like an adult bear protecting his territory from the outsiders.

"Oh, another rude young fellow hahaha... Why all the new batches of soldiers now were so full of themselves... did they think that just by handling a sword can make them almighty? know your place young fellows" The man wanted to reverse the card by making some loud statement that could be heard by anyone inside of the tent.

"YOU!!!..."

Aeron had a bit of a problem when it comes to managing his anger, and it's hard for him to hold back in this kind of situation. So, brald chose to intervene before it escalate into an awry situation

"Aeron..."

Brald calmly called Aeron acting as if they were just by themselves and didn't move nor speak anything after that so Aeron complied and sit in his chair without any complain

After a moment of silence as he put down his glass filled with wine, he spoke again with a dull expression and a dead-eye look.

"So... what is your intention BLOATED OLD MAN?"

However, his comment didn't turn out to be a good one, because in Brald's perspective, this man whos confronting them now was known for his superiority complex, and obviously, he already marked them as a target of humiliation for an unknown reason

The two women at the side of the man abruptly pulled their hairpins intending to attack Brald.

"STOP!! "

but a sudden shout reverberate from the tent's entrance, which made all participants look in the direction where the voice originated including the two women who's aiming to assault brald.

"Is this the officials of the military should act? Bearing their fangs to their allies?"

The owner of the voice is an old man full of white hair and a white beard, but his deep dark eyes are clearly saying that he wasn't an ordinary old man, he was fiercely looking at the center of this mess like he already deduced what happened here with his unordinary eyes.

"Lieutenant Edward, did you know that it was prohibited to cause any type of violence here?" The old man looked with cold eyes at the big belly man named Edward.

"Oh, I'm a sorry colonel. It's just my servant got offended by the foolish mouth of this young lieutenant here" Edward looks at Brald with a grain of sarcasm.

"is it true lieutenant Brald?" The stern look of the old colonel turned to Brald, who was just recently stood up from his position

"it is not true sir colo…."

Aeron was so angry that he can't help but meddle at this moment, even though he was aware that the person in front of them is holding a much higher position. He still braces himself to defend the side of his lieutenant at any cost, even if he might face a military discipline after this event. However, he got cut off by the hastened reply of brald.

"colonel it was just a misunderstanding, lieutenant Edward just misheard our conversation and we are not aware that he was approaching us. He thought that my words were meant to him but in truth. It was meant to my companion here" He gave an apologetic expression to the old man while pointing his hands to Aeron, who was sitting by his side.

Brald turns to Edward with a sorry look after he replied to the Colonel, as he silently whispered to him "Next time let your servants clean the trash in your head, err. I mean your ears lieutenant before you go in a meeting like this or you will always make this kind of mistake" after he spoke with a smile, he patted his shoulder like he was advising his long-lost friend.

"if it is just that kind of misunderstanding, I will free you two in punishment, so I hope you can also let it be bygones," The old man said with power in his voice even without shouting.

"Sir, yes sir!! " The two lieutenants reply synchronously, and at the same time, they give him a straight salute even the belly of Edward was a bit wobbly to the force he exerted.

Then the colonel gave back the salute, and he started to speak again as he was fixing his suit. "-ahem- prepare all yourselves. The General is coming!"

When the word, General was heard, all of them gave different expressions and reactions based on their own individual goals- some were disgusted, the other was ecstatic, but they were all murmuring in anticipation of the appearance of the general that led's them.

Except for two-person who still want to continue their arguments, Edward was still looking at Brald in extreme distaste even though he suppressed his hatred, it was still evident on the surface of the contorted expression he is wearing right now.

"hey what are looking at, you're not my type old man" when brald noticed that Edward was still intently staring at him, he decided to put another fuel to his hatred as he wave his hand to fend off the watch of Edward with full of hostility in a sickening expression like he might puked at his stare.

"TSK!!"

Edward can no longer endure the annoying figure of Brald and decides to leave the young man on his table as he pledge to his heart that he will seek revenge for today's humiliation in the future, after that Brald chooses to remove the playful expression on his face and he looks at Aeron with a smile

"Puff…(laugh) what an idiot"

Aeron always wanted to give a punch to Edward from the start, and he just let out his frustration by mocking him in the back, but Brald didn't perceive it. Instead, he was now focused on the entrance of the tent

"General… huh,"

Brald was murmuring all by himself with a dead-eye look like he was thinking something so profound.