It took ten days for those three to return home. Along the way, they received the news about the things that had happened while they were away… the fact that the beastkin joined the dwarves side and the fact that Jacques and his little sister were leading the empire reinforcements for the elves and the fact that he found Regulus there and found him.

  “... So annoying.”

  Remi joked around on the start of the way home, but as soon as he heard the news about his older brother, he couldn’t help but get annoyed. Apparently, he was able to face Regulus and force him to escape without suffering any damage. From the perspective of some, Jacques, who was a vampire slayer, showed his true worth and skill, instead of failing to capture or defeat Regulus despite the obvious advantages that he had.

  “What are we going to do, Father? Join Jacques on the front lines?”

  Ulric felt that was the best option. Even though they just returned from a very long expedition, it looked like the empire wasn’t proceeding with its plans at the planned pace. It was hard to say how much Regulus was the cause of that, though.

  “We will wait for the orders to do so.”

  That was probably for the best, but it was clear that Rayner was annoyed by being left out of the loop. His clenched fists and the furrow in his brow made his annoyance obvious, though he refrained from voicing it. He understood why decisions were being kept to a select few. Secrecy was vital in such precarious times, but that didn’t make the feeling of exclusion any easier to swallow after everything he did for the empire.

  Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to blame anyone. It was better for those at the top to steer the situation. Besides, he trusted that the higher-ups would act decisively if things began to spiral out of control. They wouldn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done, no matter the cost. For now, Rayner could only wait and trust the system, though patience wasn’t his strong suit.

  After they returned home, they had the chance to relax, but the atmosphere felt odd. The house was too quiet these days, as the kids were rarely at home now. Remi, in particular, felt restless. He couldn’t bring himself to stay idle for long, and the thought of simply doing nothing at home didn’t sit well with him. The place didn’t feel like it belonged to him anymore, not fully. He realized he needed to find a space for himself in order to have the chance of fooling around.

  Ulric, too, felt a bit off. For him, the discomfort wasn’t about a lack of distractions, but rather the absence of the personal space he’d grown accustomed to during their mission. Sharing a home again after so much time away felt stifling, even if it was with people he cared about. The adjustment was harder than any of them expected, and though they were home, it didn’t entirely feel like it.

  It took one month for them to receive some news about what was happening in the war… things were at a stalemate in the war, all thanks to the dwarven technology and the beastkin skills. However, the immigrants of the Skarnash Tribelands joined the battle even though they were supposed to be defending the coast from the Aquarians as well.

  “Are we losing Elven terrain? Is that something that the clairvoyant had seen?”

  Those three reunited after dinner to read a report that they received. Usually, Remi would feel satisfied knowing that things weren’t going that perfectly to his older brother, but the tide of the battle was completely on the enemy’s side now… it was no time to think of such things because his workload would only increase if the empire and elves lose this battle.

  “The clairvoyant can see the future of people. While they can also see some large events, they see that it is a bit blurry what they see when too many people’s futures are involved since that many of them die every moment. The empire plans its actions based on that, but the outcome isn’t always guaranteed… even more so when irregulars are involved.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Irregulars were people that escaped the grasp of the clairvoyant and made their visions even more uncertain… right now, they could only think of one person, but it has been months since Regulus had been sighted, it was difficult to say how much he could be involved in this. Considering his skills and how much time he had, he could be on the other side of the world by now.

  “Do you think that he is the cause of this, father?”

  “... Maybe he isn’t the only irregular that the empire is being mindful of. Also, the clairvoyant skills are more difficult to use when people that they don’t know become involved.”

  Although he said that, Rayner was certain that Regulus was the cause of this. It didn’t feel like he was trying really hard to get in the way of the empire, but his actions had shown until now that when he wanted, he could and would, given that he wasn’t a fan of the empire.

  “Even now the higher ups don’t tell us to move… what are they thinking?”

  Remi hit the table with his fist and made it crack. He looked away, annoyed when he saw the gaze of his father. Destroying the property of their family wasn’t something that he could tolerate. Regardless, they had something else to consider… Things were changing, and they needed to be ready to move when the opportunity arises.

  In the end, it only took one week for them to receive a letter that granted them permission to move and help in the conflict. Rayner felt a bit conflicted, since he was essentially receiving orders from his eldest son. Still, when he read the contents of the letter, he understood why Jacques was able to call for his help.

  “What does it say?”

  Rayner didn’t answer the question, he just passed the letter to Remi, and then he also frowned while reading it before passing to Ulric.

  “Who are these people? We have the order to bring our soldiers, so what is the point of looking for these people, father?”

  “Your brother believes that they can be useful in this conflict.”

  “Why, Father?”

  Rayner couldn’t answer that… he actually could, but he didn’t want to. His eldest son was truly following the path that he believed in and he was planning to do everything necessary to accomplish his goals while also following the orders given to him by the empire.

  “You two aren’t used to gathering our troops and then leading them to the battlefield for weeks. You can take this role this time. I will look and recruit these people personally.”

  Ulric didn’t like that their father was keeping something from them. He could see it in the way Rayner avoided answering their questions directly, ignoring anything that might reveal the full truth behind Jacques’ orders. Still, he knew better than to push the issue.

  Still, there was a silver lining to all of this. This was a golden opportunity for them to gain merit and prove themselves. The chance to lead the family’s troops was a rare honor, one that traditionally fell to the eldest son, even while their father was still alive.

  It was a chance to show that they were capable of stepping up, of shouldering the weight of their family’s legacy. If they succeeded, they would not only solidify their place within the family, but also earn respect from their soldiers and peers. As much as he disliked being kept in the dark, Ulric decided to focus on the task ahead. This was their moment to become more famous, and he wasn’t about to let it slip away.

  Remi and Ulric began to get ready for the mission and started by packing their things. Remi felt that this was a golden chance… while Jacques was the leader of the reinforcements, he wouldn’t command directly the family’s troops and since Gerald wasn’t around, that would fall on his lap. Moreover, this was a golden chance of finding some Elven girls.

  Ulric couldn’t help but sigh, realizing what his older brother was thinking about. Their troops were moving to make the conflict more even… if their father was going with them, then they clearly would have the upper hand in terms of fighting quality and experience. The best warriors that belonged to the Skarnash Tribelands had died in the war during the invasion, after all.

  At the same time, Ulric couldn’t help but think how things would have been so much easier for the empire if they had treated Regulus a bit better. Their whole family was guilty of that, though. If it weren’t for him, they would have conquered the Skarnash Tribelands a lot faster and saved thousands of not tens of thousands of soldiers. This conflict probably would have ended sooner than well, since they would have returned sooner from that land to help things here.

  It was truly unfortunate that the clairvoyant didn’t show up a bit sooner to warn them of that… an irregular that can escape their visions probably would have become a force that would be the downfall of their enemies instead of a real troublesome guy that gets in their way.

  ‘Since I am seeing things this way out of just convenience, I guess even if we were warned, nothing would have changed.’