Under normal circumstances, Magister Canus tried to keep himself as calm as possible. He did so in order to promote a culture of professional indifference amongst his troops and his staff. He wanted them to calmly execute their jobs no matter the situation, so that every part of the legions under his command would do their part and function smoothly as one huge machine. So he led by example. No matter if they were about to win the greatest victory the Legion had ever seen, or were about to lose a battle that would seal the fate of the entire Empire, or if it was a normal, peaceful day like any other, he continued his work with the same, practiced poise. He acted as if it was all the same to him, and put forth the same quality of work regardless.

But today, he allowed a small slip in the mask, for the report he read put a smile on his face. It had not even been a single day, and already Her Majesty Seero and her forces had purified not one but three problematic dungeons.

The purification of the Haunted Mausoleum, in particular, lifted a massive weight off of everyone’s shoulders. That dungeon on its own could spell the end of the Empire, and possibly all life on the continent if it was not handled promptly, so the entire room nearly collapsed in relief when Seero reported her success. And not only that, the victory also significantly improved the Northern Empire’s situation. The Imperial Necrotorum was now released from their vigil and free to be deployed elsewhere. Their experience in logistics, construction, and labor would all be of critical importance given the mass evacuations and redeployments in progress across the Empire. Additionally, Emperor Lucius had issued emergency permissions for the North’s Necrotorum to apply their skills to the ongoing battles. Death magic was uniquely suited to holding the line in battles of attrition, so such measures would greatly relieve the pressure on the Legion.

And thanks to the purification of the Howling Peak Dungeon, the roads around the mountains were now clear. Seero’s forces had even cleared the skies of lingering raiding parties. The forces and people of the Imperial Heartland could move relatively freely once again, and its legions could be redeployed as necessary. Combined with support from the Necrotorum and the Academy, Canus could see the Heartland stabilizing sooner rather than later.

Further north, while the Mines of Might were not as dangerous as the Haunted Mausoleum, the forces of Utrad were also far less equipped to deal with it at present. Not only that, the Mines had threatened Velusitum, the largest and most central city in the province. And the only viable sanctuary for refugees, since most of the legions in the province were concentrated on the border at the moment. If Velusitum fell, then Utrad would fall into complete chaos, and the defenders of Velusitum were on the verge of breaking.

But no longer. Thanks to the Hero of Elteno and Seero’s Imperial companions, Velusitum had been saved. The Empire could now use it as a refuge and a central staging ground to protect Utrad. Additionally, the legion stationed in Velusitum, while unprepared for the Mines of Might, could give a noticeably better showing against less specialized opponents. And since the Heartland was stabilizing already, Canus may even be able to send some reinforcements north.

Thanks to this victory, Utrad would survive as an Imperial province.

Of course, that meant Canus’s work had increased substantially. He now needed to determine how to reorganize and redeploy the North’s battered legions in order to capitalize on the Queen of the Dobhar’s assistance, especially now that they weren’t writing off Utrad. And that meant a great deal of logistical work, in order to determine what legions he had available and what their current state was.

But the experienced Magister had expected that, and already had a plan in motion…

Dux Opiter was on the verge of fainting. The past few months had been trying for the man. As he feared, the Queen of the Dobhar’s return to Turannia had brought a great deal of trouble. He was told they were suddenly going to war with the Southern Empire, and the entire province needed to be prepared. So Opiter had been running around, trying to organize the troops to Magister Canus’s orders while still attempting to maintain proper Legion standards. And at any moment he wasn’t working, he was confronted with a great many questions on why they were fighting other Imperial forces. Had he joined a rebellion? Had the Queen of the Dobhar taken over? Had the Imperial Family finally had enough of Governor Aemilia?

It was all too much for the man who had originally planned to be nothing more than a farmer. So he did his best to quash the sinking feeling eating away at his heart and stomach and drown himself in the work.

But now…the work had betrayed him too.

Hordes of sea monsters were rising from undersea dungeons, and making their way towards Turannia’s coast. The Selkies and the aquatic tribe Governor Aemilia had hired were fighting back with hit and run tactics, but they could only do so much against an endless tide. The horde would make landfall any minute now.

And, of course, Magister Canus, Magister Tiberius, and Governor Aemilia were all away, along with many of the comitatense legions Magister Canus had trained up. And that meant, in the eyes of all the troops and people of Turannia, the highest-ranking and most experienced officer present…was Opiter.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Even the comitatenses were looking up to him now, citing his position as Magister Canus’s right hand man. He’s the one Magister Canus relies on, they said. Opiter’s stomach churned at that. Relied on for what?! All Opiter ever did was shuffle paperwork as he was asked! Magister Canus knew better to rely on him in an actual battle! Much less than to command the defense of an entire province against an endless horde of monsters!

Well, the only good news was that the Forest of Beasts was strangely quiet. Opiter knew there a bunch of dungeons there, but none of them seemed to be acting up. Opiter might have found that curious if the man had a curious bone in his body, but at this point he’d rather not know. Every mystery he had encountered had only brought him stress.

In any case, Opiter just took whatever troops they had and arranged them in the port per Legion manuals. And then prayed to the Aesdes that Magister Canus would return before the monsters arrived.

“Sir, look!”

Opiter wanted to do anything but look. Unfortunately, even if he tried to ignore whatever had drawn the soldiers’ attention, they would officially report it to him anyways. So he slowly, unwillingly turned his head.

And then his eyes widened. Color returned to his face. His eyes began to moisten slightly.

Airships were approaching in the distance. Magister Canus had returned, and not a moment too soon.

The airships quickly arrived and began to land by the port, returning Turannia’s legions. One released a small shuttle, which flew over to Opiter’s position. Opiter stood at the ready as the door opened.

“Dux Limitanei per Turannia Opiter, greeting Magister Utriusque Militiae per Turannia Canus.”

“About that…”

The door opened and out stepped not Magister Canus, but Uscfrea Spellbreaker of the Dobhar. Some of the nearby troops grabbed their weapons on reflex before remembering the Dobhar were no longer their foes.

“I’ll be taking command, and leading the defense of the Land of Rain.”

Opiter’s heart pounded for a second before he calmed down. The brief flash of panic gave way to relief. This was fine too, after all Uscfrea Spellbreaker was known and feared as a mighty warrior and a skilled commander. As long as someone who knew what they were doing was taking charge, Opiter could rest easy, and pass on the problem.

Opiter tried not to think about that person being one of the Dobhar who had constantly raided their shores, or a subordinate of the Queen of the Dobhar. Unfortunately, Legion policy required that he did.

“Understood, I’m glad you’re here, sir. However, I will require confirmation before I hand over command of Imperial assets to a foreigner.”

Uscfrea grinned, and tossed Opiter a scroll.

“Oh, Magister Canus specifically requested I hand this to you personally.”

Opiter barely managed to catch the scroll, verifying it carried the official magical seal of Legion orders, which unlocked in response to his mana. He opened it up…and blinked as he read the contents.

“Pack your bags, Magister. You’re going to Corvanus.”

By order of Emperor Lucius himself, Opiter and his immediate subordinates had been called to Corvanus, to assist the newly promoted Magister Militum Canus in managing all the legions of the North. Oh, and Opiter had been promoted to Magister Equitum in line with new role as assistant to the Magister Militum.

Opiter stared at the scroll for a moment longer, and then promptly passed out. Fortunately, the Legion had a Recovery mage on standby, and he was restored to consciousness shortly thereafter. Whether he wanted to be or not.

Meanwhile, Uscfrea took command of the Turannian forces, per Imperial order. The Imperial forces were uneasy at first, but calmed down as Uscfrea brought in former-rebel officers to pass down his orders. Dux Opiter had already moved the soldiers roughly into position, so Uscfrea didn’t need to do much to finish off the Imperial territory’s defenses.

And soon, the horde began to arrive.

Swarms of Acidum Piranha, Steel Swordfish, and other such creatures filled the seas. Various kinds of fishfolk like Mermaids, Sirens, and Sahuagin added a more intelligent component. The fins of shark monsters broke the waves, and a pod of Dread Orca pushed them out of the way.

And then came the big ones.

Undersea dungeons had to contend with some of the oldest and most powerful monsters in existence. The ease of travel through the oceans meant monsters from all across the world could descend upon them at any moment. Most perished within a few months of their birth, others still survived only by hiding, and remaining as tiny little things with hardly a shrimp to their name.

But those that did not?

The few that survived openly did so because they could summon true monsters of their own.

And now, a shark the size of a battle-airship began to cut through the waves. A kraken’s tentacles broke through the water. A serpentine sea-dragon lifted its head into the air.

Uscfrea grinned.

“Let’s get started.”

And then the sea erupted, plumes of water and blood rising into the sky. Drone-golems high in the sky, beyond the sight of normal men, launched anti-ship missiles and air-launched torpedos down into the water. Lower flying rotary-wing variants dropped depth charges that launched entire schools of monster fish into the air.

And Uscfrea had brought some of his toys as well.

The edge of the port was now lined to the brim with missile launchers and artillery pieces Uscfrea had summoned. After the ineffectiveness of the surface-to-air missiles against the Sky Legion’s airships, Her Majesty Seero had recommended utilizing larger guns instead. Fortunately, Uscfrea had summoned a lot of those before the Aesdes vanished, and His Queen’s crafters provided some more as well.

So now, artillery guns of all sizes, types, and calibers now opened fire upon the sea. The sheer explosive force of the large shells could overpower the magical defenses of all but the largest and most powerful monsters, and the horde suffered greatly. Additionally, His Queen had apparently been experimenting with magical ammunition, and had requested Uscfrea conduct some ‘live-fire tests’ on their effectiveness.

Uscfrea was all too happy to oblige.

The sea dragon roared as enchanted, Mana Iron shells exploded along its neck. The creature was clearly feeling the blows but ultimately did not seem to fall. Uscfrea grinned. He cracked his neck and hoisted his axe.

He was glad that not everything died in the initial barrage. It had been too long since he had the chance to fight. And for the Spellbreaker to take on another sea-dragon, well that had him feeling nostalgic.