Author’s note: I wrote the next few Chapters under the impression of a beautiful piece of musical art - Hypersonic Music. To feel more of the atmosphere that I wanted to convey in these Chapters, turn on the background music and enjoy.

Author’s note: I wrote the next few Chapters under the impression of a beautiful piece of musical art - Hypersonic Music. To feel more of the atmosphere that I wanted to convey in these Chapters, turn on the background music and enjoy.

The newly appointed general of the army of Riliya, Marquis Aisen de Pierre, conducted an inspection of the troops, giving instructions for the full staffing of the detachments and equipping them for combat readiness.

Early in the morning, the king summoned him to his office, puzzling him in his first working week with the imminent prospects of standing up for Riliya.

The Marquis was surprised by this statement, because everything seemed calm, there were no riots and uprisings, the borders were carefully fortified and guarded. So what was the king talking about?

In any case, he had no right to argue or issue a note of doubt to the order of the king, and therefore approached his case with full responsibility.

He was surprised and annoyed to learn what a deplorable state the army of the great kingdom of magicians was in. They were sorely short of people, and a new recruitment had not been announced for many years, which left big gaps.

The equipment was also not good enough to protect in close combat. And although the soldiers diligently watched and cared for their armor, Aizen could not help but notice a worn-out appearance with some damage on the armor.

One could only hope that their combat magic skills would be able to block the obvious deflection in their uniforms.

Among the soldiers, in addition to the magicians, whose number was in the minority, there were also ordinary people - infantrymen, knights and archers who took the first blow in battles and it was them that Aizen considered key, so he ordered the combat magicians to work out full rear protection and cover the soldier`s and knight`s backs.

To do this, he organized an urgent three-day retraining and practice for practicing combat skills.

- How are things going in your new position, Marquis? - The low timbral voice of the Crown Prince made the general turn around and bow.

- Your Highness, by the time they finish their three-day training, it will be a combat-ready and competitive army. - he answered without too much pathos.

- Do you think that you will have time to put everything in order here? - he estimated the scale of the disaster by the battle spells flying by.

Aizen frowned and threw a couple of spells at the soldiers, which burned them like fire, restoring concentration and concentration.

He took a deep and noisy breath, playing with dry muscles on his cheekbones.

- I’m not giving up hope for that, Your Highness. But I won’t lie, I didn’t expect everything to be so neglected. – he said, but then added. – I will do my best to fix it and if something happens that will force all of us to stand up for our king, I will be the one who will lead the troops in the front ranks.

Terrence tsked and again reflected the electric charge flying in their direction.

- I want to join the army. -The prince blurted out for no reason. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

- Are you sure about that? – the Marquis asked his question and Terrence was grateful that he did not ask him about the king’s permission, which usually happened with other military leaders who blurred into a puddle to please his father.

- I’m sure. - he answered instantly. – I have some ideas on how we can reorganize our army. We need to change our strategy and split into squads. We don’t have to go all together, as it was before.

The general frowned, trying to understand the prince’s logic, because it was always more difficult to defeat a large army than a fragmented one into small detachments.

- Have you ever dealt with witches? - Terrence turned his scrutinizing gaze to the Marquis, slightly tilting his head to the side.

- It happened several times, but it was not of a mass nature. And why do you ask, Your Highness? - Aizen asked, puzzled.

- I don’t know what you were talking about with the king, but you should know that soon we may face the wrath of a huge number of witches. Something that we never dreamed of in our terrible dreams. Are you willing to sacrifice your life to protect the kingdom?

Terrence made it clear to the general that this decisive battle could end in death for all of them, but Aizen was not one of the timid ones, which reflected his external and internal self-confidence.

- I was born under the flag of Riliya and I will die for it. – the general confidently declared, putting his fist to his chest. - I would be honored to have you in our ranks, Your Highness.

The prince’s expression softened and his lips pursed to hide a slight ironic smile.

- Would I bother you if I joined you? - Terrence and Aisen instantly turned their heads to understand where the voice was coming from, but to their surprise, there was no one nearby and a chuckle followed.

- With all due respect, gentlemen, I shouldn’t have so unceremoniously eavesdropped on your conversation, but it interested my ears too much. - The vampire’s sharp fangs were bared, flashing a harmless smile as he jumped from the peak of the watchtower from a height of about thirty meters.

Rick, with his hands in his pockets, slowly approached, noticing the sour displeasure on the Marquis’ face.

- Count Rochester? – Terrence said. – I assume you’re not here for the scorching sun to sunbathe?

- I think it’s interesting to participate in your mass gathering. Do you still accept volunteers? - he flashed a mischievous look, as if this was some kind of entertainment for him.

- Why would you do that? What are your goals? - The Marquis sternly pinned the vampire with his intense attention.

- Goals? - he curled her lips and frowned at the bridge of his nose. - I guess I have a burning desire to kick a couple of witches’ asses. You see, recently, a couple of months ago, I was subjected to terribly humiliating violence by one horribly nasty witch, and this left a huge scar in my little heart and a desire to cause her discomfort and trouble. It’s something personal.

- And who is this witch, may I ask? - The prince asked his question, but Rick just grunted, which instantly gave Terrence the answer to his question.

His mother had made too many enemies.

How did they stay ignorant of her dark deeds for so long?

- It doesn’t matter. Extra hands are never superfluous. -General de Pierre said sternly.

You can get your equipment later, when I transfer your candidacy under the responsibility of your military commander.

- Oh, come on. - he grinned. - Do you really think I need this?

- I wouldn’t be so careless if I were you, Count. – The prince lowered it. – No one knows what we will have to face. I doubt the mages will have your back.

- I didn’t even think about relying on someone else’s help, Your Highness. - Rick replied with understanding.

- Count Rocester, you are a genius inventor... - the prince began. - What do you say about trying to strengthen our traps around the castle? Will you have time for that?

- I haven’t done this for a long time, but if the skill is acquired, then you can’t lose it. I’ll see what I can do about it.

Rick marked his position and soon left the training ground where the soldiers were training.