Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 35

The first thing I did when I parted ways with Prince Herius and Lady Velicia was call a meeting of my officers. No doubt she was working on Prince Herius at that very moment. I was on a time limit to get my affairs settled here.

“Centurion Asimi, you’ve done a good job leading so far,” I said as soon as my officers arrived.

“Thank you, sir! It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve under such an experienced legate. I’ve already learned a lot,” Asimi replied.

I would have thought she was flattering me if I didn’t know the piss-poor quality of many legates all too well. The position was a political appointment rather than a military one, so most legates were as new to war as fresh recruits.

“I’m glad, Asimi. As first among my officers, you might have to take on greater duties starting soon. Perhaps even take the role of acting legate, like Cyra and Myrina have for their legions.”

“...Sir? What do you mean?” Asimi asked. My other officers also looked at me askance.

“Events beyond my control will probably force me away from this campaign for a while. You’ll need to hold things together without me. I don’t think you have too much to worry about though. The cultivators are broken, and you’ll likely just be chasing them off-world rather than fighting them now. I’ll be back at some point, but I’m uncertain what capacity that will be in.”

Now, all my officers were looking at me strangely. In truth, I’d never wanted this position. I’d just wanted to win Cyra’s hand. But now that I was here, I felt more than a little responsibility toward those under my command. I would do right by them, even if only from afar.

“Remember, Asimi, Cyra will be nearby and you can ask her for leadership advice anytime. Perhaps Sakura as well, though Sakura and Bridget might mysteriously disappear sometime soon. Please take care of the legion while I’m away. Alright?”

“O-okay...” Asimi said, still clearly trying to interpret my words for some hidden meaning behind them.

I reached to my shoulder and, with an air of finality, plucked off the badge that marked me as the legate of the nineteenth legion. Before she could protest, I attached it to Asimi’s uniform.

“Keep that warm for me.”

I had hoped to meet with Myrina, Cyra, Bridget, Sakura, Mimiko, and maybe even Thaddeus, too. Unfortunately, Velicia managed to talk to Herius and the other legates a bit faster than I thought. By the time I was done meeting with my officers, people from the first legion were already waiting for me.

“Legate Carter?” Asked a large and brawny member of the first legion. Next to him was an identical figure wielding a large halberd. Both were B-Grade, and might have even been the pair of guards who barred my way into the city lord’s manor before. If it was, they’d both leveled up considerably since then.

Usually, Herius just sent a D-Grade runner in my direction. These pairs were both early B-Grades, which was a bad sign. Not that two early B-Grades could intimidate me, but the way they were armed and glaring made me suspect they thought they could intimidate me.

“That’s me,” I said pleasantly.

“You will come with us to meet with Lady Velicia,” the guard said.

“I’m going to meet with Prince Herius. If Lady Velicia is nearby, she can meet with me too. But the prince is the leader of this expedition.” I walked slipped between the two guards’ halberds and started walking toward the manor. They hurried to catch up while I ignored them.

My brief jaunt took me to the manor, and our usual meeting spot looked positively crowded as a small group of people waited for me.

The legates eyed me up and down. Morin and Abesa sat on either side of Lady Velicia. Prince Herius stood with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. Thaddeus was there, too. I noted the hawk-nosed leader of the fifteenth legion as well. Even Maximus was leaning on a cane as he finally healed from his poisoning. I must have kicked him out of the medical bay when I emptied the mystic realm.

Cyra and Myrina were notably absent, even though the two of them were both acting legates. I suspected their names would come up in the meeting we were about to have.

Prince Herius let out a sigh. “A few of the legates have brought some concerning things to light. Some of them accuse you of taking over the seventh, fifth, and eleventh legions. Legates Morin and Abesa tell me you seized command of their legions as well through threats of violence and intimidation. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

There was plenty I could have said, but there was only really one thing I wanted to say. I let my heart take the lead.

“Morin and Abesa are incompetent idiots. I suspect they were given their command positions to intentionally set this expedition up for ruin. If I hadn’t taken command, we never would have succeeded in taking Tinsburg.”

More than a few of the legates sucked in a gasp at me, so brazenly admitted to the accusations leveled at me. I ignored them. Most were no doubt deep under Lady Velicia’s influence. No doubt she’d been working on all of them for a long time. Perhaps I should have rolled the dice and dealt with her early, despite it all.

Inwardly, I noted the nervous feeling I got in my gut at the thought of fighting her was no longer there. My fate bloodline was no longer warning me about her. Had she improved her disguise? Or did my bloodline approve of what I planned to do?

“And installing your big, dumb, Amazonian sluts in command of the Seventh, Fifth, and Eleventh Legion? Do you admit to that as well?” Lady Velicia demanded.

Next to her, Prince Herius winced. The two Amazonian sluts Velicia was referring to were his own sisters. Hearing the harsh words from the lovely and innocent young woman he’d come to know had been painful. I imagined he was still reeling from Velicia’s personality suddenly changing on him now that she was no longer pretending to be sweet and innocent.

“Both are capable women and deserving of command,” I replied.

Prince Herius cast a pointed look in my direction.

“Legate Carter... is there any reasonable explanation for your recent actions over the past day? Something more reasonable than the current accusations of colluding with the enemy?” He was clearly hoping I’d have a way out of this situation for myself. And I was pretty sure I did, but it wasn’t one he’d like.

“I was predicting a disaster and implemented orders to minimize our casualties. Yes, I had to overstep a bit to get the other legions to listen to me. And those with leaders that ignored me paid the price.” I shrugged innocently.

“Perhaps we wouldn’t have been attacked at all if you hadn’t consorted with the enemy?” Abesa asked.

Prince Herius scowled. “Perhaps you’d be willing to swear on your honor and soul that you’ve never consorted with cultivators before? I have an ability that can ascertain the truth of such oaths.”

My mind went to Mimiko and the double-agent scheme I’d hatched with her. I would probably fail any truth test like that.

“I’ve never worked against the campaign’s best interests. You’re welcome to test those words for truth,” I replied.

“That wasn’t an answer. He’s hiding something, you see?” Lady Velicia looked delighted, and she ran her hands along Prince Herius’ shoulders. “Place him under house arrest and search all his things. I’m certain we’ll find something. Besides, Morin, Abesa, and the others need this. If a potential traitor is allowed to roam free and continue taking over legions, the other legates will go on strike.”

“That’s right!” Morin added helpfully, though it looked like he’d only been half-following my interrogation.

Prince Herius let out a sigh.

“We can not afford disunity among the legions. You may have taken care of one Black Beast Sect Elder with whatever it was you had planned, but there are at least four more elders we know of active on this world. We can’t afford to split our focus while they do who knows what. For that reason, Legate Carter, I’m asking you to temporarily relieve yourself of command,” Herius said with tired eyes.

I gave him a sad smile in return. I liked Herius, and I suspected I’d like him a lot more if not for Lady Velicia, or whatever her real name was. Under other circumstances, I’d spend more time getting to know him, and hopefully, I’d still have the chance for that after all this was over.

“There’s no need for me to relieve myself of duty now. I’ve already done so ahead of this meeting. I’ve named Centurion Asimi as the acting legate of the nineteenth legion. She had a good head on her shoulders, some important connections back in the Dragon Lodge.”

Mostly, her important friends were me and Doomblade’s Armory, but these legates had all gotten their positions through political connections, so letting them think Asimi was as connected as they were would only benefit her. But if I wanted her to lead unharassed, I needed to get rid of the primary thorn in the legion’s side.

“We shall see. I’ll provide you with a residence in the city. We’ll need to continue using the Nineteenth Legion’s mystic realm for logistics. After we search it thoroughly, of course...

I chuckled. “If you can open the portal, then you’re welcome to search it.”

Abesa and Morin looked unhappy at that, but Velicia seemed unphased. Perhaps she’d already gotten off a message to her heretic friends, and they would send an A-Grade to investigate. If they did, they’d only find scraps, just like anyone the Vaust family sent. Exactly as planned.

“As for a residence in the city? There’s no need for that. I’ll be going home.” I turned as if to leave.

“Not until we’ve searched your things, you’re not. We still need to determine whether or not you were collaborating with the enemy,” Lady Velicia said.

This time, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I’d tried to hold it in, but this was just too much.

“You keep saying that word. You’re claiming I’m collaborating with the enemy. That’s ironic coming from someone like you.”

Velicia tilted her chin up at me while wearing a smirk. “And what’s that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of being a traitor as well?” She reached out and grabbed Prince Herius’ hand. “Oh no, Prince Herius! He’s making such terrible accusations at me without proof!”

“Ha! Laughable, truly. Now that we’re on to him, he’s deflecting blame, leveling the same accusations at Lady Velicia. Such desperate words!” Legate Abesa let out a laugh. She nudged Morin in the side, and when he realized what was happening, he also started laughing.

The other legates seemed a bit uncomfortable at my sudden accusation. Even Thaddeus, who’d looked unhappy with this whole affair, turned to me and frowned.

I pointed a finger in Lady Velicia’s direction while she smirked at me, eyebrows raised.

“You, Velicia, or whatever your real name is, are a heretic and an enemy of the System.”

My accusation hung in the air. Velicia cracked a smile and laughed. Abesa and Morin joined her. Herius shook his head.

“Carter, I think--“ Herius cut himself off, and all laughter stopped as everyone received the same System quest simultaneously.

New Quest Available!

Eliminate the heretic agent.

Reward: One class upgrade token, suitable for classes up to legendary ranking.