an unfortunate change in genre

Part 23

Cale glared at the wine bottle as though it had offended him somehow.

He really didn't drink all that much in this life. He still enjoyed the taste of alcohol and the faint buzz that he could generally manage after drinking an excessive amount.

It was just that the thought of drinking put a bad taste in his mouth. The alcohol he'd used as a prop for all those years acted only as a reminder of that cringe-worthy performance.

At the very least, there was no one in this life who was aware of his behavior in the past. Well, there was probably no one. It was genuinely hard to tell what Roksu knew and didn't know.

Sometimes he'd have such detailed knowledge of the enemies plans that you'd wonder if he was from the wrong side of the war and other times he'd lack such basic knowledge about the events to come that you'd wonder if he experienced it at all.

Was Cale's behavior one of those gaps? Or was Roksu perfectly aware of the trash of the Count's family?

Cale didn't ask. Most times Cale didn't even want to know.

The 29th day of the 3rd month in the 781st year of the Felix Calendar.

The time when everything started. It was around this time that it had been calculated that the attack on Harris Village took place. Of course in this timeline, it'd taken place much sooner but at least there were significant survivors this time and if there was another attack, the village was now well defended.

The wine bottle didn't do anything in response to Cale's glare, merely sat in front of him as if mocking him.

In a few days time, he would be sent to the capital for the emperor's birthday celebration. There was no reason for him not to, he hadn't done anything to disqualify himself as heir and more significantly, there was no way Cale would allow Basen or any of his other siblings to attend when there was such a high potential for danger.

Redika, the mage responsible for the terrorist attack on the capital, had been in jail for years. But there was no reason to presume that the bastard White Star wouldn't merely send someone else.

The upcoming variables were stressing Roksu out as well but Cale's fear was more visceral.

He'd seen the White Star. Been killed in battle by the bastard. Watched people he cared for perish at his hands.

From the moment he'd attended that damn celebration until the time he died, his entire life had become twisted up with tragedy and loss.

It was why he was here.

The White Star's tactics were brutal. Now that Crown Prince Alberu had amassed power and influence at a more significant rate while also being a thorn in the side of all of Arm's activities, would the White Star let that go?

Tension filled Cale as he swiped the bottle and took a swig.

They had all prepared in excess for the war to come. The Roan Kingdom was strong. They had powerful allies and built alliances and they knew much of the enemies plans ahead of time.

It was the ideal situation to be in when facing up against a devastating war that had destroyed the lives of so many people.

And it was all due to Roksu.

Cale's grip on the bottle tightened and he closed his eyes to suppress the tension headache that was threatening him.

Cale was well aware that he would have never managed even half of what Roksu had in the time allotted. It wasn't just due to Roksu's brilliance as a tactician but his willingness to engage in reckless tactics that rocked the very continent beneath them.