A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Skullic shrugged. "Why not? I'd do it for the woman I liked. I'm just asking if you're aware of the risk."

"General… That's insanely bad advice. Imagine if I listened to that logic?" Oliver said.

"Well, you're going to do it anyway," Skullic said, leaning on his chair. "Perhaps not because you like either woman – and why is that, I wonder? – but for the sake of a misplaced loyalty, you'll be ending up in the same position. Your retainers will praise you, but again you'll be taking a jab at the High King."

"I'll do it then," Oliver said, smiling a menacing smile. Both he and Ingolsol had seized the opportunity and soon it was phrased as a jab towards the High King. That man needed all the jabs that they could possibly deliver.

Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Skullic shook his head. "Now see, that's a worse habit than me doing it for the sake of a woman. But I digress, do what you will. You understand the dangers. It will not affect my house."

"Thank you, General," Oliver said honestly. "You've treated me fairly. I appreciate that."

"It would be shortsighted to use and disregard men. I wouldn't be a very good General if I lacked that basic foresight," Skullic said. "Go then, and make sure you get your food from Mary. I will not have you wasting the efforts of that woman. Do not forget that it would be pertinent for you to arrange a meeting with the Asabel girl, before you move for the Blackthorn."

…

…

After feeding himself on the warm meat and potatoes that Mary had delivered him, he set out in search of his retainers.

Verdant, as ever, was the easiest to find. Oliver met him at the doors of the Central Castle on his way out. The priest had been waiting for him there it seemed, after guessing where he'd gotten to.

After mentioning a potential meeting with Asabel, Verdant had taken one look at him and agreed.

"I mean no disrespect, my Lord, but it would please me if you would see her sooner. You have a peculiar exhaustion to you, much like when you defeated the Boulder Crab. I worry to see it twice," Verdant said.

"Is she that trustworthy a physician?"

"My goodness, my Lord, she's beyond trustworthy. Her skill in the medical arts at her age is prodigious. As you are with the sword, she seems to be with healing, though I'm not sure how much that means to you, given your short time studying field medicine," Verdant said.

"No, it means something," Oliver agreed. It was more that he was glad her talents extended beyond just a single instance. Or perhaps that was a bad way to put it… It was more that he sensed something to her, frightening enough to bring him to caution. Something that had managed to reach into him at his worst. It pleased him to know that her talents were a well enough known thing.

Apparently to all but him.

"Then, would you allow me to have that meeting arranged with a quickness?" Verdant asked. "She returned yesterday evening from her visit with the High King. I imagine she would make time for you now, if we were to ask."

"…If you think it to be best," Oliver relented. At the very least, he supposed, he would be striking whilst the iron is hot. Typically he'd been leaving all his meetings with Asabel right to the last minute. Perhaps it was about time to break that trend.

"I do, my Lord," Verdant said. "I will send our young retainers after you. I imagine that you shall find Blackthorn here if you were to wait – she has taken a rather late lunch. I noted her as she went in."

"Thank you, then," Oliver said.

Verdant nodded. "My apologies for leaving you to do it yourself. If I weren't for your health, I would have seen it tended to… You really ought to be resting rather than politicking."

Oliver waved him away. "I'm fine, I assure you, Verdant. Fine enough to tend to these chores. A good night's sleep, and I'll be back to normal."

The priest looked doubtful, but it was enough to get him to finally relent and hurry in the direction of the Yellow Castle, as he'd said he would.

It was hard to tell just how the priest had informed them, but soon enough, Jorah, Kaya and Karesh were sprinting towards the Central Castle as though they were late for something.

"My Lord!" Jorah said, his hands on his knees. "Apologies for making you wait."

All three of them were rather sweaty. Too sweaty to have come from a short run.

"Were you training?" Oliver guessed.

They seemed stunned to have been seen through instantly, but they didn't deny it. Jorah nodded meekly. "We took your advice to heart. We've been putting more effort in, with the thought of the goblins in mind. With a goal to work for, and true combat… I'm not sure – it just seems as though I can progress more clearly now."

Oliver nodded his understanding. "Good. On that note, I've cleared it with General Skullic. You can follow me on the next mission, if you're ready enough for it. But be warned, if I don't think you're strong enough to keep yourselves alive, I'll have to leave you behind."

The instantaneous excitement was quickly tempered by his warning, but the three of them nodded anyway. "Don't you worry, my Lord! Your missions will be far easier in future with the three of us in hand."

"And a hundred men," Oliver said, with a small smile on his lips. He knew that it would catch them off guard, and just as he'd expected, the three of them were stunned.@@novelbin@@

"Sorry, my Lord," Jorah said cautiously. "Do you mean that we are fighting alongside a hundred men? Or..?"

He carefully posed the question, guessing correctly that if it wasn't the latter then Oliver wouldn't have bothered to mention it at all. Still, it seemed too outlandish to merely take on as an assumption.

"Indeed, Skullic gave me that as a reward," Oliver said, enjoying their reaction. They were good men, he knew. Honest men. It was pleasant to see them display their emotions so clearly.