Although the arrival of Celestina Balfour was objectively wonderful news for Herald City and the surrounding region, it was terrible news for Leonard Manning!
Over the years, the amount of back-dealing, corruption, and outright crimes the fat Commander had engaged in had reached a staggering level, while General Balfour was famed for her unwavering loyalty to the kingdom and her unimpeachable moral conduct.
Worse yet, General Balfour's reputation for ruthlessness when dealing with criminals and those who abused their power, especially when it came to harming ordinary citizens, struck fear into anyone guilty of such offences in the Rockwell Kingdom.
Immediately upon hearing that Commander Hughes of the Raging River Legion wanted to meet him, Leonard sent a runner to the City Lord's Manor to request assistance from the one man he felt could protect him, Richard Baker.
While the current Count Baker was most famous for his frivolousness and cowardice, his pettiness was also well known. As such, when Richard Baker heard from the runner sent by his trusted friend Leonard about another noble trying to 'usurp control of his territory', he immediately made a formal declaration that in Herald City, only he had the right to issue commands!
The infuriated Count even wrote a decree and stamped it with the Baker Family Seal, banning anyone from interfering with the city's security without his explicit approval.
Richard Baker then sent a trusted aide of his to ensure that this interloper was properly rebuffed.
No one in the Rockwell Kingdom dared to show disrespect or disregard towards Celestina Balfour, not even the king, so how could a coward like Richard Baker have the guts to take such a hardline stance against her representative?
The answer was simple, really; Leonard Manning had intentionally kept the details of Oliver Hughes' identity hidden.
Leonard's plan was to make it appear like he was a loyal officer of the kingdom's army, constantly at odds with an unreasonable and tyrannical Count.
As long as Leonard could protect himself, he didn't mind selling out his most trusted backer; that was simply the kind of man he was.
After requesting help from Count Baker, Leonard went to meet with Commander Hughes and nearly wet himself in fright when he saw the crimson Skyship and felt the auras of not one, but four Spirit Initiates, all of whom were much stronger than himself!
Fortunately for Commander Manning, 3 of these Spirit Initiates immediately departed aboard the Sunchaser after dropping off Commander Hughes.
Apparently, they were just passing through and wouldn't be staying in Herald City.
If he had to face 4 elite Spirit Initiates, Leonard might have just surrendered outright and accepted whatever punishment awaited him, but he felt he could somehow deal with just one; as such, from that day onward, an uneasy stalemate formed.
Oliver Hughes wasn't the strongest Spirit Initiate under Celestina's command, but he was incredibly loyal and meticulous, causing him to butt heads with the shifty Garrison Commander of Herald City.
Unfortunately for Commander Hughes, while he was a by-the-books soldier who was excellent at carrying out orders, he didn't have the political savvy or cunning to deal with a man like Leonard Manning.
Hiding in the shadows and taking advantage of the connections he had built up over the decades, Commander Manning manipulated the flow of messages and information to keep the Baker Family, especially Count Richard, from meeting with Oliver Hughes.
Leonard also did his best to foster resentment between the two parties, diverting attention away from himself while shirking all his responsibility.
Things again seemed to be getting back on track for Leonard, but in the early morning of the fifth day since the explosion occurred, in the middle of a heavy rainstorm, the situation took yet another unexpected turn.
Less than 15 minutes ago, Leonard had once again refused Commander Hughes' request to deploy the garrison in order to actively combat the Wild Beasts outside the city walls.
After sending an infuriated Oliver off with the excuse of needing Count Baker's approval to make any adjustments to the city's defences, Commander Manning sat down to enjoy a rather large and hearty breakfast, but before Leonard could dig into the feast before him, he heard a commotion coming from outside.
Many people seemed to be running about, and voices were calling out loudly enough to be heard even through the storm.
Commander Manning was irritated, figuring another problem had sprung up that he would need to deal with, so he threw down his fork and knife, got to his feet, and made his way outside, intending to chew out whoever it was that was causing trouble and disturbing his meal time.
As the corpulent Commander exited his residence though, he was greeted by a shocking sight.
Through the pouring rain, a familiar looking Skyship was rapidly descending towards the open training ground of the garrison. Surrounding the crimson Skyship were a dozen large, black Tartans in tight formation, all led by a single Golden Hawk.
As this imposing force came in for a landing, a bolt of lightning lit up the dark clouds above, seemingly heralding the coming of doom to Leonard, whose only though at this moment was, How did I not sense them coming?!
Even if he had not been actively scanning his surroundings, it was hard for Commander Manning to imagine not detecting such a powerful group approaching him.
Releasing his Soul Sense in full to probe just how strong these newcomers were, Leonard was stunned to discover that each of these people were actively concealing their auras.
It now made sense why he had not sensed them until they were right on top of him.
However, the fact that this powerful group had used stealth to approach this close did not bode well for the corrupt man. If anything, it only made him more worried about what their purpose was.
As the Skyship and flying mounts all touched down, the group's leader, a woman who was giving off a menacing air, leapt from her Golden Hawk and landed right in front of Leonard Manning.
Removing her helmet, she glared at the fat man with clear disgust filling her expression before she snorted, turned away, and shouted to her subordinates, "You know your assignments! Move out!"
Receiving this command, 24 fully armed and armoured soldiers, all of whom were at least in the Core Formation Realm, saluted and shouted, "Yes ma'am!"
While this woman was giving out orders, Leonard's expression darkened noticeably. He had not been on the receiving end of such a glare in many years, nor had he been dismissed and disdained so blatantly since he arrived in Herald City.
At first, he had been afraid of what these people had come here to do; but now, all he felt was anger and indignation.
Sensing the power coming from the woman in front of him, though, Commander Manning knew better than to blow his top. He might have been one of the highest authorities in Herald City, but it was obvious that whoever this person was, she was not someone he could challenge.
Reigning in his resentment, Leonard decided to pull the same trick he had been using on the annoying Commander Hughes this whole time.
Stepping forward, he struck his right fist across his chest and spoke in a clear, authoritative tone, "I am Commander Leonard Manning of the Herald City Garrison. Please state your name, rank, and purpose here in my city."
According to the Kingdom's Law, as the local military commander, Leonard had every right to demand this information from anyone who arrived in Herald City, even if they were stronger than him or held a higher rank. As such, he was confident that no matter how much this woman looked down on him, she would answer his query.
Turning back, the blonde-haired woman frowned deeply but still replied, "First Regiment Commander of the Golden Wings Legion, Vanessa Clark. I am here on direct orders from General Celestina Balfour to establish a foothold in your city to receive refugees from Redwood Town."
Leonard's assumption was correct, with Vanessa promptly responding to his challenge; however, the answer she gave him did nothing to ease his concerns.
In fact, the mere mention of her rank sent a strong chill up his spine.
This woman had not introduced herself as 'Commander Vanessa Clark' of the Golden Wings Legion, but as 'First Regiment Commander' of the Golden Wings Legion.
While the wording was only subtly different, the implications of this simple statement were enormous.
Any Regiment in one of the 10 Armies would generally have 3 to 5 Spirit Initiate Realm Commanders, but there was only one who could hold the title of 'Regiment Commander' as they were the one who held ultimate authority.
In other words, only a General could give orders to a Regiment Commander, while everyone else could only follow the latter's commands.
The difference between the Garrison Commander of a small outlying city like Leonard, and a Regiment Commander of an Army like Vanessa, was like the difference between a sapling and a towering tree. They were not even in the same league.
On top of that, although it wasn't a firm rule, the position of First Regiment Commander of any Army was normally reserved for the second in command of that Army. In other words, this Vanessa Clark was most likely the Vice-General of the Golden Wings Legion.
The fact that this Commander Clark was here on orders from Celestina Balfour was the least surprising part of her introduction, but that didn't mean Leonard wasn't intimidated by the mention of the fierce General's name.
Commander Manning was cowed and unconsciously shrank his neck, but he also knew he couldn't just back down here or all his previous efforts these past few days would go to waste.
If he wanted to get out of this mess with his skin intact, Leonard had to continue shifting blame from himself to Count Baker, so despite being quite fearful inside, he put on a stoic face and voiced in a half-exasperated, half-helpless tone, "Commander Clark, I have received strict orders from Count Richard Baker to not allow any outsiders into the city. Of course, military personnel are an exception, but if your plan is to house refugees here, I'm afraid you must speak to the Count first."
Pausing here, Leonard checked Vanessa's reaction, but seeing no change in her expression at all, he frowned slightly and released a long sigh, feigning frustration before continuing, "I would like nothing more than to assist you, but my hands are tied. According to regulations, I cannot authorize your people's presence here."
Leonard expected this woman to grind her teeth, or spit, or curse, or show some sign of frustration when he refused her, but what he never anticipated was Vanessa staring him dead in the eye and declaring, "I wasn't asking for your permission."
Glaring at the fat man as if he was already dead to her, Vanessa stated forcefully and unequivocally, "I will carry out my orders in accordance with Special Military Law. If you, or Count Baker, or anyone else has a problem with that, you can take it up with General Balfour herself when she arrives."