The Herb King

After conversing with the emperor, Aethelwolf returned to the estate and summoned all the soldiers of the Lassiter Household.

Soon, thousands of soldiers equipped with the best armor s and weapons stood before him. The Level 4 Espers leading them were also present at the scene.

At this moment, the Lassiter Household now had more than five thousand Espers in its command!

"Ramiel, you will lead two thousand of our forces to join the main army of the Leone Empire. There will be a war against the Ford Empire and you will be exposed to danger." Aethelwolf said in a loud voice. His words shocked the soldiers, but they just remained silent as they looked at him.

"On the surface, the Lassiter Household will only be sending two thousand of our soldiers, but I want Albert's unit to move separately. Your intelligence unit will go to the Dustin Empire to observe their movements." Aethelwolf heard about the cooperation between the Ford Empire and the Dustin Empire before so he was worried that there might be something going on behind the scenes.

"The rest will stay here to train more soldiers! I will send another batch of Awakening Pellets and Vigor Pellets to you guys soon. Use it well to expand our forces!"

Aethelwolf dismissed everyone except Ramiel, Albert, and Zachary.

"Ramiel, I'll leave the two thousand soldiers in your care. The battlefield will be filled with perils, but I hope that you can bring back our people. Don't let them die meaninglessly." Aethelwolf patted Ramiel's shoulder heavily.

The tiger-like man nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, Sir Aethelwolf."

Aethelwolf turned his gaze to Albert and Zachary.

Zachary was now part of Albert's intelligence unit and he was the second in command.

"I want you two to send the best agents we have to infiltrate the Dustin Empire. Send a separate force to the Ford Empire. Our objective is to observe their army's movements and there is no need for needless engagement. Report back to me immediately once you gathered some information."

Albert and Zachary nodded their heads. "Yes, Sir Aethelwolf."

"Prioritize your safety at all times." Aethrlwolf warned the three of them and after seeing them nod their heads, he waved his hand. "Alright, you may leave."

Aethelwolf took out a cigar and lit it up. He then stared at the clear sky with an unfathomable look on his face.

***

Outside the main entrance of Lion City, thousands upon thousands of soldiers could be seen building their temporary camp. Everyone busily moved and the tension in the atmosphere was apparent. The soldiers came from different households so they found it a bit difficult to socialize with the others.

Ramiel Sigurd was wearing a Unique-Rated custom-made armor and there was a massive Unique-Rated shield strapped behind his back. His weapon was a giant mace and it was also a Unique-Rated weapon. All this precious equipment was given to him by Aethelwolf after he became the new commander of the Lassiter Household's armed force. It was designed intricately and it didn't hinder his movements. He felt comfortable wearing this armor and he was also proud every time he sees the insignia of the Lassiter Household in the left chest area of the armor.

It wasn't just him, the two thousand soldiers under his command were also equipped with high-rank items.

Wherever their group walked, they would always attract everyone's attention.

"Sir Ramiel!"

Hm?

Ramiel turned his head when he heard his name being called and he spotted a familiar figure waving at him. It was Harold Reynolds, the current family head of the Reynolds Household.

The Reynolds Household and the Lassiter Household share a deep friendship so Ramiel and Harold both knew each other.

"Sir Harold." Ramiel smiled upon seeing him.

Harold extended his hand and the two men exchanged a handshake.

"My old man wants me to join the Lassiter Household's troops so I came here looking for you." Harold said as he scratched the back of his head. His father, Julius Reynolds, told him to group up with Ramiel's army. He didn't want to disobey his father so he immediately searched for Ramiel as soon as he exited the gates of Lion City.

"Is that so?" Ramiel chuckled at his words. He didn't mind this. The more soldiers they have in their group, the safer it will be for them.

Soon, another group arrived to join them. It was an army of more than five thousand soldiers led by an old man.

"Sir Aurus?" Harold was surprised when he saw the old man. It was the strongest expert of the Rayden Household, Aurus Rayden. He couldn't believe that the Rayden Household would actually send their strongest expert here.

Aurus smiled amicably at them. "It's been a while, Sir Harold." He then turned his head to Ramiel and nodded at the man. "Sir Ramiel."

"Sir Aurus, don't tell me you also plan to stay with us?" Harold muttered jokingly, but he was dumbfounded when he saw the old man nodding his head.

"That's right. I came here to join you guys. I'm old now. I'm afraid that I would be the first one to get killed on the battlefield." Aurus answered lightheartedly.

Harold's lips twitched upon hearing this. The old man was among the top experts of the Leone Empire and was known as the harbinger of death during his youthful days. Such a person would never be the first one to die in the war.

Not long later, the Singler Household, Urgel Household, and a few other allies joined them. When the commander in chief of the main army, General Baron, heard this, he could only temporarily appoint Ramiel as a Legion Commander.

At this moment, Ramiel's force had surged up to twenty thousand!

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed because of the arrival of a group.

"Isn't that the Ward Household? Their young lord, Alec Ward, is also with them."

"Even the idiot, Nicodel Ward, is here."

Ramiel and the others turned their gazes to the Ward Household's group. They all wear somber expressions as they looked for a spot. Alec Ward who recently joined the battle competition looked expressionless. For some reason, he had become a Level 2 Esper.

Seeing him, Ramiel furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that Alec tried to kill Janrose so he didn't have a good impression of him.