Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

"Hmm? So that's what you're thinking," Ambiru raised an eyebrow and said, "Somjet, don't forget that the military also provides opportunities for advancement. As long as you have the strength and merit, you won't lack for honor and status!

Besides, do you think you'd have achieved what you have today without the military's resources? Could you have survived that crisis back then and lived to see this day?"

Somjet pursed his lips but remained silent at Ambiru's words.

"Hahaha, Ambiru, Somjet is just expressing what's on his mind. No need to take it to heart.

After all... who would want to spend their entire life on the battlefield?" A clean-shaven man in white armor walked over with a smile.

"Oh? Don't forget, I joined the military of my own free will. If I wanted, I could leave anytime.

But I've vowed to spend my life on the battlefield, unless... the day comes when all beastmen are dead!" Ambiru's expression darkened as he looked at the approaching man and spoke coldly.

"Tsk, tsk, no wonder you're the Deputy Commander. Such conviction is truly admirable!" The man in white armor gave a thumbs-up, "But I think, even if we all die, it's unlikely that the beastmen will be wiped out so easily..."

"Lango, if you don't try, how will you ever know?" Ambiru's gaze turned icy.

The man called Lango, seeing Ambiru's cold stare, dared not continue the conversation on this topic. He shrugged and fell silent.

A moment later, Ambiru sighed, turning to look at the troops below. He shouted, "Regroup!"

"Well then, farewell, Ambiru!" Tami said in a low voice, "The Commander said the mission here is over. We're needed elsewhere."

"Yes, go ahead." Ambiru nodded indifferently.

Five streams of combat energy flashed as the knights swiftly left, leaving Ambiru standing alone on the hill.

He scanned the battlefield littered with corpses, remaining silent for a while until his gaze fell on Rhett, a few hundred meters away, and his eyes regained some brightness.

Ambiru leaped forward and walked up to Rhett, placing a hand on his shoulder. Startled, Rhett quickly turned around and respectfully said, "Commander Ambiru!"

"Yes, Rhett, we owe this victory to you." Ambiru smiled warmly, patting Rhett's shoulder a few more times. "Your intelligence was crucial and arrived just in time. You've earned another great merit!"

Rhett humbly replied, "Just doing my duty."

"Heh, I've calculated it roughly. With your contributions and your strength, you've already fulfilled the conditions for promotion to Earl." Ambiru looked directly at Rhett. "If you wish, your desire can be fulfilled when this war is over."

"Thank you, Commander!" Rhett's voice was loud and clear.

"Haha, it's what you deserve," Ambiru chuckled. He then glanced at the departing knights and said softly, "Rhett, I have a question for you."

"Please ask, Commander."

"What made you come to the Canyon Frontline to fight against the beastmen?"

Rhett paused for a moment before replying, "To fight for those who cannot fight, and for those who once fought for me."

The battlefield fell silent in an instant.

This sentence seemed to carry a mysterious power, making the surrounding soldiers turn their heads to stare at Rhett in a daze.

Even Ambiru was stunned. He stared into the distance, the words echoing in his mind.

Finally, he took a deep breath and murmured to himself, "To fight for those who cannot fight, and for those who once fought for me..."

After several minutes, Ambiru refocused on Rhett. "So, it's not about gaining glory and rank?"

"Those are merely what I deserve," Rhett calmly replied, though in his mind, he reflected on his initial reason for joining the battlefield—to avenge the parents of this body.

"Good, very good! I'll remember what you just said, and I hope... you'll remember it too." Ambiru gave Rhett a meaningful look before striding past him to reorganize the troops.

The soldiers who had overheard Rhett's words also glanced at him, their expressions thoughtful.

Under Ambiru's command, the thousands of troops marched toward the frontlines again, preparing for a flanking maneuver.

However, due to the Nightcatmen's defeat, the beastmen on the frontline didn't hold out for long. What began as a fierce attack by the beastmen ended with a tactical retreat.

Rhett only participated briefly in the front-line battle before returning to the camp to continue his meditation and training.

Nine days later, on August 24th.

Rhett was still meditating in his quarters.

Over the past few days, with the Destiny Points harvested by Telis, combined with those gained from the ambush against the Nightcatmen and various skirmishes, Rhett had accumulated over three hundred Destiny Points.

After using them all for simulated training, Rhett could clearly feel that the bottleneck had been more than halfway worn down!

Feeling the subtle changes in his mind, Rhett muttered, "Only by becoming a fifth-rank mage can I confidently control the Darkstripes' branch. Otherwise, being a mere fourth rank still poses too much risk for my territory..."

As Rhett was lost in thought, suddenly:

[Family population +1, Destiny Points +10]

A notification appeared before him, and Rhett froze for a moment before realizing what had happened. His eyes filled with joy as he thought, "Ah, Mina has given birth as well. Excellent!"

This change didn't escape Relay's notice, who curiously asked, "Commander, did you receive some good news?"

Rhett raised an eyebrow, then quickly came up with an excuse. Stretching, he casually replied, "Nothing much, just feeling like I'm about to break through soon, so I'm in a good mood!"

Relay, in the process of uncorking a bottle of Moonshine Elixir, froze. His eyes widened in surprise as he murmured, "Father... I mean, Commander, you're about to break through again?"

His voice was filled with excitement, so much so that he momentarily forgot to address Rhett as "Commander" on the Canyon Frontline!

Rhett didn't mind the minor slip and smiled, nodding. "Yes, just keep it to yourselves for now."

Tuck scratched his head and gave a thumbs-up. "That's amazing!" Then, in high spirits, he grabbed a handful of black jerky from a pouch by his bed and began to chew.

"Rhett, with your cultivation speed, did you take a Saint-grade Bloodline Potion back then?" Macoff, leaning on the bed's iron post, craned his neck in amazement. "I've only heard of geniuses achieving such cultivation speeds in legends!"

"Who knows?" Rhett shrugged, leaving the quality of the Bloodline Potion to others' imaginations. It was best to keep them guessing to explain his rapid progress.

But then he asked with interest, "Macoff, what geniuses have you heard of?"

"Hmm, I heard that the Round Tower in the Kingdom of Reim has one.

And there's supposedly a prince in the Kingdom of Jinlun with incredible talent. When I was in Ice City, I heard that a young prince had already reached the peak of the Earth Knight level and was sent to train on the Coldstream Front.

There are also other geniuses from other kingdoms and even overseas, all said to have the potential for sainthood.

But who knows how accurate the rumors are?" Macoff shook his head, knowing that most rumors were just that—rumors.

"Saint-level... that's too far off," Rhett muttered to himself. Then he stood up and said, "I'm heading out for a while. You all can move around as you like, but don't forget the patrol duties tonight."

"Don't worry, we'll be here."

The coolness of August was beginning to set in, and the camp's paths were sprinkled with scattered leaves, adding a touch of gold to the heavy roads.

As Rhett walked, the streets were noticeably quieter.

Passing the training grounds, he could still hear the knights' thunderous shouts.

Others might not know, but Rhett understood that this was preparation for the all-out assault at the end of the month!

His destination this time was the execution grounds. He wanted to check on how Telis was doing and had another goal in mind—to increase Telis's harvest quota!

The dark fences surrounded the execution grounds, and through the wide gaps, Rhett could see that the number of beastmen awaiting execution had increased significantly since his last visit.

The recent beastmen assault had led to many prisoners.

Now, the place was filled with towering, ferocious beastmen in shackles, covering every corner of the execution grounds.

At every guillotine stood a living beastman, some howling, some cursing, and others begging for mercy.

Behind the guillotines, long lines of beastmen awaited their turn, blood splattered across the ground, mingling with severed heads.

[Family population +1, Destiny Points +10]

Another notification flashed before Rhett's eyes.

But he was becoming accustomed to it. The influx of beastman prisoners over the past half-month, along with the notifications on his way here, made the frequency of these prompts more common than ever.

After showing his identification, Rhett entered the open-air execution grounds and headed to the corner he had visited before.

There, he saw his youngest son, calmly casting a Minor Dark Wave spell at a beastman.

Boom

A black energy orb struck a barely alive Nightcatman, hitting it right in the eye and splattering blood everywhere.

The scene was brutal, but Rhett could tell that Telis, who might have once been affected, now treated it like a mundane task. Watching the beastman die, he showed no emotion—perhaps even a hint of boredom.

"Haha, Telis, it seems you've toughened up!" Rhett laughed heartily. "You've matured a lot since you arrived here.

And your spellcasting has improved too. Well done."

"Huh? Fa... Commander!" Telis's eyes lit up with joy as he ran over. "Why did it take you so long to visit? I was so worried when I heard about the beastmen's assault. I was afraid something might have happened to you, Tuck, and Relay.

I'm so glad you're all okay!"

"Nothing could happen to us." Rhett smiled, looking Telis over. "But you seem to have grown a lot.

Have the beastman prisoners increased since the assault?"

"Yes." Telis frowned. "Since the beastmen's attack, there have been so many to execute every day that I hardly have time to visit the alchemy workshop."

Then he looked up at Rhett with hopeful eyes. "Commander, can I give up my position as executioner and focus on alchemy? I feel like I've had enough of this training."

"Hmm, it's not the right time yet," Rhett replied. "In fact, I hope you can intensify your efforts and work around the clock."

"Ah?" Telis dragged out the sound, clearly reluctant. "Commander, that's not training—it's exploitation!"

Rhett sighed inwardly. "I know it's tough, Telis. But these are special circumstances, and it has to be done.

As a reward, after the war ends, I'll personally reach out to the author of Knight's Academy to get a sequel for you!"

Telis's eyes brightened but then dimmed again. "I've lost interest in Knight's Academy now. After experiencing the wonders of alchemy, that old-fashioned story feels dull."

"Hmm, then... I'll find you a fantasy novel ten times better than Knight's Academy. How about that?" Rhett pondered for a moment before adding in a tempting tone, "And I bet Mina will love it too!"

"Really? You're serious?" Telis, who trusted his father completely, hesitated before eagerly asking, "Can you at least tell me who the author is?"

"Hehe, not yet." Rhett smiled mysteriously. "But I can tell you it's not from the Kingdom of Jinlun, and it caused a much bigger sensation than Knight's Academy!"

"Alright, Commander, you have my word!" Telis's tone grew more determined.

"Haha." Rhett chuckled. "Of course, I do."

Glancing at the nearby guillotines, Rhett saw the same third-rank knights from before, diligently executing beastmen. Behind them stretched long lines of beastmen awaiting their turn.

"It seems for Telis, there are more than enough beastmen to execute, just not enough time..." Rhett mused.

After a brief chat with Telis, Rhett left the execution grounds.

As he departed, he thought, "Looks like I'll have to be a plagiarist again. But to fit this world's context, something like Lord of the Mysteries or Release That Witch wouldn't suit the tone.

Only classic fantasy would do...

Mercenary World? Bloodthirsty Beast?

Or maybe... Coiling Dragon?"