The Sovereign System.

After leaving the strategy meeting, the orders were passed down to the Lieutenants to organize the shifts within the ranks. Luke was thankful for the well-structured chain of command; otherwise, trying to give orders to twenty-five thousand soldiers would have been a logistical nightmare.

"Are you nervous?" Luke asked, noticing that Kayson had been unusually quiet.

"I'd be lying if I said no," Kayson admitted. "Battling in the field is one thing, but I've heard that sieging a fortress is pure carnage."

Luke nodded, his gaze drifting to the thirty-foot walls standing imposingly in the distance. "At least you'll be the one giving the orders, not climbing the walls yourself."

Kayson let out a humorless laugh. "The fate of all my soldiers' lives will rest on my shoulders. Maybe it'd be easier if I were part of the vanguard instead."

Luke scoffed. "Tell me that after your first attack, and I might believe you," he said, placing a reassuring hand on Kayson's shoulder. He gave his friend a long look before wishing him good luck.

Even as Luke turned to walk away, he could feel Kayson's nervousness radiating behind him. This would be his first battle as a sole Commander, and it seemed to weigh more heavily on him than he was willing to admit.

'He doesn't have a system like me, no skills to switch off useless emotions. And he's not a psychopath,' Luke thought, briefly recalling Hayden's eerie calmness during the meeting.

Still, Luke pushed the worries to the back of his mind. With Kayson's upgraded stats and sharp analytical mind, he should be in no real danger—unless something drastic occurred.

The night passed uneventfully, and Luke made his way to his tent, intent on getting as much rest as possible before the fighting began. Removing his leather boots, he crawled into bed, his body heavy with weariness.

Sleep came swiftly, pulling him into another dreamless night of rest.

The sound of drums, thunderous and relentless, jolted Luke awake. Sitting up in a rush, he felt a surge of panic. He hurriedly pulled on his boots and stumbled out of the tent.

The sun had yet to rise, leaving the camp shrouded in dim pre-dawn light. The rhythmic beats of the drums reverberated through the air, signaling the end of the attack and acting as a wake-up call for the next shift of soldiers.

'I slept through the battle?' Luke thought, scanning the area for any sign of Kayson.

All around him, soldiers were retreating to the camps. Some bore superficial wounds, while others were maimed or unconscious, supported by comrades as they stumbled toward safety.

"Take the injured to the infirmary in the west camp!" a hoarse yet commanding voice bellowed.

Luke's head snapped toward the source, his eyes locking onto Kayson. The young Commander stood tall, garbed in armor, barking orders with the confidence of a seasoned leader. Despite the exhaustion etched on his face, his posture was as straight as a spear, exuding an air of calm authority that Luke had never seen before.

'He looks like a proper leader…' Luke thought, a small smile tugging at his lips.

He waited patiently by the side as Kayson finished giving orders, watching as the soldiers dispersed to carry out their duties. When everything was done, Kayson let out a sigh of relief and finally turned, noticing Luke standing nearby.

"I see you're finally awake, princess," Kayson said flatly, though a grin soon spread across his face.

Luke let out an exaggerated stretch. "I slept like a baby with a belly full of breast milk," he quipped, sending Kayson a wink. "How was the battle?"

Kayson shook his head. "Not here. Let's talk around the fire. I'm hungry, and I've needed to piss for the past hour," he said, rubbing his hands together.

Luke chuckled before nodding and setting to work starting the fire. It took a bit of effort, but eventually, the flames took hold, and he added a few smaller logs to keep it going.

Before long, the smell of cooking beans filled the air, stoking their appetites. Only then did Kayson begin to speak about the battle.

"We lost around two hundred men, mostly to the archers firing from atop the walls. There were also some casualties from the siege ladders, but we never really committed to scaling the walls," Kayson explained, warming his hands near the fire.

"Two hundred isn't bad—not even 2.5% of your forces," Luke replied, though the thought made him pale.

"We're still counting the injured, but it'll probably be a little more than that. I'm hoping this was the worst of it since the enemy is at their strongest right now. Once the next shift starts, they'll begin to tire," Kayson added, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames.

The fatigue etched into Kayson's handsome face was impossible to miss, but there was also a newfound hardness to his expression—subtle but unmistakable. The battle had changed him, even if only slightly.

'They say war changes a person,' Luke thought. 'I wouldn't be surprised if both of us are different by the time this ends.'

Lost in his own musings, Luke leaned back against the log and turned his eyes to the sky. Night was giving way to day as the sun's first rays began to crest the horizon, heralding the start of a new day.

For some, the rising sun might hold promises of happiness. But for the soldiers trapped within Xiu Fortress, it was a grim reminder that their doom was drawing closer.

The sizzling of the beans came to an abrupt stop as Kayson handed Luke a bowl. He accepted it with a nod, and the two sat in companionable silence, neither in any hurry to break it.

The battle for Xiu Fortress was just one part of a larger war. The King would undoubtedly have sent other capable generals to the borders of the Qin Empire to raise his banner and conquer their lands, Luke thought.

But as he dug deeper into his thoughts, certain things didn't quite add up. If the Qin Empire had truly sent the assassins, why hadn't they fortified Xiu Fortress in advance?

Judging by the amount of food in the granaries and the number of soldiers he'd seen while infiltrating the fortress, it was clear they hadn't fully prepared to defend it.

There was also the issue of the troops that had marched toward Clayton City. The turnaround time had been remarkably short—only a week to rally those forces. That would've been impossible unless the soldiers were already nearby and assembled.

The more Luke thought about it, the more things didn't add up. Could the assassination attempts have been a ploy by the King to justify declaring war on the Empire?

His mind wandered to Victoria, the mysterious woman who had infiltrated the Academy under the guise of a maid. Her cryptic words had hinted at a conspiracy tied to his father's death.

'Could all of this be connected?' he wondered.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the thunderous beat of drums, signaling the start of the next battle. Luke turned to Kayson, who had dozed off in his makeshift chair, his hands still clutching an empty bowl.

Luke's gaze softened. Rising to his feet, he walked over to his friend and gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, buddy. Let's get you to bed."

Kayson stirred just enough to assist Luke as he struggled to drape the man's arm over his shoulder. With some effort, they made their way to the tent. Kayson muttered something that sounded vaguely grateful before collapsing onto the makeshift bed with little ceremony.

Satisfied that his friend was resting, Luke stepped back outside, his eyes drawn to the ongoing battle at the fortress. From his vantage point, he could see Commander Tryst directing the soldiers with precision. Archers fired relentlessly at the defenders atop the south wall, while others on foot hauled siege ladders toward the base.

Luke's gaze shifted to the west side of the fortress, where another group of troops, led by one of Tryst's officers, carried out similar maneuvers. The tactics were persistent yet deliberately non-committal, wearing down the defenders without risking a full-scale assault.

The strategy wasn't bad by any means, but something felt lacking to Luke. His eyes roamed over the fortress walls, taking in the soldiers' expressions—fear and exhaustion etched onto every face.

"It won't be long before they break," he murmured. All they needed was a decisive blow to morale, something to sap their fighting spirit without pushing them into a desperate, all-out defense.

The most effective option would be to take out their commander, but that was almost impossible. The man was unlikely to expose himself atop the walls, and a direct assassination attempt was out of the question.

'There has to be another way,' Luke thought, determination settling over him.

Deep in thought, he made his way through the camp toward the north side, where the mercenaries were stationed. His eyes scanned the area, searching for Hilda's unmistakable figure. Relief washed over him as he spotted her and Sebastian sitting around a fire, eating breakfast.

Ignoring the glares and curious glances sent his way by the surrounding mercenaries, Luke walked up to the pair and got straight to the point. "Father, Hilda, what are the chances we can rally some of the mercenaries to join the battle?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Have you got coin? These men won't get off their asses unless you pay them."

Luke frowned, exasperation clear on his face. He was far poorer than the mercenaries—many of whom looked like beggars in tattered armor. There was no way he could afford to pay them.

"What are you thinking?" Sebastian asked softly, his sharp gaze fixed on Luke.

Instead of answering immediately, Luke lowered himself to the fire's edge and closed his eyes briefly. Unknown to the others, he activated his Eagle Eye skill, and his perspective shifted to a bird's-eye view of the fortress.

In an instant, he saw the layout of the walls. The north and western walls had significantly fewer soldiers stationed on them, as most were preoccupied defending the other gates. It made sense—the defenders wouldn't waste manpower guarding a side that wasn't under attack.

'Hmm?' Something caught Luke's attention, making his intuition prickle. The western wall appeared thinner above the gate compared to the northern one.

Luke recalled entering the fortress through the northern gate when delivering supplies. That gate had been heavily fortified, with a fifty-foot-long tunnel between two gates. The tunnel allowed defenders to attack invaders from above with spears, boiling oil, and arrows.

But judging by the structure of the western wall, it seemed to lack that tunnel and only had a single gate. For a moment, Luke wondered why, but the answer became apparent.

Xiu Fortress had once belonged to the Marxx Kingdom. The north wall, facing the Qin Empire, had been fortified for defense. In contrast, the western wall, which originally faced friendly territory, had far fewer defensive measures.

Luke opened his eyes, only to find a pretty face mere inches from his own. Startled, he flinched backward, only to realize it was Hilda.

"You okay there? Sebby asked you a question," she said, frowning slightly.

"I-I believe the enemy soldiers are close to breaking. If we can breach their gate, I think they'll surrender right away," Luke said, regaining his composure.

Sebastian frowned, contemplating Luke's words in silence. "How can you be so sure they'll surrender?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Luke admitted, "but I believe they're short on food and rest. If they see defeat as inevitable, they might surrender to preserve their lives rather than fight to the death."

"Your son sure talks a big game," Hilda said, her gaze shifting to the gray-haired butler.

Sebastian ignored her, his piercing gaze still locked on Luke. "And you want to breach the gate with a handful of mercenaries? Without a single copper to your name?"

Luke realized how foolish it sounded but nodded firmly nonetheless. "Yes."