Ludwig found himself in an unenviable situation.
So did everyone still standing in the vicinity of Solania.
The Second Prince had arrived too late to matter and early enough to claim authority. That alone would have made him unbearable, but he had not come with a ceremonial escort or some token banner meant to show imperial concern. He had brought an army. A true imperial army. Ranks enough to swallow the open field before Solania, formations wide enough to stretch from one broken edge of the battlefield to the other, and enough aura users, mages, cavalry, and siege specialists to make smaller nations reconsider the shape of their borders.
They had not bled against Sloth.
They had not protected the walls.
They had not held the line while priests trembled and paladins forgot how to stand.
They had come late. Far too late to be useful. Just in time to collect.
