Chapter 46: The Imperial Capital Garrison

Upon returning to the inn, Reyn, Elrilena, and Betharia began to review their findings and exchange the intelligence they had gathered.

"The so-called 'Commemorate the Amazons' gathering is actually just an excuse for a bunch of noble matrons and young ladies to butter each other up," Betharia said casually. "Most of them only pretend to be interested in the tragic history of the Amazons. What they really want is to use it as a vehicle to showcase their empathy and compassion, allowing them to quickly forge close ties with other female nobles."

"Unsurprising," Elrilena commented coldly.

As an executioner who had suppressed alien slaves, she had witnessed far too much human suffering to feel that the Amazon tribes possessed anything particularly worthy of pity.

Considered pitiful just for being kidnapped as wives and forced to have children? Then what about those captured, having their hands and feet severed, and hung up on racks to be tortured? What about those forcibly violated, mentally shattered, and domesticated into mindless livestock?

"I'd say Her Majesty the Empress harbors quite a grand ambition," Reyn sneered. "She even wants to appoint me as the commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison."

"Wait," Betharia asked in surprise. "Is the situation in the capital already this dire? Entrusting the supreme authority of the garrison to a complete stranger they've never met before?"

"Because Her Majesty's personality leans toward taking desperate gambles," Reyn said calmly. "Of course, it also indicates that the royal family currently places no trust in the two legions stationed near the capital."

The two major field legions currently stationed near the capital were the 3rd "Imperial Guard" Legion and the 16th "Moon Goddess" Legion.

The members of the Imperial Guard Legion were orphans handpicked by the royal family and subjected to rigorous military training; throughout successive generations, they had always been the emperor's most favored legion. The Moon Goddess Legion, on the other hand, was a veteran legion with the most distinguished service history and the deepest traditional roots in the empire.

If even these two legions could not win the emperor's trust, the situation hidden beneath the surface of the capital must have already grown exceedingly complex.

"Wait," Elrilena suddenly narrowed her eyes. "You agreed?"

"What else?" Reyn spread his hands. "Could I possibly refuse the empress's command?"

"You promised Dahlia," Elrilena said with a sharp gaze, "that you would help her deal with the White Walker problem on the Rainforest Peninsula."

"Did I?" Reyn asked innocently.

Elrilena reached for her gun.

"Don't worry," Reyn didn't continue to deliberately provoke her, instead saying with a smile, "There are still two months until the rainy season. I'll find a reason to head to the Rainforest Peninsula by then."

"You had better keep your promise," Elrilena said coldly.

"Don't be foolish. Long before the two of you were resurrected, I had already begun preparing to deal with the White Walkers," Reyn began issuing orders. "Betharia, continue to cultivate relations with the other members of the association, and pay close attention to the movements of Her Majesty the Empress."

"Elrilena, get ready. Once the official order is issued, accompany me to take over the Imperial Capital Garrison."

---

The empire's seven border provinces still practiced the traditional feudal system. The nobility held absolute authority over all affairs within their fiefs, and they only needed to account for their actions to their immediate overlords.

The situation in the four frontier regions, however, was entirely different. Successive emperors had dedicated themselves to completely reclaiming the authority of the four regions for the royal family. By the generation of the current Emperor Nilocas's grandfather, a sophisticated imperial civil service system had already been established.

Personnel, finance, military affairs, and law were all managed by professional imperial civil servants, completely stripping the frontier nobility of their place within the power structure. All that remained for them were the ownership and revenue rights of their lands.

Much like a constitutional monarch whose entire country is nominally his estate, in reality, aside from raising money, he could do nothing at all.

Resented collectively by the frontier nobility, these imperial civil servants formed a bureaucratic apparatus heavily dependent on imperial authority. With the empress working behind the scenes, Reyn Fahel's letter of appointment as commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison was issued by the next morning.

"Could it possibly be this fast?" Elrilena sensed that something was increasingly amiss. In the ancestral Elven Empire's court, when the emperor wished to appoint a subject to a post, he always had to probe the opinions of other interest-tied factions first; otherwise, even if a stake was forcefully driven into the ground, someone would inevitably come along to loosen the soil afterward.

How could the administrative efficiency of the human empire possibly be this high?

"It seems Her Majesty the Empress has endured for quite a long time," Reyn laughed. "Let's go, Elrilena."

"Accompany me to the garrison camp of the Imperial Capital Garrison."

The Imperial Capital Garrison was one of the only two military forces stationed inside the capital, responsible for public security and urban order throughout the city. The other was the Royal Guard, responsible for safeguarding the security of the royal family.

Considering the thriving commercial activity within the capital, the garrison was undoubtedly a lucrative position. Simply collecting regular protection fees from shops was enough to make one obscenely wealthy.

The previous garrison commander was a man deeply versed in this art. In his three years in office, he had purchased seven houses in the capital, kept six mistresses, and fathered more than a dozen children.

The reason for his ultimate downfall was his failure to crack a series of serial murders in the South District, which led to numerous citizens reporting him for dereliction of duty and forced the emperor to order his resignation.

With such a figure at the head, one could easily guess what kind of worthless scoundrels his subordinates were.

When Reyn and Elrilena stepped into one of the garrison camps in the capital, they saw these imperial guards sitting around playing cards and gambling, completely unaware that anyone had entered the camp.

"Elrilena," Reyn said gently, "beat them down."

Elrilena walked forward expressionlessly.

A moment later, panicked shouts echoed through the camp: "Who the hell are you?", "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!", and "Seize her!"

In Elrilena's eyes, these imperial guards were inferior even to the human slaves of her era; while the latter lacked proper equipment and adequate nourishment, they at least possessed no shortage of courage when it came to fighting desperately against an enemy.

As for the human guards before her, fully armored and robust of build, they lacked even the slightest courage to charge into battle. Instead, they flipped tables over to use as cover, cowering behind them and shouting at the top of their lungs, resembling frightened little felines trying to scare away an opponent.

It was hard to imagine that the descendants of the humans who had destroyed the Elven Empire had degenerated into this state.

---

A look of disappointment flashed across Elrilena's eyes as she heard someone on the other side shout sternly:

"How dare you attack the Imperial Capital Garrison! Who on earth are you?"

"I am the newly appointed garrison commander." Reyn unfolded the letter of appointment sent by the empress so the guards on the opposite side could see it clearly. "And who might you be?"

"We are the garrison guards..."

"Lying!" Reyn shouted with a fierce and imposing aura. "The Imperial Capital Garrison is an elite military force dedicated to protecting the people of the capital and maintaining its order. How could they possibly be drinking and gambling in the barracks in broad daylight? You must be impostors and common street thugs! Elrilena, beat them all down for me!"

Elrilena stepped forward.

She held her spear inverted in one hand, the blunt end of the shaft facing the enemy. Thrusting, sweeping, poking, hacking, and swinging—a single blow was enough to disarm an opponent, and the next would strike a vital spot, instantly dropping them to the ground.

Before long, not a single person was left standing in the camp.

Reyn calmly seated himself on a chair, his gaze sweeping over the continuously wailing guards.

It was evident that these guards were in prime physical condition. After all, constantly extorting protection money from shops meant they certainly never stinted on food and drink, leaving every single one of them robust and sturdy.

Their drawback was a severe lack of combat experience.

With two imperial legions stationed in the vicinity, no monsters or bandits would dare attack the capital, and the local street gangs were hardly foolish enough to assault guards clad in armor and bearing swords—most likely, they would drop to their knees and surrender upon sight.

In peacetime, they were so thoroughly remiss in their training that when confronted by an ancient hero of exceptional martial prowess like Elrilena, they failed even to organize a rudimentary defense line.

Next, I need to establish the commander's prestige within the garrison, put military training back on the agenda, and solve that serial murder case in the South District (which falls squarely within the duties of the Imperial Capital Garrison).

Furthermore, all of these tasks must be completed before the rainy season on the Rainforest Peninsula ends, or else it will inevitably delay the serious business of fighting the White Walkers.

Tch, I really don't want to waste too much time on these good-for-nothings.

"Elrilena," Reyn spoke up once more. "Listen well. Without my permission, if anyone dares to stand up, break his legs."