General Duessel the Obsidian- Ephraim's instructor in the ways of the lance, and an icon of great strength amongst the Grado people. Ephraim does not believe General Duessel to be a willing participant of this war, with the warm relationship he and Renais once shared, and thus Ephraim sees a potential ally. He makes his march on Grado territory in the belief that he can discuss matters concerning the reason behind the war with Duessel.
Selena knelt before Vigarde's throne, wondering what order he had for her today. Lyon seemed to be somewhat angry when he delivered the message, and the thought of something that could annoy him seemed a bit beyond her power. She would follow the order to the death, of course, but it was waiting for what that terrified her.
"I am prepared, Your Majesty," Selena stated. Vigarde nodded, finally, seemingly awakening from an odd sleep.
"Duessel has made for Bethroen. You are to take a squadron and follow him. And then you will strike him down," Vigarde ordered. Selena looked up at Vigarde.
"Pardon?" Selena asked. She had obviously missed an instruction.
"Duessel is a traitor to his country, and has sided with Renais. The penalty for treason is death," Vigarde stated.
"…I'm sorry… not to accuse you, but there must be a mistake. Duessel, a traitor?" Selena asked.
"Your orders are to execute Duessel. You will enact those orders," Vigarde stated.
"Um… Your Majesty? May I ask a question? When you appointed me as a member of the Imperial Three, you shared with me words of wisdom I have taken to heart all this time. You told me that the role of an imperial general is to be a shield, not a blade. We are to protect our own, not threaten our neighbours. Your Majesty…" Selena nervously started.
"Go," Vigarde stated in a concluding tone. Selena sighed.
"I… I humbly acknowledge your orders, Your Majesty. I am a servant of the empire, a vassal of Your Majesty… I am General Selena the Fluorspar, and I will fulfil your order," Selena stated. She focused on her magic. She would see Duessel defeated.
Ephraim looked up from the midday break he was taking, and noticed a pegasus in the air. He glanced at Tana, whose head was resting on his hip, before realising that pegasus knight was not her. He held up a hand, and the pegasus knight dropped down to his level. He recognised Frelia's messenger emblem on the knight's armour.
"What's the report?" Ephraim asked.
"There's been an uprising in Carcino. A faction of Carcino's merchant council has sided with Grado, and staged a coup," the Frelian told him. Tana sat upright.
"Is Eirika safe?" she asked with some concern.
"Prince Innes and Princess Eirika were both marching into Carcino territory, the boats at Port Kiris being unavailable to her. I do not know how the battle goes, but I hear that Eirika could keep it in her favour," the Frelian reported, before flying back in Carcino's direction.
"…Why does this always happen? Eirika continues to fight against all odds, and here I am keeping the strongest warrior in all the land safe," Tana nervously cried. Ephraim budged along, and put his arm around her.
"…Eirika will be fine. She's a big girl now, just like you," Ephraim told her. Tana let out a sob.
"…Listen, that's my sister in danger. If I could, I'd be right behind you in rushing to her aid. But we have a mission… and if we can defeat Grado, we can help her in our own way. But we have to focus on the task at hand," Ephraim stated. Tana nodded, still a little terrified.
"Be careful, Eirika…" Tana muttered. At that moment, the ground started to shake. Tana jumped into Ephraim's arms, and across the camp, everyone else found themselves bunching together with whoever was nearest. Well, the Frelians did, at any rate- the Grado soldiers just happened to be the nearest ones in most cases.
"What happened?" Tana asked, still somewhat scared.
"I don't know. I remember Grado having tremors, a little. Lyon says they don't cause any damage, but it still kinda startles me…" Ephraim assured her. Tana nodded nervously, and pulled her arms around to a more comfortable position.
"Anyway, break's over. We'd better move on," Ephraim told her. Tana sighed to herself in disappointment, but nodded.
"How are you feeling, Amelia?" Finn asked, helping her on top of her horse. After an explanation from Ross, Amelia had agreed to be class changed by Lute and become a cavalier. Seeing Lute's companion Artur be class changed first gave her pause at first, but she knew she had to have the courage to fight on.
"I feel fine," Amelia said simply. While Lute's class-changing business was supposed to help the unit in question adapt quickly, Amelia still felt worried about her balance.
"Hah, I can tell you're a little nervous. You're still pretty new, and you haven't really fought aside from Nines," Finn told her. Amelia nodded. That sounded right.
"Um, Finn… what do you think of Ross?" Amelia asked nervously. Finn turned to him- he was hefting up some of Artur's tomes easily.
"He definitely seems genuine. Why do you ask?" Finn asked. Amelia took a turn looking at him. Lute said something to him, and Ross started growling in annoyance. He was distracted from whatever conversation the pair was having by noticing Amelia, who quickly averted her gaze.
"I don't know… I feel like there's more to Ross than I'm giving him credit for, and yet I can never pluck up the courage to talk to him, because I'm scared it might turn out… well, not nearly as horrible as Gheb, but still like it," Amelia told him. Finn chuckled.
"No one can be as horrible as Gheb. However, I would try and approach him. If you could be in safer hands here, I'll eat my gauntlets," Finn told her. Amelia chuckled.
"If Ephraim ever turns evil, you'll probably wind up eating all of your armour," Amelia told him.
General Duessel was standing slightly apart from his men, trying to reason out how he would face Ephraim. His mutterings continued until he noticed Selena in front of him.
"Ah, Selena. Did Emperor Vigarde ask you to join us?" Duessel asked.
"Sure… Frelia's army will be coming from the north. We're just waiting for the order to engage. Or for the Frelian Princess to start her assault- no Grado soldier's going to wait for orders to get rid of her anymore," Selena told him.
"The Frelian Princess? Then this must be Ephraim's army. I will not permit our army to move first. I wish to speak to Prince Ephraim before there will be bloodshed," Duessel told her. Selena sighed.
"So it is true. You plan to betray the empire and side with Renais," Selena sighed.
"What? That was never my plan!" Duessel cried out.
"Too late now. Emperor Vigarde has accused you, and his word is law. Lay down your weapons and follow my commands. I will not hesitate to execute you where you stand if you resist," Selena told him.
"This is nonsense… may the Whitewing come for you. Tell His Majesty that his prophecy came true because he did not wish it to be so," Duessel taunted, turning to march away.
Ephraim took a moment to survey Bethroen. He knew that he was likely to face conflict, but if the place was not readily mobilised, he thought he could mitigate it using Finn and his men. From what he could tell (and what Tana confirmed from a quick glance from the skies), this place was mobilised, and actually attacking.
"Why on earth are they already on the move?" Ephraim asked. Tana went back into the skies, and looked around. She spotted two people- a grizzled old man with an axe and a sleek young woman armed with thunder spells- locked in an engagement. She relayed such to Ephraim.
"The woman is definitely Fluorspar Selena. I was there when she was knighted- quite a good quality mage knight. But the other… the only man that comes to mind is…" Ephraim muttered. He looked on the battlefield for a moment, before shaking his head of the musing.
"Franz, take the Grado soldiers and reinforce the man against Selena. I'll be coming with you. Ross, I'll need you to swim to the west and investigate that sinister-looking boat. Tana, fly to the east. Artur, you'll be on healing duty. Lute, keep an eye out for flankers," Ephraim suggested. Ross eyed the boat in question, taking a look at islands nearby he could target. Everyone else was eagerly awaiting his next line, and it took a while for Tana to realise it wasn't coming.
"So who do you think we're rescuing?" she asked. Ephraim jumped, quickly realising why the army wasn't mobilising.
"General Duessel," Ephraim said simply. But those two words got Grado prepared to fight.
Cormag was flying over Bethroen, still on the back of his brother's wyvern Genarog. Glen had insisted, and Cormag found Genarog's movements much cleaner than his own wyvern's. Genarog himself, on the other hand, still took a little cajoling to get into action.
"Sir Cormag, Bethroen has been sighted," one of the wyvern riders he had chosen to accompany him stated. Cormag looked up, and started to take in the place. Selena and Duessel doing battle in a port city… what was Grado coming to? He turned slightly to the right, and spotted Ephraim's army. His distinct blue armour was charging in to Duessel's aid, followed by what appeared to be a smattering of Grado soldiers. Cormag had little time to ponder the meaning of this when he noticed her. The falcoknight he and Glen had tracked down to Drake, the one who injured his wyvern in the first place.
The one Grado soldiers called 'the Whitewing' in the hushed tones one would speak of a demon.
"Hi!" the Whitewing said cheerily. Cormag would never stop being thrown off by the fact that the Whitewing was the optimistic, child-like Princess of Frelia.
"You! What brings you to seek me out?" Cormag asked, eyes narrowed. Tana giggled.
"Oh, you know, Ephraim thought I'd be better reinforcing this side of the battlefield, so he could focus on rescuing that guy Selena's fighting. He's General Duessel, right?" Tana explained. Cormag nodded, and Tana let out another one of those giggles. Cormag felt a little uneasy hearing that kind of giggle on a battlefield: it was rather like hearing a child's laughter.
"…Do you recognise me, perhaps?" Cormag asked. Tana tilted her head, her expression one of wide-eyed confusion. Like her laughter, it gave Cormag the idea of fighting a child. Even with the knowledge that the Whitewing had slaughtered Grado soldiers beyond counting, it was difficult for Cormag to connect that reputation to the girl before him.
"You're… the Sunstone's brother, I know that much. I believe Glen called you Cormag. How've you been?" Tana stated. Cormag let out a bit of a splutter.
"How've I been? How've I been? Grado is terrified of you, and as Grado's foremost wyvern knights, it's been up to Glen and I to liberate Grado of your threat. You've injured my wyvern- at Glen's insistence, I'm using his! Princess, Whitewing… your entire thing has been doing wonders on my head! I… before you drive me insane, I have to stop you!" Cormag exclaimed hysterically. Tana's face fell, and she looked down in a saddened manner. Cormag would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so dire.
"Whitewing?" Cormag asked.
"You've seen them, haven't you? Finn's friends, the Grado soldiers. The ones who joined Ephraim," Tana asked in a downtrodden voice. Cormag nodded.
"They're scared of me still. Many of them had friends, brothers in those outposts. The legend of the Whitewing lives on. I try my hardest to show my cute, innocent, naïve side, but everyone apart from Finn still takes pains to avoid me. And I can't blame them. I'd hate me too. I killed all those people for something intangible… combat experience. I wanted to get as much as I could. I wanted to be able to fight Valter and save Ephraim. And, in a manner of speaking, it worked. I fought off Valter and saved Ephraim… but not his friends. Forde and Kyle are dead because I was too slow…" Tana circuitously explained.
"…And now that you see Grado soldiers for the first time, you feel the suffering in their hearts… and start feeling guilty?" Cormag asked. Tana nodded, letting out a meek 'mm-hm'. Cormag turned to his men. Men drawn to General Glen because of his kindness and generosity… and, much like him, the hatred for the Whitewing was absent. Cormag was silent, as he considered who to side with. Tana let out a gasp, and drew her sword. The wyverns behind Cormag drew their lances, but Cormag held up his hand. He heard it too. He turned around, and saw Valter descending upon them.
"Hello there, girl," Valter snarled.
"Show some respect, Valter. I am the Whitewing, and I've kicked your butt already!" Tana taunted, in the way only she could make sound threatening. Valter chuckled, and lunged forward with his lance. Tana cleanly dodged, and looped around to strike. Valter watched her movements thoughtfully, and saw her attack coming from his right. He flew right out of the way, and as Tana continued along her follow through, lunged. Tana leaned back, grabbed the lance, and pulled. Valter chuckled, and pulled the lance away, pulling at Tana's left hand. Tana grabbed one of her javelins, biting her lip at the pain in her hand, before tossing it. Valter chuckled right up until the javelin punched into his chest. Valter growled, and pulled it out.
"I have business with a powerful mage, so this isn't a big deal. Take your victory," Valter told her, turning to retreat. Tana smiled brashly, until she felt a javelin in her own arm. Cormag flew up to her, and pulled the arm up.
"Do you have your own healer?" Cormag asked.
"Artur. He's over by the town entrance," Tana told her.
"I'll take you. There is no honour in Valter's sadism," Cormag told her. He pulled her off Achaeus, and told him to go meet them by the healer. Tana felt an odd feeling pass down her, as she tried to keep a strong head.
Valter landed beside General Selena. She had withdrawn from her engagement with Duessel to regroup, and Valter's sudden presence barely registered in her mind- at least, until he angrily demanded attention.
"What?" Selena asked. He held out his wounded arm, and Selena shrugged. She didn't have a healing staff on her.
"As for why I got sent here past that Whitewing… His Majesty has declared you untrustworthy for this mission. I will be the one to deal with Duessel," Valter stated.
"…I beg your pardon?" Selena asked, confused.
"His Majesty's bidding has changed. You're no longer fit to fight against Duessel: you've echoed his sentiments, Ephraim will be just as willing to invite you to the Frelian army. You should be honoured I'm not killing you right now," Valter taunted.
"I would rather you did than join the Frelians! My loyalty to Grado is absolute! I would never compromise it!" Selena stated indignantly.
"Then return to the capital and sort it out with the Emperor himself," Valter told her. The glare they shared lasted for only a few moments, but Valter knew he had finally made Selena hate him as much as Duessel and Glen did. And he relished it.
"I know better than to trust your word. I better not hear you failed, too," Selena coolly told him, turning on her horse and galloping away. Valter chuckled at Selena's naivete.
"You there, on the horse!" Valter called out. The soldiers took a moment, before agreeing on who Valter was addressing. The unlucky soldier acknowledged the call, and Valter was satisfied with him.
"This bloodshed has not gone on long enough. We must continue… let hatred flow freely across all of Magvel. I'm putting you in charge here. Go feather some whitewings, whatever they are. I've got to go and attend to my darling Eirika… make sure that whatever it is Selena was doing gets done to the degree that I don't get blamed for failure. Got it?" Valter barked at that soldier. The soldier turned back- Ephraim and Duessel looked pretty close to each other.
"…Sir, yes sir," the soldier squeaked out. Ephraim and Duessel were a scary combination, along with the unaccounted threat of the Whitewing, but Valter was scarier… and in front of him. Valter nodded, and departed. The soldier drew his bow, looking around in terror for a target.
Duessel was startled by the sudden approach of Grado soldiers on his left flank. He was quick to start thinking of a battle plan, until he looked closer. There were pegasus knights with Frelian crests, and in the front were two men with Renais crests. One of the men, clad in blue with similarly coloured hair, looked very familiar…
"General Duessel!" he called out, running forward. It was clear as day in that moment who he was staring at.
"Prince Ephraim!" Duessel called back. Ephraim stood before him proudly.
"Duessel… we're here to help you! I'm not letting my teacher get executed by his own men!" Ephraim boasted. Duessel gave a chuckle, the first thought that came to mind disheartening him.
"Ah, my apprentice… my service to His Majesty has been my life's blood these many years. And now, that's all gone…" Duessel told him.
"Duessel, I will not stand by and listen to this talk. Who will you help by dying? What will happen to this country, its people, its future, if you die? Will dying reflect on your loyalty? No, Duessel… you will live. You will be marked a traitor, but nothing could be further from the truth! You will live to aid the Emperor in the absence of the Emperor's wishes, just as many Grado soldiers have chosen before you, and as I hope many Grado soldiers to come will. You will live to see your country restored to the one that you swore your oath to," Ephraim bellowed. Duessel thought over those words. To live as a traitor would be to go against everything he thought he knew of himself… but to continue to follow the Emperor as he would would mean slaughtering the idealistic apprentice before him, the boy he had grown to appreciate as a father would- though he knew that feeling only went one way. He knew he really did only have one option.
"I understand. Gentlemen, we fly under Ephraim's banner!" Duessel called to his men.
"We fight for a free Grado!" Ephraim interjected, before the men could come to think of his banner as being of Renais or Frelia. With the Grado forces Ephraim had and theirs combined, considering the force a renegade Grado army was starting to become more appropriate than calling it Frelian.
"We fight for a free Grado! Long live Duessel! Long live Ephraim!" a soldier chanted. The rest of the soldiers echoed the statement. Ephraim started giving orders, Duessel nodding proudly. Not only was Ephraim now strong enough to control a force like this, he could spot no faults in his reasoning, and he had nothing to interject. Well, besides the boat to their rear, but Ephraim told him there was already a plan for that. Duessel was impressed- the Whitewing imposing on the ship's crew would be a promising sight indeed.
Or at least, he assumed. He wasn't entirely clear on what the Whitewing was, only that it was a weapon of Ephraim's that Grado feared.
Captain Silver observed the battlefield before him. He could pick out the enemy commanders he needed to shoot- the soldiers, both clad in the red of Grado, would be too much hassle. Besides, their cannon only had so many shots. A few of his sailors loaded up the projectile, and Silver began overlooking the aiming.
"Greetings," a pirate stated, axing the two sailors before turning to the ship. The sailors drew their axes, and began an approach. The pirate jumped from sailor to sailor, quickly dealing a strike to each before moving on to the next. Silver looked around for an enemy ship. There were none in sight, and the pirate was already on top of him.
"Hello, sir," the pirate told him, striking with his axes. Silver jumped back, and drew his cutlass, ready to attack. The pirate smiled, and watched Silver's attacks. Silver started with a lunge, which the pirate deflected with one of his axes. Silver began to cascade forward, and the second axe was quick to vanquish him.
Ross looked around the now abandoned deck. The boat was his now- at least, there would be no one contesting the claim. He would have to throw the corpses overboard and clean up the blood, but that came later. Right now was figuring out how to move the boat. He spun the wheel to the right, and the boat began moving underfoot. Double-checking for an anchor, Ross began to use that movement to try and find his way to a shore where his companions could board.
Or at the very least, one where he could disembark.
Ephraim rushed into the rear lines, looking for General Selena. Duessel was following him, knowing his aid would be required to convince her to fight under what Ephraim had now dubbed the Grado Liberation Army. Duessel knew it wasn't going to be winning over everyone, but Duessel assured Ephraim that Selena would be among those who would. Ephraim took a moment to look around for her- she had disappeared.
"General Duessel!" a soldier exclaimed. Ephraim and Duessel turned to him- he was holding up his bow, and looked quite terrified to draw.
"You'd be Beran, wouldn't you?" Duessel asked. The soldier jumped- he clearly wasn't expecting to be recognised by Duessel.
"Y-Yes, General Duessel… I'm… I'm going to kill you now… I'm going to make you… pay for your treachery… I'm going to kill you…" Beran stuttered out nervously. Ephraim let out a hearty chuckle, and dropped the Reginleif. He walked up to Beran, making a show of his being disarmed, and pulled Beran off his horse. Beran, not expecting that, began to sink into a kneel. Ephraim's bark of laughter was heard for miles.
"I'm your enemy, remember? The feared Prince Ephraim of Renais?" Ephraim laughed. Beran nodded nervously, his hand at his sword. It was a rather special sword, able to get the best of lances with ease. Of course, that advantage was lost with Ephraim being disarmed, but it was reassuring.
"Well, let me tell you, boys, that fear is unfounded. I mean, come on! Work camps? Forcing you to fight each other to the death? And you mean to tell me Eirika gets in on this?" Ephraim asked. Duessel jumped in shock. He knew Ephraim had an unsavoury reputation amongst the Grado class, but he had not suspected how unsavoury. He began to wonder how Ephraim knew, before remembering the Grado soldiers he came with.
"Soldiers of Grado! I am Duessel the Obsidian. Most of you will know me as a kind-hearted general… so I wouldn't blame you for being surprised that I taught this prince how to use a lance. Do you think I would have done so if half the rumours are true?" Duessel asked. The soldiers looked amongst themselves, beginning to wonder. Ephraim knew that was the moment to move forward.
"Soldiers of Grado, your Emperor is bewitched! Forces of darkness come from Gormlaithe, and the kind Emperor Vigarde many of you remember has ordered an invasion against the kingdom of Renais. Does this strike none of you as an odd decision? Renais is a peaceful kingdom… some of you might even have had friends from Renais. Why would you attack?" Ephraim asked. One or two soldiers opened their mouths, before immediately closing them.
"But what can we do? We're just the military- what the Emperor says goes…" Beran stuttered out. Ephraim pointed at Duessel. He gestured beyond him, to where the Grado soldiers that accompanied him were.
"That doesn't stop them. I do not lead an army for Renais. I do not lead an army for Frelia. My army is the Grado Liberation Army- I fight for a free Grado. I fight for the friendship with Grado that once existed between our nations. But I need men. I sacked Renvall with four men… who knows what I could sack with forty!" Ephraim exclaimed.
"…I fight for a free Grado!" a soldier called out. The call began to ripple across the soldiers, until Beran was left the only one not calling. Ephraim held out his hand, and Beran took one look at it.
"…I fight for a free Grado… sir," Beran stated, taking it, and shaking it. Ephraim beamed. Sure, there were a few casualties before the encounter.
But he knew that, with effort, he could win Grado's heart before it came to blows in the future- especially as the Grado soldiers began to far outstrip his own pegasus knight forces.
Ephraim returned to camp with the Grado force in tow, only to immediately jump at the sight before Artur. Tana was lying in rest, nursing her arm. She smiled as Ephraim approached, and didn't protest when Ephraim sat down and pulled her onto his lap.
"How is she, Artur?" Ephraim asked. Artur held up his divining rod, and focused somewhat.
"…She should be able to make a recovery. I would advise against her fighting for a while, but I don't see her being unable to ever fight again," Artur assured him. Ephraim let out a sigh of relief.
"That's my Tana, all right," Ephraim laughed. Tana gave a giggle too, looking around. A few of the Grado soldiers were giving her odd looks.
"Ephraim… am I a burden?" Tana asked. Ephraim jumped, shocked.
"How in Magvel could you come to that conclusion?" Ephraim asked.
"…I'm the Whitewing. I've slaughtered so many Grado soldiers to get to where I am… and I'm still not good enough to fight Valter. All those deaths, the Grado soldiers you're recruiting are terrified of me… and what did I accomplish?" Tana asked.
"You saved my life," Ephraim told her.
"…I saved you, but I couldn't save-" Tana started.
"Tana, I told you. Drop it. You can never save everyone when it comes to war… and that is why it is hard. That is why we want to put an end to it. That is why I convince the Grado soldiers to lay down their weapons instead of slaughtering them all. Forde and Kyle were not your fault… it was Valter that killed them, not you," Ephraim told her. Tana pushed her head into Ephraim's, sobbing a little, as Duessel took a seat beside him. A few Grado soldiers, Finn and Beran chief among them, joined him, as did Lute. Ephraim checked on Tana, before deciding it would be better if she remained.
"Prince Ephraim… you've certainly grown from when you were a lad. I remember the days when you'd have had no idea what to do when Eirika was upset," Duessel remarked.
"The man I am today is in thanks to you, Duessel. So… can you tell me anything about what happened to the Emperor?" Ephraim asked. Duessel looked down, and Ephraim quickly realised what to expect.
"From what you told these men, I expect you already know the gist of what's been happening. That is largely what I know, too… but I do have one theory. The Emperor's madness began around the time Prince Lyon and his mages created a strange gemstone… they call it the Dark Stone," Duessel explained to him.
"The Dark Stone?" Ephraim asked. It seemed an odd choice.
"I'm a soldier. I'm not one for magic. But when Prince Lyon talked about it… he described it as more powerful than the Sacred Stones," Duessel told him. A shiver went up Ephraim's spine.
"Myrrh has spoken of the darkness surrounding the Grado Empire… the timing makes sense. Duessel, where is the Dark Stone?" Lute asked.
"Lyon keeps it on his person, and he'll be in the capital," Duessel stated.
"Then that's where we're going," Ephraim said confidently. Beran raised his hand, and Ephraim turned to him.
"The capital is tremendously far from here, and there would be much fighting to do in the meanwhile… plus Valter could fly in at any turn… or worse, that witch that came with Riev!" Beran stated. Ephraim nodded thoughtfully, before looking up. Sitting at the port was a new ship.
"The boat!" Ephraim and Duessel exclaimed at once.
Ephraim, Duessel and Lute ran up to the boat, and saw Ross pushing a plank down to disembark. He smirked at the trio.
"I got to the crew and managed to take 'em out without destroying the boat," Ross told them. Ephraim nodded, and he knew where this was going.
"Lute, how many people and horses do you reckon could fit on this?" Ephraim asked. Lute hopped on board the boat, and began holding her hands up. She was muttering all sorts of numbers, and even did a quick, though loud, run through the lower decks. She re-emerged, and repeated her first movement.
"…I estimate 150 total," Lute suggested. Ephraim nodded, beginning his own math in his head.
"From the headcount I calculated, we should have room to spare. Maybe I'd recommend leaving some soldiers behind, but there's also an ulterior motive in that- we've got to spread your legend while we're gone," Lute stated. Ephraim sighed in relief- both at the fact and that he didn't have to worry about the math. He had already felt he made some error.
"Prince Ephraim… I have heard rumours that the seas are unsafe at this time. According to the whispers of the Grado soldiers, there is allegedly a ghost ship at sail," Duessel reported.
"What is a single ghost ship against a long overland travel with many Grado soldiers to fight?" Ephraim asked in return.
"…You're correct. If the ghost ship is dangerous, that means we can fight back- and unlike battles against Grado, will not be obligated to hold back in hopes of surrender. Tell the men," Duessel assured him. Ephraim nodded, and he left to organise the departure.