Chương 16: Bonus Story: Victory Day : Part 2: The Kingdom's Heroes

The first regiments marched onto the avenue with such perfect synchronization that Aldric almost immediately stopped paying attention to the crowd. His gaze fixed on the soldiers advancing between rows of flags, their boots striking the pavement in unison while military music echoed between the buildings. Thousands of spectators applauded their arrival, but the knight remained silent. He was no longer trying to understand the celebration or the reason behind such an enormous gathering.

For a few moments, he became once again the commander who had spent much of his life studying armies, evaluating their discipline, and identifying their weaknesses before a battle had even begun. Every movement held his attention. The spacing between the soldiers never changed. The ranks never broke, even when they had to adjust their pace to match the units ahead of them. Not a single soldier turned toward the crowd. None appeared to slow down despite the heat and the weight of their equipment.

Such precision would have been difficult to maintain even on a training ground. Maintaining it throughout an entire march across a capital city, under the watchful eyes of thousands of citizens, spoke of a level of training Aldric deeply respected. Emma watched him out of the corner of her eye. Since the parade had begun, he hadn't said a single word. She had expected a comment about the uniforms, a comparison to Asteria's knights, or perhaps a question about the rifles the soldiers carried on their shoulders.

Instead, Aldric remained surprisingly serious. His eyes followed each unit until it disappeared farther down the avenue before immediately shifting to the next. She even noticed his lips moving slightly from time to time, as though he were counting the soldiers or calculating the length of each formation. His concentration surprised her. To her, the parade was first and foremost a spectacle, a tradition people watched with curiosity or pride before moving on with the rest of their day.

To Aldric, however, it seemed far more significant. He wasn't simply watching soldiers marching before a crowd. He was witnessing the strength of a kingdom displayed for all to see.

"So?" she finally asked.

"What do you think?" Aldric didn't look away immediately. A new unit had just appeared, dressed in a different uniform, carrying its weapons with the same flawless precision as the ones before it.

"Their discipline is remarkable."

"You already said that."

"I'm confirming it." He watched for a few more seconds before adding,"Not a single formation has broken since the ceremony began. They maintain the same spacing despite changes in the terrain. Their breathing remains steady. None of them seeks the crowd's attention. They clearly regard this march as a duty rather than a performance."

"You really analyze everything."

"An army reveals a great deal about the kingdom it protects."

"Like what?"

"Its ability to obey. Its trust in its officers. The quality of its training. The way it treats its own soldiers. Even the condition of their uniforms reveals whether the logistics corps is carrying out its duties properly." Emma watched the soldiers marching past. To her, uniforms had always represented tradition or identity. To Aldric, they were proof that an entire organization was functioning as it should. A cavalry unit soon appeared in the distance.

The horses advanced with remarkable elegance, their riders sitting perfectly upright despite the steady rhythm of their mounts. Aldric straightened slightly. For the first time since the parade had begun, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"At last, mounts I recognize." Emma let out a quiet laugh.

"Does that make you feel better?"

"Yes." He watched the cavalry pass with particular attention. He studied the saddles, the sabers, the boots, and the way each soldier controlled his horse without yanking harshly on the reins. The animals themselves seemed completely unfazed by the noise of the crowd, the music, and the applause. Not one panicked. Not one tried to break formation.

"They've been exceptionally well trained," Aldric murmured.

"The horses?"

"The riders as well. But teaching an animal to remain this calm in the middle of such a crowd requires a tremendous amount of work." Then the first armored vehicles came into view. The rumble of their engines announced their arrival before they appeared. The crowd reacted immediately. Children rose onto their tiptoes while phones were lifted high above people's heads. The massive machines rolled slowly down the avenue, their wheels and tracks almost drowning out the military music. Aldric's smile disappeared.

His gaze fixed on the first armored vehicle. He studied its metal frame, the thickness of its armor, the shape of its turret, and the weapons mounted on top. Then his eyes followed its tracks, the arrangement of its wheels, and the way the machine advanced without a horse, a draft animal, or a single visible mage.

"What is that?" he asked.

"A tank."

"It moves on its own."

"Thanks to an engine."

"Like a golem?" Emma smiled.

"Yes, only much more powerful." A second vehicle rolled past, followed by a third with an even more imposing silhouette. Aldric studied the crew compartment, the protected openings, the angles of the armor, and the main weapon. In his former world, armies sometimes transported siege towers on enormous reinforced wagons, but they were slow, vulnerable, and difficult to move. These machines seemed to combine the functions of a mount, a fortress, and a siege engine.

"So these are your new war mounts," he concluded.

"That's one way to put it."

"They seem slower than a horse."

"On this avenue, perhaps. But they aren't meant for exactly the same purpose."

"Their protection is formidable."

"It is."

"Their offensive capability as well."

"Yes." Aldric frowned slightly.

"Why don't they take part in every battle?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Because we aren't constantly fighting battles." The knight finally turned to look at her. That answer was still just as difficult for him to accept. He was living in a city where machines capable of destroying a fortress wall simply paraded through the streets to celebrate a holiday. In his kingdom, any weapon with that kind of power would have been sent immediately to a threatened frontier.

"So your nation possesses these war mounts without needing to use them."

"That's more or less the idea behind deterrence."

"Displaying your strength so you won't have to fight."

"Exactly." The strategy seemed perfectly reasonable to him. The rulers of his world also displayed their finest knights during diplomatic visits to discourage their neighbors' ambitions. The technology had changed, but the logic remained exactly the same. More vehicles followed, each prompting a fresh series of questions. Aldric wanted to know their purpose, their speed, their range, and how many soldiers were required to operate them.

Emma answered whenever she could and admitted when the details became too technical for her. She quickly realized that she knew almost nothing about her own country's military equipment. Aldric, however, was still able to infer each vehicle's role simply from its design. He identified the ones intended for transporting troops, those that appeared to carry supplies, and those whose primary purpose was clearly offensive.

"That one is probably carrying healers," Aldric remarked as a medical vehicle rolled past.

"Military doctors."

"That's what I just said." The parade continued. The uniforms changed from one regiment to the next. Some soldiers wore berets, others helmets or ceremonial headdresses whose meaning he didn't know. The colors, insignia, and decorations clearly identified their unit, their rank, or their past campaigns. Every detail seemed to follow a precise set of rules. Aldric found the organization fascinating.

His former kingdom had also maintained military orders, but the war against the demons had gradually mixed the armies together. The survivors often wore whatever equipment they had managed to repair. Here, peace had allowed distinct traditions to endure without sacrificing efficiency.

"Do they all belong to the same army?" he asked.

"Not exactly. There's the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Gendarmerie, and several other branches."

"So your kingdom has several armies."

"Several branches."

"And they all answer to the same command?"

"Yes."

"That is a remarkably complex organization."

"I suppose it is." Aldric watched the units as they continued to pass by. France clearly wasn't an ordinary kingdom. It had soldiers specialized for land, sea, and even the sky. That last idea was still difficult for him to grasp. In his world, only a handful of creatures or exceptionally powerful mages could fight above the battlefield. Here, Emma had already told him about airplanes, but he had only ever seen them from a distance.

He still had no real understanding of what it meant for an entire army to be capable of fighting in the skies. A distant roar soon began to drown out the applause. It was different from the sound of the armored vehicles. Deeper, faster, and above all impossible to pinpoint at first. Several spectators looked up almost simultaneously. Emma did the same, a smile already spreading across her face.

"Look." Aldric followed her gaze. At first, he saw nothing but the blue sky above the buildings. Then several shapes appeared in the distance, moving faster than anything he had ever known. The aircraft flew over the avenue in formation, leaving long colored trails behind them that painted the French flag across the sky. The roar swept through the city with such force that Aldric could feel the vibration through his armor. His eyes followed the aircraft until they disappeared beyond the rooftops.

More formations were already approaching. Emma turned to him, waiting for his reaction. Aldric slowly lifted his face toward the sky. He studied the speed of the machines, the precision with which they maintained their spacing, and the complete absence of beating wings. No mage appeared to be guiding them. No visible enchantment supported their weight. Yet these metal creatures crossed the sky faster than the mightiest dragons he had ever fought.

"So the dragons have evolved." Emma immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. A laugh threatened to escape, but fortunately the thunder of the aircraft drowned out the first sound. She took a deep breath, struggling to keep a straight face. The image of dragons abandoning their scales to become machines of war was so absurd that she had to look away.

"They aren't dragons," she finally managed to say.

"They fly."

"They do."

"They're faster than dragons."

"Probably."

"They carry weapons."

"Yes." Aldric continued watching the sky.

"The difference appears to be primarily biological." This time, Emma couldn't hold back a short burst of laughter.

"Primarily, yes." More aircraft flew overhead, some larger, others even faster. Aldric studied every one of them. In his world, controlling the skies was an almost absolute advantage. Armies capable of commanding dragons or other flying creatures often dominated a battle before the first soldiers had even clashed. The mere existence of such a vast air force explained, at least in part, why this nation seemed to enjoy such lasting peace.

"How many of these machines does your kingdom possess?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"Dozens?"

"Certainly more than that."

"Hundreds?"

"Probably." France had suddenly reached a level of military power in Aldric's mind that he had never imagined before. A nation that possessed hundreds of metal dragons and mobile fortresses probably had little reason to fear an ordinary invasion. When the aircraft finally disappeared, the ground parade continued. As a new regiment approached, Aldric instinctively straightened. His heels came together, his back became perfectly erect, and his hand left the hilt of his sword.

Then he raised his arm in a military salute modeled after the one he had once used to greet the kingdom's knights.

"What are you doing?"

"Saluting them."

"I can see that, but why?"

"They serve their kingdom." Emma glanced around. Several spectators had noticed Aldric. Some were smiling. Others had raised their phones to record him. A child pointed at his armor before tugging on his father's sleeve. She could already feel an embarrassed flush creeping across her face.

"You don't have to salute every regiment."

"Why not?"

"Because nobody else is doing it." Aldric briefly studied the crowd.

"They're applauding."

"They are."

"I prefer to show my respect according to military custom." Emma opened her mouth, then thought better of it. Asking him to stop would probably require an explanation longer than the parade itself. The regiment reached their position. An officer marching along the side of the formation noticed Aldric standing there in full armor. For the briefest instant, surprise flickered across his face. Then, without breaking stride, he returned the salute with a subtle gesture of his own. Aldric gave a slight nod.

Emma closed her eyes.

"No..." The next regiment reacted much the same way. Several soldiers noticed the armored man saluting them. Some probably assumed he was a former serviceman taking part in a historical reenactment. Others simply returned the salute on instinct. Whatever the reason, more than a few salutes came back his way. Emma wished she could disappear behind the barrier.

"Everyone's looking at us," she murmured.

"They're watching the parade."

"They're filming you."

"Perhaps they wish to preserve a record of the ceremony."

"No, they want a recording of the knight saluting the French Army." Aldric turned slightly toward her.

"Is that a problem?"

"No," she finally replied.

"Go ahead." Aldric immediately resumed saluting as the next unit marched past. Emma shook her head, but despite herself, a smile gradually replaced her embarrassment. It was impossible to stay embarrassed for long around someone who acted with such complete sincerity. The parade continued for quite some time. Regiment after regiment marched by, vehicles rolled down the avenue, and several more aerial formations passed over Paris. At last, the music began to fade, and the final troops disappeared into the distance.

The crowd gradually resumed talking. Spectators lowered their phones, families gathered their belongings, and many people were already leaving the barriers to head toward the surrounding streets.

"So?" Emma asked.

"What's your final verdict?"

"Your kingdom possesses a powerful, disciplined, and exceptionally well-equipped army."

"I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear that."

"However, the lack of specialized mages could prove to be a weakness." Emma burst out laughing.

"I'll be sure to pass that along." Aldric nodded, convinced she was speaking seriously. At last, he lowered the arm he had kept ready to salute until the final soldiers had passed, then watched the spectators gradually disperse around them. The streets were still decorated, the café terraces remained crowded, and the aroma of food was beginning to drift in from the neighboring avenues. Emma glanced at the time on her phone.

"We should get something to eat before the lines become impossible."

"Have kitchens been set up for the troops?"

"Not exactly for the troops. But they do feed the people attending the event."

"Then your logistics corps appears to be equally efficient." Emma started walking without trying to correct this latest misunderstanding. Aldric followed, casting one last glance toward the Champs-Élysées and the soldiers marching away in the distance. For a few brief moments, he had rediscovered something he thought he had lost when he left Asteria: the feeling of belonging to a world protected by men willing to stand between their people and danger.