The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 57 - The Skaen

Smoke began to rise from the city of Harran long after the battle had been won. "It appears they're looting. Do you intend to stop them?" Arthur asked Baron Iken as the two watched from within the Ollerinian forward camp.

"In due time, lord Arthur." Baron Iken smiled, looking satisfied. "It's good for morale if the men can have a little fun every now and then."

"I pray Piltash won't suffer the soldiers 'fun' once it falls." Arthur warned. "It'll be difficult enough to control the population with so few men. I don't intend to antagonize the residents further by forcing them to witness their properties stolen and loved ones molested."

"Fret not." Baron Iken dismissively waved his hand. "When the time comes, how Piltash falls will be entirely left to your judgment. Within reason, of course."

Arthur nodded, feeling pleased with his response. If he could help it, Piltash would fall with minimal damage and bloodshed since he'd be the one footing the bill for the repairs. "Speaking of judgments, when might I receive my portion of the Bernish war chest? Surely, you don't intend to claim it hasn't been calculated yet."

Baron Iken laughed and turned to face him. "Lord Arthur, you're as shrewd as your father. It has indeed been counted. Based on the metal value, your portion amounts to just over three hundred thousand Riis."

Arthur took offense to being compared to his father but let it slide. However, the amount Baron Iken claimed was lower than he expected and that he couldn't let be.

"That seems low," Arthur grumbled.

"I assure you it's fair. If the Kingdom of Bern remained after the war, you'd likely get forty thousand Riis more, but Bern will fall. Therefore, the only method of exchange is to calculate each coin's weight and test its metallic contents.

"It's no secret that Bern has debased its currency in recent years, so we had to be careful and divide up the newer coins amongst each portion. That's why it took so long. You're free to check for yourself if you please."

Bern debasing their currency was news to him. It meant the ninety thousand from Arianna's chest may be less than he initially imagined. Still, it was all somewhat ill-begotten gains, so he couldn't feel too upset over it. "When might I receive my share?"

"I can send it over once I return to the main camp." Barron Iken replied.

Arthur nodded and waved goodbye. "Please do. I'll take my leave."

Now that the battle had been won, there was little point in sticking around. Nor did Arthur have the opportunity to gain any more loot, considering the circumstances. The city would be far too dangerous to enter with the Ollerinian troops running wild, drunk off their victory.

Never mind the masses of disgruntled Bernish citizens or the possibility of hidden Bernish soldiers lying in wait. In that sort of chaos, any would-be assassins amongst the Ollerinian troops would find it the perfect opportunity to take their chances against him. It simply wasn't worth the risk, so Arthur let his greed go.

The past month had been quiet for the most part. Arthur only occasionally visited the forward camp to check on the progress while spending most of his days transcribing house Bennet's spells under Rennar's guidance.

The Bennets focused primarily on iron-based magic, and each spell within the series grew progressively more complex with each iteration. Even after a month, Arthur was only two-thirds of the way done transcribing the series' first spell.

It wasn't anything flashy, but the first spell's lethality certainly couldn't be questioned despite its mundane nature. The spell was so unimaginatively named iron ball. Yet it would be more apt to call it cannonball, as Arthur surmised that the damage it could inflict would likely be equivalent to that caused by a sixteenth-century cannon.