Justinian ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get out of this predicament quickly.

His enemies had divine fire, enough to even burn those who got near their swords, and Ilmund was a drastically different beast altogether. Right now, he couldn't just rely on common sense.

But a near-genius strategy to win.

'I can't use subterfuge to create unrest among their generals... they should already expect that.'

'I also can't ambush them within the city, it's too costly, and their fire would prove to be far too dangerous.'

[The Book of War Responds]

[Do you seek to turn the tides of battle?]

'The answer is obvious.'

[Kingdom Building Protocol 2.0 Activated]

[Merging Kingdom Building Shop With Protocol...]

[Completed]

A huge panel appeared in front of him. He vaguely remembered his system being upgraded due to his antics at the ball, but he never had the chance to try it, too focused on improving his capital the old-fashioned way.

And the system couldn't blame him; with everything that had happened, it made sense he would have forgotten.

But now that he saw the upgrade firsthand? Justinian was heavily disappointed that he didn't remember it sooner.

What he saw was simple: a bird's-eye view of his entire duchy, the entire location marked with a grid, and by the side was a list of buildings he could construct, each one costing prestige.

And it wasn't just that, the entire thing also simulated everything that happened in real time, his troops, the enemy's locations.

Each one was being updated every second.

He now had full control and knowledge of the battlefield, one that even surpassed Fenrix' unnatural gift.

'How much prestige do I have left...?'

[Prestige: 50,785]

Justinian nearly coughed out when he saw the number; it was bigger than he expected, and that was after he had just bought a lot to turn the tide of battle.

But he drastically underestimated how much prestige he would get when he fought the two god gifted rulers and a newborn arcanist.

Not only that, but the number was rising each second, the soldiers likely telling stories of what had happened.

He now had a steady supply.

[Prestige: 50,872]

'What's this?'

He looked at the map more closely, and there he saw it, special markers on top of specific markers, and when he pressed it, it turned out to be his top men.

Lucan, Cassia, Fenrix, Matthias, Darius, Martin, etc.

[Contact?]

He laughed, his grin curling into something more devilish.

'Of course...'

*** Snowkeep - Barracks ***

"Take a rest, everyone, you all deserve it."

Lucan and Cassia were busy taking care of the rest of the soldiers. Ilmund's display of power was enough to terrify most, some even losing their will to fight.

And it was enough to cripple them if it wasn't solved properly.

But... Justinian already knew how to fix that.

[This is Justinian. Head to my room immediately.]

A sudden mechanical voice appeared in the air, a message engraved in the air like fire etching itself into nothing.

The soldiers, Lucan, and Cassia saw it, eyes widening.

[We'll show them our own godlike miracle.]

[Ilmund isn't the only arcanist here.]

***

In Justinian's room, every single one of Justinian's most trusted advisers had arrived, each one confused and justifiably concerned.

Their duke just manifested another ability, one that he never used before, and if he's using it now, it means he stopped holding back.

Or... what holding back even meant for Justinian since he seemed to manifest a new ability every week or so.

"Take a look."

Justinian conjured the simulation in front of them on the ground, the entire thing nearly covering the floor.

"This is...?"

Lucan spoke first, trying to touch the recreation of the entire duchy in front of them, only to fail as his hand passed through the object.

"What is this, my lord?"

Matthias asked.

"It's time we show the people that I'm a true arcanist."

"I think everyone already believes you."

Cassia replied cheekily.

"Then let's give them another reason to believe me even further."

He laughed.

"What do you want us to do?"

Fenrix asked, arms crossed.

"I want you all to spread across the capital. I'll be creating buildings out of nothing, and I need you all to contribute to it."

"Buildings... from nothing?"

Martin confusedly asked, if the duke had something like that, then what was his use?

"Don't worry, you're not out of the job, my abilities have limits, and you're there to maintain progress when I run out of steam."

Justinian reassured them, then looked back at the simulation.

"I trust all of you need no other explanation? I'm sure you're all used to not asking questions about how I'll do it."

"That's enough for me."

Lucan replied with a nod, trusting his duke with unfaltering loyalty.

"You're all dismissed, Cassia. Stick with me; I'll need your help."

'With this... I should be able to make kill spots around the capital... not only that, but I could even contact the rest for aid.'

His vision flickered to the side, seeing another list.

[Archduke Augustus (Vassal)] - En Route

[Count Bjorn (Vassal)] - Defending

[Count Elberich (Vassal)] - Defending

After Justinian finished his briefing, everyone left the room one by one, until he and Cassia were the only ones left, Justinian giving her a knowing look.

"What should I do?"

"Keep me from going overboard."

Justinian laughed. He always had a weird relationship with RTS games in the past, getting obsessed over the details and turning absolutely insane.

Cassia was there to ground him, to remind him that every action he made would have consequences.

An hour passed quickly, Fenrix giving the signal to Justinian that everyone was in position, ready to explain what was about to happen.

It was a strategy that had two benefits, reducing confusion and increasing even more of his prestige.

It meant he would have a near limitless resource to expand his duchy.

"Let's do this."

'Let's borrow some inspiration...'

Justinian grinned, hovering his hand at his walls, and just like he expected, he was able to modify its size and even change its material.

Albeit for a hefty sum of prestige.

[Modifying Size]

[Expanding...]

He was about to recreate the triple-walled design of the Theodosian Walls from Constantinople, a fitting design considering his name was Justinian.

Outside, the sounds of rumbling can be heard, likely the result of Justinian's modifications; he's had enough of grounded ruling when it comes to warfare.

*** Snowkeep - Enemy Camp Outskirts ***

"My lord... is that?"

A soldier from the enemy camp trembled, dropping his sword and shield at the strange sight from a distance.

"Did... did the walls get larger...!?"

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