Snow fell heavily across the plains outside Fortress Elarion.

Yet despite the freezing wind sweeping across the northern valley—

Five thousand soldiers stood motionless in formation.

Dark winter uniforms stretched across the snow-covered field in enormous organized lines while rifle barrels reflected pale morning light beneath the gray sky.

Behind them—

Twenty field cannons rested in reinforced firing positions beside steam-heated ammunition wagons while artillery crews performed final inspections with disciplined precision.

The ground itself seemed transformed.

Months ago these plains had held:

scattered militias,

exhausted survivors,

frightened recruits.

Now—

An army stood there.

And at its center stood Malen.

The peak knight remained atop a black warhorse near the command line while his gaze swept silently across the regiment beneath the snowfall.

Unlike traditional knights dressed in ornamental armor, Malen wore practical military equipment now:

reinforced winter officer coat,

steel chestplate beneath dark fabric,

command saber at his waist,

rifle secured beside the saddle.

Old warfare and new warfare combined together.

And somehow—

It suited him.

Far above the fortress, an enormous golden shape moved slowly through the clouds.

Aurethar.

The ancient golden dragon circled lazily overhead while pale winter sunlight reflected brilliantly across scales that resembled molten gold beneath the snowfall.

Even against the storm clouds— he looked radiant.

Massive wings cut through the northern sky with slow powerful movements while the soldiers below tried very hard not to stare upward every few seconds.

One artillery loader accidentally saluted the dragon instead of his officer.

His captain looked deeply offended.

"You salute me first!" "The dragon is not in your chain of command!"

The loader looked horrified.

"...Should he be?"

Nearby soldiers immediately started coughing to hide laughter.

Even Malen’s expression twitched slightly.

Above them, Aurethar’s laughter rolled across the valley like warm thunder.

Rich. Deep. Amused.

Apparently he had heard everything.

Which honestly only made the artillery crew more nervous.

At the upper observation platform overlooking the training grounds, Lucien stood beside Cedric and Lucas while officers finalized deployment reports.

The scale of the regiment became clearer from above.

Not scattered troops.

Not feudal levies.

Structure.

Organization.

Industrial military power.

Lucas adjusted several production ledgers beneath one arm while staring toward the formations below.

"It still feels absurd."

Cedric glanced sideways.

"What does?"

"We actually did it."

The administrator pointed toward the massive regiment beneath them.

"Five thousand riflemen." "Twenty field cannons." "Dedicated logistics." "Winter supply support."

Then he looked toward Lucien.

"Most northern territories struggle to organize tax records."

Lucien calmly continued observing the field.

"Organization scales."

Cedric sighed softly.

"There it is again."

"What?"

"That sentence."

Lucas nodded immediately.

"He says things that sound harmless until you realize kingdoms collapse because of them."

Fair observation honestly.

Below the platform, signal whistles suddenly echoed across the training grounds.

Immediately the regiment moved.

Thousands of soldiers repositioned simultaneously across the snowy field while battalion formations shifted with mechanical precision.

No shouting. No confusion. No noble cavalry theatrics.

Only drilled movement.

Cedric’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"They improved."

"Yes."

The rifle lines rotated again while artillery teams repositioned beside the rear formations.

Even through snowfall, the discipline remained obvious.

Because these men trained constantly.

Not seasonal levies. Not temporary recruits.

Professional soldiers.

A massive golden shadow suddenly swept across the valley.

Aurethar descended through the snowfall before landing atop a huge stone ridge overlooking the training grounds with enough force to shake snow from nearby watchtowers.

The dragon folded his enormous wings slowly while golden scales shimmered brilliantly against the gray winter landscape.

Steam drifted faintly from his nostrils as ancient golden eyes observed the regiment below with visible curiosity.

"Interesting."

Cedric crossed his arms.

"You always say that before either wisdom or chaos."

"Sometimes both."

Aurethar’s tail shifted lazily through the snow behind him.

The dragon’s gaze followed the artillery crews carefully.

"They no longer move like human armies."

Lucien looked toward him briefly.

"That is the point."

Aurethar lowered his massive head slightly.

"Most human warfare relies on courage."

Warm vapor drifted upward around his jaws.

"This relies on repetition."

Then a low amused rumble escaped him.

"Far more reliable honestly."

Below them, signal flags rose again.

Malen drew his saber.

The regiment halted instantly.

Five thousand soldiers stopped moving simultaneously.

Even the cannons locked into position with practiced precision.

Silence swept across the snowy field.

Then Malen’s amplified voice echoed outward.

"Inspection positions!"

Rifles shifted upward uniformly.

Bayonets glinted across the valley like steel frost.

Aurethar tilted his massive head slightly while watching the formations.

"You know..."

The dragon sounded deeply entertained.

"If humans had organized themselves like this centuries ago..."

Cedric sighed already. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"...What?"

Golden eyes narrowed slightly with amusement.

"Dragons would have invested heavily in mountain fortresses with thicker walls."

Lucas blinked.

"Was that a joke about strategic retreat?"

"It was a joke about surviving concentrated artillery."

The administrator stared at the dragon for several seconds.

"You are disturbingly adaptable."

"I am ancient." "We become practical eventually."

Honestly difficult to argue with that logic.

Below, Malen guided his warhorse slowly along the front rifle lines while inspecting the regiment personally.

Every battalion commander followed close behind.

The newly expanded structure had already reshaped the army completely.

1st Elarion Rifle Regiment

Total Strength:

5,000 Soldiers

Structure:

5 Operational Divisions

Each commanded by:

one Vice Commander,

senior rifle officers,

support detachments.

Attached Support:

logistics corps,

engineering teams,

medics,

marksmen.

Artillery:

20 Field Cannons divided into dedicated batteries.

And unlike traditional armies—

Every division trained together continuously.

Malen finally stopped near the center formation before turning his horse toward the elevated observation platform where Lucien stood.

Then—

The peak knight saluted.

Immediately—

Five thousand soldiers struck rifle stocks against the frozen ground simultaneously.

THOOM.

The sound rolled across the valley like distant cannon fire.

Even the fortress walls seemed to vibrate slightly.

Snow fell from nearby rooftops.

One younger noble observer nearly jumped backward.

Cedric smirked faintly.

"That never gets old."

No honestly— it didn’t.

Lucien observed the regiment silently.

Five thousand disciplined soldiers.

Artillery support.

Industrial supply.

Permanent organization.

Months ago Elarion fought desperately to survive winter.

Now—

It possessed one of the strongest standing military forces in the north.

Aurethar watched the regiment quietly for several moments afterward before speaking in a surprisingly thoughtful tone.

"The south fears your rifles."

Ancient golden eyes shifted toward the endless formations below.

"They should fear your discipline more."

Because rifles could eventually be copied.

Cannons could eventually be replicated.

But systems—

Systems were harder.

Much harder.

Below the platform, Malen raised his saber again.

The artillery batteries prepared.

Crewmen moved rapidly between cannons while loaders positioned shells with practiced efficiency.

Aurethar immediately leaned backward slightly.

Cedric noticed.

"...You’re moving away."

"I have excellent hearing."

"Coward."

"This is called strategic retreat"

Fair.

Very fair honestly.

A signal flag dropped.

BOOOOM.

Twenty field cannons fired together.

The valley exploded with thunder.

Snow erupted across the plains while smoke rolled outward beneath the gray northern sky in massive waves.

Several observers physically flinched.

One almost fell over.

Aurethar watched the artillery barrage silently while smoke drifted across the battlefield below.

Then the ancient golden dragon slowly grinned.

"Oh the south is absolutely going to panic."