Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Four days later…/

/Step step…/

Deep within a grand fortress, during a cold night, a soldier marched as he held a spear in his left hand, making patrols around the perimeter.

The complex was rather large, having dozens of large buildings and open training areas, all protected by multiple layers of walls, one taller than the other, each protecting different zones of the fortress.

In its outermost layer where the wall was only two meters tall and the buildings were mostly wooden and stone houses, the soldier approached a man resting by a small post, he was like a statue from how still he was.

"Patrol Change." He said as he approached another soldier standing by the wall

"About time, are you sure you aren't late? I feel it's been forever!" The soldier replied with a scoff as he stretched his neck

"Last time I checked it was only a few instances before time, at most I'm a little late."

"Arg… I feel like I've been here since… This place must be growing on my nerves… Thanks for the patrol, Salute!" He said as he saluted the newcomer

The two did a quick exchange of salutes before going on their ways, one left through the stone paths, vanishing into the distance while the other remained in place, looking at the distant views through his high position atop the wall.

"..."

'I did it.'

This soldier was in fact, not a soldier at all. He quickly sat down near the wall to relax, uncaring about the surroundings as he took a deep breath.

"I need a bath." Dale said out loud as he cracked his neck

'I still have a few hours left to do whatever I want… But I managed to accomplish my goals.' Dale thought as he looked around

'In the last four days, I've gathered as much knowledge as I could.'

'Infiltrating the Library was easy, I managed to pose as a Mage and enter it without any sort of authentication.'

'Magic in this place is very different from what I'm used to, but given how rare it is, how could a simple library guard be able to differentiate mine from theirs?'

'Mages are Noble, this was what I read from Gyu's books, with that, infiltrating the library and getting what I wanted was done almost instantly.'

'It was impossible to read all the books there, but I read everything I needed to while skimming through most of the rest.'

'It took me two days to finish going through everything I wanted.'

'Then, I went to the Colosseum. Getting inside its archives wasn't hard, I just had to repeat the same process. However, I was almost caught once.'

'Midway through my research, another Mage entered the archives and began asking me questions, it was hard to fend him off, but I managed to after discussing a dozen different things with him.'

'Though honestly, I think he realized I wasn't meant to be there.'

'However, I think he misunderstood my identity, maybe imagining me to be somewhat connected to one of the Sovereigns given my Magic Knowledge… It is a Noble profession after all.'

'So even if I wasn't meant to be there, he likely just closed an eye and moved on, or reported this at a later date after I was already done with it.'

'They could be even searching for me right now, but I don't care, I'm already done here.'

'To end everything, infiltrating the Ooperang base of operation wasn't easy due to their tight security, but I managed to do so after wearing Gyu's old pieces of equipment.'

'I did so through the front gates, the soldiers were a bit skeptical about me, but after I answered their questions thanks to the diary's help and gave them believable excuses for the state of my equipment, they let me in, after that, I infiltrated one of the Armories and exchanged my gear for this one just in case.'

'From there, it was surprisingly easy, I merely joined the soldiers in their everyday activities, eating and patrolling, even training.'

'When I had the chance, I just asked to be stationed near their libraries, from there, I just had to sneak through and get inside, easy peasy.'

'After brushing through everything I wanted with my eyes, I just left the area by knocking a patrolling guard down and here I am, escaping would be simple from this point onward.'

'Well… I was kind of hoping that I would get more time in this memory by acquiring such knowledge... But maybe I've pushed its limits, there's not much else I could do anyway.'

'It would be impossible to go around a world tour collecting knowledge this much is already enough, besides, I've wasted too much time in here already.'

'Four days in here... Sigh, I'll have a lot to answer to when I'm back.'

'I could go back to the library to read, but given how little time I have, would it even be possible to get there on time?'

'Maybe it would be for the best to just leave the city… Such an action could lead to a change in the timeline and award me with more time...'

But in the end, Dale chose to remain and watch the moon… Sometimes, it was better to just accept things for what they were and let the world flow...

/Step…/

And so he did in peace, until he began to hear footsteps behind him.

They were heavy and well-paced, their rhythm so perfect it seemed to synch with his heartbeat…

"..."

The man eventually stopped beside Dale, raising his head to gaze at the Moon as well.

Dale did not turn his head to face the newcomer, but he was mostly sure of who it could be…

"... The Full Moon shines upon us today. A good omen, the coming of a new ambition." The man said as his gaze remained fixed on the high moon

To Dale, the only thing he recognized in this world was the moon, the very same moon he saw from the window of his room, and the very same sun that shone across the land.

The Moon was special, holding many meanings across vast cultures and lands…

And here is no different.

"A nameless slave slew a Lizardman… A nameless slave played my soldiers for fools, evading my senses…"

"A nameless slave infiltrated our Fortress and stole our secrets..." He said deeply as he put his hands behind his back

"Do you understand what this means?"

"... Death." Dale replied, his voice solemn but calm, as if he had accepted this fact already

He did not have the power to face the man beside him as he currently was.

It was hard to estimate the man's true abilities given what he knew about this world's strength, but if he were to try and do so, then he would say this man was considerably stronger then Testros, even after his rejuvenation.

Testros had a lot of power after his transformation, but he was still transitioning from his simple martial arts to more advanced ones by reading and training more. This man on the other hand was a master that had trained in his own martial system for decades.

There may be a difference of many decades between them, but a year for one could mean a dozen to another...

In the end, the only way to fully determine which was stronger was by placing them against each other. Unfortunately, that would never be possible.

"..."

To his words, the man, one of the Generals of the Ooperang Army and the holder of the Green Star… Did not reply.

He merely stood there, silent, thinking for a moment before saying:

"You may be nameless… But you are ambitious, and above all, calculative."

"You came this far with nothing but your ingenuity, this is something to praise."

"... But you caught me." Dale added as he closed his eyes

"Not because of your mistakes… That was likely a mistake from that idiot." He said with a tint of anger

"..."

"Don't feign ignorance, I'm already aware of your involvement with those fools."

The man seemed to be avoiding trying to mention their names or identities, it was hard to say what he was thinking, much less his true intentions.

"I bet he didn't tell you that every year, we change a little how the armor of the soldiers looks to prevent others from impersonating us, keeping up with the changes is necessary for all deployed officers unless they possess the necessary permits."

"Your's was easily discernable, given it was a few years old."

"There's something to be said for the soldiers who let you in, their failure in recognizing you is of great concern. They'll be punished for their lack of awareness and attention, but it's a different case for you."

"For trespassing onto private grounds and stealing our secrets... I'm willing to let go of these transgressions… If you come under me."

"Hm?"

Those words took Dale by surprise, was he hearing what he thought he was?

"Do you know what's the most important in this place? It's the right mentality, a strong fist, a heavy heart, a steel hard mind to act swiftly."

"And above all, good subordinates… And a worthy superior to lead them."

"What I need the most is someone capable, someone that can act, someone that has talent. I'll forget everything you did to be here if you come under me."

He then remained silent, his intent clear.

It was time for Dale's answer.

"... Can you handle me?" Dale asked deeply as he turned to face the General

In a rather surprising string of events, Dale opted to listen and consider the General's offer, but the real battle of wits began now.

"..."

Their gazes met as the man turned to face Dale, and it became evident that there was little compassion hidden underneath those cold eyes.

"Your ambition… Is it based on ability or belief?"

"There is only one way to find out."

"..."

The man looked at Dale one more time before turning around and leaving.

"For now, consider all of your past crimes clear. Meet my Unit at the Western Gate post-morning routine."

"We'll see if your confidence is true ability… Or if it's a castle built purely of sand."

He stopped walking, giving Dale a side glance.

"I hope you're ready, otherwise, you'll be devoured by the others… Slave… No, you're a free man now."

"But while a slave has no right to a name, you conquered the right to possess one, so I ask, what is your name, soldier?"

"Elgur."

"Elgur… As in "Without Right"?... Curious, it fits you... But no more."

"From henceforth, you shall strive to become Maltur, as in "Conqueror of Rights"."

/Step…/

The General left without sharing his name, something far too great for someone still left to prove himself to hear.

But for Dale, he felt the experience to be rather… Novel.

/Turn.../

He turned to look at the moon, it seemed a bit brighter than before…

[DING]

And the System seemed to agree… As it was time to leave the memory and return to his second reality…

Dale opened his notifications, reading his accomplishments.

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Notes