Chapter 463: Glory to the Empire (2)
As the crashing of waves blended with the noise of men and the creaking of wood,
The three of us stood there in silence, lost in our own thoughts.
Then, without any of us noticing...
The moment arrived.
"Time to go embarrass yourself. Good luck."
I gave Snow a light slap on the back.
He waved us off, dragging his feet as he walked away.
---
---
---
After long hours of preparation and final checks...
The Empire’s First Fleet was finally ready.
As the soldiers boarded their ships,
Those vessels became like massive beasts ... Ready to carve a path through the sea toward war.
The hum of magical engines, The roar of soldiers ..
All of it blended together in a thunderous harmony that shook the sky above.
But before the campaign could officially begin...
A single young man climbed to the mast of one of the fleet’s largest ships.
From there, his golden eyes looked down on everything.
Snow Lionheart.
His white hair danced in the wind as he stood at the peak.
Clearing his throat, he gathered all of his aura into his voice, amplifying it to reach every soul present.
Then, without warning ..
The Empire’s promised hero let out a commanding cry:
"Attention!"
His voice rippled like a shockwave,
Silencing everything around him.
Ten thousand soldiers raised their heads in unison, Their eyes fixed on him.
With all eyes locked in place...
Snow found himself wondering what exactly he was supposed to say.
The soldiers below were in all sorts of states .. Nervous, uncertain, afraid.
They were human, just like him.
In truth, they were ordinary people ..
Citizens of the Empire, not born warriors.
And at the brink of war, The dominant feeling in their hearts was likely fear.
Taking that into account,
Snow decided not to bother crafting a carefully written speech.
He would speak honestly instead.
"Soldiers of the Empire,
Thank you for gathering here today,
And for answering the call."
He scratched his head and sighed ..trying to put his thoughts into words.
"Despite my young age, I’ve spent my whole life within the walls of this Empire.
I’ve read its long history...
About the storms it’s weathered for over 300 years."
His voice, amplified by aura, echoed clearly across the entire fleet as he continued.
"Even after seeing and experiencing so much, There’s one thing I’ve never fully understood ..
Why people feel loyalty to a Empire.
Why they love the land they were born in."
"Some are born with those feelings.
Others love their homeland simply because it’s where the people they care about live."
"But all of that... is relative.
At the end of the day, these are feelings—
Feelings that can be manufactured by the leaders of this nation."
"Just as parents can shape an entire family through how they treat their children,
Those above us... can shape the lives of the masses with their decisions."
The moment Snow spoke those words, the silence deepened.
It was a striking statement .. one that shook the very air.
The Empire’s crowned hero had just implied that the soldiers who gathered here by their own will... were, in truth, merely individuals led by those at the top.
His words were both wrong and right.
Throughout history, people had often been manipulated by figures like Aegon Valerion...
Even by what remained of the ruling family.
Not long ago, Maekar had forced many into a hopeless battle against their will.
But Snow didn’t let those poisonous thoughts linger long.
Summoning Vermithor,
He unleashed his power ..
Lighting up the entire port of Winterfell,
Making dawn arrive early on that frigid night.
The holy light of his aura washed over the soldiers, Warming their hearts, Filling them with something they didn’t realize they needed.
Snow delivered a spectacle truly worthy of the chosen hero ..
And then shouted with all his might:
"The words I spoke to you earlier... I said them because I completely disagree with them!"
"Loyalty, faith, and love ..
These aren’t things to be dictated by those above us, Not even from a commander to a soldier, Or from a father to a son."
"These are things that cannot be forced.
They’re born from within us .. From our own free will."
"Each of us defines loyalty in our own way.
For some, it’s a strong friendship that drives them forward.
For others, it’s love that makes them fight for someone dear.
Or devotion to a kind master they chose to follow."
"We all have our own reasons to fight—
Reasons that come from our own choices,
From the freedom we were blessed with.
That’s why we stand here today,
To defend this land."
"Perhaps it’s presumptuous of me to define it this way.
Everyone sees these things differently.
But what I do know is this—"
"Everything I just mentioned shines brightest
When the people of a nation are living in peace .. When they are free."
"To protect that freedom we’ve known until now, We gather here today ..
To launch a war against a merciless enemy."
"Victory isn’t guaranteed.
This war won’t be easy."
"In this war, Your loyalty will be tested ..
Not just to the Empire... But to humanity itself!"
Still bathed in Vermithor’s light,
Snow continued .. Igniting every soldier’s heart like a spark in a storm.
"You may be faced with impossible choices .. To die beside your loved ones,
Or run away and hide."
"I speak to you now not as the Empire’s promised hero, But simply as Snow Lionheart."
"My loyalty is real.
It wasn’t bought.
It wasn’t manufactured."
"I was born here.
I lived my whole life here ..
Through joy, and pain alike."
"And now, I will prove that loyalty.
As the second hero.
As the successor to Kazes Valerion!"
"The leaders of this Empire are far from perfect.
Perhaps they’ve caused some of your greatest tragedies."
"But one thing is undeniable ...
Today, we all stand on the same side."
"This land we live on belongs to all of us,
No matter our differences ..
And we will not turn a blind eye to an enemy who seeks our death!"
"I can’t speak for the entire Empire,
But what I can say is this ..
I, and every member of the vanguard,
Will fight to our last breath for this land!"
"We will defend the Empire against all who dare to bring war upon it!"
As the radiant light engulfed him,
Snow finished his speech.
He had said far more than he’d originally planned .. But in the end, he spoke from the heart.
He gave everything he had,
Trying to reach the ten thousand souls standing below.
At first... silence.
But then ..
After just a few seconds ..
The soldiers erupted, shouting one after another, their voices becoming one:
"Glory to the Empire!"
"Glory to the Empire!"
"Glory to the Empire!"
With a smile, Frey laughed softly as he watched the effect Snow Lionheart had on the army .. All with just a few words.
In the end, he had taken his advice,
And delivered a spectacular show using Vermithor.
"Looks like all that worrying was pointless... Snow."
In the end ..
He too had been born to be a king.
That destiny... was always expected of him.
And with his speech concluded,
Dawn had already arrived.
In that moment ..
The ships surged forward.
The soldiers roared in unison ..
And the vanguard fleet departed from Winterfell harbor.
Their destination...
The Continent of the Ultras.