To say that Max’s Garrison made Swift work of the bandits would be an understatement.

From start to finish the skirmish barely lasted 25 minutes before the enemy was thoroughly routed.

Max’s Garrison only faced minor injuries and there were no casualties in the raid.

It was a flawless execution all around and even the soldiers themselves could not believe that the problem that had been ailing them for 2 years was solved by the new Garrison Commander in one day while playing games.

As they recollected the Garrison Commander’s terrifying fire abilities, especially his final move [ Inferno ] that killed the bandit leader in one shot, they realised that their commander was proficient in both battle tactics and fighting.

The captain’s who were a little more perceptive about the situation realised that the commander had single handedly created a situation where the bandits had to come out and launch a scattered attack. Not because they wanted to, but because they were forced to.

Max had not only controlled the environment and pacing of the battle, but he had also killed the scouts and the bandit leader before they could cause any damage to the plan.

The planning and the execution were both perfect.

As Max passed by the burnt battlefield, the captains began to tremble as a mixture of fear and respect urged them to shout to their units

” UNIT 7, SALUTE GARRISON COMMANDER”

” UNIT 8, SALUTE GARRISON COMMANDER”

” UNIT 1, SALUTE GARRISON COMMANDER”

From start to end, every single Garrison saluted Max as he passed by, not a single soldier slouching or saluting half heartedly, realising that they had found a great leader.

Asiva looked on towards Max with pride, he was developing into a man extremely well.

From the clueless individual who was her roommate, to this fine warrior who demanded the respect of everyone he was around, Max had evolved.

Asiva had no doubt in her mind that if he continued to grow like this, then one day he would be the vampire king and command the respect of the entire universe.

” Good fight men, today we routed the bandits plaguing OUR territory.

I spit on their corpses for looting and pillaging innocent farmers.

It’s not something I can tolerate while being Garrison Commander.

Neither monsters nor bandits should threaten our local population, they should farm in peace even if it’s 2 am midnight.

Today you showed me you are brave men, good men, strong men.

Today you gain my respect.

Good job “. Max said as he unintentionally shifted his talking tone from that of his own to that of Rudra’s.

Max had seen Rudra give these speeches to his guild all the time, in front of crowds that were millions in numbers.

He would always feel his blood rile up when he heard his brother address a crowd, and hence when it was his turn to address one he psychologically tried to be just like his brother.

It worked brilliantly as well, the troops had a wide smile on their faces when Max complimented them, morale soaring even higher.

” Today we will feast. Tomorrow we will rest, but the day after we start preparing for what’s next.

You may wonder, but what is next?

And that will be a brilliant question.

What’s next is the rebellion stronghold 250 kilometres away from our border.

While not under our jurisdiction, the effects of the rebellion can be seen in the parts of the town’s we control as well.

The respect for law and order and local authorities is low because of the rebellion and it’s about time someone put an end to it.

So start preparing men.

We already got the glory of routing the bandits

Soon, we get the glory of routing the rebels too ” Max declared confidently as he saw the nervousness and excitement in the eyes of his Garrison.

Currently they were wondering if the Garrison Commander was serious or not, as they had never thought that their Garrison would mount an attack on the rebel stronghold.

It was all too sudden and too wondrous.

Although the army was always Swift in making decisions, there were still meetings done and permissions taken before engaging in combat.

Their current Garrison Commander however seemed to not give two fucks about any of that, if he saw injustice, he was ready to act on it.

Hushed talking began amongst the units and the captain’s as Max smiled under his mask looking at their doubts mixed with anticipation.

” Well you all are dismissed, I still have to do the boring stuff of writing reports and asking for permission and all, but don’t let all that dampen your spirits today!

Party hard soldiers, the three seasons inn is booked for the army today.

Go, drink, eat and party all you want, it’s all on the house.

I’ll join you all after I’m done with today’s paperwork ” Max said as a loud cheer erupted from the Garrison.

If there was one thing men appreciated across races, it was alcohol and food.

Give men both of those and they would be happy for months.

While the Garrison did not understand the tricks Max had played today, he had very carefully used the cards of strength, money and respect to gain total loyalty of his troops.

He had not only flexed his strength, but also given monetary rewards and respect to his troops.

Now everyone loved him, and nobody was likely to go against his orders.

In one day, Max had conquered their hearts.

It did cost Max a lot of money, but it was worth it because Max needed his troops full trust and commitment to him if he wanted to rout the rebels and since he did not lack money after the auction, this was the best method to score points with the group.

As the troops enjoyed at the inn, Max wrote a very flamboyant report of the bandit extermination and sent it to Major Ratty.

He expected the letter to cause a small ripple in the military when the higher ups read it.

And a bigger one when they read the request to carry out rebel extermination that was attached beneath the report.