Hounds of War [Yandere Generals x Female General Reader]

25. An Order That Cannot Be Ignored.

"THE NEXT ONE WHO I CATCH GETTING DRUNK ON MEDICINAL ALE WILL NOT BE PULLED FROM THE FLAMES - Now someone carry this degenerate to the medics and see that his wounds are treated." After Y/N's declaration to the Army Vanbinicci stumbled away, as a wave of nausea overcame him. The others cried and cheered in excitement like a pack of wolves once they've caught the scent of blood.

The brunette wove through the sea of tents, the fading light doing little to help him find his way back to his tent. Finally, his vision swimming he caught sight of the clearing where the general's tents were located. On wobbling unsteady legs he hurried to cross the green, ignoring Meccio's head collection that he continued to display outside his canvas abode, and tugged open the flap of his own tent.

Once inside he threw himself down onto the same chair he had occupied before and buried his face in his hands. He considered himself a strong man, a brave man. He had volunteered to lead the army when the war first broke out at the young age of seventeen to prove his valor and skill. For seven years, he had led the Luccian Army. He had endured, cold, hunger, sickness, and bloodshed to prove himself.

Over those seven years, he had never let horror overcome him. War was brutal he knew that, but what he had witnessed General Denlleonis do filled him with a fear like nothing he had ever felt before. Even as he covered his ears he could still he the screams of that soldier as Y/N let him burn.

The red, blistering appearance of his skin was something that would haunt the Luccian general in his sleep, but what really disturbed him was the memory of the maniacal grin on general Denlleonis' face.

It wasn't just her though, he recalled with painful clarity that a similar, deranged expression being worn by the other three generals as they watched the man burn. The whole army had cheered and crowed with glee at the man's suffering. It was as though general Denlleonis' goal was to turn the whole army into mindless beasts who found pleasure in suffering and death.

He had to stop her, but how? She was more skilled than him, not to mention that she nearly had the entire army at her beck and call, willing to follow through with whatever twisted order she gave. Confronting her head-on would be suicide, but nothing else he attempted had worked.

A second wave of nausea washed over him and he felt the urge to wretch as the image of the burned soldier entered his mind again. Before he had the chance to be sick a voice called from outside the tent "General Arrogari, may I come in? I have an important letter addressed to you from the capital."

"Yes, come in," The general called back, fighting to swallow the bile that was rising in his throat as he attempted to compose himself.

Moments later a boy scurried in, he couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen years old, and the ashen tinge of his skin and the wideness of his eyes made it clear that he had seen something of what was going on in the clearing with general Denlleonis.

"That will be all," Vanbinicci told the trembling boy, feeling a stab of pity from him as he took the expensive envelope from the boy's hands. "You are dismissed."

Nodding his head the page hurried from the tent at left, not that Vanbinicci was in any condition to notice his surroundings. He felt his stomach drop and his breath froze in his chest as his eyes landed on the familiar seal on the letter.

No... He thought as he continued to stare at his family's crest displayed in the emerald wax. No, he can't have found out! This-this can't get any worse!

He started at the letter for several minutes, dreading the thought of open it and what was written inside. After struggling for several minutes he finally broke the wax seal with shaking fingers. Excruciatingly slowly, he slid the crisp cream letter from the envelope.

Knowing who the letter was from he was expecting a drawn-out scolding where every sentence would feel like dull nails piercing his flesh, but what he got was even worse. Tears sprang into his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as he read the short passage written by the only man he truly feared; his father.

The tears continued to flow down his cheeks as he fell to his knees, struggling to choke back a sob as he read the letter again. It was hopeless, it was all hopeless, but even though he knew it was he couldn't fail, he couldn't give up. Even though he knew that his father wanted him to do the impossible he would do it, maybe in death, he would finally be able to make his father and mother proud, since he never was able to do it in life.

He wrapped his arms around himself in a shallow form of comfort as he mourned the impossible task that he had been given. I don't want to do it, he thought as he clutched himself tightly, I don't want to die.

The message had only added to the mental stress he had already been feeling from watching general Denlleonis torture that soldier, and now he was a sniffling mess on the floor with no backbone to speak of.

The letter that had caused him such distress read as follows:

Son, I am sure you are well aware of your many shortcomings, but letting a foreign woman seize the army is a new low even for you. You are a disgrace to the house of Arrogari. You are going to bring this war to an end and get that Estainian bitch to leave. You know what you have to do.

A/N

And here we all thought that Vanbinicci was blessed with unbreakable arrogance. Well, think again.

I know that we have been getting some already, but you should be prepared for more character development for Vanbinicci in the coming chapters.

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~