The parade grounds of Fort Lasserre were unlike any other place in Elysea. Spread across a vast plain south of the capital, it was the military's central command and training compound—home to the kingdom's elite regiments and artillery batteries. Normally, it echoed with the sound of marching boots, shouted orders, and the crack of rifle fire on the practice ranges.
But today was different.
Today, the air above the compound was alive with anticipation.
Soldiers stood in neat formation, officers in their dress uniforms, rifles at rest. At the far end of the parade field, atop a wide wooden platform adorned with the Elysean crest, King Bruno stood with his hands behind his back, eyes narrowed against the rising morning sun. Beside him stood General Marc Delacroix, Supreme Commander of the Elysean Armed Forces—a towering man with silver hair, broad shoulders, and the skeptical gaze of a career soldier.
