"With support from the Balfour Family, what more do we need to fear?" Commander Ives argued.

"A lot!" Count Hunt snapped back, "The problem has never been whether we’re strong enough to handle a few thugs and criminals, it’s whether we can handle the fallout after!"

"Bah!" Margaret spat, "You and your damn politics! It’s because you’re so pedantic about things that you still haven’t gotten married yet!"

Ross’ face visibly twitched as a look of anger, annoyance, and a little bit of helplessness flashed across it. He opened his mouth to shout back, but then closed it tight, as if struggling to hold back his words.

"Enough," Allina, unwilling to watch this farce continue, cut in.

She may have been younger than Count Hunt and Commander Ives, but Allina’s Peak-Rank Spirit Initiate strength and her position as representative of Marquess Balfour was enough to silence both of them.

Having regained control of the room, Allina said with calm composure, "Count Hunt is correct, we can’t just launch a full-scale purge of the slums. Such an operation would take days to organize and our convoy is only scheduled to remain here until tomorrow afternoon."

Just as a tired smile was about to form on the Count’s face, Allina continued, "However, I believe that Commander Ives also has a point. Remaining passive out of concern for the possible ramifications is not a solution."

"What do you suggest we do, then?" The hot-tempered Garrison Commander asked.

Instead of answering directly, Allina turned to Sasha and asked, "What do you think the chances are that the man you met with at the orphanage caught on to what you were doing?"

Frowning deeply, Sasha replayed everything that had happened earlier today in her mind, "I can’t say for certain. The whole time we were there, the Director didn’t say or do anything suspicious, but there was just something about him that seemed... off."

Shaking her head, Sasha concluded, "In any case, I’d say it’s better to assume we’ve been exposed already."

"Lucas already sent over a Scout Squad to keep an eye on the orphanage," Victoria commented, again impressed with her young boss’ efficiency, "So we shouldn’t be caught off-guard if they try anything, but that’s still no guarantee they won’t panic and attempt to flee."

Collecting the information she had on hand, Allina’s thoughts churned briefly before she declared, "In that case, we should launch a raid on the orphanage tonight."

"Commander Crest," Count Hunt called out, "I understand your desire for expediency in this matter, but isn’t charging in blindly like this a bit reckless?"

"Nonsense," Commander Ives countered, "This is precisely what the situation calls for."

Turning to her fellow soldier, Margaret proposed, "I can have a Battalion of my troops ready to march within half-and-hour."

"I appreciate your concerns, Count Hunt; and your enthusiasm, Commander Ives, but you misunderstand," Allina corrected, "This operation will be solely carried out by volunteers from the Balfour Family’s private forces."

This statement immediately caused stunned looks to appear on the two local authorities’ faces; however, it didn’t take long for Count Hunt to furrow his brow and muttered, "Yes, that might be the best way to go about doing this..."

Despite her more aggressive personality, Commander Ives also quickly understood the implications of Allina’s suggestion and flashed a grin, "Is that so? In that case, I’ll have my troops remain on standby. No, better yet, I’ll have my night patrols shift their focus to the district closest to the slum for tonight."

Confirming her counterparts from Crystal Lake had comprehended her intent, Allina nodded and stood up, "It’s settled then. My forces, in a completely private action unrelated to the city, will move out as soon as..."

Before she could finish her words, however, a hurried knock came from the door.

"Enter!" Count Hunt called out, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Throwing open the doors, one of the manor’s stewards practically dashed into the office, his forehead covered in sweat as he reported in a breathless tone, "My Lord! It’s terrible! The slums are on fire!"

The instant the panicked steward’s words rang out, the faces of everyone inside the room darkened.

The slums?

On fire?

Now?

Just as they were about to launch a targeted raid on a suspected criminal organization?

There was no way this was a mere coincidence.

Count Hunt didn’t loose his cool, however, and pressed for more information.

The steward reported what little he knew, and by the time he was done, everyone inside the Count’s office was shaking with rage.

"Damn those bastards!" Margarat cursed before turning to Ross, "I’m deploying the entire garrison! Now!"

This time, Count Hunt only nodded, not offering the slightest objection.

The situation had changed abruptly, exploding both in scale and severity, so there was no more time for political tricks or cautious half-measures.

Having received permission from the Count, Garrison Commander Ives shifted her gaze to Allina next, "Commander Crest, any assistance you can provide would be appreciated."

"Of course," Allina nodded, "The Balfour Family and Raging River Legion will do everything in our power to assist Crystal Lake in dealing with this emergency."

"My thanks," Commander Ives nodded before running off in the direction of the local garrison.

"We should also head to the sight," Allina declared, turning to the Count, "Which way to your stables?"

"I’ll have someone guide you," Count Hunt replied, signaling to one of the waiting maids before going back to issuing instructions to his subordinates.

Dashing through the halls of the manor with the rest of the group, Victoria Moore asked seriously, "Shouldn’t one of us return to the ships to organize our response?"

"No need," Allina replied succinctly.

Christina nodded in agreement, "Lucas is there. He’ll handle it."

"En," Sasha followed up, "The docks are closer to the slums than the Manor, so with any luck, we’ll meet him there."

.....

In addition to almost all of the refugees, nearly 80% of the river convoy’s sailors were given shore-leave, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to watch the ships.

As for how it was decided who got stuck with guard duty? They literally drew straws.

No one had anticipated the need for a large, organized military force while staying in a friendly city, so when Lucas and Eris first rushed back to the ship, it had taken them nearly half-an-hour just to organize a full Squad of scouts to deploy and monitor the orphanage.

The next few hours were spent in a flurry of activity, with multiple teams being sent into the city trying to call back as many of the scattered soldiers as they could.

Toby and Mabel also showed up during this time, accompanied by a pair of soldiers, informing them that the visit to the orphanage was over but that Sasha suspected they might have already been exposed.

Understanding this, once the recall was well underway, Lucas left the remaining legwork to Eris and Commander Percy while he sat down to try and draw up an actual plan for the next part of the operation.

With less than 24 hours before they left port again, and only a scant knowledge of the terrain and political situation, Lucas decided to keep things as simple as possible.

After amassing enough force, he planned to split them into 4 or 5 units and quietly surround the slum block where the orphanage was located, locking down the entire area to prevent anyone from escaping.

Then, using the excuse that Sasha and Victoria had noticed evidence of criminal activity during their earlier visit, Lucas would have an elite unit of the Balfour Family’s guard charge in to perform a search.

It was a crude approach, and the justification was more than a little flimsy, but Lucas figured his Master wouldn’t mind her name being abused a bit if it meant they were able to rescue a large number of innocent children.

As soon as Lucas finalized his plan, Eris appeared and informed him that a Battalion had finally been equipped and assembled.

Nodding in thanks, Lucas stepped out of his room aboard the ship, planning to brief the 100 soldiers gathered on the docks, when something to the east caught his eye.

Even after sundown, much of Crystal Lake remained well lit thanks to an abundance of torches and Spirit Lamps. It wasn’t like in his inherited memories where holo-displays, digital billboards, and floating streetlights illuminated every road and path as brightly as day, but there was still enough light around to let people continue moving about freely.

However, the slums remained dark.

It was simple, really. The poor lived in the slums, so there were few, if any Spirit Lamps or even braziers, so other than a few points of light scattered here and there, slums in any city in the Rockwell Kingdom were dark at night.

Even with all the riches flowing through it, Crystal Lake was no exception to this rule; but, when Lucas glanced over in the direction of the orphanage, he actually saw a hazy orange glow, along with some trails of black, billowing smoke rising from it.

Instantly, Lucas realizing what had happened, cursed out loud, and dashed off the ship, shouting to the waiting Battalion, "Change of plans! The enemy knows we’re coming!"

Quickly spotting the lone Spirit Initiate amongst the crowd, Lucas ordered, "Commander Percy! Lead all the Captains ahead to the mission site! The rest of us will follow once we re-equip ourselves!"

Having somewhat gotten used to taking orders from his General’s First Disciple, Commander Percy swiftly called out the names of his Sea Establishment and Core Formation Realm subordinates, motioning for them to follow him.

Before they dashed off into the streets, though, Commander Percy turned back to ask, "What’s our priority?"

"Contain the fire. Save who you can," Lucas declared immediately, his face then growing dark, "Don’t bother trying to find the targets, they’re long gone by now."

Knitting his brow slightly, Commander Percy nodded, agreeing with Lucas’ assessment.

This was no longer a raid on a criminal organization, it was a rescue operation.