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— Florence had entered a state of alert, with some ports completely blocked off.
— Milan was still celebrating its festival, and all commercial activities were running as usual, though it was reported that the city’s defenses had been greatly strengthened.
— The lord of Naples had provided some support, helping Florence defend the southern borders and preparing to respond to any disturbances from Rome.
— There were no reports about Caesar Borgia.
— Venice had no intention of participating in any side of the war.
The new lord of Luka city was handling matters decisively, offering rewards and comfort to those who had newly pledged allegiance.
Her reputation began to spread, and even some small mercenary groups started to actively seek to join their forces.
The soldiers around Luka began clearing the surrounding woodlands to plant crops, and some troops were even helping to herd sheep and raise pigs.
After finishing her daytime duties, the lord would sit with military engineer Leonardo during dusk, regularly helping him change his bandages and check his wounds.
After so many bandage changes, Leonardo had become adept at handling much of the work with just one hand.
He appeared mature and steady in front of others, but every time it came to changing bandages or tending to his wounds, he would gaze at her for a long time, until she took his hand.
... When a man gets childish, he’s just like a child.
“The wounds are almost healed,” Hedy said with a sigh of relief, standing up to pack the medical kit. She turned her back to him, saying, “You need to take good care of yourself too. If you get hurt again, I might not have time to tend to you.”
As she turned around, the man smiled and bent down, mirroring her earlier actions by kissing her forehead.
The soft kiss fell on her hair, as light as a feather.
Hedy froze for a moment, feeling her heart race.
CHAPTER 21
The symbol of the Diamond Legion was a simple yet strange nine-sided diamond. After Da Vinci designed it, the generals, large and small, didn’t quite understand it, but they still gave their approval and support. At least it was better than the toads and rams on some other military flags.
As the army and Luka City began to get used to each other’s presence, news finally came in fast through a messenger— they had spotted small dots on the horizon along the coast, clearly a fleet coming from the west.
The French were coming!
When Hedy heard the news, although she felt some anxiety and unease, she quickly arranged for everyone to prepare according to the first plan they had agreed upon. Over the past two months, they had spent a lot of time reinforcing the city walls and fortresses, even designing lighthouse-like signal transmission devices along the coastline.
Luka City was the first line of defense for Florence.
No matter the situation down south in Rome— many things couldn't be read in the newspapers— at least in the northwest, they had to prepare for battle at a faster pace.
In addition to the able-bodied men who volunteered from within Luka City, Florence had sent two thousand reinforcements. When counted carefully, the Diamond Legion was nearly ten thousand strong.
Hedy instructed her second attendant to convey the orders, and soon the city was filled with the sound of bells signifying assembly and alert. The sound was deep and resonant, with a rolling, wave-like echo as if a flock of ravens was circling above the city.
The war was really about to begin.
She sat in the lord’s seat, gathering all her mental energy to deal with the various tasks at hand.
Earlier, when accompanying Da Vinci and Lorenzo to the east to conquer the territories of the Roman Papacy, she had mostly served as a medic and support officer in the rear. Even doing this had earned the respect of many corrupt and arrogant men.
During that time, she also took advantage of the opportunity to observe how people in this era waged war and confronted each other— rigid, stiff, and unchanged.
Hedy had once been full of doubts about these matters and, for a long time, could not understand them. Whether it was the war against a particular country or the arrival of foreign reinforcements, people seemed to act as if they had no thoughts at all, mechanically and rigidly attacking and defending cities.
