Maurice looked utterly exasperated as he questioned the situation.

“She’s claiming those lands as her own? Just like that?”

“Yes, she’s already taken over three abandoned territories in the wake of the Delphine Army’s advance,” the messenger confirmed.

“But no matter how abandoned they were, how could she take three territories in such a short time? You’d need garrisons stationed there! How big is the Rayfold Army anyway?”

Claiming ownership of land wasn’t as simple as just saying so. Even if the lands were unoccupied, deploying troops was necessary to secure them and call them your own.

The messenger, still …