"Great idea!" Ophelia nodded approvingly. The consumption of Dragon's Call indeed startled her, and upon further reflection, she realized the Battle Flag was actually a great asset.

"But I don't have money to hire adventurers, and my subordinates just returned, all of them wounded. It wouldn't be appropriate to ask them to recharge. Plus, we don't know when monsters might appear, so seeking reinforcements from the Legion is out of the question!" Ophelia looked at Bexia cunningly.

"My Princess, you are the princess of the Asman Kingdom. You're telling me you have no money?" Bexia smiled, thinking Ophelia was joking with him.

"When I left, I only brought my appointment letter. I didn't bring anything else. And all the money I have is my military salary. I'm almost broke!" Ophelia glared at Bexia, implying that he should find a solution.

"Fine!" Bexia reached into the subspace and took out a stack of gold tickets, handing them to Ophelia. "Here are 20 million gold coins. I think it should be enough for you for a while!"

"Who did you rob to get so much money?" Ophelia didn't take it and just smiled at Bexia. She was just teasing him. Could a princess like her really be poor?

"I sold an Extreme Meditation book in Anzu, and this is what's left!" Bexia explained.

"Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you?"

"Even if you do cheat me, I'll just catch you and make you my warm bed maid!"

"Haha! You're really daring, actually wanting the Princess of the Asman Kingdom to be your bed maid. Watch out for getting beaten up!" Ophelia playfully laughed.

"I'm not afraid. Even if the old man comes, he can't do anything to me. Is there someone in the Asman Kingdom stronger than him?"

"What if I beat you up?"

"You can't beat me now!" Bexia rolled his eyes. At the moment, he didn't rely on any external forces. He could handle Extreme Meditation with just his physical strength, especially after absorbing the insights from Enki's book. His combat power had increased geometrically. For example, something that used to take five units of strength could now be solved with just two units.

Time passed quickly as Ophelia and Bexia chatted and joked. When they mentioned Sakuya, Ophelia couldn't help but sympathize and show compassion towards the young girl. The two of them quickly became acquainted and started playing around together. The scene of the two beautiful girls was truly heartwarming.

After having lunch at Ophelia's residence and instructing Joanna to take care of Sakuya, Ophelia dressed herself in her knight's robe. She emerged as a stunning female knight.

Boarding the dedicated carriage, they arrived at the camp of Ophelia's Third Legion in no time. It must be said that the Third Legion looked desolate at the moment, with a palpable sense of oppression in the air.

Although the Third Legion was the youngest Legion established by the Asman Kingdom in the Dark Border, it had a history of twenty years. This level of severe casualty was unprecedented. In the past, having a hundred casualties was considered a lot, but now?

Out of the five thousand soldiers in the legion, less than three thousand returned, and among them were many wounded soldiers or those who could no longer participate in battle. In reality, the Third Legion currently had less than two thousand soldiers available for combat.

"Are you okay?" Ophelia had been frowning since they got on the carriage, indicating that this incident had a significant impact on her as well.

"I'm fine!" Ophelia shook her head, feeling a hint of self-blame. Although dealing with monsters and death was normal for a soldier, it was still her responsibility, and the ones who died were the elites of the kingdom! While feeling regret, Ophelia also reflected on herself. She realized that she still lacked certain skills in leading the troops.

"Commander!" The camp guard saw Ophelia and immediately stood at attention, saluting.

"How is everyone doing now?" Ophelia asked.

"Reporting, Commander! Everyone... everyone is feeling a bit down..." the guard replied.

"Understood! I know!" Ophelia had already guessed what the response would be. Nodding at the guard, she walked straight into the camp, with Bexia silently following behind her.

Every soldier she passed saluted her with respect, which seemed sincere. However, it wasn't always like this when Ophelia first arrived. Despite being a princess of the kingdom, the experienced soldiers in the legion did not pay much attention to her. They believed that a princess sheltered in a palace wouldn't understand the realities of war. But over time, with her own charm and personality, Ophelia gained the recognition of the soldiers in the legion.

Arriving at the Commander's tent, the army officers who had been waiting for her for a long time all stood up and saluted. At Ophelia's signal, they all sat down, and Ophelia took her seat alone at the top as the Commander.

"Who is this, Commander?" Someone noticed Bexia beside Ophelia and couldn't help but ask.

"He is my personal guard, Bexia. He just arrived from the capital. Any objections?" Ophelia introduced.

"No disrespect, Your Excellency Bexia!" The officer who had asked the question stood up and responded.

"It's fine!" Bexia replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, let's put these matters aside for now. Everyone should already know the current situation of the legion. Revitalizing the legion should be our top priority!" Ophelia clapped her hands on the table.

"What are your opinions?"

"Commander, our primary task should naturally be to replenish the soldiers in the legion. At the same time, we need to console the wounded soldiers, and it seems that the compensation funds are insufficient..." an old man with white hair and wearing robes said. He was the financial officer of the legion.

"How much is it lacking?!" Ophelia furrowed her brow.

"At least ten million gold coins!"

"How did it become this much of a shortage?" Ophelia's frown deepened.

"The casualties in this battle were catastrophic, the worst in history. Over sixteen hundred soldiers died, and over five hundred were left disabled. The reserve compensation funds naturally would not be enough!" The financial officer presented a list to Ophelia. Looking at the vivid red numbers on it, Ophelia couldn't help but touch her forehead. As she looked at the following budget expenditure charts, she suddenly felt a headache.

According to the estimates, the ten million was just the beginning. The newly recruited soldiers would need new equipment and a period of training, which meant astronomical spending. Furthermore, the existing equipment needed repairs and replenishments, which would incur significant expenses. If she wanted to restore the legion's scale and state, she would need at least fifty million gold coins. This was another headache for Ophelia.

Bexia looked at the frowning brow of Ophelia and reached out to grab the document in her hand. As she began to read, it stirred the displeasure of the financial officer.

"How can a guard knight like you be so disrespectful!"