Chapter 167: Chapter 167

“Are they insane?”

The murmur of a single knight represented the feelings of everyone present.

For not only those who had been there directly knew how harsh a place the Demonic Realm was, but even those who had not still retained a vague impression of it.

In the past, Pendia had also utilized that region to send spies toward Ajun, but even while sending small numbers of spies, they had suffered several casualties.

Moreover, because the number of monsters crossing over from the Demonic Realm had increased recently, that route had effectively been shut down.

Yet they intended to move an army numbering in the tens of thousands through such a Demonic Realm?

If even half of them succeeded in crossing over safely, it would truly be a miracle.

At this, an official spoke with a grave expression.

“Just because they are moving east does not necessarily mean they will pass through the Demonic Realm. I studied geography a bit in the past, and the portion of the Blade Mountains closer to the Demonic Realm is relatively low in altitude…”

“That is absolutely impossible.”

The one who sternly criticized this was Aran.

As the female knight, who usually kept a low profile as Cheryn’s bodyguard, stepped forward, the official who had spoken looked flustered.

“And why is that?”

“Because I have climbed those mountains myself. Unless they grow wings and fly through the sky, an army of tens of thousands cannot possibly cross that mountain range.”

“Mmm…”

“That is true.”

Colun and Abras, who had participated together in the operation to rescue Princess Cassia, nodded in agreement.

Indeed, had not the remnants of the former Ajun army, who tried to pass through the Blade Mountains to the northwest of Pendia, been miserably wiped out without even being able to climb the mountains properly?

Roden tapped on the desk, drawing everyone’s attention.

“One thing we must remember is that Ajun is precisely the group most skilled at moving large-scale forces in the Demonic Realm. After all, they have periodically organized holy crusade legions.”

“Mmm…!”

“Unless they are truly mindless fools, it is correct to assume they have prepared their own method to cross over. Whether that will succeed or not remains unknown, though.”

Unfortunately, the spies also did not know whether such a method existed, or what it might be if it did.

Even if such a thing existed, only the high nobles of Ajun would know about it in secret.

“In any case, it means we must prepare.”

“However, if we deploy a separate defensive force to the east, the west will be weakened. The students of the Knight Academy who have been dispatched are also an issue…”

From Solod Castle to Count of Meln’s territory belonged to the same western-southern region, so troops could be moved flexibly, but forces deployed to the east would take more than ten days to join up even if they moved swiftly.

In other words, assigning too many troops to the east would leave the west open to breakthroughs, while assigning too few meant the entire eastern region would be in danger if the enemies safely crossed the Demonic Realm.

After a lengthy discussion, the Queen and her ministers decided to deploy three thousand soldiers to the Treba region.

It was calculated that by using the army stationed locally to defend against monsters and the fortresses constructed over time to repel monsters from the Demonic Realm, they would be able to hold out sufficiently.

Cheryn stroked her chin with her hand and spoke.

“Then who would be best to command this eastern front?”

“Count of Shedil would be best.”

“Someone who has already retired?”

“Since he has exerted great influence over the eastern region for many years, it will help in coordinating organically with the Eastern Patrol to defend against monsters.”

The royal eastern army dispatched to defend against Ajun’s attack and the Eastern Patrol deployed for Demonic Realm defense were separate organizations, making friction between them highly likely.

Certainly, no one other than Count of Shedil came to mind who could mediate between them.

Above all, the renowned and powerful high knights all had to be deployed to the west to fight against Libert’s forces.

“Mmm, I understand the Count’s health is not good. What does the Lord Protector think? Will the Count be able to undertake this?”

“When I visited him previously, his physical condition was quite good, but if you permit it, I will ask him once whether he is alright with it.”

“Very well. Do so.”

Since Shan was Count of Shedil’s adopted son before being the supreme decision-maker in military matters, Cheryn also respected Shan’s opinion.

While the others heatedly debated, Shan sent a message to the Count via the magic communicator installed in the royal palace, asking if he could become the commander of the eastern front.

The reply that returned to the adopted son’s message after a long time was simple.

[Whenever you wish.]

At the passionate response from the old bear, who by rights was at an age where he should retire and rest, Shan smiled bitterly and returned to the conference hall to report it.

Afterwards, everyone devoted their energy to troop deployment on the western front, which would become the core of the battlefield.

The least popular was, naturally, the defense unit of East Solod Castle, while the side everyone wanted to join was the defense of Count of Meln’s territory.

“If we launch a counterattack against the enemy, this side will inevitably be the key.”

“That is correct.”

If they repelled the enemies attacking this region and advanced forward, they would be able to encircle not only the army attempting to cross the Armak River, but also the army at West Solod Castle altogether.

In fact, even Libert’s capital and the Holy See would fall directly within strikeable range, so its importance went without saying.

Conversely, this was also the hardest place to defend.

For it was a region without the protection of high castles, mountain ranges, or rivers, stretching out into open plains.

Usually, on such a battlefield, the side that crushed with overwhelming numbers held the advantage.

To overcome such disadvantage, the strongest warrior, the Lord Protector, had to be present.

After the knights who would fight alongside the Lord Protector were assigned, Roden was appointed commander of the Armak River defense.

This side was also a strategic stronghold where the most outstanding commander was required, as the moment it was breached, Hasra and East Solod Castle would immediately fall into danger.

Furthermore, the Ranpel region and the rest of western and southwestern Pendia were areas that had maintained devout Old Faith faith since ancient times, making it critical that they were highly likely to spark a rebellion when the Old Faith Alliance invaded.

To prevent this required not only military capability but also skill as a bureaucrat, and there was no one equal to Roden in that regard.

After spending a long time concluding all the meetings, Roden let out a sigh as he stepped out of the royal palace.

“Haa.”

“Why are you sighing like that?”

“Because it doesn’t seem like a war that will end in a day or two. I’m worried I won’t even be by her side to protect her when she gives birth.”

Answering Shan’s question like that, Roden groaned softly with an “Ah,” and spoke.

“Sorry. Now that I think about it, your wedding was postponed because of this too. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I already talked about that. She said it would be nice if we held the wedding at the Western Holy See.”

“Good grief.”

Roden snickered at the Queen’s absurd ambition.

It was truly an idea typical of her.

A moment later, Roden looked up at the sky and muttered.

“I want to see my child’s face.”

Whether winning or losing the battle, he wished he could return alive to the side of his child who would be born in the future.

That was the humble desire harbored by this large man.

Of course, if they lost, even if he returned, there would likely be no future, so winning would be better if possible.

At his words, Shan tilted his head.

“I heard before that usually the guys who say things like that are the first to die.”

Roden kicked Shan in the butt without a word.

They had survived until now, so they would survive in the future as well.

Unconditionally.

*

Along with the decisions of the high command, the Pendia army moved swiftly.

First, among the roughly thirty thousand troops assembled near the capital, three thousand headed for the eastern Treba region.

Under the command of Count of Shedil, they would thoroughly defend the eastern region from the Ajun army that might invade at any moment.

The students of the Knight Academy were also deployed here.

“Wow, it’s hot…”

The Altoan boy Feyuv grumbled, dusting off the pitch-black leather armor he was wearing.

At this, Blois, walking beside him, chuckled and spoke.

“You shouldn’t handle it roughly. It’s Minotaur leather armor, after all.”

The armor crafted from the leather of the Minotaur that Shan had hunted not long ago was issued to the students of the Knight Academy.

However, the hide from a single beast was absurdly insufficient for two hundred people to be covered in full leather outfits, so it merely sufficed to protect their upper bodies.

Of course, even that was an overly extravagant armament for them.

After all, these apprentice knights were still growing, so they had not been issued individual custom plate armors.

Beside them, Dike muttered with a dissatisfied look.

“Damn it, to think we’d be pushed to the rear!”

For him, who had expected to ride horses alongside that Lord Protector on the battlefield and pierce the enemy, it was a thoroughly disappointing outcome.

Of course, hunting monsters was also a knight’s duty, but while they were doing this, would not tens of thousands of people be clashing and enjoying glory over there in the west?

At this, Blois looked around and spoke in a low whisper.

“This is something I happened to hear, so don’t tell anyone else.”

“What is it?”

“Maybe we can fight enemies in the east too.”

“You don’t mean monsters, right?”

“Of course not. I heard the Ajun Kingdom’s army might cross through the Demonic Realm.”

“Is that even possible?”

The reason everyone around felt puzzled yet did not immediately treat it as empty boasting was due to Blois’s status.

Was he not the son of a Count, a cousin of the Queen, and a young master who had the Lord Protector as his guardian?

If it were him, he would be able to hear high-level military intelligence.

“I caught a glimpse of it from Hyungnim… that is, the Lord Protector, during our last break before marching. He said there might be a chance we’d fight people, so he offered to give me a lesson.”

At his words, excitement mixed with a vague sense of fear welled in everyone’s eyes.

For, like true people of Pendia, they had defeated small monsters before, but almost none of them had killed a human being.

“A war.”

Several of them repeated the word, swallowing their saliva.

Thinking that they might truly kill a human, the swords at their waists and the lances loaded on their horses felt heavy all over again.

The young prospective knights saw a vision of Ajun barbarians with golden hair and bushy beards invading from beyond the eastern horizon stretching far into the distance.

After about three thousand people departed like that, two thousand out of the remaining twenty-seven thousand were assigned to the defense of Solod Castle.

Under the command of Kivain, the lord of Solod Castle, if they joined forces with the original defenders, it would be difficult to break through quickly even if tens of thousands of troops were mobilized.

Among the remaining twenty-five thousand, ten thousand were deployed to the defense of the Ranpel region under the command of Roden Weavers.

On the day of departure, Roden gently embraced his weeping wife, Venoa.

Her stomach had gradually begun to bulge by now, making her pregnancy clearly evident.

“Darling…”

“I shall return safely. Please shave my beard once more when I return.”

Even while spending time in a foreign land she had never expected to visit in her life due to an arranged marriage, Venoa was not unhappy.

It was thanks to her husband, who was large and fierce-looking, but warm-hearted and considerate inside.

She knew well what it meant for her husband, who suffered severe phobia of sharp blades, to entrust his face to her.

Although they had married after interacting for only a brief period without anything that could be called a dating period, Venoa was receiving her husband’s affection and trust to overflowing levels.

Praying that he would return so she could shave him again, she stroked Roden’s smooth cheeks and chin.

And finally, the remaining fifteen thousand.

Shan, the head of the most elite army composed of five thousand Pendia regular soldiers and ten thousand conscripted troops, said his farewells to Cheryn.

“Well then, I’m heading off.”

Seeing his casual attitude, talking as if he were taking a walk around the neighborhood even when going out to a battlefield risking his life, Cheryn let out a soft chuckle.

Standing lightly on tiptoe, she kissed Shan on both cheeks before speaking.

“Return victorious. I will do whatever I can from the rear to support you.”

Maintaining stability in the rear and supplying logistics while Shan went out to fight was her role.

Considering that she had nearly died in the previous expedition, she wished to go out together in her heart, but she knew well that her presence was highly likely to become a weakness on the battlefield.

“Of course. More importantly, take care. I’m actually more worried about this place.”

As most of the Pendia army marched out, the capital, Hasra, was in a state of being almost completely empty.

Of course, a few knights and about a hundred royal guards remained, but he was immensely worried that something might happen.

It was all the more so because Ajun had already been caught several times secretly plotting to launch surprise attacks on the capital and the royal palace.

Though all of them had been caught in Cheryn’s counterintelligence network.

After leaving a deep kiss on Cheryn’s lips one last time, Shan stepped out of the royal palace together with the other knights who were waiting.

Starting with Ravana, followed by Vico and Tavera whom he had kept since his squire days, as well as dozens of skilled knights from the Capital Guard Order, they followed behind him.

Mounting Arwin, who had been prepared in advance, Shan received the cheers of the people as he rode forward with the other knights.

All of them hoped that their Lord Protector would defeat the foreign enemies so that this peace would continue.

“Long live the Lord Protector!”

“May Pendia last forever!”

“Death to the Libert bastards!”

Exiting through the south gate amidst all kinds of cheers, the prepared army came into view.

“Let’s go, to Meln!”

When he shouted out loud, the soldiers, excited to take the battlefield alongside the Lord Protector, drew their swords and lances, waving them and cheering.

Shan looked calmly at the soldiers he had to lead.

Though he had always led only elite troops who were properly armed and trained, this time he could tell that the proportion of poorly equipped soldiers was higher.

Armed with quilted cloth armor, spears, axes, and the like, they looked as if they would be wiped away just by receiving a shower of arrows.

Fighting while keeping them alive as much as possible was the duty he ought to bear as a commander.

Shan’s army, having exited through the south gate, marched swiftly without rest toward Beshalia.

Meeting again after a long time, the deputy of Beshalia, Callion, poured out his worries about Roden to Shan.

“I don’t know if that fellow can do well without the Lord Protector.”

Although Roden was renowned as an invincible commander, he had always possessed the strongest sword named Shan by his side.

At the father’s worry over whether he could lead a proper victory without him, Shan smiled and spoke.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Roden is a magnificent commander even without me. Rather, this time everyone will come to know that fellow’s true skill.”

At Shan’s attitude of trusting Roden even more than he, his father, did, Callion shed a tear at the corners of his wrinkled eyes and nodded.

Afterwards, boarding dozens of warships prepared in advance, the Pendia army moved straight toward Meln Port.

“Ugh…”

“H-Help me.”

In the past, during the South Sea expedition, they had undergone prior training with naval battles against pirates in mind, but now, since they were scheduled to fight on land after landing anyway, they were deployed directly without separate seasickness training.

Thanks to that, most of the soldiers who had never boarded a ship before groaned in suffering at the rough waves of the South Sea.

Since they would get better once they disembarked anyway and nobody was going to die from riding a ship for merely a few days, Shan paid far more attention to the state of Arwin, who was aboard with him, than to them.

To be exact, the problem was not Arwin herself, but the other warhorses with him.

“Arwin, I told you not to do that!”

Shan sharply reprimanded Arwin, who was breathing heavily.

It was because the creature, made wild by the unfamiliar environment, had kicked a warhorse riding with him and broken its bone.

Thanks to the accompanying army priest, it did not die or become crippled, but with just a little bad luck, it could have died.

Shan recited the incantation he had learned from Hakan, trying to calm the creature down.

Moving toward Meln Port like that for several days.

While Shan was soothing Arwin, a soldier hastily ran over to him and shouted.

“Greetings, Your Grace the Duke!”

“What is it?”

“A fleet has appeared ahead!”

At the news that a fleet had appeared, Shan’s eyes narrowed.

For communication, they possessed a magic communicator connected to Count of Meln’s territory, and there had been no word from that side about sending a greeting party.

Stepping up onto the deck immediately, Ravana, who was riding together, pointed forward and spoke.

“It is the enemy, Lord Protector.”

“Their affiliation?”

“I know a couple of those crests; they were likely vassals of Duke of Morayen.”

Ravana, who had participated as a mercenary under Duke of Morayen in the past, knew the noble coats of arms of that side relatively well.

Of course, that was also several years ago, so details down to who did what in which region were hazy, but at least he knew that such crests existed.

Shan realized that the approaching warships were not hiding their hostile momentum.

“It seems they intend to check us by mobilizing warships from the southeastern part of Libert.”

“However, compared to our side, their numbers are absurdly small.”

“They likely just intend to check us with ranged fire. After all, they are all fast vessels.”

If soldiers skilled in naval warfare merely shot arrows from afar, it would not be easy for the current Pendia army to face them.

Of course, there were not a few skilled archers on this side either, but among them, not many were accustomed to shooting arrows from atop a ship.

At this, Shan commanded Vico beside him.

“Vico, my bow from the cabin.”

“Yes, My Lord!”

Vico went down to the cabin as fast as if his feet were on fire and brought Shan’s bow and arrows.

He tried to string the bow for him in advance, but no matter how much he grunted and strained, the bowstring made of finely shredded and twisted Minotaur sinews would not be drawn.

“That’s enough, just hand it to me.”

“I’m sorr… Oh.”

Vico, who was handing over the bow with an apologetic expression, widened his eyes in surprise at the sight of Shan stringing it in an instant.

Since he was shooting at a ship, wasting an expensive magic arrow was unnecessary.

Shan requested the Blessing of Vitality from the priest beside him, then nocked an ordinary arrow and drew it all the way back.

Aiming in that state for a few seconds.

As the bowstring released, those aboard felt a sensation as though the air ahead was tearing apart in an instant.

“Ah!”

“The ship…”

An arrow loaded with immense draw weight and Shan’s Fighting Spirit in full force.

The moment it cleanly pierced the mast of the lead warship, the massive wooden pillar listed and tottered from the force carried within.