Going a little back in time before the interruption inside the castle training grounds...
A gentle breeze swept through the tranquil forest as many carriages slowly made their way in a southerly direction, where they had set up base.
A bright glimmer shone through the tiny gaps between the tree leaves. A young man with short brown hair dressed in knightly attire could be seen mounting a black horse.
The brown-haired young man slowly turned his head up to the vast blue skies while squinting his eyes.
"Sigh, isn't it better for us to take a break? At the rate we're going, we'll be worn out."
The young man complained, sighing as he rode the back of the black horse. Sitting on the back of a horse with bright white fur, a middle-aged man with rough facial features turned his gaze towards the young man riding next to him and snorted through his nose.
"Rest, you say. Our invasion will begin in roughly two weeks from now, and were not even halfway done. It's best not to be too relaxed after all, there is no telling what will happen in a war."
The middle-aged man said in a serious tone. The Zestril kingdom was not one to underestimate; even now, there is no telling what trump card the other side may have.
Once those words were uttered, all the other knights who overheard their conversation instantly tensed their muscles.
"Maybe so, but... old man, do you really think we'll lose?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I'm saying you should not let your guard down and become overconfident; such actions will only cloud your judgment and cause unnecessary mistakes, eventually leading to your death."
The older knight said calmly. It was precisely the act of overconfidence that caused the death of some of the mightiest being who could have shone brightly but, because of their own confidence that prevent them from thinking clearly caused their own downfall which prevented them from truly shining.
While being confident is a good thing, too much confidence will only do more harm than good. The young knight looked at his elder and secretly scoffed.
"I think you are overthinking things. There will be roughly 10,000 of us on the battlefield, and we'll also have Commander Matthew on our side. Our victory is already guaranteed."
The young knight said fervently as he looked at the elder beside him. The elder knight said nothing and kept his eyes turned to the front. He is a veteran soldier who has been working as a knight for many years.
He was called Aiden, a middle-aged man approaching his early forties. He had a head full of white hair and almond-shaped eyes.
(There are some things one must learn through experience rather than through lecture.)
The elder knight thought as his eyes slowly narrowed. The cries of beasts and monsters sounded from the overgrown forest, but not many dared to attack a group of this size, and as for the ones who foolishly dared to attack, they were easily killed by the knights at the front.
The hooves of the horses, as well as the many carriages' wheels, made their way noisily through the forest while raising a cloud of dust. They traversed through the thorny forest and slowly made their way through a valley which was between the kingdom of Watanabe and the kingdom of Albanian.
The group came to a stop at the peak of a hill while glancing down on a grassy plain below, where various tents were set up. Knights could be seen there transporting various food crates around, storing them inside the tents.
Roughly one hour later....
The group was inside a black tent that was set up a fair distance away from the rest. They were discussing their plans.
"It should take them several days to arrive here from Zestril, even more if we consider the monster and beast roaming through the forest."
A man dressed in silver plate armour said as he moved his fingers through the map placed on the small wooden table. The map showed the entire Deki forest as well as the various kingdom which stationed at its base.
From the easternmost part of the forest was the kingdom of Watanabe. From the west was the kingdom of Alberta. From the south was the kingdom of Albanian.
From the north was the kingdom of Zestril. For the troops to reach the valley, they would have to traverse through the wooded lands, passing many dangerous areas where many monsters called home.
"There should be plenty of time for us to carry the remainder of the food to the base."
"Yes, but... it will also take time to carry it all, not to mention the sheer number of soldiers crossing through the forest will also take up a lot of time."
A young man dressed in knightly attire said.
"I think we should get the mages to create a barrier around this place, for at least 30 kilometres, for safe measures. After all, we still haven't considered the enemy's mount, and they might have a way to attack from the sky."
He continued.
"Hmm! Once they made it past the border of the Watanabe kingdom, they would only be a distance of 30 kilometres. Getting to this point should take them at least another four to five days, even if they increase their paste using strengthening magic. So, by that rough estimate, we would have at least another three or four days to get ready."
Aiden said as he folded his arms thoughtfully. While he was also confident in their victory somewhere in his heart, he couldn't stop worrying about the battle strength of the other side.
Just what was the foundation of their confidence? What was it that they were trying to accomplish? Unfortunately, no one had the answers to these questions.
(The problem is that we know nothing of the enemy side's strength. The kingdom of Zestril is a kingdom located north, where it's almost impossible to get to. Out of all the kingdoms on this continent their the most unknown)
Aiden could only sigh tiredly as he thought about what was to come. He really didn't like leaving things to chance. What else could he do?
In the end, it's about the strong overcoming the weak!
Watching him from the side was a beautiful woman who seemed to be in her early thirties, dressed in silver plate armour with a silver spear clutch tightly in her dainty hands. Her long hair, tied into a one-sided ponytail that hung down her back, suddenly spoke up.
"Sir Aiden, I don't think there is much we could do by worrying, don't you think? We currently have five thousand soldiers and five thousand mages. Even though I'm not one hundred per cent confident in our victory.... let's put our faith in the brave warriors who shall join us on the battlefields."
The female knight said as her jade-like eyes looked into the hazel eyes of Aiden. Aiden's eyes, which were clouded from worry, shone faintly from her words as he nodded his head.
In the end, no one has any right to say anything in war; the victor is the one on the side of the goddess of faith. With that thought, Aiden once again turned his sharp gaze back to the map as he formulated many different strategies.
Meanwhile, on the outside....
The knights were scattered around guarding the base in case of an enemy attack. Even though the chances are unlikely.
"Yawn!"
A young knight who seemed to be in his twenties leaned his back gently against a tree trunk as he turned his gaze up to look at the vast blue sky.
"Hey, why are you loafing around? If anyone finds out you're being slothful, it won't be pretty, you know?"
An older knight scolded his junior reproachfully. Hearing the warning of his senior, the young knight hurriedly got to his feet, his sleepy droopy eyes looked as though he had just come back to life.
"Cough, I-I wasn't slacking off. I was just resting my body to prepare for the battle that has yet to come."
The young knight said, stammering his excuse. The elder knight looked at him closely and sighed once he noticed the dark shadow beneath the eye corners of the young knight. All the knights have been on high alert even during the nights; no one dared to fall asleep, fearing the possibility of being attacked unnoticed.
"Maybe you should go rest a while... it doesn't seem as though anything will happen as of yet."
He said to his junior. The young knight seemed to think he had misheard as he looked at the man before him incredulously.
Of course, the man who stood before him was no ordinary man. He was also a general and a high-ranking one at that. The man, called Luke, would soon be approaching his early fifties. He had short blonde hair and a scar on the left side of his cheek, which gave him an imposing appearance.
But it happened then, just before the young knight could open his mouth, there was a loud explosion that thundered on the grassy plains.
BOOOOM!!!
A thick cloud of dust was raised as various trees and debris were sent flying, blocking the view of everyone.
"Gah!"
"What the hell!"
"Enemy attack! Quickly get into formation!"
Many knights and carriages were easily sent flying uncontrollably in various directions from the sudden shockwave! From the sky, many beams of light rained down continuously in irregular patterns.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
Many unfortunate soldiers lost their arms, while some lost their legs; there are even those who weren't so lucky and lost their lives from a direct hit. As for the ones who managed to survive with only light wounds thanks to the shield, they were equipped with their bodies were pushed back by the force.
"Tch! Those Basterds!"
A knight shouted and raised his head skywards. He narrowed his eyes as the rays of the sun spilled down; however, when he saw the creature that had attacked them, his eyes widened slightly.
"Isn't that.... a white eagle?"
The knight exclaimed. Indeed, hovering approximately 50 meters above the ground was an eagle-like creature measuring roughly ten meters tall and with a wingspan of five meters. On its back was a human dressed in golden plate armour.
The sky was filled with white eagles, all had mages and knights riding them. However, there was something else that caught the attention of the knights on the ground.
"Th-That symbol... there from the Zestril kingdom! How?! Shouldn't it take them more time to get here?"
A knight exclaimed; his voice filled with horror.
The battle that was supposed to take place in two weeks started much sooner than they thought!