I sat beneath the tree with Seban.
For a while, neither of us said anything.
There was another scout nearby, keeping watch while we rested.
My entire body was still in pain, but the cool breeze moving through the swamp made it slightly easier to breathe.
Eventually, Seban started talking.
"You have a good mount."
I looked at Rusty.
"Even if he was trained from birth, I don't think every horse would behave like that."
He glanced toward Rusty.
"He followed you even after suffering such a serious injury. He didn't run away. Instead, he carried you out of the battlefield."
Seban smiled faintly.
"That's a good thing."
"Many people see a mount as something that can simply be replaced when it dies or becomes unusable."
"But the more time you spend with your mount, the more it learns to trust you."
"And when the time comes…"
He looked at Rusty.
"It may help you when you need it most."
I nodded.
"You're doing well, kid."
Then he pointed at me.
"Now rest."
I coughed.
I looked at him.
"What about you?"
I had noticed his injuries earlier.
"You're injured too."
Seban gave me a strange look.
"Kid, if a lizardman attacks me, I can still defend myself."
He paused.
"But if a mosquito attacks you right now, you probably couldn't even defend yourself."
I couldn't help but stare at him.
"For now, rest."
"Tomorrow, we'll move."
I leaned my head against the tree.
My eyes slowly closed.
As I sat there, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened.
The battle.
The explosion.
The escape.
Rusty's injuries.
Seban's past.
The lizardmen.
The Northern Knights.
Everything was becoming more complicated.
And I couldn't shake the feeling that the real battle had only just begun.
The Lizardman Nest
At the lizardman nest, the sound of marching soldiers echoed across the temporary defenses.
More than a hundred people were approaching.
Not all of them were knights.
They came from different levels and units, but the man leading them was unmistakable.
A powerful aura surrounded him.
A sword hung at his waist, and he wore high-quality leather armor.
A large scar ran behind his left eye.
He didn't stop to speak with anyone.
His eyes immediately focused on the lizardman nest.
The temporary defensive structures were clearly visible.
He walked straight toward Azpen's tent.
Inside, Azpen looked up.
His expression changed when he saw the man.
"House Branadle…"
He muttered.
"So they're serious."
The man walked inside.
His name was Verken.
He looked at Azpen without hesitation.
"We are here from Branadle house."
His voice was calm.
Azpen gave him a small smirk.
"Branadle house, huh?"
"Then what took you so long?"
Verken didn't answer.
He simply walked toward the map.
Azpen pointed toward the positions surrounding the nest.
"This is our current plan."
"We'll establish a defensive position here and attack the lizardmen when we have an opening."
Verken remained silent throughout the entire explanation.
He didn't interrupt.
He didn't question anything.
He simply listened.
After Azpen finished explaining the plan, Verken stared at the map for several seconds.
Then he looked at Azpen.
"I think this plan is wrong."
Azpen sighed.
"Tell me what you see."
Verken pointed toward the map.
"First."
"Why are we defending this position?"
"We completely destroyed their nest."
"Their objective has already been lost."
He moved his finger across the map.
"So why are we allowing them to establish a defensive position?"
"We should attack."
Azpen rubbed his forehead.
"We don't have the numbers."
"And the lizardmen are prepared."
Verken shook his head.
"No."
"My scouts gave me a report."
Azpen looked at him.
"They successfully attacked the center of the lizardman army."
"There is still some chaos among their forces."
"We need to attack now."
He looked directly at Azpen.
"With our full force."
"We break through them in one strike."
"We can't give them time to recover."
Azpen stared at the map.
"We need to minimize our losses."
"If we attack now, the casualties will be much higher."
"It is easier to defend this position."
"We can drag this out for several more days."
"Then we can finish them while minimizing our losses."
Verken remained silent.
Azpen rubbed his forehead.
"We don't have the numbers, and the lizardmen are prepared."
Verken shook his head.
"No."
"My scouts sent me a report. They successfully attacked the center of the lizardman army."
"There is still some chaos among their forces."
He pointed toward the map.
"We need to attack now."
"With our full force."
"We break through them in one strike and crush them before they have a chance to recover."
Azpen looked at the map for a moment.
"We need to minimize our losses."
"If we attack now, the casualties will be much higher."
"It is easier to defend this position."
"We can drag this out for several more days and finish them while keeping our casualties as low as possible."
Verken remained silent.
Azpen continued.
"I know the blood of warriors is boiling."
"But we need to stop that blood from being spilled unnecessarily."
"Make sure some of our men survive to see the end of this war."
One of the men standing to Verken's left suddenly stepped forward.
"How dare you speak to our commander like that?"
Bang!
Before anyone could react, Verken punched him in the face.
The man staggered backward and fell to his knees.
Verken stared down at him.
"Did I tell you to speak?"
The man lowered his head.
Verken turned back toward Azpen.
The tent fell silent.