The whole tent fell silent.
The man who had spoken stood with his head lowered.
Verken looked at him coldly.
"Azpen is the leader of this operation."
"He holds the rank of commander, and he has been involved in this operation longer than any of us."
"We need to acknowledge and respect his authority."
He paused.
"Even if you disagree with him, you still respect his position."
"Becoming a knight does not mean you are above the commander."
"Keep that in your mind."
The man lowered his head further.
Azpen slowly clenched his left fist.
He couldn't do anything about the insult right now.
Not because he wasn't angry.
Because they needed these men.
If they lost their support, the battle could be lost.
Azpen looked at Verken.
"I know you want to attack."
"But right now,We have your hundred troops from your force and some cavalry , along with several hundred infantrymen."
"This isn't a properly organized army."
"Most of them are mercenaries."
"They don't have the same drills or formations as army."
"They'll fight however they can."
Azpen pointed at the map.
"That's what came to my mind."
"We've been fighting like this until now."
"But if we attack tomorrow, you and the newly arrived troops should form the vanguard."
"The vanguard will suffer the greatest losses."
Verken understood immediately.
"But the vanguard will also take the most glory."
Azpen looked at him.
"I understand."
He paused.
"And I understand that's why you want to attack."
Verken didn't deny it.
"Then we'll attack tomorrow."
"Today, inform the mercenaries."
"Bring them together and inform them of the plan."
"Make sure everyone knows what we're doing."
Verken looked around the tent.
"We don't need to drag this battle out any longer than necessary."
"We have other things to take care of."
"Whether they are planning something themselves or whether we go ahead with our plan, we need to finish this battle."
Azpen rubbed his head and sighed.
Azpen looked at him.
"Fine."
"We'll go with your attack."
"Tomorrow, we'll attack."
"Let's inform the mercenaries here first."
I was awakened by Seban sometime in the afternoon.
My vision was still blurry.
I rubbed my eyes.
"What happened?"
Seban looked at me.
"We received information."
"The Knights are here."
"They're planning to attack the lizardmen tomorrow."
"We need to move to the second safe point."
I was still holding my ribs.
Every movement caused pain.
I nodded toward Rusty.
Rusty slowly stood and walked toward us.
He was still injured, but he was able to move.
Seban handed me his knife.
"Use this as support."
I took it with my right hand and pressed it against the ground.
Slowly, I tried to stand.
My legs were wobbling.
My left side felt almost numb, but the pain was still there.
I stood for a moment.
Then Seban's left hand caught my shoulder when I nearly lost my balance.
"Slowly."
I nodded.
With Seban's help, I moved toward Rusty.
Getting onto his back was harder than I expected.
I barely had enough strength to pull myself up.
Once I was seated, I held the reins with only my right hand.
I didn't have enough strength in my left hand to do anything.
Seban climbed into the trees.
"I'll go ahead."
"Follow me."
"If we encounter lizardmen or anyone else, I'll take care of them."
"The other scouts are watching the area too."
He looked at me.
"You're more injured than I am."
"So don't try to fight."
I nodded.
Seban disappeared into the trees.
I followed.
We moved from tree to tree.
Rusty was still injured, so I didn't force him to run.
He maintained a steady pace, carrying both of us without putting too much strain on his body.
We traveled for around three hours.
Eventually, we reached the second safe point.
It was hidden deep within the forest.
Compared to the swamp, the ground here was much drier.
Large trees surrounded the area, their branches blocking much of the sunlight.
A small tent had already been set up.
I looked at it for a moment.
Then I slowly climbed down from Rusty.
Or at least, I tried to.
My legs almost gave out immediately.
Seban caught me and helped me down.
I sat on the ground, holding my left ribs.
The pain was still there.
I looked toward the sky.
The sun was slowly disappearing beyond the trees.
I thought about tomorrow.
The Knights would attack.
The lizardmen would fight back.
The battle would be intense.
And if everything went well…
We would finally return home.
A small smile appeared on my face.
Even though my entire body was still in pain.
Tomorrow would be the end.
Or at least…
I hoped it would be.