Chapter 875 - Swallowing the Terrain
"Pegasus!"
"Oh!"
The name of the friend flapping his wings while enjoying the cheers of the soldiers was Weird Eyes.
"Aurelia."
Cypress's judgment was fast.
He called Aurelia and told her to bring simple food and items needed for flying.
It was a clear judgment worthy of someone who had led a knightly order for a long time.
"What is needed?"
Naturally, Aurelia didn't know what items were needed when riding a horse and flying.
"Think with that good head of yours."
"First, I will cork the canteen to store water."
Basically, it was similar to a messenger carrying urgent orders.
They eat and drink on horseback, matching the horse's rest time.
Trained messengers are all like that.
Enkrid was a knight, so he wouldn't need a separate rest time.
He would figure that out himself.
'The key is to solve eating and drinking.'
Knights eat as much as giants.
They devour rations meant for ten soldiers.
So, they had to carry greasy and nutrient-rich food like seasoned jerky as dry provisions.
Moreover, he had to eat while flying in the sky, facing the wind.
'Make it easy to eat by cutting it into small pieces.'
Aurelia ended up playing the unlikely role of a cook.
She imagined tearing the jerky into strips longer than a finger, making them like sticks.
Shinar watched Enkrid, who was about to leave, and quietly handed him a pouch.
Elves eat less than humans, but a knight, even an elf, naturally has to eat well.
The pouch she handed over was the wisdom of elves who do not eat meat.
Inside the pouch she gave him were sixteen round food balls, small enough to fit in one bite.
It was made of pine nuts, walnuts, raisins, dried figs, and pitted dates, chopped and mixed with honey.
It sufficiently filled nutritional needs even without meat.
"It's called the Fruit of Life."
It didn't actually grow on trees, but was prepared with an elven secret recipe, though it did look like a fruit.
The name was up to the elves to give.
Since it contained their secret recipe.
"Thank you."
"It will be delicious. Very. Since my sincerity is imbued in it."
"Did you use poison?"
"Your jokes have improved. Fiancé."
Whether intentional or not, this was a conversation held right next to Aurelia.
Shinar nodded and said abruptly.
"Yes, fiancé."
Enkrid didn't bother to correct her.
If he said one more word unnecessarily, this elf would throw even louder jokes.
Enkrid chose what he had to say instead of a joke.
"It would be good if you fed him well. Squire."
These were words directed at Aurelia.
The woman, a squire of rare beauty and granddaughter of the kingdom's greatest knight, stared at Enkrid and asked back.
"...You?"
She was so flustered she even forgot the proper title for a superior.
What was more amazing was Enkrid.
He wasn't flustered at all.
"Weird Eyes."
He pointed to Weird Eyes, who had returned from a fun flight and was standing by his side.
"Ah, the horse. Yes, Sir."
Enkrid observed her stiff attitude.
He could see a few areas for improvement.
Things visible without much thought.
Also, the eye for talent developed while handling several knights played a part.
If she changed her training method, she would get better results than now.
Of course, it wasn't something he could touch on right away.
'Aurelia, huh.'
Enkrid saw a problem that neither Rem nor Ragna had recognized.
It was an insight gained from climbing mountains not from the ground, but crawling up from underground, checking every peak and examining every grain of wood.
'Talent, effort, she has everything, but...'
Instead, she's stiff.
Cypress always demanded flexible thinking from his granddaughter.
The Knight Commander leading the Crimson Cloaks also had abundant experience raising several knights with his own hands.
He knew the answer, too.
But the effect of his method varied depending on the person receiving it.
Looking at Aurelia individually, it would take a long time for his intent to be conveyed.
Enkrid was different.
'I see a way.'
Leaving aside skill, when discussing training methods alone, few could compare to Enkrid.
"Let's talk when I get back."
Implying all of that in his words.
"Leaving me behind?"
Shinar threw jokes incessantly.
It was after the sun had tilted significantly to one side that all preparations were finished and Enkrid mounted Weird Eyes.
Whether to say it was natural or not, Weird Eyes was overflowing with energy.
Heeeeigh!
His snorting sound was refreshing, and he stomped his feet powerfully—tak tak.
He had fought a round in the sky today as a warhorse, but there was no sign of fatigue.
That was the same for both human and horse.
Enkrid's face was also clear.
Not a drop of oiliness.
He had even washed up neatly.
"Then, I'm off."
His attitude was light, as if going for a short outing.
Themares pondered a way to go together, but no matter how much of a Dragonkin he was, he couldn't catch up to a pegasus's speed.
"I will wait."
His course of action was clear.
To watch over Enkrid.
A peculiarity was that he had no lingering attachment to being forcibly separated.
He didn't have such emotions, nor would he show them.
Because he was a Dragonkin.
He showed interest in the human named Enkrid, but if he disappeared, he would just accept it and move for the next goal.
If it weren't for Enkrid, he would have entered the Demon Realm long ago, killing or avoiding monsters in sight, chasing the opponent who hindered his duty.
Such inner workings were something no one knew.
"There could be more than two knights."
Krang said.
The enemy's strength had never been observed.
In the first place, it was difficult to figure out how many knights there were just by looking at the surface.
How could they recognize an existence with keener eyes and ears than a scout first and slip away?
No matter how good the scouts were, confirming the rough size of the army was all they could do.
Even if they luckily succeeded in observing the knights, there was no means to relay that information now.
Although a wizard's crystal ball could transmit words from afar, it was an item with several conditions for use.
It wasn't something that allowed for leisurely chatting in the middle of a battlefield.
That was why they constantly sent carrier crows and also received missives sent by Marcus.
Preparations are complete. I will win and join you.
Did the fate of the nation hang on Marcus's battle?
No.
Even if the Lihin-Stetten army headed straight for the capital, preparations had been made.
All of this was just following the king's will.
Even though it was facing a destined disaster, Marcus rather expressed joy.
He also said that his choice was not wrong.
The words he spat out then proved his life, beliefs, and values.
"If sacrificing one of me protects thousands of people in the kingdom, isn't it a mournful yet glorious death?"
Did he say that his father died in bed, but he had no such hope?
"If you meet that bastard Enki, pass on my words. That this is how you fight without being a knight."
Krang relayed those words exactly.
And Enkrid intended to go and see it for himself.
The setting sun cast long shadows.
The left side of Enkrid's face was dyed orange.
The cloak extended to match the cool air, coming down to his calves.
Enkrid pulled the cloak forward and tightened the clasp.
The temperature had dropped, so he was preparing for the cold.
It's cold up in the sky.
It would be even colder if he moved for a long time.
Twilight, the time when the sun that lit up today dies.
The dim light announced that his death was yet postponed.
Even if he died, it was fine.
His death was temporary.
When tomorrow comes, he will resurrect and light up the world again.
"Then."
Clatter.
Weird Eyes ran again on the path that cut through the center of the camp made previously.
As he accelerated and the sun fell, the light faded.
Piercing through the faded light, Weird Eyes soared into the sky.
Enkrid held his breath and clenched his molars, feeling the sensation of his organs shifting downward.
Having ridden a few times, he had gotten the hang of it.
"Hey, leave some for me to play with and bring them back with you!"
The crazy barbarian shouted from below.
Looking down, he quickly saw him having a friendly conversation with Ragna and their weapons.
"You've played enough. Now it's my turn."
Well, wouldn't Ragna have said something like that?
Although he couldn't hear it, the guess was easy to make.
With stray thoughts, Enkrid flew.
There were no clouds.
Soaring into the sky, it seemed as if the glow of the sunset passing over the mountain ridge in the distance filled the sky.
Weird Eyes, excited about something, flapped his wings a few times and then rode the wind.
From then on, it wasn't as strenuous as he thought.
The wind slapping his face made it impossible to straighten his back, so the posture was a bit uncomfortable, but it was a more pleasant journey than expected.
Enkrid bent his waist forward tightly as if charging on a galloping horse and continued flying while prone.
He couldn't straighten his waist once until he reached his destination.
***
Lihin-Stetten held the Crimson Cloak Knights' feet with griffons in the South.
They stabbed at the weakness that they wouldn't be able to abandon the army.
In the meantime, the main force, including the knights, split into two and detoured.
It was difficult to predict all of this from within Naurillia.
They even failed to predict the route Lihin-Stetten would move immediately. \
If one were to look for the reason, it was due to Beelrog's absence.
'Beelrog is gone.'
The Great Emperor suspected it at first too.
Wasn't he a monster with a wandering habit?
While watching without withdrawing suspicion, the Demons of the Demon Realm swore the truth and spoke.
Beelrog is dead.
It was a name that had suppressed one side of Lihin-Stetten until now.
His existence itself was a deterrent.
He killed everything that entered the area he designated, and that area bordered Lihin-Stetten and Naurillia.
To be more precise, it was closer to Lihin-Stetten than Naurillia.
One good route for movement was blocked.
Of course, from Naurillia's perspective, it was something to tilt their heads at.
Since that route meant passing through the Demon Realm.
They would not do it anyway.
It was only possible because the Great Emperor had made a contract with the Demons of the Demon Realm.
For this reason, Beelrog's death opened a path for Lihin-Stetten.
Naturally, neither Enkrid nor anyone else did it knowingly, but Beelrog's death itself became the trigger for the South to move.
'The path is open.'
The Great Emperor divided his forces into four large groups.
One centered on himself.
The central army.
Another was the griffon riders and the four of the Amethyst Knights.
They were for tying down the Crimson Cloak Knights.
The remaining two corps each had different objectives.
One unit towards Naurill.
Another unit detoured to the opposite side and ran along the road paved by Naurillia.
The end of that road was a city that had newly made its name known.
***
"Where did you say our destination was?"
"Border Guard."
A conversation between two knights who were also commanders.
Naturally, Lihin-Stetten also knew of the existence of The Madmen Knights.
It was hard not to know.
They had been so noisy.
Ending the civil war, striking down the cult that had taken root in the continent, and destroying several bandit groups.
They even heard about what happened in the city of Oara through the grapevine.
If they knew, it was right to prepare.
It was natural.
The Great Emperor added a simple logic to this.
What should be done to scatter united power?
Stir up their base.
Should one call it a simple but certain tactic?
If they occupied, destroyed, and plundered the two cities, the capital Naurill and Border Guard, the enemy's morale would hit rock bottom and they would face difficulties in supplies.
The Great Emperor drew a picture of besieging the entire country of Naurillia with his army.
'There is no need to fight long.'
The Great Emperor's judgment was the same as Krang's.
However, perhaps due to a difference in caliber, one side boldly revealed himself and shouted to attack, while the other tried to force simultaneous battles by invading the enemy's base.
This was a point the Great Emperor overlooked.
He, too, failed to predict Krang's intent.
***
Marcus Baisar had recognized the danger of the South since childhood.
"If you ask me to pick the most dangerous sword threatening us, I would choose them."
His father taught him so, and born as a noble's child who didn't go hungry even without working, he studied history, so it was natural.
Marcus's father observed and monitored what the South was doing for over ten years.
Based on that information, Marcus later gauged where they would come from if he fought with allies, and drew a picture of how to fight if a war broke out.
He had been doing so from childhood until now as a mature man.
Should one say his father's brainwashing education saw the light?
Marcus had a habit of worrying about how the fight with the South would take place.
"Simply praying for the enemy to come where I want is a poor plan. Blocking everywhere just because you don't know where the enemy comes is a mediocre plan."
These were words spoken by Krais of The Madmen Knights.
Hanging out with that bastard, he learned quite a lot.
Did Marcus learn nothing from watching Enkrid?
His attitude of listening and enthusiasm for learning influenced him as well.
"What is the best plan?"
He learned what he could from the audacious salon businessman named Krais.
At the same time, he promised to invest in some of his businesses.
Krais joined Marcus's habit with enthusiasm.
"It is to induce. Luring and enticing them."
If Lihin-Stetten advances, what will they do?
Where will they come?
Since you can't prepare for everything, it is right to gather strength in one place and induce them.
'It's even better if the enemy doesn't know all of that.'
Marcus gained enlightenment, and after becoming a member of the royal family, he embezzled some military funds to hire woodcutters and call in architects.
The core of what Marcus did over the past few years was changing the terrain.
He dug up the ground where it originally was, rolled rocks, and made hills with soil.
All of that was preparation for now.
"It is Baisar's secret technique, Swallowing the Terrain."
Marcus muttered.
It was a technique invested in for several years, and this was how an ordinary soldier fought.
***
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