The next morning, the grand army broke camp and set off. Marquis Anxi led over thirty thousand troops into the Adenson Forest from the front, while the forces of Winfoort and Bastonne joined to take a circular path into the forest.
This contingent was not large, about six thousand in number, with around three thousand combat-ready troops and the rest comprising non-combat personnel and logistical support.
Early in the morning, a kingdom knight in his thirties, wearing a silver gilt helmet adorned with a golden fire dragon and clad in a full set of mithril plate armor forged by Bastonne's master craftsmen, approached Ryan: "Greetings, Grail Knight Sir Ryan, I am Gabriel de Bastonne."
"Hello, Sir Gabriel, I am Ryan Macado." Ryan shook his hand.
"I'm pleased to fight alongside you. If you don't mind, let our Bastonne Beast Slayer troops lead the way," Gabriel said earnestly. "Our soldiers are well-versed in the forest's intricate paths from years of skirmishing with the beastmen on its edges."
"Oh, of course, I welcome those familiar with the paths to guide us!" Ryan sincerely replied. "We are strangers to these woods, while your troops have battled these beasts for years. We rely heavily on your expertise."
"Such is the champion chosen by the Lady!" Marquis Gabriel praised. "Please!"
"Please!"
About an hour later, the army finished assembling and started marching into the forest.
Leading the way were over a hundred kingdom knights, followed by three hundred ranger knights, six hundred serf archers, and over two thousand serf infantry led by sergeants. Logistic units and non-combat personnel trailed at the rear, with over two hundred cavalry covering the flanks.
Ryan, alongside Julius, Gabriel, and other kingdom knights, followed directly behind the leading kingdom knight contingent.
Gabriel, the third son of the Duke of Bastonne, bore a firm visage with numerous scars, his eyes shining with a veteran's intensity. His formidable aura, indicative of a legendary-tier powerhouse, was unsurprising given the Bastonne family's strict lineage and excellent upbringing.
"This time, the Winfoort Fugitive Group and Bastonne Beast Slayers fight side by side," Ryan initiated the conversation.
"It's an honor for us Bastonne knights to fight alongside the renowned knights of Winfoort, and a personal honor to stand with Sir Ryan, the champion of the Lady!" Gabriel responded seriously. "Though Bastonne's troops were assigned here, we don't intend to be mere spectators."
"Spectators? What do you mean?" As they ventured deeper into the forest and the army's formation naturally stretched due to the terrain, Ryan, while keeping an eye on the surroundings, inquired curiously.
"Ah, Sir Ryan, you might not know, but when I learned that Anxi-Desmond had assigned us the right flank, I realized he didn't want us overshadowing him," Gabriel said with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"I'd like to hear more," Ryan and Julius exchanged glances, unfamiliar with the specifics of the Adenson Forest.
"The right flank is the most challenging route among the three, with numerous beastmen warbands and difficult terrain, making it hard for us to achieve significant victories or advance quickly," Gabriel continued. "Sir Ryan, our troop numbers are limited. My view on this march is to proceed steadily, not overly pursuing military achievements. Just clearing the beastmen warbands along our predetermined route and meeting at the designated point will suffice."
"That's also my thought. The forest isn't our home turf. How are the knights supposed to charge through such uneven ground and dense underbrush?" Ryan agreed.
"We're here to eradicate the beastmen, not play hide-and-seek with them," Julius added.
Thus, the right flank army's strategic approach was settled.
With Bastonne's knights' extensive experience in battling beastmen, Gabriel felt reassured by Ryan's agreement, fearing the young Grail Knight might recklessly chase after beastmen like some hot-headed ranger knights.
The first day's march encountered no surprises; they barely saw any beastmen and made smooth progress, camping near a stream at dusk.
"Hekse, arrange for a patrol on that hill! Olivier, ensure someone guards the stream's upstream, watching for beastmen poisoning," Ryan arranged patrols, while Gabriel directed his troops: "Boduan! Alphonse! You know what to do!"
"As you command, my lord!" Bastonne's knights, well-trained, and the serfs, adept at setting up camp, worked efficiently without needing reminders. The Bastonne Beast Slayers weren't named in vain.
Standing by the stream, Ryan watched the flowing water and heard footsteps and a faint scent behind him.
Ah, the scent of jasmine and iris. Turning around, he greeted, "Miss Sulia? Miss Sylvia?"
"Good evening, Sir Ryan!" "Good evening, Grail Knight Sir Ryan!" Both girls greeted Ryan, with Sylvia appearing somewhat shy and Sulia quite natural: "What are you thinking about?"
On a tranquil summer night, amidst the cool breeze and chorus of insects, with two beautiful ladies by his side, Ryan was in good spirits. The female knights, not wearing armor but the standard Britannian knightly attire of blue vests, white shirts, brown tights, and boots, showcased their excellent figures. Ryan noted Sulia's shirt buttons were stretched tighter.
"I'm pondering whether our Knightly War will achieve its goal. So far, we haven't encountered any formidable enemies," Ryan whispered. "The beastmen seem to have vanished."
"Sir Ryan, you mustn't be careless! Those beasts might be lurking in the shadows as we speak!" Sylvia instinctively cautioned.
"Sylvia! How could Sir Ryan be that kind of knight?" Sulia quickly signaled Sylvia to stop.
Ryan thought of a stern, beautiful knight who liked to keep a straight face. Noting the close sisterly bond between the maid and Sulia, he smiled: "Miss Sylvia, don't be so serious. I'm not being complacent. On the contrary, I'm more afraid that the beastmen won't confront us directly."
This piqued the ladies' curiosity, so Ryan elaborated: "What are Britannian knights best at?"
"Hmm, we excel in group charges on the plains and formation combat," Sulia quickly grasped the point: "So, if the beastmen face us in direct combat, we knights would have a significant advantage."
"Exactly. Therefore, the beastmen will never engage us head-on. Clad in sturdy armor and wielding heavy shields, our charges are unstoppable for the beastmen, a fact both we and they are well aware of. Never underestimate these beasts' cunning; they may be far smarter than many knights," Ryan concluded, looking towards the camp.
Already, some Bastonne and Winfoort ranger knights were arguing, seemingly on the verge of a duel.
The ladies shared a look and chuckled, finding the idea of beastmen being smarter than some headstrong ranger knights quite amusing.
"Sir Ryan is absolutely right!" At that moment, Marquis Gabriel and Marquis Connally joined the conversation, especially Gabriel, the thirty-something kingdom knight clapping: "I've been fighting these beasts since I was sixteen, and after over two decades, I'm well aware of their cunning. In this vast, dense forest, we knights are disciplined but at a disadvantage in attack, so the beastmen will never give us the chance to battle on open ground or plains. Instead, they thrive in the dense jungle, narrow paths, and even muddy conditions."
Ryan nodded, then expressed regret: "Suddenly, I feel, Marquis Gabriel, that you are the one truly suited to lead this army."
"Perhaps," Marquis Gabriel, gripping his knight's sword at his waist, looked displeased: "But I know I could never have that position. Even if this Knightly War wasn't commanded by Marquis Anxi, King Richard wouldn't entrust me with it."
"Why?" Ryan asked curiously.
"Because my surname is Bastonne!" Gabriel stated before walking away. Sulia approached Ryan, whispering: "Originally, the title of Knight King should have been Duke Berchimond's, but he declined."
Ryan understood.
Yes, the Duchy of Bastonne, Britannia's land of dragon's rise, direct descendants of the first Knight King Arthur, the Red Dragon family. They are the true royal bloodline, with Arthur's dragonhide armor still preserved in Bastonne Castle. Duke Berchimond is a revered Grail Knight and a Holy Realm Great Knight.
Had he declared his pure Arthurian lineage and his Lady-approved Grail Knight and Holy Realm Great Knight status at the Kingsmoot, the assembly would have been unnecessary; Berchimond could have been crowned Knight King on those merits alone.
He declined the crown, uninterested in kingship, allowing the Kingsmoot to proceed.
Would the current Knight King Richard be grateful?
No, not at all. Instead, Richard would be doubly wary and closely monitor the Red Dragon Duke.
Simply put, Duke Berchimond holds a "strong claim" to Britannia and is a regional power. If this were a game, Knight King Richard would likely try to replace or assassinate him.
But this is reality, not a game. Richard wouldn't dare, but suspicion and caution are inevitable.
Politics exist wherever people do. Every kingdom has its political landscape, like the Empire's Elector Counts or Britannia's duchies and the Lady of the Lake's faith.
Ryan, no barbarian, couldn't simply bulldoze his way through, claiming territory as his own, lest he makes enemies of the world and delights the Chaos Gods, who thrive on human conflict, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The road ahead is long; being a baron is just the beginning.
Ryan looked up. The summer moon was gradually becoming fuller, illuminating the dark earth with its bright glow.
Wait, becoming fuller?
...
Deep in the Adenson Forest, the same moonlight shone atop the beastmen hordes.
Wanhell Rock, also known as the Chaos Core, stands as the sacred totem of beastmen power and faith. The camp's assorted resources, including captured weapons, armor, flags, and dismembered enemy corpses, surround these stones.
Wanhell Rock always stands where the winds of magic converge, often marking the site of a sinister meteorite's fall.
Today, a grand beastmen feast unfolds in the forest's depths, presided over by the towering Screaming Shaman "Heart-Eater" Groz, over three meters tall.
Britannian knights, screaming, are dragged before Wanhell Rock, disemboweled, and generously offered to all attending beastmen.
"We... eat! We... kill! We, strong!!!" The nearly four-meter-tall Beastlord "Bloodhorn" Marlas, with massive bull horns and wielding an axe, declares: "Kill!!!"
After biting off a captured knight's head, brain matter splattering, he roars, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Over twelve thousand beastmen, warbands, and hordes respond to the Beastlord's call, with countless more joining from afar. Every corner of the dark forest teems with these dreadful creatures.
The earth trembles, the forest weeps.
The meeting's blazing fires light up the sky, encircling Wanhell Rock. Shamans throw hallucinogenic herbs into the flames, scattering colorful smokes throughout the jungle.
The scent of fire and rot attracts all beastmen in the Adenson Forest towards Wanhell Rock, forming a massive tide of flesh. Each arriving beastmen chieftain carves their name in primitive script near Wanhell Rock, swearing allegiance to the mighty "Bloodhorn" Marlas.
Three thousand, five thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand... The number of beastmen grows by the second, including horned beasts, giants, doom bulls, chaos hounds, razor beasts, harpies, centaurs, and the most fearsome cyclopes and minotaurs.
"Knights... come! Beastmen... kill! Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" The Beastlord raises his axe, emitting a deafening roar: "Kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Over twelve thousand beastmen, warbands, hordes, and beasts echo the Beastlord's call, with endless more joining: "Kill all... knights! Kill the false goddess... in the lake!"
"The season of rest... has passed... now... is the season of slaughter!"
Kill! Annihilate those foolish knights! Destroy all dissenters in the world!
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