Late at night when everyone was asleep,
Alicia climbed the hill behind the mansion alone, holding a torch.
"Phew..."
A heavy sigh that didn't quite match her light attire.
Just moments ago, she had been tossing and turning on her bed, judging by her attire of just light clothes with a shawl draped over it.
It seemed she couldn't easily fall asleep.
Even now, the tense air lingering all around refused to release its grip on her.
"Oh."
As soon as she stepped onto the hilltop, a sudden summer night breeze began to blow.
Alicia closed her eyes as the wind pierced her face.
Her watery hair began to flutter into the night sky with the sudden gust.
"Ugh, this keeps happening lately."
Alicia, her face contorted in annoyance at the rather harsh wind, rubbed her eyes and grumbled.
Lately, whenever Alicia climbed the hill, an unusual wind seemed to blow.
Since it was a wind that none of the other servants had ever experienced, Alicia simply thought she was unlucky.
"Huh?"
Perhaps it was her imagination, but the hilltop scenery looked different when she faced the wind.
Despite the moon shining brightly, something stood out unnaturally amidst the surrounding brightness—a familiar blond head caught Alicia's eye.
"Ugh, how annoying."
Confirming it was Vlad, who was sitting under the tree, Alicia pursed her lips and clenched her fists.
"Stop spouting empty words. Nothing you say resonates with me at all."
Now, Vlad comes up here without any hesitation as if it were his own place.
Seeing him like that, Alicia muttered under her breath.
Despite calling himself Lady Alicia's knight, it was rare for him to visit her even once in a while.
Vlad was so good at hiding in the small mansion that no trace of him was visible wherever she walked.
"..."
Alicia, who had hurried up the hill, feeling both annoyed and rushed, found only Vlad under the tree, leaning against it with his head bowed.
Though he seemed to be asleep, he still held onto his sword tightly. Seeing that, Alicia couldn't help but smile.
"You're quite comfortable, aren't you?"
It's nighttime, so he must be sleepy.
But do knights usually sleep so deeply to let their guard down like this?
Seeing Vlad, who showed no sign of movement even though she had arrived, Alicia furrowed her eyebrows as if puzzled.
"...You sleep well. Aren't you even a bit tense?"
In a few days, a fierce war would begin.
Yet Vlad, who slept peacefully, showed no signs of worry or concern.
However, Vlad's peaceful sleep provided Alicia with a small sense of tranquility.
"A knight so wretched that can't even recognize a lady."
Though she spoke ill of him, Alicia quietly sat down next to Vlad, fearing he might wake up.
The fireflies flickered and dispersed in all directions as she sat down.
A single blue moon rising above the silent summer night.
After staring at the moon for a while next to Vlad, Alicia seemed to make up her mind as she pursed her lips.
Considering the way he was currently asleep, it seemed like he wouldn't wake up easily no matter what she did.
"...Sir Vlad, you are Lady Alicia's knight."
Alicia's voice quietly echoed near Vlad's sleeping ear.
"So from now on, come visit Lady Alicia more often."
Though there were only two of them, Alicia covered her lips with her hand, afraid someone might overhear.
Only the winds swirling around the hill could hear her voice.
"Visit Lady Alicia more often than Lord Josef. Got it?"
Alicia started repeating her words as if hypnotizing him.
She knew Vlad might not act as she wished, but still, Alicia didn't stop her babbling.
It was easier to convey her message when he couldn't hear.
But her words were penetrating Vlad's mind deeper than ever before.
"...You're listening to this, right?"
It might have been just a playful action, but Alicia probably didn't know.
Vlad wasn't sleeping; he was deep in meditation, observing his own world.
"Why are your ears perked up?"
Alicia's whispers were penetrating into Vlad's world, which was wide open because he had to go deep.
Vlad, preparing for the upcoming battle, was cleansing his world through meditation.
It was a delicate task, so he had requested not to be disturbed, but the white snake and young spirits on the hill, to whom the request was directed, seemed to ignore it as if it didn't concern them.
※※※※
"Hmm."
The next morning.
Josef climbed up to the castle walls and confirmed the approaching Gaidar army from afar.
"Seems like there weren't many deserters."
Count Gaidar, who had managed to maintain his military strength despite numerous sabotage attempts.
The army from the west, led by him, began to reveal itself at the edge of Deomar's green plains.
"The soldiers seem unsettled, Lord Josef."
"······It was a good idea to boost morale in advance."
The atmosphere of the battlefield could be felt without even looking.
1,300 against 5,000.
Even if one were inside the safety of the fortress, it would be difficult for anyone to maintain their composure when faced with a force outnumbering their own.
Yet, the morale of the Hainal army remained relatively stable despite the uncertainty.
"They must have been expecting it to come to this situation, right?"
".....Likely so."
Vlad quickly nodded to Josef, who was casually looking at him.
It was a bold provocation, akin to throwing the first punch.
The soldiers of the Hainal army felt a sense of relief from Vlad along with the presence of Bayezid's army that would arrive later.
"I heard you paid your respect to Baroness this morning."
"Yes."
Josef folded his telescope and began to walk slowly along the castle walls.
The knights of Bayezid followed suit, lining up behind him.
"It's a wise move. Regardless of the pretext, elevating Lady Alicia's status as the commander in this war is crucial."
Anyone within the fortress would know this.
No matter that Alicia is the nominal commander of this defense battle. In reality, it's Gaidar and Bayezid who are driving this war, and Josef is the one actually commanding the troops here. In such a situation, Vlad's respect towards Alicia undoubtedly served as a morale-boosting factor for the Hainal army.
Even though he is a knight cherished by Bayezid, he doesn't hesitate to bow to their lord. Vlad's attitude of respect towards her was clearly a politically significant gesture.
"Now you seem to handle things well even without my guidance."
"...."
Seeing Josef smiling as if he was satisfied, Vlad ended up scratching the back of his head.
It was just something he felt he had to do today, but it seemed to have escalated unexpectedly.
Listening to Josef's words, he could understand why Alicia and Duncan had been so pleased with just a simple greeting.
"Pay attention. From here to there is your area."
Gregory, Cade, and Maxim leave one by one according to Josef's instructions.
And now it's Vlad's turn.
Josef, who had carefully assigned each person a zone, finally opened his mouth by telling them which zone Vlad would be in charge of.
This could have been simply announced through a meeting, but it was also a special consideration for Vlad, who was experiencing war for the first time.
"We've received intelligence that the Gaidar army is equipped with siege weapons. They'll likely attempt to breach the walls."
Despite being fortified, the walls of Deomar are relatively small in scale.
Sigmund had judged that they could easily break through those walls, and the siege weapons they were bringing served as a testament to their determination.
"It's going to be fierce. Your judgment will be crucial more than ever."
"....."
In countless skirmishes, determining which side gains or loses ground, all of that will now fall on Vlad's shoulders.
Though it could be considered a relatively short section of the wall, Vlad was now effectively the master of this area.
"Always keep an eye on enemy knights. Just like you, they're capable of creating variables at any moment."
"Understood."
Only knights could face knights.
The inexperienced Vlad will always have to be wary of those who are as sharp as him.
"...."
There was more Josef could have said, but he decided to leave it at that. His knight was already looking towards the enemy.
"Be careful."
"I will."
With a brief farewell, the two parted ways. As Josef walked down the narrow stairs, he thought back to the cold winter day.
"Do you think they'll clash?"
"Probably, if given the chance."
".....Okay."
Even though he was a boy from a shabby back alley, he confidently said that he would destroy the Western Moon.
At that time it was only a faint possibility, but now it has become a meaningful possibility.
"Do you think Vlad can win?"
".....Not yet."
Josef had promised that audacious boy. If he could create an opportunity for revenge, Josef would provide it.
Those words at that time were not just empty words, but a condition that reminded Josef of Gaidar, who they might face one day.
"You made the right call putting him on the opposite side."
However, the promise wasn't made with the assurance of facing each other in a situation where the outcome was predetermined.
Gaidar's Godin and Shoara's Vlad were not fated to meet yet.
Josef planned to separate the two in a completely separate space, even if it was the same battlefield.
"I hope it goes as planned, but..."
However, no matter how clever a commander is, he cannot control all variables on the battlefield.
As Josef looked out towards the approaching Gaidar army on the horizon, he sighed quietly.
Today, it seemed like the shadows looming from the west were longer than usual.
※※※※
Now, in the lush northern grassland where full summer has arrived, there was a man confidently leading soldiers forward amidst the myriad of tents.
"Make way."
Even in the presence of numerous knights eyeing him, the man didn't lose his momentum.
In the face of pressure that would leave an ordinary person breathless, Tymur, the Iron Duke, and the knights of the north calmly cleared the path ahead.
"Lord Duke, have you arrived?"
Despite the intense presence felt even outside the tents, Ladhu of the Dragon Slayer Knight Order emerged nonchalantly, as if he had just realized something.
"I came personally because things seemed to be getting delayed. Was it indeed a cumbersome load?"
Tymur, the Iron Duke, who could be considered the ruler of the north, had decided not to accept any further constraints.
"I came to relieve you of some of your burden. Now that I see, I should have come sooner."
It was an expedition that lasted half a year.
Nevertheless, the central forces did not even set foot in Baron Utman's territory, so the intention was obvious to anyone.
So, no longer willing to be dragged around, Tymur had come here with his troops to attack Baron Utman, defying even the advice of the Vatican.
There would surely be backlash, but the intention was clear: to eliminate the source of the pretext and drive out the Dragon Slayer Knight Order.
"Haha! I'm truly at a loss for words that you have been concerned about this worthless junior. Lord Duke."
However, the knight Ladhu, who was actually the commander of this expedition, remained nonchalant.
His smile seemed intense, not just something only Tymur could perceive.
"Anyway, I was planning to report that I would be leaving here soon."
"...Leaving?"
At Ladhu's unexpected words, Tymur's eyebrows began to twitch.
The inexplicable sense of frustration conveyed by his smile began to seep into Tymur's toes.
"Now that the mission is complete, it's time to move."
Seeing Tymur's faint perplexity, Ladhu made exaggerated gestures towards the knights.
Carts began to move in response to Ladhu's gestures.
Unidentifiable things shaking above them began to approach Timur little by little.
"It was fortunate. Although it was not an easy battle, surely the God has been watching over us."
"... "
Tymur ignored Ladhu's grumbling and quietly looked at the things loaded on the cart.
Countless heads had lost their bodies and were crammed onto the cart like luggage, their vacant gazes constantly meeting Tymur's.
"You may recognize some of them here. Baron Utman is here, along with his wife and knights..."
"What is this?"
Tymur, sensing the situation just from the traces, did not hide his anger.
The air around them suddenly grew heavy.
A knight among knights. Everyone around him held their breath due to the harsh energy that Tymur Baranov gave off.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Grass that was being crushed even though it had no substance.
Observing the heads with no sign of rebellion and the soldiers who seemed to have left without a trace, Tymur realized that this situation was not a natural outcome.
"...Please calm down, Lord Duke."
At Tymur's unsettling demeanor, Ladhu finally wiped away his smug smile.
However, even though he erased the smile, he still maintained a composed posture.
The oldest dragon's aura, which he had confronted for a long time, was much thicker and sharper than this.
"Baron Utman confessed his sins at the last moment."
Although unyielding, his trembling fingers conveyed an object.
"What is this?"
"It's Absilon. It's a product that's been talked about a lot in the central regions lately."
As Tymur opened the box, a refreshing scent wafted out. It was Elven tea, Absilon, not yet distributed in the North.
"It's a drug. They intended to make the North sick with it. It is said that the evil being requested it."
It wasn't true, but it was.
However, truth was like shattered pieces in front of powerful individuals.
Those who moved the world were adept at putting together scattered pieces as they wished.
"And do you know who received this tea first in the North?"
From these pieces, the oldest dragon's message began to flow to Tymur.
"They said it was Countess Oksana Bayzed."
"..."
Quickly, give us the pieces of the dragon.
Otherwise, we will shatter your North.
"It seems suspicious, doesn't it?"
A fierce confrontation between the dragon and the lion.
Tymur could feel the dragon's claws reaching him much earlier than he had anticipated.
The Dragon Slayer Knights and the central forces were slowly withdrawing their formations.
Their flags were slowly tilting towards Bayzed's leadership. The balance was shifting towards Sturma.
[T/L: Read more chapters here: - https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]