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Chapter 39 - WHAT IT TAKES TO FOLLOW THE DAMSEL

After conversing with her mother, Evelyn gathered all her knights and the crowd wanting to become her soldiers to the outdoor training grounds.

Giselle, Evelyn's maid, for some reason was also called to the gathering.

They all stood at the edge of the field, under the heat of the sun, in front of Evelyn's presence.

When Evelyn saw all of their attention was pointed to her, Evelyn began her speech. 

"What is the first thing you need to fight the demons?" asked Evelyn to the crowd.

They all just stood there in silence. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Evelyn.

"When your commanding officer is asking you something, your next course of action is to promptly give them an answer." said Evelyn. "Once again, what is the first thing you need to fight the demons?"

"A plan?" said Giselle.

"No."

"Weapons?" spoke one of the volunteers.

"No."

"Information?" said one of the knights.

"No." Evelyn frowned to the last one, more to the fact of who spoke such answer. "I'm surprised the knights who joined me in Stonewall doesn't know the correct answer for this."

The knights shivered upon Evelyn's comment. They knew they just disappointed her. Because of that, they all stood stiff. They couldn't dare to speak anymore.

After all of the answers were rejected, the people in front of Evelyn just stood there in silence.

Seeing they weren't willing to come up with anymore answers, Evelyn continued speaking.

"In the year 302, the emperor of the Shenlong Empire in the east sent the Great General Fu and his army to subjugate the demons in the Crimson Forest which lies in the southern frontier of their empire." told Evelyn.

The young lady snapped her fingers and summoned a sculpture of a warrior in eastern armor.

"General Fu was once regarded as a remarkable war hero as he managed to push back the invasions of the countries that hailed from the center of the continent. He was known as one of the greatest warriors in the continent at that time."

The crowd listened to Evelyn's story, curious as to what message she was trying to tell them.

"When General Fu and his army arrived at the outskirt of the Crimson Forest, the general stopped his troops from advancing." said Evelyn.

She created another construct. This time it was in the form of a demon. 

"Standing in front of the forest were headless women drabbed in eastern wedding dress. The sight of them terrified General Fu."

The word 'terrified' gave the crowd some hint as to why Evelyn was telling them this story.

"He couldn't dare to get close to them. And because the general was the best of the Shenlong Imperial Army had to offer, his soldiers were also put in a state of fear as well."

Evelyn summoned dozens of more sculptures in the form of eastern warriors, representing Fu's soldiers.

"As such, General Fu and his troops stayed in front of the Crimson Forest for more than a month."

The word 'fear' also gave a clearer idea to the crowd's head in regards what Evelyn was trying to say to them. They continued to listen to her story.

"The reason why the emperor ordered General Fu to subjugate the demons in the Crimson Forest was so that the empire could secure a pathway that could lead them to a route that allows them to ambush the central nations." told Evelyn.

She continued, "But as General Fu and his army stayed in front of the Crimson Forest, not brave enough to get past the headless women, enemy forces slipped past the Shenlong Empire's border and ambushed General Fu's forces whom were camping in the valley in front of the Crimson Forest."

Evelyn snapped her fingers once again, causing the troops' sculptures to vanish.

"Around 10.000 out of 15.000 soldiers from General Fu's forces died in the ambush. The assault did too much damage to the general's forces that his army did not have a choice but to retreat to the Crimson Forest." said Evelyn.

Evelyn walked closer to the crowd, all so they could hear her voice more clearly for she wanted them to hear the next part.

"When General Fu and the remnant of his forces gathered enough courage to fight the headless women and charged at them, the general and his army discovered that those horrifying creatures were actually not stronger nor more dangerous than a mere black bear."

Evelyn waved her hands and caused General Fu and the demon's sculpture to vanish.

"The general and his army then safely retreated to the Crimson Forest and fled the battlefield through the other side of the forest."

Evelyn looked at the people in front of her, their contemplating eyes suggested that they began to understand the moral of the story.

"Due to General Fu's lack of courage, not only did he failed to execute the ambush operation against enemy countries, he got his own forces slaughtered by the same enemies."

Evelyn's voice was stern and even had a hint of disgust in it. She, herself, was also taken by the story.

"If only the general was brave enough to fight against the demons standing in front of the Crimson Forest, he wouldn't have suffered such miserable defeat." 

She continued with the tale.

"Since then, the Great General Fu was called the Great Coward Fu by the people of the Shenlong Empire. Till this day, General Fu's descendants are still being persecuted for the cowardice act committed by the warrior."

Evelyn stared at the crowd with the most intense gaze and spoke to them with the most intense voice.

"That's what lack of courage could cause to a person! That's what fear does to you!"

The story of General Fu caused a sense of unease to the knights of Leonardo who joined Evelyn in the gargoyle extermination quest.

The knights remembered how their lack of courage almost jeopardized the entire Stonewall operation by going into panic and attracted two gargoyles to them.

It was then Evelyn told them the first thing one would need to fight the demons.

They then found the answer to Evelyn's question.

"COURAGE IS THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO FIGHT THE DEMONS!" stated Evelyn. "If you wish to be my knight, then you will need to have courage in your heart. For the battlefield I will take my knights to is where the demons are."