Chapter 378: For Astania!
Hearing his explanation, Ignatius sighed with emotion. “You were lucky. Most Catastrophe-grade beasts are prideful creatures so they wouldn’t willingly follow someone. You must treasure it well.”
Alaric nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
The two chatted for the next ten minutes before Ignatius excused himself. “Let’s chat another time, Your Highness. The others might be suspicious if we disappear for too long.”
Alaric agreed with him so he didn’t stop the old man from leaving. “Alright. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me, my lord.”
Ignatius nodded and left after putting on his helmet.
Looking at his vigorous and solid gait, no one would be able to tell that he was an old man.
With Lord Ignatius’ support, we can thin out Harune’s troops and catch them by surprise, but we must come up with a perfect strategy to deal more damage to enemy troops.
Without a proper plan, the enemies might retreat and call for support. A prolonged battle wouldn’t be ideal for Astania since there were still other neighboring nations covetously eyeing their lands. For instance, the empire of Veronica in the south.
Before Liam was killed by a mysterious curse-type ability, he mentioned something about Veronica.
Unfortunately, he was killed before he could tell them anything.
To this day, they still haven’t found the person who killed Liam.
It seemed like they had disappeared.
Alaric shook off his random thoughts and headed back to his tent to get some rest.
…
More than a week had passed since the battle in Aklan Pass, but the enemy troops didn’t seem to have the intention of attacking them for the time being.
Everyone in the fortress felt uneasy as the days passed. They felt that the enemy was only gathering more troops.
On the other hand, they still hadn’t fully repaired the damage to the fortress. There were still many things to restore and even their troops weren’t ready for another battle.
The only good news was that more reinforcements had arrived. Their initial troop count of about one hundred and twenty thousand went up to over one hundred and seventy thousand!
However, even with the increase in their numbers, everyone was still worried about the upcoming battle.
At this moment, Alaric gathered all the military officers in the fortress to deepen their bond. They had different affiliations so it was necessary to establish teamwork with each other. Otherwise, they would be like a pile of loose sand that would quickly fall apart at the slightest disturbance!
“There had been minor disputes between our warriors. Although there had been no reports of deaths, the number of conflicts had increased. If we don’t do something about this, it is only a matter before someone gets killed.” Alaric said with a serious expression.
The atmosphere in the fortress was tense so the soldiers’ state of mind was unstable. Because of this, conflict would arise between different factions which would sometimes lead to a fistfight or even a brawl.
“Your Highness, I will warn our troops to be more understanding and more careful in their actions.” Someone spoke up.
“Your Highness, how about we hold joint trainings to establish a deeper connection between our troops?” Another one suggested, his words gaining everyone’s approval.
If they trained together, their teamwork would be more solid. The soldiers would also be able to familiarize themselves with the other groups.
“What do you think, everyone? Do you agree with this suggestion?” Alaric scanned the faces of the people present. Most of them nodded their heads, while the others simply remained silent.
Finally, after a thorough discussion, Alaric and Giovanni approved the proposal.
They tacitly agreed to let Christon Evander oversee the joint training. With his presence and his status, no one would dare to cause any trouble.
Soon, the joint training of the troops began.
The days passed in the blink of an eye and another week went by.
Harune’s troops didn’t show up so the joint training continued without pause.
With the efforts of Christon and the military officers, the army became more solid than it was before.
***
On the 18th day since the battle in Aklan Pass, Harune’s troops finally appeared.
“Sound the horns!”
“The enemies are coming! Get your equipment and weapons!”
“Everyone, to your stations!”
The military officers barked out, issuing orders to their troops.
The soldiers moved in an orderly manner, showing the results of their training. Everyone moved to their respective positions and waited for further command.
At this moment, Alaric wore his armor and stepped out of his tent.
“Bring me a horse!” He shouted.
A moment later, a warrior brought him a Disaster-grade war horse which had been prepared for him.
For this battle, he would be leading the cavalrymen together with Galanar. Giovanni would stay at the fortress to take command, while Andre would lead the infantrymen.
As for Christon and the Gryphon Knights Order, they would wait for Giovanni’s command.
They had already discussed their battle strategy so everyone knew where to go.
Braaam!
The sound of the war horns echoed across the mountain pass, making everyone feel nervous.
“Artillery units, load the boulders and wait for my signal!”
Giovanni’s voice echoed at the main gates of the fortress.
“Archers, get ready!”
In the next moment, the collective roaring of the enemies echoed from beneath the mountains.
“It has begun…” Alaric muttered with a grim look. He put on his helmet and turned his head to the cavalrymen.
He could sense their unease.
“Everyone, listen up!” He shouted, his words gathering everyone’s attention.
Sensing their gazes on him, Alaric continued. “The enemies are approaching and we are the only ones who can stop them from invading our lands!”
“If we fall here, the western region will be taken away from us! Our families, friends, and neighbors would be enslaved!”
“To stop that from happening, we must emerge victorious!”
As soon as his words fell, everyone felt their blood pumping with vigor.
Alaric noticed the change in their eyes and he took the chance to increase their morale.
He raised his fist and roared.
“FOR ASTANIA!!!”
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