The next morning.

Before dawn, the soldiers of the 7

th

 and the 11

th

 regiment dismantled their tents before preparing for the march. The commanders and the nobles of the coalition gathered together under the orders of the commander-in-chief.

“As you all know, we will be entering Blago territory from now on.”

Viscount Moraine spoke while looking around.

“They are not particularly hostile to our coalition, but I am going to change the formation of the troops just in case.”

“What?”

“The formation of the march?”

People began to murmur at Viscount Moraine’s announcement.

“It is preparations for any unexpected occurrences. Would you not agree that having our strongest force at the front and back will make you feel safer?”

“Well…”

“That is certainly true, but…”

Nobles nodded their heads in agreement, and someone raised their hand and interjected.

“Then we will take the lead!”

“Hmm?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to one place. It was Jian, the landlord of Altien. He spoke to Viscount Moraine with a solemn expression.

“Your Excellency, I have decided to take the lead along with Lord Toldo and these men.”

At Jian’s words, more than a dozen people lined up behind him.

“Well, I appreciate your words, but I am afraid it might be lacking a little power to take the lead.”

“No, that is why we must take the lead.”

“Hmm?”

Viscount Moraine was stroking his chin, then frowned at Jian’s words. Jian proceeded to look around the crowd with a determined expression.

“I will be honest with you. As everyone here knows, I, Lord Toldo, and many of the sirs behind me were unable to bring many troops due to our various circumstances. We were ashamed of this fact and remorseful towards everyone here and the coalition force. Ha…”

With a deep sigh, Jian continued.

“However, that does not mean that our will to commit to the coalition is lacking. I truly desire to take the lead and fight for the sake of our land, and for the entire south. My heart is true.”

Several nobles nodded admirably at Jian’s dignified words. But Viscount Moraine shook his head.

“I understand your firm determination. But battles are not fought with high spirits alone. And as far as I am aware, none of you have ever commanded troops numbering in the hundreds. To consolidate the forces from different territories…”

“That is why we came up with an idea, commander-in-chief.”

Jian turned his head after cutting off Viscount Moraine’s words. The gazes of everyone else followed along. It was headed towards a man who had been silently watching the situation unfold.

It was Duke Pendragon.

“I apologize for not telling you in advance, Your Excellency Duke Pendragon. Your Excellency, please lead our troops!”

“We ask for your consideration, Your Excellency!”

The nobles and the landlords behind Jian echoed his words with a desperate voice while bowing their heads.

“Huh!”

“Well then…”

The other nobles looked towards Duke Pendragon with curious eyes at the unexpected situation. But he maintained an indifferent expression as he observed the nobles and the landlords bow towards him.

“Your Excellency Pendragon! Only you can lead us.”

Jian raised his head and continued.

“Your Excellency said you would lead a detached unit, right?”

“I did.”

Raven nodded calmly.

“But are we not a far distance from the demonic army, who will be the main force under your command? That is why we will serve under your force. Even though it will only be for a few days, would it not be better for us to practice moving as one unit in order to prepare ourselves for the battles?”

“Hm…”

Raven nodded lightly, and Sir Bracha, one of the regiment captains, stepped out.

“After listening thus far, I think his words have credibility, Your Excellency. The total number of their forces should equal about 200 men. It is not a large number, but they will be able to adequately play their role as a detached force.”

“Hmm, I agree that it will be better to place them under you now. That way, they can march together and act under your command starting now, and it will lead to better results in the actual battles.”

Viscount Moraine concurred with Sir Bracha’s insight.

The expressions of the volunteering men brightened slightly, including Jian. Raven became lost in thought for a moment, then eventually nodded.

“Okay, let us do that. I did not have anything else to do until we met up with the demonic forces anyways. I will command your men.”

“Ooohh! As the vanguard of the coalition, we will aid you and fight with our lives, Your Excellency!”

Jian exclaimed with an emotional expression, and Raven shook his head with a smile.

“Not at all. I am impressed that you all are willing to devote yourselves to the coalition force. Fortunately, I have some experience in commanding the duchy’s forces in battles, so I should not be a burden as your commander. Let us fight well together.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Jian and the other volunteers bowed their heads with a simultaneous shout.

‘Huhuhu! There we go, there we go!’

A triumphant smile appeared on the hidden face of Jian, but he never dreamed that his opponent, whom he was bowing towards, would have the same smile inside his heart.

***

“Let’s go!”

Bwoooo!

“Go! Let’s go!”

The horn trumpets resounded at Viscount Moraine’s orders, and knights echoed his order throughout the formation. Although the coalition was a heterogenous group formed from several groups, they quickly organized themselves and gathered in order to prepare for a march. It was quite efficient for a large force containing thousands of soldiers.

“Let us go.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Today, Duke Pendragon was no longer accompanied by the troops of the 7

th

 regiment. Instead, a small number of soldiers belonging to certain southern nobles and landlords accompanied him at the lead of the coalition.

All of the respective family flags were withdrawn, and only the flag of the Pendragon Duchy fluttered in the wind. The flag bearer of the Pendragon Duchy was none other than Karuta, the Ancona Orc.

“Agh, the damned earth be split! Why on earth do I…”

Karuta continued to grumble with the flag on his back. Raven grinned and replied.

“Do you not realize the significance of this? This is a human-organized coalition, but you are at the forefront as an orc. You and I will become the face of the entire coalition.”

“Kngh! You have a glib tongue.”

Although he continued to grumble, Karuta’s expression brightened somewhat. It was clearly boring and repetitive for the orcs to march alongside human knights and soldiers.

In addition, no proper battles were expected until they arrived at the Great Forest. It would be much more exciting and fun to lead the way proudly with the Pendragon scarecrow.

“Let’s go! Khngh!”

Feeling a little better, Karuta strode forward with a spring in his step while whistling through his nose. However, Jian looked discontent as he observed the two from behind.

‘No, why the hell is that orc…’

He had not expected Duke Pendragon to appoint an orc warrior as the flag bearer. It truly was sprinkling ash on a perfectly fine meal. However, it was a long-kept tradition for the commander to appoint the flagbearer, so he could not voice any complaints.

Moreover, the orc named Karuta led the Ancona Orcs, and they were a group closely related to the Pendragon family. There were no problems in appointing the orc as the flagbearer.

Tsk! Still, it is fine. The situation is not going to change with just one orc warrior.’

Even if Karuta was much bigger and possessed a more ferocious appearance than the other orcs, he was still alone. Even if one orc could rival a hundred men, it could not handle several hundred.

‘Huhu! This is even better. I can take care of the orcs’ leader at the same time. Ah, my contribution will be even greater.’

A huge grin appeared on Jian’s face. In a little while, he would rise to the ranks of prestigious nobles of the south. He would no longer be a small landlord of Altien.

***

Castle Belcain, Blago territory’s main acropolis.

Michael Blago was the lord over the territory. He had six knights under his command and nearly 1,000 men. He spoke in a somewhat disapproving voice as he looked towards the guests who had been staying in his castle for some time.

“The coalition has entered my territory. Are you going to continue to leave them alone?”

“Haha! You are truly short-tempered, my lord. That would never be the case.”

A man replied. It was a young knight who looked to be around thirty, his long, blonde hair flowing over the back of his neck.

“Sir Oran, please do more than declaring your intentions. Tell me your plan. The coalition force contains over 3,000 men. You already summoned all the knights and soldiers of my territory, but they still number less than half of the coalition. What are you planning to do?”

Viscount Michael Blago spoke with an irked expression, and the knight called Oran answered with a bright smile.

“No, 1,000 will be enough. Lord Blago, surely you aren’t distrusting me?”

“Well…”

Michael Blago hesitated.

Even though he was younger than himself, Baron Oran was the captain of the unit that was considered to be one of the strongest troops in the Arangis Duchy. In addition, he was an accomplished tactician who played a large role in ending the southern war under the orders of Duke Arangis. If he claimed to be the second-best tactician, no one would recklessly claim themselves to be first.

“The coalition and Duke Pendragon are not fools. By now, they would have realized that the vast majority of Blago’s forces have gathered in one place.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

Michael Blago nodded.

One of his six knights, Captain Alberto of Duras Castle, had personally allowed the coalition into Blago Territory near the border. When the coalition noticed that there were only around 50 troops stationed in Duras Castle, which should have contained more than 200, they would have realized that something was strange.

The commander of the coalition was Viscount Moraine, who was famous as the indomitable admiral of the inland sea. There was no way they were still ignorant.

“In addition, Blago Territory is related to the Ocean King. Now they notice a large force gathering in one place as they cross through unfriendly territory. If I were the commander of the coalition or Duke Pendragon, I would march with my strongest troops stationed at the forefront.”

“That is the problem, is it not? It is obvious that either the 7

th

 regiment or the Pendragon Duchy’s griffons will be at the lead. No, it doesn't even matter if the griffons are in the front or the back. They can convene in an instant!”

The capability of the Pendragon Duchy’s griffon unit had long spread widely in the south. Even with a number’s disadvantage, the Pendragon griffons had defeated the Arangis Duchy’s sea griffons. The unbeaten record of the sea griffons had been shattered, and they had been forced to retreat.

Everyone remained silent in fear of the Arangis Duchy’s eyes and ears, but they were all aware of the fact.

“The Pendragon family’s griffons… They are definitely an unexpectedly powerful force. But Lord Blago must not know more about your land than I do.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Michael Blago’s expression distorted slightly.

He did not know much about his own land? It was a rude remark, regardless of Oran’s position.

“There is a place where the coalition must pass in order to reach the Great Forest.”

“Hmph! Where is that?”

Michael Blago spoke bluntly. He was quite angry.

“It is Aranka.”

“Aranka…? Huh!”

Michael Blago exclaimed with realization.

“Yes, the place that contains the narrow path with hundreds of jagged, stone mountains on either side… Aranka, where even eagles cannot fly freely because of the rough winds.”

Captain Oran of the Red Wheel Knights, an independent knight order supported by the Arangis Duchy, smiled and answered in a quiet, cold voice.