***Few moments earlier***
'It's about to start,' Etaria thought, noticing how the movement within the forest caused the tress to unnaturally shake.
The divine protectors of the forest have yet to show up by the two pyres. Yet, just from the sheer concentration of aura at the forest's edge, she could tell this forest wasn't anywhere as calm as it appeared from the outside.
"They are coming out," Zanba muttered while gently lowering his palm onto the handle of his sword.
With their entire combined army standing at attention between the forest and the princess, there was hardly any need for him to worry...
But trying to convince Zanba to give up on his habits would be a battle greater than any Etaria ever waged.
"So they do," the princess echoed the swordsman's words and squinted her golden eyes a tiny bit.
A mere moment after Zanba spoke, the first few figures appeared from beyond the trees, calmly walking to the open space crowded by the survivors of the late Duke Salvador's army.
'Is that really him?'
Her reaction to the appearance of the weird young man was different now after she had a talk with the emperor. And all because of one, simple question she posed and merely half of an answer she received.
'Is he really the spy?'
"Do we have a man on the inside?" Etaria asked several hours prior, staring at her father's reflection in the artifact provided by the masters of the high tower.
"Yeah," the emperor didn't bother to coat his words with any sort of flourish. "After we caught wind of their agents, one of them flipped," the emperor revealed with a shrug of his shoulders. "But they are damn careful, so we never found out their identity, fake or not."
There was an imperial spy within the forest. One that was powerful and crafty enough to avoid the imperial shadow guard, something that was supposed to be impossible.
And if anything, the young man Etaria men a few times certainly proved his mind worked in ways even she, a supreme, couldn't fathom.
"It started," Zanba announced, pulling Etaria out of her deep thoughts.
Raising her eyes, the princess watched how the young man who occupied a worryingly large chunk of her consciousness started to speak and act out yet another role of his.
'Is it him? Really?'
The prowess of the imperial shadow guard couldn't be questioned.
They were one of the founding blocks that allowed the golden lineage to achieve the status and power they enjoy today. And what not many knew, they were the actual reason for the ultimate fall of the Lunagar Fortress, after achieving a series of feats no sane man would consider plausible.
And yet, they failed to uncover the identity of the double agent.
'According to what Father said, they only requested some treasures and a series of signed yet empty papers...'
Seeing that nothing of much importance was going on, Etaria closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
'Which is stupid, for they only use those in major cities. If he wanted to stay anonymous, he wouldn't need papers at all. With how vast the empire is, they could just go wherever and no one would be any wiser...'
Etaria opened her eyes right as the first pyre stood in flames. Enjoy more content from мѵʟ
'Whether he's a spy or not, it doesn't matter now.'
Etaria breathed deeply for one last time.
"We've got a job to do," she spoke out loud to make sure all of the officers around could hear her. "Sound the advance."
Etaria's calm, composed voice greatly contrasted with the plethora of sounds that filled the air a mere moment later.
The Avalorian horn, an ancient artifact that took a sum total of eight reinforced carriages to transport, sounded with its iconic, low cry.
A series of high-pitched trumpets followed, raising the attention of the communication officers throughout the massive army. Then, a series of long flags fluttered on the wind, raised in the center of every tactical unit.
When the marching drum joined the song, the bigger, strategic units started their march, slowly but steadily approaching the nearby line of trees.
Up ahead, the survivors of the late Duke Salvador's army either started to run to the side or picked up their weapons, ready to join the fight once the first lines of the imperial army reached their side.
Even after the disastrous invasion of the forest, not all of them decided to use this opportunity to save their lives. Most likely, just like the few mercenaries who rejoined the imperial side, their desire for revenge outweighed the terrors they've experienced in the forest.
The distance between the front of Etaria's army and the front of the forest wasn't all that great. Merely a few hundred meters. In less than three minutes, the first line of twenty strategic units made contact with the trees, officially setting the final battle in motion.
A total of forty thousand souls split into twenty rectangles and spaced closely together in a single file marched into the forest, determined to crush whatever resistance awaited with their sheer numbers.
Behind them, the second line of further twelve strategic units followed, spaced a bit further apart to match the width of the frontal formation. And behind all of them, the third line consisted of the private armies of two dukes that while politically weakest of the whole bunch showed great loyalists to the imperial lineage, gaining increasing favor in return.
At the very back of Etaria's battle layout stood her private, golden legion, serving as both the mobile reinforcements and her private guard.
A total of forty thousand men marched into the forest in the first line, followed by fifty thousand more auxiliary troops, less fit for battle in the forest, supported by the final eight thousand of the loyal vassals and five thousand of Etaria's legionaries.
A total sum of sixty-eight thousand men marched to bring their wrath upon the forest that stood defiantly against all attempts and conquering it for as long as old were the oldest historical texts stored in the imperial grand library.
"Now, all we have to do is wait," Zanba commented when the strategic units at the front started to delve deeper and deeper into the forest, seemingly without any resistance.
And for the slightest of moments, Etaria found peace.
With all the gears of the military machine now turning, there was nothing left for her to do. The battle plans were drawn and now the imperial soldiers were about to turn them into reality. And it would still be quite some time before the first reports would start com...
"My princess! An urgent report!"
The first messenger took as little as three minutes since Etaria gave the order to attack to appear.
"We found one of the divines trying to sneak into our camp!" the messenger cried out.
Etaria nearly waved her hand to let her men drag this stupid idiot who broke the chain of command away...
Yet, noticing the high rank displayed on the man's shoulder, she held her hand and looked down at the man.
"And why do you believe it's important enough to inform me directly?" she asked, staring daggers at the fool who broke the rare moment of tranquility she wanted to enjoy to its fullest.
"My princess!" the high-ranking officer of the army of the two overly loyal dukes fell down on his knee and lowered his head. "She claims to be the spy who made a deal directly with his imperial majesty himself!"