Vol. 1 - Ch. 13 - Arrival

They marched during the night and rested in their tents during the day. The Fifth Order of Knights gradually made their way to the El Verde River.In any case, the temperature was high and the march was still arduous, but it was still much better. The unit leaders reviewed their plans for consuming supplies and discarded the load, leaving only the minimum amount necessary. The speed of the march was secured even if only a little.

Despite accumulating fatigue, the Fifth Knights continued their march, and on the seventh day after the start of the march, they passed through the Belisus Plain.

Currently, they are resting in their tents, waiting for sunset. They will soon depart. By midnight, they would finally reach the El Verde River.

Somehow, we had made it this far. However, the group members were still exhausted. And of course, everyone understands that the real work begins when they arrive, and perhaps with that in mind, everyone's faces are covered in shadows.

"We will leave then. We will arrive later tonight. You guys, brace yourselves!" They must understand that the situation is not good. The commander's orders were also somewhat uninspiring.

We started our final march towards the El Verde River, where the First Knights and the demons were waiting for us. We pulled our horses silently in the dark night. The Owl and Crane unit all have enough strength left to fight. They are indeed a very capable group.

<"Emily, you have a strategy meeting with the first knights when you get there, right? Will we be there?">

"Yes, we'll have everyone attend. Thank you."

"It's a pain in the ass, but I understand."

"Emily, what is your plan?"Emily answered Sheila's question with a troubled look on her face.

"We'll have to ask for instructions from the First Order once we get there," she said.

"Emily, you're not transferring command of our unit to the First Order, are you?"

"No. The other units will be under the command of the First Order, but I will take command of the owl crane unit."

"If so, it's okay."

Yeld does not seem to have a good impression of the First Order at the top of the pecking order. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the kingdom's most elite knightly order fight with my own eyes.

"Rolf, what do you think the plan will be?"

<"A crossing operation, I suppose.">

In answer to Emily's question, Raquel raised a question. "We're going to the Dezel Bridge. Why are we crossing a river when there is a bridge?"

<"We can't cross the bridge. The reason why the El Verde front has been at a standstill for the past month is because neither side has been able to control the Dezel Bridge. Once we capture the bridge, we can hold both banks of the river. The fact that there is no victory or defeat means that the bridge cannot be crossed. The two armies are facing each other on the bridge.">

"Squire, that's why you're going to bring in reinforcements to break through the bridge, isn't it?"

<"No, no matter how huge the Dezel Bridge is, there is a limit to the number of troops that can be deployed on the bridge. It is not something that can be breached by sending in reinforcements.">

"But that doesn't mean we can cross the river. El Verde is a big river."

<"Normally, it is. But it can be crossed now. The First Order said they had a chance and asked for reinforcements.">

"Yes, they did. Well, what do you mean?"

<"Perhaps the opportunity is this sunshine. The Dezel Bridge is wide, but the water is shallow, so if the water level drops further from there, they can send a large army across the river by footsteps.">

"Hey, wait a minute, no blessing. How do you know the depth of the river? ", Yeld asked.

<"The Royal Geographical Survey Institute surveyed the water when the Dezel Bridge was built. I found the data in the archives at the headquarters. The data is 40 years old, but the Dezel Bridge was successfully constructed based on it. It was reliable data.">

The four people listening to the conversation fell silent.

"No blessing. You mean to say that you had read all that? We only had three days."

<"Yes, I wanted to be as prepared as possible.">

"...You're not ready to fight, but you're doing a good job," Yeld said quietly.

I looked up and saw that the moon had passed the mid-sky. As I wondered if it was about time, I heard cheers from the group members who were leading the way. It seemed that we had arrived.

As we continued on for a while, we began to see a few lights. They must have belonged to the garrison of the First Order. The sound of hoofbeats approached from that direction. There seemed to be three horsemen.

Soon, knights in silver armor emerged from the darkness. They must have seen the flag and confirmed the commander's whereabouts. They were approaching us.

"Excuse me from my horse," he said.

"I am Erich Lindel, commander of the 1st Knights' owl and crane unit. Thank you for your hard work on the long journey and for your reinforcements. I will take you to Commander Tisserius, so could I please see Commander Tarian?"

The youngest of the three, the man at the front of the group, introduced himself. He was a handsome man with dark brown hair and a fearless face.

"Thank you for welcoming us. I am Emily Melness, captain of the 5th Knights Owl and Unit. There is no need for him to see you. May we please enter the garrison as is?"

"No, it's okay, Emily. I know Erich." Commander Tarian comes out from behind.

"I beg your pardon. I am sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Lindel."

"No, it's all right."

"It has been a long time, Erich. You are looking well."

"Thanks to you. I'm sorry to disturb you so soon after your arrival, but I would like to ask you to attend a military meeting."

"I understand. Let's go."

"Yes."

Erich Lindel led the Fifth Knights to the garrison of the First Knights.

(We finally arrived at the battlefield.)

◆

"We're going to have a war council now."

The first knight's tent is the largest of its kind, but it is not big enough to hold all of the executives of both knight corps. Therefore, the squires of the First Order set up a meeting place with chairs and desks in the open air. Commander Tarian ordered me to help.

The First Order told me to leave the heavy lifting to them, as they thought we were probably tired from the march, but this was no problem. The First Knights were tired, and so were we, as we were all fighting.

After setting up, we welcomed the executives. The commander, vice-commander, and owl and crane unit, the captains of each unit.

On the First Order side, the commander of the unit currently engaged in battle was absent. Also, the commander's seat was still vacant.

"I am sorry, Commander Tisserius will be here shortly."

"I understand."

A few minutes after Commander Tarian answered Lindel's words, a woman in her mid-twenties appeared.

Everyone stood up to greet her. She was a long pink blonde with a light perm. She was about 170 centimeters tall and wore silver armor and a red robe.

A heated sigh came from someone on the Fifth Order side. Was it because they had seen a beautiful woman of inexpressible beauty, or because they had witnessed a hero whose name is known throughout the country?

The most powerful knight in the kingdom. Esther Tisserius, Commander of the First Order.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I am Commander Tisserius. I thank you for your support."

"Commander Tisserius, it's been a long time."

"It has been a long time, Commander Tarian. Your assistance is greatly appreciated."

Everyone is seated as Commander Tisserius leads them to their seats. The squires stand behind their seats. There are three squires from the First Order here, and I am the only one from the Fifth Order. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

I looked at the Fifth Knight's side, at the captain's seat of the Fifth Magic Corps. There I saw Felicia.

She had gained a great deal of magical power and had a promising future ahead of her, and her talent had blossomed in response to expectations, becoming a unit commander within a year of joining the order.

Naturally, she was also knighted.

Although the magic unit does not use horses, she, as a senior officer, was given a horse for marching. Perhaps that is why, as far as I could see, she was not seriously fatigued from the march.

Felicia glanced at me for a moment and immediately returned her gaze.

Then the dignified voice of Commander Tisserius sounded.

"Then we will begin the military discussion."

For me, Emily and Felicia, it was our first time on the battlefield.

Our first battle.