Chapter 576: Act 323 – The Battle of Saintly White VII
The verdant leaves glistened vividly, and a thin mist lingered beneath the branches; the Vlada Forest was serene and picturesque. However, someone eventually broke the tranquility. A knight used his longsword to part a cluster of bushes, allowing his warhorse to emerge from the thicket. He immediately saw a group of people seated in a clearing not far away.
Makarolo looked up, recognizing the figures behind the knight, and his somber expression instantly brightened. He brushed off the leaves from his shoulders and stood up, saying, “You finally made it.”
The young man sat sideways on his horse, his face taut as he stared at the group without responding.
Makarolo quickly sensed that something was wrong.
Within the range of his vision, many knights clad in black and red cloaks suddenly surged from the forest, surrounding the king’s party.
Dozens of longbows with taut strings glimmered ominously, their sharp arrows aimed at every person beside the bonfire.
It was the army of Duke of Lantonrand, and this was no joke.
“What do you mean by this, Aike?” Makarolo asked loudly.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Makarolo,” Aike replied defiantly, looking at them. “You must understand, as long as I am a knight, even for just a second—I will never betray my oath!”
Makarolo instantly understood what Aike was trying to achieve, incredulous that he would act so recklessly at such a moment. “You’re being foolish, Aike. You know what’s right. We should immediately go rescue Prince Haruze and escort him to the duke’s territory; this is our last chance.”
“No,” Aike interrupted. “I know what is right—justice and ideals! Just as you once told me of the king’s party’s beliefs. But let us ask ourselves, are we still standing by the side of glory?”
“Have too many defeats dulled our edge as reformers? The king’s party once promised to uphold their oaths, but what now? Do we only need a single victory?”
The young man raised his head, his eyes shining as he gazed toward the direction of Ampere Seale, where a city of Saintly White stood beneath the blue sky.
It shimmered with light, blinding to behold.
“No, what we need is to restore the spirit that the people of Erluin have entirely forsaken. This is the pursuit of the king’s party, of the princess, and of all Erluin people.” He turned to look at the others, who were stunned, “The battle is far from over. Is the king’s party to leave the battlefield…?”
“You’re going mad, Aike.” Makarolo could hardly believe his student would say such things. He discreetly gestured to Bud beside him to restrain the crazy young man.
But Aike today seemed especially clear-headed. He immediately turned to Bud and said, “Instructor Bud, I command you, in my capacity as the newly appointed Earl of Carolan, the sole heir of Duke of Lantonrand, and commander of this army, to stand with me. I will not command you to turn your blades on your comrades, as the princess is still in the city; I only require the soldiers of Lantonrand to uphold their oaths—now I have a share of glory, but I refuse to enjoy it alone.”
“Orders and glory are all here, Instructor Bud, please do not let me down.”
The young man spoke sincerely.
Bud and Makarolo exchanged a glance, both filled with bitter smiles. They had prepared for this moment for so long but hadn’t anticipated this outcome.
“That idiot Aike, filled with knightly thoughts, could not possibly say such things. I know you’re here, Yula.” The sly fox of the kingdom shook his head, unable to resist yelling into the forest.
A burst of hoofbeats, and sure enough, the blind maiden emerged from behind Aike. She bore a gentle and tranquil expression, and though she could not see, it seemed she could perceive everything in her heart.
“Yula, you can discern right from wrong.”
“Yes, for I only ask my heart,” Yula smiled, “Jiufeng speaks, ‘A gentleman values his oath; a single promise is worth a thousand gold coins.’”
Makarolo and Livwz couldn’t help but sigh in unison. They briefly lifted their heads, branches above, and the shadows of clouds in the sky—the azure heavens seemed to reflect everything from the past. Once upon a time, the king’s party had pressed forward with determination.
Makarolo remembered his most difficult times, having to hide his identity and become a mercenary captain in a remote area. Perhaps the king’s party had suffered too many defeats and endured too much waiting, getting to a point where they could no longer afford another failure.
The future of Erluin had already drifted far from people like them.
…
The army of the Duke of Lantonrand finally entered the scene, bearing a banner nobody could have imagined—but no one could guess the meaning behind it. Meanwhile, within Ampere Seale Harbor, the officer cadets of the Royal Knights Academy were traversing the entire South City, yet they did not encounter the enemies they had imagined.
However, their enemies, the harbor guard of Ampere Seale, were currently experiencing the most brutal defeat in decades.
Saneer and his subordinates were patrolling the collapsed position of the harbor guard, and in his pale, cold, narrow pupils, the harbor guard under Marquis Julian had just crumbled moments ago, as the fleeing soldiers emerged from the rear of the lines, their numbers shockingly large.
In just four short hours.
The harbor guard of Ampere Seale boasted a strength of thirty-five thousand, but Saneer estimated that at most they had only shattered less than half of that number on the front lines. In a wealthy area like Ampere Seale, the harbor guard, akin to mercenaries, often had their ghost payroll accepted as the norm, and the nobles largely knew this well.
But the question was, who would dare to attack the territory of the Temple?
Saneer provided a resounding answer to this merchant council with his subordinates from the Grey-finned Naga Guard; over fifteen thousand veteran soldiers were thoroughly defeated on a front no wider than five kilometers in less than half a day. It wasn’t even a rout, but rather a mass surrender.
This was nothing short of a joke.
Marquis Julian was dumbfounded, perhaps having already anticipated this, but he could not comprehend what had driven the Nagas to such madness.
Saneer saw his subordinate with darker scales approach to report and ask whether to continue pushing forward. He raised his head, and his pale pupils reflected the inner city of Ampere Seale.
This was Erluin’s most solid fortress in the Southlands.
But how far could they support that human in getting to that point?
He glanced at the trident of the Sea God in his hand, its jeweled glow shifting unpredictably, like the stakes of this gambit. Then, he nodded.
Continue advancing.
Join with Brendel.
…
The situation on the battlefield was quietly tilting.
The Crusian army had entered; the Blackblade Legion was completing its final assembly.
The sky was blotted out by the Dragon Knights, charging into the air above Ampere Seale Harbor. In the far horizon, rows of winged beasts seemed to form a curved sky, the entire atmosphere thrumming with shrieks and clamor.
At that moment, it resembled doomsday.
Darnos saw a wall, a wall of dragons crashing down from the front. It was not merely the Dragon Knights of the Blackblade Legion; he discerned the various emblems on shields, as almost all of the northern Dragon Knights had converged here.
A solitary figure faced a countless horde.
Darnos felt lost; he had once encountered a similar scene on another battlefield. An endless swarm of undead—the only remaining element was despair. He even thought Erluin had only them left to resist.
But today, he felt an overwhelming anger.
This kingdom had such a powerful army, yet why were they still his enemies? Where had they gone when facing Madara? They were fighting amongst themselves.
Was this kingdom truly beyond saving?
Darnos felt that wave of despair crash over him, and he closed his eyes.
In the darkness, it was the vast, swirling rainy night, a burst of fire shooting into the heavens.
The southern gate was now in sight.
Thus Brendel also ceased discussing his lineage; he understood better than anyone that at this moment, an army large beyond his prior predictions was crossing the Ampere Seale Strait, appearing on this front in mere days. Troops quickly gathered around Ampere Seale, turning it into a perilous location.
Both from his own deductions and the information received from Darnos, one could draw this conclusion.
However, the Dragon Squadron of the Southern Army was steadily retreating.
Brendel had ordered them to fall back toward Saintly White Bay. This was the final withdrawal; whether they succeeded or failed hinged upon this last desperate fight.
And their time was running short.
He had led the officer cadets of the Royal Knights Academy across the entire South City of Ampere Seale; they saw no sign of an enemy from Old Fisherman’s Street to Vireqin Square.
Despite Brendel’s doubts, he dared not delay. The massive fortress at the southern gate of Ampere Seale seemed to materialize before his eyes in an instant.
Yet it resembled a dead fortress.
Where was the harbor guard?
Brendel and everyone else involuntarily looked up, and then they saw a familiar figure appear in their sight.
The long street at that moment was akin to Saintly White beneath the golden sunlight.
And the person atop the fortress lightly smiled and raised his hand. Amidst the rumbling sound, the massive southern gate of Ampere Seale was slowly opening.
Everyone couldn’t help but gape.
Earl Ouding stood proudly on the city wall, his longsword in hand, looking at the army that gradually revealed its form coming down from the long street. To be precise, he was watching the young lord leading the army at the front.
It was like catching a glimpse of that heartkindling flame amidst a long dark night.
He believed for this moment, this miracle would return to Erluin. But it wasn’t until he saw Princess Grifian behind Brendel that he realized Martha had never been far from her people.
Brendel smiled as well.
He felt as if he had once again returned to that stirring history, surrounded by like-minded comrades. The people of Erluin had never given up, and neither had they.
Even in the face of countless enemies, so what?
“At the Loop of Trade Winds, I heard you would save this kingdom,” Earl Ouding shouted from the city wall, “but I do not believe it!”
“So you came?”
“Yes,” Earl Ouding laughed heartily, “so I came.”
“I want to witness it firsthand for the princess.”
“All of this.”
Behind Brendel, the Half-Elf Maiden bit her lip, yet tears glimmered in her silver eyes. The kingdom may have decayed, but new shoots were birthing within it.
Like life, endlessly recurring.
Reincarnation never ceases.
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider giving your recommendations and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation.)
