Chapter 70 : Dawn of War (3)
Dawn of War (3)
"Everyone, prepare your weapons!"
The vigorous cheers and shouts of the regular soldiers echoed everywhere, and everyone began to move busily.
The new junior knights who joined this time were no exception. Thanks to Parsei's support, the knight order of dawn did not have a shortage of regular soldiers.
While the regular soldiers were making thorough preparations, Walter gave the order to the members of dawn to prepare for departure.
"Everyone, get ready to set out."
Gregory and his comrades were briefly bewildered by the sudden order to mobilize, but soon collected themselves. They all realized that Walter intended to send them to the border area near Lumiere.
It was obvious that if the outer wall of Lumiere collapsed, enemy forces would come pouring in.
Since it was still the early stage of the war, it was important to ascertain the movements of the enemy, and securing forward observation was also a wise choice.
Moreover, if the front line started to collapse, re-deploying regular soldiers would become much harder. That was why they decided that Walter was strategically preparing for a siege in advance.
"We will obey your command."
Everyone's faces were tense, but in their hearts, they were determined to achieve victory in this war. Just as Gregory's comrades began to make ready for the march, Walter blocked their way.
"Wait. Stop. I haven't given you the detailed information yet."
Since everyone was moving urgently due to the real combat situation, they wondered why he was making them stop. Walter calmed them and continued explaining.
"There is still enough time before the enemy arrives. First, go to the rear of the knight order's base and cut down all the crops."
"Then, why did you order us to mobilize...?"
"That's right. For now, we need to prepare defenses in anticipation of the war."
Walter pointed in one direction. On the vast plain, ripened harvests glowed golden.
Alessandro asked carefully. He wasn't trying to defy orders but was simply curious.
"By the way, what should we do about the crops?"
Gregory calmed his mind and thought about the reason Walter gave such an order. Walter's operation, simply put, was a scorched earth tactic.
The foremost position had barricades and a city wall—it was so sturdy that it could hardly be breached by ordinary means. To break through that wall, one would need equipment like battering rams and siege towers.
If the Blandi Kingdom really intended to invade, they would likely advance while cutting down the forest, thus slowing their progress. In order to bring siege weapons, they would eventually need flat ground, which required clearing trees.
Walter had taken all these points into consideration and judged that there was still time, and issued such an order to minimize losses.
Gregory briefly explained this reason to Alessandro.
Since only the knight order of dawn stood isolated on the huge plain, they would soon be surrounded on all sides, making the siege unfavorable and leaving the surrounding crops at risk of being plundered by the enemy.
To supplement for this, if they harvested the crops in advance and transported them to the rear, it would boost their allies' morale and dampen the enemy's. In war, the presence or absence of food supplies directly affects combat power.
"Oh... so that's why. But when are we supposed to harvest all those crops on such a wide plain...?"
"Stop complaining and just follow along. Now's not the time to be whining."
"Understood."
Gregory immediately followed Walter's command by riding his horse, and his comrades began following him without a word.
News that war could break out at any moment was already spreading rapidly, so they had already secured the cooperation of the residents for collecting the harvest.
Soon, with the support of the Radiant Order, they would be able to distribute resources within Arme.
Gregory and his comrades began swiftly harvesting and organizing the crops in silence.
***
Parsei entered the royal palace to report on matters related to the war.
Overwhelming grandeur and refined decor—there were several chandeliers hanging from the high arched ceiling, and the entire interior was made of golden marble.
Parsei straightened his attire and climbed the stairs before carefully knocking on the palace door.
"This is Parsei, leader of the Radiant Order. I have a message for the king."
Soon, a voice thundered from within.
"Come in!"
Parsei threw open the door.
Creak—
Entering the audience chamber within the palace, he saw a red carpet spread all the way to the throne. Parsei cautiously bowed his head in greeting.
"Have you been well?"
King Asir, the one who ruled Arme, glared fiercely at Parsei and spoke.
"Get to the point. What is the current situation?"
Parsei carefully reported the current status.
"As you know well, the war is about to break out."
Clang—!
At those words, Asir, infuriated, threw the wine glass he usually drank from, and as it shattered, shards grazed Parsei's cheek.
"What? War is about to break out? Didn't you say the last time you stopped it?"
Parsei lowered his head. He had previously explained to Asir that he had only stopped the war temporarily with provisional measures, and that it could break out again at any time.
But Asir, who was usually cranky, would never remember such details. All he did now was blame Parsei out of anger at the situation.
Parsei, though the leader of the Radiant Order, was already numbed by having endured such treatment for a long time.
He continued speaking in a calm tone.
"I apologize. Please forgive my rudeness for speaking up, but may I take command of the entire army?"
Although dawn was present, command of the entire army was still under the king's direct control. That was why they always had to visit the palace to receive royal approval for every directive.
In fact, this was the fundamental reason why the Radiant Order was located right next to the palace.
Parsei judged that at this rate, the front would soon collapse, and wished to commit large-scale forces to it.
His own sons might soon have to risk their lives fighting, so he thought he had to do whatever he could. And he considered it unreasonable that just because the knight orders were different, they should receive disparate treatment.
Even though dawn had recently established itself and greatly raised its standing, the other knight orders had not. They strictly trained, but hadn't been able to make a direct impact on the war.
Parsei judged that only by moving them as well could the front be held.
Upon hearing this, the king shrieked and shouted.
"Arrrggh!! Silence! My precious regular soldiers and land are about to be taken, and what are you talking about? I don't even want to see you, get out right now!"
Parsei was well aware that such unfair treatment was a regular occurrence. When things went well, the king boasted as if it was all his accomplishment.
But when things went wrong, the blame was always placed on Parsei, the leader of the Radiant Order.
"I will speak my mind before I go. If you do not grant me full command, I will make all your deeds public and step down from my position as leader of the Radiant Order."
Asir's expression gradually twisted at those words. The surrounding maids and guards watched Parsei nervously. Before Parsei could say another word, Asir shouted again.
"W-what did you say? You say whatever comes to mind. Enough! I'll grant it, I'll grant it. But, if you fail even once in this war, I will strip you of your rank!"
Asir, conscious of the gazes around him, tried to silence Parsei. He knew better than anyone how shameful his actions were, so he refused to continue the conversation.
Moreover, the fact that Parsei, who had never disobeyed a command, suddenly rebelled added to it.
It was only natural to become afraid when someone who had always obeyed tacitly suddenly resisted.
Parsei thought that stepping down might make it difficult to protect Gregory, but he was confident he could win this psychological battle, so he pushed forward.
As a result, he obtained the authority to command the entire army.
"Thank you for your generous understanding of the situation. I will take my leave now."
Parsei gave a small bow and quietly walked backward out of the audience chamber. As soon as he left, the king's loud yelling could be heard through the door.
"Aaaaargh! That bastard is a traitor. A traitor! Investigate him at once. I'll die, I tell you! I'll die!"
Parsei shook his head and sighed.
"It's starting again. How long will this go on?"