Chapter 329
It was already late into the night when they arrived at the Mar Highlands; the silver moon hung high in the skies, reflecting moonlight into the mountains . The forest was silent and trees covered the mountains and rivers on both sides, but at the intersection of the foothills, the river opened wider, forming a valley .
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The officers of the Royal Calvary Academy planned to investigate the terrain throughout the night, but they were stopped by Brendel . Brendel told everyone to rest where they were, and get up in the early morning instead to prepare their defenses . The noble private army was alright with this . After a long night of walking, they were already exhausted and praised Brendel’s orders . But the young officers whispered among each other - how could they lay defenses without exploring the terrain first? Even the most rudimentary line of defense needed to be adapted to the local terrain . This was basic military practice written clearly on the Infantry Handbook . What was the commander thinking? But since commands were absolute, no one could challenge Brendel . They could only fall asleep, full of doubts .
In the early spring, when the snow and ice had just begun melting, the mountain glades were particularly cold at night . Due to the lack of preparation, the officers only had a thin blanket with them; naturally, in this temperature, the consequences of this were as could be expected . Brendel many of the young people’s faces turn blue from the cold, neither they nor Audine’s private army had tents with them, so it could not be helped . As for Brendel himself, all he could do was just to patrol around the campsite, looking for any other things that he could help with .
Count Audine’s private army, the Nagas, the officers of the Royal Calvary Academy, and the Dragon Calvary of the Southern Army did not bond well . The military discipline of the private army was not as good as expected . Considering many of the Royal Cavalry Academy’s officers were girls, Count Audine was afraid something might happen and therefore personally placed restraints on his army . The Dragon Cavalry needed to take care of their mounts too, so of course, they wouldn’t allow outsiders near them . The Grey Fin Nagas from the Shining Sea, on the other hand, could get used to the cold climate, but the dry land made them uncomfortable . Thus, they all rested under the river bed, curling up their body .
For Brendel, once his physical fitness reached the Gold-rank, sleep was no longer an absolute necessity . His metabolic system was constantly self-improving, so it was fine to not sleep for several days and nights . He walked slowly along the edge of the black pine forest . The sky was littered with stars; such a sight was rare in the other world . Brendel could not help but stop and enjoy the beauty of this scenery .
However, cold winds blew from the south pass, and the storms outside Ampere Seale were gathering again, inevitably bringing a dark and dreary air to the impending battle before them . Brendel suddenly heard the crunching noises of feet stepping on dried wood behind him . He pulled out his long sword and turned around . A bright outfit entered his vision, the half-elf Aouine princess now clad in a set of silver armor and a modified skirt . Standing in the woods, she looked elegant and heart-stopping .
“Mr . Brendel . ”
“Your Royal Highness,” Brendel was slightly taken aback, not having expected he princess to forgo sleep and look for him instead . He did not think this was a coincidence; the princess would normally not come for a walk in the forest at this time of night . He smiled awkwardly, “How come Your Royal Highness would be here?”
Loneliness flashed past in Princess Gryphine’s eyes . She too knew that she was not supposed to be here, but after she left Ampere Seale, she had trouble falling asleep . Brendel had done such rude, uncouth things to her that day, and she was so disgusted by him at the time she wanted nothing more than to strike him with her sword and have him slain on the spot .
But for the sake of Aouine, she finally forced herself to calm down and made compromises for the greater good . She told herself that there were even more hideous people in this kingdom , even suppressing her emotions after Benninger’s betrayal . But the scene at that time had become a nightmare, leaving a dark scar on her mind she could never forget .
It would be nice if this person had a worse track record, but he just had to be so accomplished in so many areas .
Princess Gryphine’s silver eyes reflected Brendel’s figure . Her heart was full of mixed and complex feelings . She had never seen unjust love and hatred in her life, and everything which had transpired that night made her believe there was no such thing as unconditional help in this world . But if so, why was he pretending he did not want payment for his efforts? His real intentions had long been exposed already, had they not?
And the identity of Brendel of being a descendant of Darius made her feel deeply worried; what should she do if he had bigger plans? But Brendel’s plans were her last chance . She hoped to hear an answer from him . She would continue persevering this battle even if it meant giving up even more, only for the sake of Aouine and the sake of rescuing Haruz .
Brendel felt Princess Gryphine staring at him fixedly, and could not help blushing a little . He did not know how complicated her thoughts were, but he probably could guess why . His thoughts had been such a mess that night, and before he knew it……
One wrong step could cause lasting hatred, and his actions were too shameful to even think about .
There was no need for the princess to lift her hands and personally end his life . Even one sentence from her was enough to make him kill himself from shame . But the mental strength of the modern person was much tougher after all . Brendel could act as nothing had happened just after a day .
Except, now that he was being stared at so intently by the half-elf princess, he still felt a little embarrassed . He coughed and turned his back .
This subtle movement caused Princess Gryphine to be surprised . She was born in the royal family, and she was intelligent and brilliant . Not only had she witnessed plenty of deception and conflict, but she had also inherited the elves’ sensitivity towards shifts in emotion, instantly detecting the meaning behind Brendel’s action .
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“So, it seems like Mr . Brendel is capable of feeling embarrassed after all . ” Princess Gryphine’s voice was gentle and soft, but as crisp as a nightingale’s song amongst the trees .
‘I’m sorry, that ……” Brendel was on the verge of breaking into sweat and thought to himself - Your Royal Highness, you’re making me feel ashamed . Although I did something wrong that day, you shouldn’t go overboard either . This soul of his in this world was only nineteen years old, and even in his last life, he was just a hapless otaku unpracticed and unfamiliar with the intricacies of expressing his feelings . Though some of his personality had shifted and matured over time, he was unable to avoid feeling a little helpless right now . [TL: Do you guys prefer to use the word otaku? Or NEET? Comment down below!]
This guy actually blushed? Princess Gryphine thought to herself and could not believe her own eyes . She suddenly became curious and asked, “Since Mr . Brendel also knew that it was …… it was something rude to do, then why did you still do it?”
She could not help but grit her teeth a little, “It’s…unforgivable! I’ve always thought that Mr . Brendel was a real knight, clearly, I was wrong . ”
Brendel was suddenly at a loss for words; how could he answer this? ‘The pursuit of romance is the destiny of a real knight’? No, that was too absurd . How about ‘I will take responsibility’? It did not seem to be a good idea either . Putting the question of whether the princess even wanted his ‘responsibility’ aside, what about little Romaine? It was his senior who had influenced him the most in his past life, but it was not good to chase after the past, and he couldn’t just sit and just let things happen . Brendel knew very well what he felt .
Princess Gryphine stared at him for a moment .
She could practically see the stress oozing out of Brendel .
At last, the half-elf princess gave out a soft sigh and said, “So that’s how it is . Now I understand . ”
“Huh? What do you understand?” Brendel froze, looking back at the princess in confusion . He took a closer look at this noble and elegant princess, the future queen of Aouine; she was still just a girl who had only just turned sixteen . She inherited the unique slenderness of the elven bloodline, which made her appear more fragile .
Princess Gryphine seemed to have untied the knot in her heart now . She looked up into the dark skies . Her silver hair gleamed slightly, bathing in a river of moonlight . With a slight smile, she lifted her skirt and walked out of the woods and came to a stop next to Brendel, watching the glimmering stars in the dark sky as well .
“Is Mr . Brendel watching the stars as well?”
“I guess,” Brendel answered half-heartedly . He did not understand what the princess was trying to imply .
“The Star Warlocks say that people will turn into stars after death, so our ancestors and my father are probably watching us from heaven . ”
This story sounded romantic, but Brendel knew that stars were just massive balls of flaming gas . Of course, he would not ruin the mood by saying that out loud . Besides, the Star Warlocks were a legitimate group of mages in this world .
“Maybe . ”
“You don’t believe in fate, Mr . Brendel?”
“No, I do believe in fate . ”
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“Hmm?” The princess was slightly shocked and turned to look at him . She was not tall, so all she could see was Brendel’s broad shoulders .
“I believe in the fate created by the poets of Kirrlutz; fate is a struggle . ” Brendel quietly recounted the words that his senior had told him .
“Fate . . . is a struggle……” Princess Gryphine mulled over this sentence carefully .
Brendel saw Maynild’s figure in the distance . She was giving out some of her own blankets to a few female officers . This small gesture surprised Brendel a little; he did not expect this cold-faced knight would have such a gentle side to her .
Brendel was still a little baffled as he escorted the princess out of Aouine . The half-elf princess said nothing at all throughout the escort mission; she merely sat next to him and watched the stars . He still had not figured out what this attitude was yet .
But all in all, it seemed that her Royal Highness was not going to inquire about that matter anymore, which was a good thing at last . With her silence ensured, Brendel breathed out a sigh of relief . if it was not for her willingness to keep secrets, he would have lost his reputation .
It was three o’clock in the morning when Brendel finally met with the Archdruid named Wochik, who looked exactly how Brendel remembered him to be . The first impression Brendel had of him was that he was just like a blend between man and crow . His face was long and sharp, and was covered in dark, lined patterns . He wore a raincoat made of straw which resembled the feathers of a crow . His arms and fingers were withered and slender, similar to claws .
Had this person been a character in one of those television shows that Brendel was oh-so-familiar with, he would be the typical classic antagonist in the show . In spite of his looks, though, he was the complete opposite . In history, he was cold, but strictly neutral, just like a non-player character . Of course, this was a virtue that most druids possessed .
Wochik had rushed back from Ampere Seale, exhaustion clearly visible on his face . Even if he claimed to be capable of fighting one or two more low-intensity battles . Brendel quickly had him rest . With the addition of this Archdruid, he soon realized that the group of mages under him had an unparalleled lineup .
There were at least four Gold-ranked sorcerers: Archdruid Wochik, Conjurer Ciel, Sea Monster Bridget, and Andrea the Lord of Night . Then there were the twenty mages of the Nagas, a few wandering wizards of Count Audine, Felaern, and the Tia sisters . While they lacked a person who could act as an Elemental user , this group of thirty mages - whose weakest link was still a silver rank - could still crush basically all of Aouine’s forces .
It was such a pity that in Brendel’s opinion, the group was still a little too small . Thirty-plus mages were only just enough to be scattered among an army of thousands . It was not like the War of the Great Demonic Wave in the future, in which one army could mobilize a group of mages comprising over a hundred people . Excluding those scattered around the army placed in charge of defense, they could also mobilize specialized mage groups consisting of dozens of people to act as long-range support .
Of course, this was just a pipe dream for now . A wizard without a Silver rank had extremely low survival rates in large-scale battlefields, but Silver-ranked wizards or higher were pitifully scarce due to the current situation in Vaunte .
It was four-thirty in the morning .
The break for the Royal Cavalry Academy’s students’ was over . Following that, the Nagas, as well as the nobles’ private soldiers, woke up one after another . Brendel took out the map that he had been strategizing with overnight and had them put up the defense lines as required . This caught everyone by surprise as they did not know Brendel had long since familiarized himself with the terrain here . They had thought their commander had personally surveyed the land himself at night in order to let them rest well .
Although the young students did not say anything, they were internally grateful . Only Princess Gryphine vaguely knew the truth, but she kept it to herself .
The terrain of the Mar Highlands was a surprise to the defenders . The surrounding three mountain ranges intersected to form a huge valley . A dense fog hung over the valley, a river of rushing water flowing through it noisily .
There was a high mountain ridge right across from the northern part of the valley which looked almost grey from such a distance . It was hazy and dark before the break of dawn . This was the foothills of the Farma Mountains that extended towards the south . The locals called it the Anker Mountain, which meant ‘wall’ in their ancient language .
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Two streams intersected at the foot of Anker Mountain, converging into a shallow creek . The creek flowed down along the banks, and after years and years, a large open plain had formed here . The plain was angled downwards like a gigantic slope . It was sandwiched between the Mount Marchenko and Mount Leviko, which were both wreathed in vegetation .
However, the Mount Marchenko and Mount Leviko were relatively flat and low compared to the height of the Mount Anker . This meant if they were to claim a foothold on top of Mount Anker, the archers would be able to attack the two other mountain tops to the south from their position .
If the Northern Coalition Army’s infantry attacked them through the valley, the first battle would have been a disaster for Brendel’s side . But if they did not occupy the mountain peaks to the south, then it would be an even bigger nightmare to fight their way up from their lower vantage point .
This was practically a natural line of defense .
The defensive line would last unless the Black Blade Corps found a way to cross the Farma Mountains and attack from behind the Anker Mountains . But that would take a long time - at least half a month, so they did not have to worry about enemies that might have snuck up to them from behind .
So the remaining matters were simple . Although there were still a few people who thought that going deep into the Arreck Mountains was a better idea, that was just one of the other possibilities, and most were already setting up the defense lines enthusiastically . The students very quickly proposed a typical yet realistic plan .
This proposal was immediately delivered to Brendel, the princess, and Oberwei . It was simple; if everything went their way, their main camp would be set at the northern part of the intersection of the creeks, under the foothills of Arreck Mountains, followed by the archery troop, as well as their main camp . But their main defense would be forced forwards until both the East side of the Marchenko Mountains and Leviko Mountains were included within their territory .
Brendel saw the core of this proposal immediately, which was to set up a battlefield on each of the two mountain tops in the south . The young students were planning to use their terrain advantage to consume the Southern Army’s energy .
Such battle tactics were very classical, like a layout that could be found in a textbook . In Brendel’s opinion, however, it was still lacking and too conservative . He glanced at the others, the princess did not say anything and Oberwei just shook his head .
Can’t be helped if I’m a lone wolf, I guess .
So Brendel shook his head, “It’s generally feasible, but some corrections have to be made on the details . ”
“Oh, how?” Carglise, who submitted the proposal confidently, was a little surprised . This proposal had been made by him, actually, and was approved by all the other students . He thought it would be accepted immediately, but now it seemed as if he had thought of Brendel too lightly .
“This will do . ” Brendel gestured twice on the temporary map with his fingers and said .
“Huh?”
Carglise almost wanted to throw the proposal right into his Lord’s face . How is this even a plan? Isn’t this the same as giving up our main campsite? What’s the difference between that and just surrendering?
He looked at Brendel pitifully, as if he wanted to make sure his Lord is not talking nonsense due to his lack of sleep . But he did not expect Brendel to glare at him and say harshly, “What are you waiting for?”
So this young noble from Trentheim accepted his fate and walked out, feeling disappointed .
“This is a little……” Oberwei could not help but shake his head too . Brendel’s plan was a little too risky and daring, a bit out of my expectations .
No, it wasn’t just daring . If he had not known this young man beforehand, he would have doubted if he was a traitor . He looks down on the Northrnn Coalition Army’s intelligence .
“This move is very risky . And you are indeed quite similar to Makarov, but it’s a pity……” The kingdom’s lone wolf sighed . The kingdom had seen so much glory in the past, but could only rely on these young people now .
He could only hope his choice was the right one .
Only Brendel was confident in his plans .
The sky turned bright, and an army started to stealthily gather in the forest . Nosidal and his Dragon Cavalry squad departed up into the sky in the morning breeze, and with the cooperation of the Wind Spirit Spiders controlled by Brendel, they began to drive out the Northern Coalition Army’s scouts in the sky .
This was clearance work before the great battle .
By now, neither party could hide their tactics and intentions anymore . The Northern Coalition Army’s commanders understood immediately that Brendel was prepared to fight against them to death .
“Now you know you can’t run away?”
Williams reached out to catch a parchment delivered by a Dragon Calvary unit . After looking at it for a moment, a disdainful smile spread across his face .
He lifted his head- The Mar Highlands was just right in front .
It was twenty minutes past eight .
Brendel closed the pocket watch’s brass cover and looked towards the other side of the valley . His vision was set somewhere faraway; his strong senses enabled him to see things miles away with his naked eyes . On the other side of the valley, the first unit of the Northern Coalition Army had appeared, but he was not sure which unit it was yet .
“It should be Viscount Finn . There’s a large number of men; I’m afraid there are thousands of them . ” Oberwei put down his telescope and muttered to himself, “They stopped . They should be waiting for back-up . ”
Brendel nodded . Oberwei lived up to his reputation as an old noble who had served in both the Black Blade Corps and the Southern Army, as his judgment was very accurate . Brendel had guessed it was Viscount Finn’s unit too .
Surprisingly, it was Enrique who was standing at the side who remained unbothered by the enemy’s numbers . The young man shrugged and said, “It doesn’t matter how many people they have . They’d be lucky if the valley allows fifteen hundred men to attack together . But they sure are taking their time to prepare . ”
“But they could conquer the two southern mountain tops, Marchenko and Leviko, first . ” Freya frowned in worry, standing beside Brendel fully-armored with a sword in her hands .
“Then there will be a good show to watch . ” Brendel chuckled .