If you wish to understand the heart of ice and snow, then take a stroll along the Alps. Choose a tall mountain ridge covered with ice and snow and try to conquer it or be conquered by it.
The world on the snow-capped mountains with the icy north wind and the entire sky of penetrating cold, made it seem as if the entire world had been buried under the ice, dying. When midsummer came, the sun raged, and the massive icy surface of the snow-capped mountains would gradually soften. The accumulated snow at the peak of the mountain would continue to sink and collect below and the mountain ridge would produce a "rumble" when it could no longer take the weight, dumping all the ice and snow downwards.
A long, long time ago, the people of the mountain always thought that this was the doing of a devil who had been punished by the Creator. The people slaughtered their cattle, placed them on the altar and used the blood of animals as a sacrifice to the unknown devil. The snow-capped mountains were not devils and avalanches were not tragedies created by the gods. However, once people entered the snow-capped mountains, they would rather believe that the devil indeed existed.
At the beginning where the foothills started to peak, it was almost a flat plain. This was the habitat for various cold-resistant animals and tall coniferous forests. The woodland of a summer's day was dense and thriving and the deep valley forest displayed darkness that stretched on endlessly and among this dense darkness, roars from the wild beasts echoed. The clear blue sky was fresh. Occasionally the mellow yet mournful cries of eagles would travel out.
Climbing up the mountain ridge, the sights that meet the eye would gradually grow sparse. Everywhere was black-brown cliffs and clusters of shrubs. Thank heavens it was summer now! As the altitude rose, the low shrubs would show disordered color bands. Certain places were a deep, bright purple while certain places were a light, apple green. There were many flowering areas - red, white, and navy-blue flowers bloomed abundantly among the shrubs and below, hyssops covered the ground. Occasionally, one would come across a shallow patch of snow that buried the grass. The flowers stood firmly in the snowy pond only trembling when it was windy, causing those who watch it be filled with awe.
So, where was the devil?
O'Neil Andrew Morisette rode on his giant black horse, standing on the vast open ground at the foothill of the snow-capped mountains.
To be exact, it was the very edge of the open ground where there was a valley right before it. There was a pathway in the valley one could use to climb directly to the mountain. It led to a ridge that was covered with snow and thick ice all year round.
Hadn't it already been mentioned that the young Prince Titan had remarried? He had married the beautiful Princess of Italia. According to the time, he should still be in the honeymoon period after marriage.
Prince Osone raised the black whip inlaid with golden thread. The direction he pointed at was the route of conquest.
"Right there?"
"Yes, my Lord, right there!"
The person who spoke was an old man with a crooked back. He was the guide that the local Italian nobles recommended to the Titan Prince. The old man kept a huge beard and fluffy, curly hair that were unique to the mountain dwellers. He knelt respectfully beside the giant horse and his eyes were trained on the important figure's boots as he spoke.
Where was there? In the Prince of Titan's opinion, the direction that the guide indicated was not much different from any of the white sections of the snow-capped mountain ridge. However, the old man said, only there, was there a relatively flat mountain ridge and not on either side of the slightly sharp dorsal fin of the fish? The entire snow-capped mountains, with a snow line that was a dozen kilometers wide, there was only one place that could be climbed? This was amazing.
"Old man Chuck, have a rest!" O'Neil Andrew Morisette again raised the little horsewhip of delicate workmanship. It was as if the old guide had received amnesty. He held his leather hat and bowed humbly with his back bent ever low. He weaved in and out of the knight's rank behind His Highness the Prince and disappeared.
"Old Chuck has weathered the snow-capped mountains for a lifetime. You have nothing to worry about!" General Murat Bedoya led his horse and stood by the commander's side.
Oscar did not answer. He assessed the snow-capped mountains calmly. The striking white and ash black of the stone-walled cliffs formed a sharp contrast. Moving his line of sight downward in the valley in front of the open ground, there were numerous cavalry soldiers resting below the gentle slopes. The horses neighed clearly. The Narcissus knights were talking and surrounded the ukulelist. The Prince of Titan noticed that all the soldiers had no weapons in their hands but wild fruits, playing cards, lunches, and a variety of indistinct items. There was someone who did not have anything in his hands - that man must have closed his eyes to rest.
Oscar laughed involuntarily. He looked at his machete resting in its sheath. Many years ago, if it was not for someone who stuffed such a thing into his hand, O'Neil Andrew Morisette surely would not be the O'Neil Andrew Morisette of today. Therefore, it was said that if the men had weapons in their hands, unknown emotions and destinies would spring up, leaving the man unable to cope and completely lost in them.
Anyway, that said, it was O'Neil Andrew Morisette who voluntarily chose a weapon. It could be seen that such a thing could not be forced, just like the snow-capped mountain in front. Some would exclaim, "How beautiful". After a moment of admiration, they would look away. As for O'Neil Andrew Morisette…
As what everyone had just seen, he scrutinized the magnificence of the snow-capped mountain silently and issued the order of conquering it without a second thought.
There was bound to be such a man in the world. So, he had a heart made of ice and snow.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette bid farewell to his new wife. Although he had a world of reasons to convince himself to remain in Italia and to stay by Sasha's side, he still bid farewell to the pregnant woman with great reluctance and took along his knights over the mountains, advancing toward the destination in heart.
"Actually, it is unnecessary for you to follow the Red Tigers. We can handle it," General Murat carefully sized up his commander. His Commander was previously an ignorant young man but now, no one was more suitable than he to be the commander of the Narcissus knights.
Oscar smiled. His little whip gently made contact with his Raytheon and the giant horse slowly moved forward.
"If I don't climb the snow-capped mountains together with the Red Tigers, the knights will mock me of being a coward."
"But they won't!"
"I will, I will think so!" Oscar averted his head stubbornly. This matter was like the farewell. He could have originally taken the carriage from the Holy City of Rome and return to the Southern Region through the national road. After all, breaking into Faran was the business of the Red Tigers and Snow Lions but he just had to clad himself in war equipment, hop onto his battle horse and eat shaved ice and drink snow water with his knights.
However, the shaved ice was really good! Thinking about this, Oscar pursed his lips. Italia was indeed a country of fine delicacies. The people of the mountains used spring water in their basement to make ice. Those who were more particular would fill the shaved ice into glass bowls. They would top it with cream, honey or chocolate icing. Slurp!
That feeling would be even more fulfilling than visiting Paris.
However, the shaved ice was too cold. The Prince of Titan's stomach was not suited for such an icy, delicious dessert. Oscar had only eaten it once. Once was enough for it to be unforgettable to him but the doctor of the Red Tigers had already issued a strict order.
He said unceremoniously, "If Your Highness does not wish for your crotch to be frozen by your watery stools on the snow-capped mountains, please stay away from shaved ice."
So, Oscar's life was not much fun. Even if the most gentle and beautiful woman under the heavens were to accompany him, even if his woman had already bear an heir for him, even if he fantasized the golden age of hundreds of years later, in the end, he would still be unable to obtain long-lasting pleasure from them. A moment of thrill would not be able to allow one to be completely satisfied mentally and physically. Oscar had no idea what satisfaction was like. If he had seen Faran's lands, he would call to mind that next to it was West Percy. If he had been to West Percy, he would have thought about what the Engels looked like across the strait.
The heart of a man was like ice, just like the snow-capped mountains in front. The snow-capped mountains were bound to melt but what people knew was that it would always be frozen throughout four seasons. When the tip of the iceberg collapsed with a loud rumble, people would think that this man would have changed a little but with a closer look, there was still more ice in the split opened crevasse. It had merely cracked, or one could say, caved in, and there was nothing else that it could prove.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette descended into the valley from the wide-open space and met many knights along the sides of the road.
Among them, only a handful were veterans who had followed this head of the family for wars in the north and south. When he came across a familiar face, Oscar would stop and chat with the person, talking about nothing else other than the various pasts and the snow-capped mountains in front of them. The soldiers again vowed that they and their countless comrades would conquer everything before the head of the family's eyes. Oscar was naturally very satisfied. He said that the conquest was a different matter. The head of the family only wanted to see the knights safe and sound.
More and more Narcissus knights gathered around. They knelt on one knee on either side of the pathway in front of the head of the family. Oscar inspected and pointed to this and that, saying that they were all good fighters. The soldiers said Andrew Haila and that the head of the family was the good young lad.
The good men were making the final preparations before they set out. They took off their armor. This thing was not only just immensely heavy but when the temperature was low, it would make one feel as if they had fallen into an icehouse. The equipment officer of the Front had purchased cotton clothes and cheap, practical furs that protect against the cold. Every soldier received some. These furs were mainly used as leggings. It was said that at a section above the snow line, the snow was waist-high. Forget about the horses, it was difficult even for people to move.
The Narcissus knights prepared hoof pockets for the horses and mules transporting supplies and also blankets for these little ones that were here rolling with the punches. An identical situation had occurred in the north while his Highness the Prince was still studying but the veterans of that time were gone, having fallen in the military campaign of Saijo Mountain.
After a careful lunch, the Commander of the Front personally inspected the equipment at all levels of troops carefully. By the time the Red Tigers set off, it was already two something in the afternoon. The sun hung high in the sky and the weather was sweltering. In the valley, one could not feel the cold climate in the snow-capped mountains.
The group was reorganized once they had exited the valley. All the members of the Red Tiger Front assembled, not even one of them was missing. Oscar prayed in his heart that the snow-capped mountains before him would not create problems for his warriors.
As night fell, the camp on the mountainside lit up with a bonfire. The huge blaze reflected the dark snow-capped mountains. However, compared to the stars in the night sky, all lights beneath the heavens were really nothing.
There was already a slight cold breeze on the mountainside. Spending the summer nights on land would make one immensely annoyed by the cries of insects and croaks of the frogs. However, in the mountain area close to the snow line, there was only silence! So silent that it was bizarre.
In a brightly lit army tent, there was a rectangular table. The table was full of a mess as if it may fall apart any second, different to a certain extent compared to the military tent of the Marshal of the Guards, the Imperial Prince. The Red Tigers had abandoned all their wagons. Each of the thirty thousand soldiers only brought a warhorse and a pack animal. Loaded onto the pack animal was an armor, a set of war equipment plus half a month's ration. This was the full force of the raid on Faran's northern province.
Oscar sat on a small square pier and the Red Tiger generals circled him while crouching. Those who knew would think that the men were studying the tactical map while those who did not know would think that the men were defecating in a group. Oscar had really started to have diarrhea. He just had a feeling that the shaved ice was no longer something good.
"We're here!" Murat pointed to a position on the map. "It's about four to five kilometers in a straight line distance from the ridge. However, the guide said that such a massive unit would require at least a day and night for all members to climb over the snow-capped mountains."
"We have to spend the night in the ice and snow?"
"It seems so!" the officer looked at the officer who had voiced the question. He saw a trace of hesitation from the other's eye. Even though some words were not spoken, it did not mean that Murat overlooked or disregarded it. He knew that most of the Red Tiger knights had never left Narcissus County, with its distinct four seasons. Having these young men who missed home to climb the snow-capped mountains under the sun was a little tough to them.
"The temperature in the mountains is very low. The temperature difference between morning and night is far too great. I'm afraid that..."
"There is nothing to be afraid of!" Oscar interrupted the officer. He knew that the person was the Red Tiger's Guerrilla Commander.
"Yes, His Highness is right. There's nothing to be afraid of!" Murat nodded reassuringly. "I know you soldiers have never had the experience of marching in and spending the night in a world of ice and snow and have never been to such a high place or seen such a thick snow and more so have never seen such precipitous cliffs, but we are the Red Tigers. All these can't stop us," the commander of the Front said while pointing toward the tall mountain ridge looming right before the entrance of the tent.
The snow on the ridges reflected the color of the sky and the light from the campgrounds to portray a milky white, resembling mist and at the spot where the flames were blazing, it appeared bright pink. After taking in this view for a moment, the soldiers withdrew their gazes. They were worrying over nothing. As long as O'Neil Andrew Morisette took a step into the snow ground as all the officers of the Narcissus Knights, they had to follow in the footsteps of the head of the family and advance forward. There was nothing to hesitate about this at all.
"The wind on the mountain is strong and there is also no open space to set up tents," another officer asked. He had brought forth a difficult issue. It seemed that no one knew how to spend an endless night on the freezing snow-capped mountains.
"How about lighting a fire?"
"Lighting a fire won't do!" Murat shook his head repeatedly, "At that time, there'd be thirty thousand people on the snow-capped mountains. How many braziers must be lit? Let's not talk about the terribly heavy charcoal we'd have to carry. Our guide has already gone through it clearly with us - no noise and no lighting fire on the mountain! Having thirty thousand people warming themselves together will loosen the snow and then with a rumble…"
"Avalanche?"
"The mountain god is enraged?"
"Who cares about him! At that time, we'll all be finished!"
His Imperial Highness the Prince began to distribute his own huge cigar and the men crouched on the ground in every posture, smoking, not saying another word.
"Then what should we do?" After a good while, someone finally could not take it anymore. "The soldiers can't sleep in the snow, they can't make a fire, can't cook anything and can't make any noise! But they must rest. The long march through the snow grounds will wear them down. If the sweat on their bodies were to freeze, it can freeze them to death…"
"That's enough!" Murat said gruffly, "The soldiers aren't like you, they will not die if they don't make a racket."
The officer shut up and everyone looked toward the silent prince. O'Neil Andrew Morisette was the ruler, especially now. He ruled over the fates of many people. The terrain and climate of the snow-capped mountains were ever changing. If the God of Light really protected the holy Andrews, then it would be that. However, every step on the snow-capped mountains was a crisis. If the God of Light was joking around with the knights then, forget about it.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette was caught in a dilemma. His previous considerations were after all, not quite yet mature. This ambitious commander had a wishful thinking that since the "1-1 Snow Lions" could successfully cross The Alps, then the Red Tigers could do the same. However, the 1-1 Snow Lion, all in all, only had the strength of a single division. Moreover, they were an elite mountain force that came and went deep into the mountains and ancient forests all year round. The Red Tiger knights were naturally imposing on the plains and hills but if they climbed the snow-capped mountains and brought along warhorses and pack animals that were equivalent to double of their numbers, then things were not looking too good! If they could accomplish it smoothly, then the Red Tigers would have accomplished an impressive feat in the history of human warfare. If midway they encountered storms, avalanches, crevasses... Oscar deliberated over and over again and finally discovered the reason he went into battle with the knights - this man was accustomed to conquering but felt it beneath him to let others be put in danger for his sake.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette suddenly swept at and overturned the candleholder on the ground. The flame in the military tent wavered wildly.
"I will have to see if a snow-capped mountain can stop the Red Tigers! If we can't overturn this mountain, what qualifications do we have to compete against the elite squad in the world?"
The snow-capped mountains were majestic and mighty. The breadth of mind of the men was as vast as the skies beyond the mountains! Compete against the elite squad in the world! Just how captivating was this suggestion? The Persian million-men army was already the dust of history while the Andrews were the undefeated Fierce Tigers, unfailing Narcissus! How long could such a spirit persist after the dust had settled? What kind of journey would the Narcissus knights embark on upon losing the long-standing enemy before them?
Perhaps "competing against the elite squad of the world" was just O'Neil Andrew Morisette stealing a concept. Perhaps the Narcissus knights did not understand that the price for such a competition is to have countless people suffer from slavery. Their country had been annihilated under the cruel oppression of the Andrews but there was always a group of men in the world that had a love for competition; a pure belief in competition. Their hearts were as pure as the snow-capped mountains and were only set upon conquering the skies before their eyes and the earth beneath their feet.
Dawn. Thick fog rose among the mountains. The knights dismantled the tents. After cooking a sumptuous breakfast, they discarded all the cooking utensils. According to the head of the family, the Fierce Tigers no longer needed these things after entering enemy territory - if they were thirsty, drink the blood of the enemy, if they were hungry, take a bite out of their enemy's flesh.
Looking at the map, the great head of the family used his finger to trace the distance. Half-jokingly, he said to the Red Tiger warriors, "Look, beyond the snow-capped mountains will be Paris!"
"It is said that there is the most romantic city in the world..."
"It is said that the women there all wear clothes made of silk..."
A considerate paladin, General Kamille Rayen, waved his hand to silence the clamor from the soldiers. In a low voice, he said, "Your Highness, how do you hope for Paris to be like?"
O'Neil Andrew Morisette smiled slightly. He wanted to let loose and speak his mind, to say something like "let Paris burn", just like what the most illustrious butcher of the Eighth Region's Second Corps, Silvio, said in Horfansted Fortress. However, he did not say anything. Anyhow, he knew that the Red Tigers could not reach Paris. What awaited the Red Tigers in Faran's borders would be the besiegement and interception from the advantaged enemies. Oscar believed that the Red Tigers would not be able to fight their way to Paris. The raid launched by the Red Tigers was just an adaptive measure intended to interfere with the enemy's rear.
In the dense fog, all sceneries had been dissolved into pale gas. There were horses neighing and commands of the knights being passed back and forth. The Red Tiger warriors were wrapped in fur gaiters and thick cotton-padded coats. They looked each other up and down and jokingly referred to each other as mountain people who had never seen the world. They had to hurry to the opposite mountain for an evening gathering.
The horn for assembling and organizing the troops rang out in succession in the dense fog. When the huge mountain issued an echo, the cavalry, which was close to four miles long, was already facing the peak of the snow-capped mountain, panting.
The messenger talked about the command in his hand repeatedly. The skin of his lips was chapped. The soldiers pricked up their ears to listen and inclined their heads to remember them. They finally knew the significance of landslides and avalanches, and finally realized that the following part of the journey would be an unforgettable one with life and death being unpredictable.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette rode on the gigantic horse and stood at the lead of the ranks. The place he stood on was precisely the boundary between the mist and mountain. The head of the horse was facing first light while its rear was misty vapor.
The young commander withdrew his gaze from the snow-capped mountains and patted his young friend's thick neck.
"Neigh…neigh!"
Following the two gentle whines, Raytheon stepped into the snow ground, a step away from the verdant pastureland. The cold that came from underground caused the muscles all over the massive horse to shiver slightly. "Awww…it's cold, huh…"
Oscar laughed, and the man thought of his son who was yet to be born. He knew that Sasha would definitely deliver a son for him! The snow-capped mountains before him gradually blurred and Oscar appeared to have seen the old house on the outskirts of Andrew Haila. He led his knights in a victorious return. Sasha was waiting on the patio. From afar, he could already see her white skirt and the young boy running toward him.
If the snow really had a heart, if the heart of the snow was really beating, then why was it so cold? So very cold. The mountain ridge with pure white snow was scattered with the footprints of the Narcissus knights. Initially, they still talked and laughed but when the accumulated snow covered their waists, everyone was at a loss of speech.
Despite a whole division of their comrades opening the roads up ahead, their thighs that were trapped in the snow could not be pulled out. The snow on their behinds repeated an endless cycle of drying off and becoming wet! Compared to the block in the entrance, the wind was even more annoying.
The thirty thousand Red Tiger officers and men arranged themselves into a line and together with their pack animals, they stretched on for four to five miles. They climbed gradually, moving their bodies up the snow-capped mountain inch by inch. The guide said that it would get better as they went higher because the snow near the ridge was as hard as ice and at that time, they would not have to grind through the deep snow as of now.
A soldier then asked, "As hard as ice? Then why don't we just slide down it?"
"Slide down?" the old guide scoffed, "Sliding down may cause you to slide straight into hell, one can't say for sure! Do you still dare to slide down?"
The soldiers, knowing that they had said something embarrassing, kept up and continued climbing. The mountain was like a white giant's chest. Those on it could not seem to see the extent of it.
Not knowing where it started, the mountain breeze rose, whistling and rolling up snow powder and freezing air that surrounded each of the Narcissus knights. The knights covered their nose and mouth with headscarves stuffed with cotton prepared beforehand. They urged their pack animal on with difficulty and advanced forward slowly on the snow-capped mountain where the wind howled, and the waves roared.
If one was cold, he would tighten the collars and the cotton-padded clothes he was wearing. If one was freezing, he would jog back and forth a while to allow the stiff body to regain strength. If one was thirsty, please, this was a snow-capped mountain. Simply grab anything and suck it in the mouth and it would be the driest fresh water. If one was hungry, the rations the pack animals carried were the supplies of war and were not to be touched on the mountains! There was only braised meat of the snow-capped mountains where the north wind blew. It was considered one of the specialties of the snow-capped mountains. If one wanted to pee, there were more freaking pressing matters! Those who needed to pee, go to a corner one by one! Go to a place away from the view of one's comrades, but away from the wind!
"Reporting!"
"What is it now?"
"Someone fainted!"
This was troublesome! The air on the mountain was thin, the temperature was so low that by holding one's testicles, they would even shrink back into one's abdomen. Fainting on the mountain represented two conditions. One was that the lungs had been compromised, the second was that the ice and snow had stiffened one's mind and limbs. However, regardless of whichever condition it was, this matter only signified - just who could afford it.
No lighting fires, no hot water, no sufficient winter clothes to protect against the cold. The comrades who had fainted were placed onto the warhorses. Not long after, the face of the fainted soldier would be covered in frost and the living would use their body temperature to melt this layer of frost and snow, but his face would gradually turn pale and lastly, became one with the snow-capped mountains.
When the time came to lessen the burden of the pack animal, the heartbroken soldiers could only lay the stiff bodies of their comrades on the snow grounds. They would stick a pennant flag of the Narcissus Knight Red Tiger Front beside the body of each of their brothers, who had no choice but to be left behind.
The black linear life forms continued to extend upward in the huge peaks of the snow-capped mountains. Both sides of the ranks were already stuck with numerous, lonely military flags. All soldiers who arrived afterward would salute the military flags that stood firmly, flapping in the cold wind. They held their breaths and channeled all their strength into their limbs, giving it their all to climb upward. It was as if it was not a snow-capped mountain before them but rather a city guarded by enemies and it was as if it was not snow beneath their feet but bodies of their comrades gathered into a heap.
So, where was the devil?
Exhausted but high-spirited, hungry and freezing but fired up. The Narcissus knights continued to climb upward. The head of the family and generals turned around to face them from the front of the ranks. Oscar asked, "Tired?" the soldiers naturally answered happily, "No!" Oscar asked again, "Do you know what the most tiring thing is?" The soldiers then said they did not know.
"Your wife giving birth! Come on, isn't it?"
The knights wanted to laugh but dared not to, fearing that laughing out loud would trigger an avalanche. Oscar then followed by asking, "Cold?" The answer was that they were not. The commander of the knights was very satisfied, and his question was still as before, "Do you know when is the coldest?"
"Winter!" "When we arrive at the mountaintop!" the soldiers who thought themselves to be clever fought to answer.
Oscar shook his head, "Your wife giving birth! I say it's a boy, but she just has to give birth to a girl. She may as well just let me freeze to death here."
"Hahahaha..." the soldiers could not hold it in any longer. As soon as they opened their mouths, they took in a mouthful of icy cold wind that penetrated their bones, but they felt warm in their hearts as if a small fire has been set up in the icy snow grounds. A few prominent figures cast aside the group of soldiers and continued to walk downward. The howl of the mountain wind was deafening, and the commander's voice could still be heard vaguely…"Tired?""Cold?"
At nightfall, there was an absolute silence except for the grating sound of the snow grinding against each other. The wind had died, and this made the guide inexplicably joyous. He went on that it was rare for the mountains to be so still and then he acknowledged that the knights of the Andrew Family were indeed the God-chosen warriors!
The God-chosen warriors were like kittens that were curled up sleeping together and if one was to say they were tigers, no one would believe so. They sat back-to-back and shoulder-to-shoulder to warm their beloved warhorses. Three to four of them shared a blanket that was fair in thickness.
Far above in the sky, the moon shone bright, but the stars were sparse. O'Neil Andrew Morisette excreted piping hot watery stools into a snow pit and then valiantly called for Murat, saying that he wanted to sleep back-to-back a while with the commander of the Red Tigers.
Murat nodded and sized up his commander. The young Prince of the Empire kept a beard and at that moment, his beard was already full of frost. He wore wolf leather gaiters and a bearskin cloak. If one was to identify a difference between him and the other knights by his side, Murat could only identify the bearskin cloak. This was the only privilege of the head of the family. The officers had originally wanted to fix him a charcoal brazier but the commander rejected it firmly. He even used a horsewhip to lash at the guy who suggested it and it was said to be quite a heavy lash.
Sleeping back-to-back with such a commander, Murat was unable to sleep a wink. He gazed up into the sky. The stars were close and the waning moon was hiding behind the mountain, revealing a slim outline in the sky, fine, and as bright as a torch.
"Your Imperial Highness..."
"Call me Oscar..."
"Is this appropriate?"
"Shut up then..."
"Oscar..."
"Mmhmm?"
"…"
"Why don't you just spit it out?"
"To turn over this mountain, there will be higher, greater and steeper things in our way up ahead…"
"Yes, that's right!"
"But look..." Murat stretched out his finger and pointed toward the shadow of the mountain under the moonlight. The great solemn Alps rose and fell continuously, and the majestic mountain range seemed to stretch on infinitely. "There's…there's no end to it…"
"I have a son..." a smile surfaced on Oscar's face. This was what he most longed for. "Murat… you also have a son. He will inherit this armor from your hand. Your goddess of victory is a beauty. Your son is also pretty good looking. When your son put on your armor, you will take joy in it!"
"Oscar..."
"Mmhmm?"
"I'm saying if..."
"If what?"
"What if my son only wants to live a peaceful and smooth life?"
O'Neil Andrew Morisette moved his head around, but he did not know what he should say.
Murat felt the coldness of the snow, but his heart was melting. "Andrews and his knights had already fought for four hundred years to date. We are a thriving population of splendid military merit and a formidable lineup - no one in the entire Westland can rival against! But have you ever thought for four hundred years! Our blood is about to run out! Andrew's spirit and beliefs are in these veins if it runs out..."
Oscar shook his head, "This isn't Murat! Murat will not say this!"
Murat gave a mischievous laugh, "This is Murat! A Murat that no longer wants to see the blood of his sons, nephews, father, and brothers stain the battlefield!"
Oscar did not understand and did not comprehend. If his knights took off their armor and put down their weapons that killed people, will the Andrews still be the Andrews?"
"Oscar..."
"Mmhmm?"
"Your son..."
"Sinelli! His name is Sinelli!"
"If your son, Sinelli was to enter the battlefield, you will keep watch of the door of your house like the ladies, gazing at the horizon every day. If he returns in triumph, you will be so joyful that you soar up into the sky but if it were the pastor and funeral knights who come?"
Oscar was silent momentarily. Funeral knights? He had been a funeral knight once back in Andrew Haila, many years ago. If Murat had not brought up this matter, he might had been completely forgotten about it. What was the name of that knight who had merely been stabbed once again? Oscar was astonished. He could not recall it. His memory should not be this poor. He remembered that he had been upset over it for quite a while!
"Murat, I suppose this is karma!" O'Neil Andrew Morisette could not construct his son's face. He could not visualize what kind of scene it would be of him seeing his son embark on the journey. "Why do people want to wage war? Why do people want peace? In my opinion, waging war is to create peace. To campaign for peace is to wage a war! This is unavoidable. All we can do is to throw ourselves into it step by step. Is there anything else to choose from?"
"Waging war is to create peace? To campaign for peace is to wage a war?" Murat laughed. "Damn, it really seems to be the case!"
Oscar laughed as well, "Yeah! That's the case!"
Murat turned around abruptly and extended his hand towards the head of the family he had been loyal to for generations. "Oscar, since there isn't a choice, let us wage war! Let us wage even more wars, greater wars and strive for a lifetime to create an even longer peace for our sons!"
Oscar grasped Murat's hand, "Ola…that was what I was thinking."
The first glimmer of light had just broken through the sky and the knights who went to explore the roads had just returned from the mountain ridge. They rushed all the way down, excitedly telling each of the comrades they passed, "Faran! Faran! We've seen Faran…"
"Your Highness, we have seen Faran!"
Oscar opened his eyes and saw countless ecstatic faces. The young Prince of the Empire relied on the support and the help of others to move his stiff limbs. He wiped his face that was covered in frost and waved his hand as if it did not bother him. "Set out! Assembled troops, set out!"
Set out! The Red Tiger knights stretched their limbs and pulled themselves together with difficulty. They did not know that there had been a period of talk about the war on the mountain ridge. They had no idea what kind of thoughts they would develop had they realized there would be even more and even greater wars to come. It was believed that they would be afraid, that they would yearn for it, that they would sacrifice, and that they would carry their spoils of war and return to their homes they had been separated from for so long.
They had set out! The ranks were still as strong. However, some of the knights had already fallen into eternal slumber at an unknown mountain ridge at the Deiss-Faran border. The bright red Narcissus Fierce Tiger pennant flag kept rising along the snowline and joined to form a large stretch at the spot they had stayed overnight at in the snow-capped mountains.
At noon, the sun bathed over all things and the snow-capped mountains reflected the mighty light and shadow. O'Neil Andrew Morisette stood on the vast clearing on the mountain ridge. Murat, who had shaken hands and made a vow with him, was by his side.
"Faran?"
"Yes! Faran!"
Oscar looked into the distance. The mountains overlapped one another. Brilliant white snow covered the peaks of the mountains. At the end of the horizon was a lush green with the plains and gullies cutting across in between.
"Let us start here!" As soon as O'Neil Andrew Morisette said this, he took the lead and marched out at an unhurried pace.
Murat saluted the commander's silhouette. Under the solemn salute, countless Red Tiger knights crossed the ridge and continued advancing toward the great land before their eyes. They had frost covering their bodies and they trod upon the snow grounds beneath their feet. Their hearts brimmed with a frozen spirit, a spirit that could also be turned into a stream and rise as a surge of steam.
Church's Harvest Year, the ten thousandth day of the 8th month, a quarter past three in the afternoon, in the mountain area of the Kingdom of Faran's Salingan border, the deserted lowlands of the valley suddenly became alive. A group of cavalry that stretched on as far as the eye could see stirred up clouds of dust everywhere and charged down from the towering foothills of the snow-capped mountains. A cavalry of the Titan Empire's Andrew Family had successfully crossed the Alps. They had even entered the attack positions four hours before scheduled time.
It seemed that the earth before them was no different from the other unscathed sceneries. It was just valleys, just hills, and forests that were changing their postures and the green clothing on their bodies. The flowers and plants were lush and flourishing, showing off a thriving summer air.
Without people, the land boasted its most primitive features. The bulge in between the hills formed an elevated plateau.
At the low-lying areas past the brooks, the Red Tiger knights were shocked that they were earlier by four hours. At that moment, they felt a little at a loss.
There were no foreseen wars, no bloodshed, no sacrifice and no silence before the charge. There was only a disorderly chirping of birds, the vigilant beasts, and eyes full of tranquility and greenery.
The hearts of men were like ice. They were the knights of Andrews, the God-chosen warriors! When they were born, they were destined to take away the souls of the world without asking for reasons or considering the consequences. The mission of the knights was written on a white covered book and they had memorized it to heart since childhood.
Could it be that being faced with such a quiet and peaceful scene, the hearts of the men never doubted? They should not! Every single being had thoughts greater than that of the realization of the group. Only when the group realization became a command, a mission or even something imaginary like karma would the thoughts of a being be easily erased, eliminated and be obliterated from the world by the greater and firmer group realization.
The command flag flashed one after another. The commands had arrived! The soldiers sat upright on their horses and watched indifferently as the military command continued to be passed to each of the combat units.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette was a little weary. According to the original plan, after escorting the great army through the snow-capped mountains, he would follow the Southern Army Group's supporting members to return to the Empire's theater of operations.
After a meticulous search, the Red Tiger scouts quickly got in touch with the Military Intelligence Personnel in charge of providing support. Most of the Red Tiger generals, after seeing their fellow comrades of the Military Intelligence First Special Combat Brigade, only did they believe that His Highness the Prince had really deployed the most elite Special Combat Unit into this exceptionally dangerous military campaign behind enemy lines. Regardless of how it was put, the meeting of both sides was naturally very joyous, both being famous hero units plus the officers having maintained good personal relations with each other all the while. Oscar said jokingly, "The Red Tigers, Snow Lions, and Pegasus are enough to have the Farans worshipping us as divine beings!"
However, the "1-1 Snow Lions" brought an even more intractable bad news.
"Here, the Town of Marsci..." the snow lion's liaison officer indicated a position on the tactical map. "According to the original plan, my unit has to first occupy this border-trading town, accessible from all sides, together with the Red Tiger Front, and make it the front line command unit of the Faran war zone. However, just last night, when the Snow Lions, Pegasus and Red Tigers were climbing the mountain, an army of the Kingdom of Faran suddenly established their presence in the town and activated the city defense measures. "The regular army?" Oscar frowned.
"They know we're coming?" Murat furrowed his brows.
"That means we and the Snow Lions can't move closer to the Red Tigers?" Brigadier General Luke Citel furrowed his brows as well.
"The other side is a regular army. Their structure is a frontier defense infantry division!" The liaison officer carefully assessed the three main generals.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette snorted disdainfully and curled his lips, "If it is the Faran Regent who arranged his Royal Guards here, perhaps it may have frightened me but a frontier defense infantry division? Swallow it nice and clean! We can't let a single person make it out of that town. If a person was to return to Faran's rear defensive line alive, then it will cause our attack to lose its surprise and spontaneity!"
"All the people that you are referring to is..." Murat scrutinized his head of the family with uncertainty.
The Titan Prince tidied up the war equipment on him. His voice reflected the cold air on the snow-capped mountains.
"Since Titan has Saint Halley, Faran should have Marsci…"
At four in the evening on the 25th day of the 8th month in Church's year 801, O'Neil Andrew Morisette faced the knights of the battle corps that lined up at the front of the formation and hit his chest soundlessly. The knights immediately sprang into action. They took off their cotton-padded clothes and their gaiters. The commander raised his blade and the knights opened the leather purse on the pack animal and retrieved an armor covered in frost and icy cold cutting tools.
There were no words for it. Only the continuous trembling earth beneath the horse hooves recorded the scene of the brilliant sunset etched into the distant sky. The sunlight dissolved the frost and the icy water took away the dust on the ancient armor. The soldiers were once again boiling in spirit, not just for the mission but for how magnificent life could be.