Chapter 449

Chapter Seventy-Two: War Report

“War report—”

“An urgent secret letter from the Third Legion—”

Suddenly, chaos erupted among the tents not far away. Someone shouted loudly in the dim night, and amidst the flickering torchlight, nearby knights rushed towards that direction. A clergyman dismounted his beast, holding a golden light in his hand. The green starlight dispelled the darkness, and the light flowed into the crowd.

I was stunned by the scene. My mind was still processing what I had just heard when I saw knights supporting a knight whose steps were unsteady, with dark blood on his silver armor, weaving through the crowd toward this side.

Who is he… What happened…

I seemed to have heard someone mention the Third Legion…

He was wearing different armor, looking very weak. Is he from the Third Legion!?

“Water! Quickly bring water!”

The knight supporting him shouted again. I instinctively moved forward, took my water bag from my waist, pulled out the wooden stopper, and handed it to the knight who had called out. I anxiously asked, “Is it… the Third Legion?”

Isaac came over immediately, his usual lighthearted demeanor instantly replaced by seriousness as he asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s the Third Legion.”

The knight supporting him solemnly nodded, his face heavy with concern.

He took the water bag I offered, let the man drink a few sips, then stopped. Holding the water bag, he walked toward the medical tent while hastily explaining, “We found him during our patrol in the mountain pass. He’s already delirious, but he has a secret letter, which is a war report from the Third Order of Knights. It was supposed to be sent to the Fersal Diocese…”

“How serious is his injury?”

“Not too serious, just fainting from hunger. When we found him, he was lying by the roadside. His horse has already died…”

We quickly followed him to the medical tent. Suddenly, the knight from the Third Legion stumbled. The other knights hurried to support him, almost lifting him up.

“Sir…”

Perhaps due to drinking some water, the knight’s consciousness returned somewhat. After staggering and regaining his footing, he suddenly spoke, his voice weak and hoarse, “Rescue… rescue… Alreti…”

He’s pleading for help…

His faint words clearly reached my ears, and my heart sank.

“Don’t speak, don’t rush, take deep breaths… You’ve completed your mission, brave knight. Please stay awake. We’re right here,” Isaac, who was on the other side, comforted him. Then he turned to instruct another knight, “Go inform His Holiness… Who has the secret letter?”

“It’s with me…”

Soon after laying the man down in a medical tent on the eastern side of the camp, several nuns examined him and found only minor injuries. The wounds were mostly healed by divine miracles, but his body was extremely weak and accompanied by severe heatstroke. He started vomiting uncontrollably upon lying down.

I stood there watching for a moment, exchanging a glance with Isaac. His eyes were slightly concerned, and he held the war report in his hand without opening it.

People from the Third Order of Knights…

“Baldy.” I extended my hand to Isaac, palm up. “Let me see the report.”

Don’t rush… Think positively for now. At least we have news.

“Sir Isaac, Miss Hilvega.”

Just as Isaac was about to hand over the secret letter, a low voice suddenly came from outside the tent. Instinctively, I turned my head and saw a monk standing at the entrance of the tent. He bowed to us and said, “Please follow me to meet His Holiness.”

Oh…

It seems like there will be more discussions.

“Let’s go first and talk,” Isaac patted my shoulder, his hand heavy. He then stepped out ahead of me.

I understood, glanced back at the member of the Third Order of Knights who was still vomiting, and saw a nun crushing medicinal herbs and mixing them into porridge, waiting to feed him… It seemed he couldn’t communicate for now.

Let’s go see Angel first…

I sighed lightly and followed Isaac out of the tent. The monk leading us held a torch, guiding us back to the command tent. The monk turned and bowed again, lifting the tent flap for us. Once Isaac and I entered, the flap fell back into place.

Inside the tent, the flickering lamp light cast shadows on the figures around the table.

“…This year’s grain harvest in the central region of the Republic is not as good as previous years. Two months ago, the capital opened its granaries to provide relief to the starving people in remote areas… But distant aid cannot solve immediate problems. Bandits still run rampant, making the transportation of food extremely difficult. The situation in the northern region is slightly better, but in the southern region… Now, there’s also a conflict with heretics. Your Holiness, we can ensure the First Order of Knights has sufficient provisions, but it’s already a national effort…”

The people sitting at the table, besides Angel, included two Grand Knights, a Bishop, and a middle-aged man dressed elegantly with the coat of arms of Silgaya on his cloak.

The middle-aged man sat opposite Angel, speaking cautiously at the moment. Hearing us enter, he stopped talking and turned to confirm, his face showing confusion, “Who are these two gentlemen?”

Then he noticed our cloaks, his eyes lighting up.

“Surely you must be Isaac, the renowned leader of the ‘Fist of Judgment,’ and Hilvige, the heroine who saved countless citizens of Silgaria, known as the ‘Scythe of the Abyssal Frost’…” The man stood up, punched his chest with his right fist, bowed deeply, and offered a solemn gesture, “I am the royal envoy from Nalangraded, the City of Emeralds. It is truly an honor for me to meet two great heroes of humanity today.”

The middle-aged man looked at me with sincere eyes, but I was stunned.

“Frost’s… what?”

Who is this person…

What kind of nickname did they give me?

“The Scythe of the Abyssal Frost,” the man said with a friendly smile, “Perhaps Miss has been in the capital for too long and isn’t aware of some of the local events… The title first spread among the people and became more widespread after the reports of your battle in the capital. Perhaps it will soon spread throughout Westland and even Eastland. This is the affectionate name given by the people, my heroine Miss. Silgaria has never forgotten your kindness, and we respect you wholeheartedly.”

Uh…

I really didn’t know…

But I still bowed in return, “This is… my honor.”

What…

What frost scythe… Is this my title? To spread throughout Westland?

It sounds so long, I can’t remember it… And it doesn’t sound good at all.

I felt slightly embarrassed.

Why not something like Osmeru cake, which sounds nice and is easy to remember… Calling me the Frost Scythe…

The people of Silgaria really have strange tastes…

Shaking my head, I quickly pushed these scattered thoughts aside; now was not the time to think about them. Walking with Isaac to the table, Angel raised his hand, signaling everyone to sit down. He then knocked on the table and asked, “Any news?”

“The patrol knights found a member of the Third Knight Order. This is the battle report he sent.” Isaac took out the sealed letter and held it up, “We haven’t read it yet, Your Holiness. Should we read it here?”

As he spoke, his gaze turned to the middle-aged envoy.

“I’ll step aside…”

The envoy quickly stood up, but Angel waved his hand, “No need, let’s hear it here.”

Then, His Holiness looked at Isaac and said, “Read it.”

Isaac opened the letter.

“Holy Church Third Knight Order, initiated by Nick Williams… This is written in his own hand.”

He read the letter in a rough voice: “Due to the interruption of supply lines, the Battle of Moss Coast has ended in complete defeat. The Holy Church Third Knight Order has only five thousand knights left, retreating alongside the Sixth Knight Order’s Third, Ninth, and Sixteenth Battalions to a hundred kilometers outside Alethein City. We fought fiercely again in Pevensy Canyon against the evil heretics. After two days of battle, I wrote this report while evacuating…”

As Isaac read, his expression grew increasingly grim. The camp was silent and heavy. The few people around the table exchanged glances, seeing complex emotions in each other’s eyes.

They had been defeated…

Even though we were mentally prepared, this news hitting us suddenly was still hard to accept. It seemed like an unbelievable shock hidden behind calm faces. Angel stopped knocking on the table and changed his posture unconsciously. Leaning forward, he placed his arms on the table, clasped his hands under his chin, and furrowed his brows deeply.

Sitting beside him, I could clearly hear my own heartbeat.

“Those followers of the demons are like a terrible plague, sweeping through almost all coastal villages. They feed on the blood of villagers and livestock, and where they go, even birds cannot escape. They are bloodthirsty, possessing powerful inferno powers that can easily melt knight armor. At least eighty percent are second-stage believers, with ten having reached the third stage, making them almost invincible.”

“I never imagined that the Gate of Truth, hidden in Eastland for twenty years, would become so powerful. This will be a calamity for Silgaria and even all of Westland. Great deity, behind me are tens of thousands of people of Alethein City. I cannot retreat further, brave knights cannot retreat, and the Church cannot retreat either. Otherwise, the number of demons will increase…”

“We will engage the demons in a decisive battle in the wilderness outside Alethein City within a few days. Nick Williams of the Third Knight Order is willing to die for glory, but the Church must win this battle. However, at present, the hope of victory is as faint as the stars in the night sky. In the past half month, the Third Knight Order has sent six distress letters, each sinking without a response like stones thrown into the sea.”

“This may be the last letter. I no longer order it to be delivered. Send the knight directly to the City of Emeralds. I hope the distinguished members of the Fesler Diocese will provide timely assistance to the Southern Campaign upon receiving this letter. I hope this message can reach the Holy City. Only if His Holiness permits the valiant First Knight Order to march out can we possibly have a chance to win…”

Isaac raised his head, scanned the crowd with a deep voice, and recited the final words of the letter: “Perhaps this is my last letter. May the deities bless the people here… Nick Williams, the first heir of the Williams family and leader of the Holy Church Third Knight Order, respectfully submits.”

After the letter was read, no one spoke for a long while.