Chapter 4: The Tireless Airael Strikes Again at Malong Fortress
Days drifted by like leaves in the wind.
With preparations almost complete on all fronts, the Machia Republic launched another bold assault on the Orc-held Malong Fortress.
A mighty army of fifty thousand warriors assembled outside the fortress, bolstered by the formidable mage group from the Tower of the Archmage led by Andrew.
Facing the overwhelming force of the Machia troops, both Dark Elves and Orcs stayed holed up inside Malong Fortress, not retreating to their previous camps.
Upon arriving at Malong Fortress, the Machia forces didn’t jump into battle right away.
They had already learned how tough it was to breach that fortress before, and intelligence indicated that the Orcs had reinforced their defenses significantly in the meantime. The garrison within the fortress had grown in number, making the task at hand even more daunting.
So, patience became their greatest strategy.
Everyone agreed on this plan.
Before launching an attack on Malong Fortress, they needed to establish a camp for their own safety.
The camp was built at the previous location of Komit and his troops, and with the increase in numbers, they expanded the place a bit.
With a mix of nostalgia and frustration, Komit observed the renovation of the camp ruins.
It had taken him considerable effort to construct this camp previously, yet it had been swept away by the brute force of the Dark Elves and Orcs.
“Rest assured, Commander Komit, this time we will emerge victorious!”
Arthur chimed in, sensing Komit’s mixed feelings.
“Let’s hope so!” Komit replied, a shadow of doubt crossing his features.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at him.
He seemed to be lacking confidence!
Komit had been full of certainty about this return before.
In fact, he wasn’t entirely devoid of confidence—memories flooded back as he gazed at the camp, reminding him of how he had lost it.
It was a straightforward loss, overwhelmed without strategy, just brute force from the Dark Elves and Orcs.
Strength conquering skill, indeed!
Realizing his words were a bit off, Komit quickly explained to Arthur and the others, “I apologize, seeing this place brought back some unpleasant memories.”
Hearing this, Arthur and the rest understood, so they didn’t press the issue further.
After all, it wasn’t a pleasant topic.
They began discussing camp construction matters.
How could they create a great camp where soldiers could rest well and feel at home?
Especially after being attacked again, how could they maximize the camp’s defensive capabilities?
Once the construction was about done, they returned to their respective squads, tending to their own duties.
Only by managing their internal affairs could they coordinate effectively with the outside world.
Speaking of which, their motley crew was quite the patchwork.
The entire force was composed of four main parts.
First, the troops led by Komit; second, Arthur’s squad; third, reinforcements sent by Machia; and fourth, Andrew and his fellow mages.
Within each of these sections, there was no singular harmony either.
Take Arthur’s group, for instance; its members hailed from various locations, each with strengths and weaknesses, making management a bit of a headache!
They figured the best approach was to focus on their own backyards first before dealing with the rest.
For issues involving other squads, they could only collaborate and negotiate.
Though Komit was their nominal leader, there were things he clearly couldn’t simply enforce based on his own wishes.
He had to give due respect to everyone’s opinions.
Especially the opinions of Andrew, the mage group’s leader.
If Andrew chose to go against him, Komit would have no choice but to listen to him!
In the end, it seemed the best leader around was Andrew, but he himself showed no interest in that role.
Arthur was busy, and Airael wasn’t idle in the camp either.
Mork’s earlier words had incensed her.
Thus, she had been working hard to improve herself lately.
Although the results weren’t dramatic, Airael was pleased.
As long as she felt herself growing stronger, that was what mattered!
Gradually, Airael’s thoughts began to shift away from Arthur.
This time, she no longer clung to him for those “indescribable” activities.
And that left Arthur feeling a little out of his depth.
So it was on this night, as Airael finally returned to the tent after checking in with the still-busy Arthur, she flopped onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep.
“Ailia, you seem rather tired lately?”
Arthur paused his work and turned to Airael, curious.
Airael, not quite snoring yet, opened her eyes a sliver, yawning widely. “Of course I’m tired! I haven’t had a moment’s break recently.”
“What have you been up to?”
Arthur inquired.
“Training, of course! I realized my strength left much to be desired, so I have to work at it.”
“And how do you train?”
Arthur noticed she had been under his nose the entire time while traveling.
Today, he had been too busy to keep track of her.
“Meditating, obviously! I got bored on the road, so I meditated!”
Airael rolled her eyes in reply.
What else could she possibly do?
Surely not practice a small-scale War Magic in front of the human army to boost her skills!
While she did need to improve her mastery of War Magic, casting it carelessly wasn’t an option.
One, it’s too impressive and draws attention, and two, the resource drain was massive—even she sometimes struggled with it.
After all, she was still a fresh hero mage, having just crossed that threshold not long ago.
But even then, Airael was already far ahead of most mages, even those at her level.
Some might have been in that rank for ages, yet still paled in comparison to her.
Now that’s what we call talent!
“Meditating while traveling is possible?”
“Is it not?”
Airael shot back at Arthur’s question.
Arthur shook his head. “I didn’t know! I just never saw you do that before.”
“For a normal mage, meditation can be entered at any time, it’s a state of mind. Got that?”
“Got it!”
“Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m off to sleep. I just practiced some sword techniques with Celia and I’m wiped out.”
“Goodnight, Ailia!”
Noticing Airael’s exhausted look, Arthur didn’t say anything else and quietly wished her goodnight.
“Goodnight!”
Airael mumbled sleepily, and just like that, she drifted off into a dream.
