Chapter 584: Advancing to the Frontline in the South
Lolan Hill looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, catching a few in her hand before they melted, examining them closely.
Another new year has come. She sighed inwardly.
Since leaving Emanas, time seemed to accelerate. Some of her former classmates might have already entered their fifth year and were nearing graduation.
In this era of rapid changes, time passed even more swiftly.
While the young lady was lost in thought in the courtyard, a maid dressed in black and white approached through the snow.
“Lady Lolan Hill, the team is ready,” Palinsa said, looking at the wise maiden before her.
“Hmm, I’ll be right there.” The silver-haired maiden turned around. Today she wore a pure white winter dress with a few silver patterns at the edges, complementing her flowing silver hair behind her.
Palinsa hesitated for a moment before asking, “Wise Lady, are you really going to the frontlines yourself? The situation isn’t stable.”
Lolan Hill pulled up her white hood and replied softly, “I know, but waiting like this is hard for me. And regarding safety, with Lord Feilang accompanying me, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.” As she spoke, she touched the warm feeling of the pocket watch inside her clothes, feeling a sense of reassurance.
Although there were more than one Sequence 9 Frost Alliance members, the war had reached such a stage that advancing under perfect conditions was impossible. Any endeavor or great achievement came with risks. For future victories, it was now time for her to fight.
“If I don’t set an example, how can I make everyone believe?”
“Palinsa, you’ve read about Roland opening the West Wind Kingdom, haven’t you? That flag led thousands to follow, and all hearts united.”
“But it’s just fulfilling my duty now.”
“But you’re different. If anything happens to you, everything…”
“But everyone else is the same. Many children and pillars of families are spilling their blood on the battlefield. As long as we haven’t won, this will continue.”
“Alright, why are you so sentimental today? You’re usually so efficient,” Lolan Hill turned to look at the maid standing in the snow.
“Don’t worry, I’ll return.” Her voice was calm and clear.
Palinsa watched the silver-haired maiden, bit her lip, knowing she couldn’t stop the determined wise lady. She lifted her skirt and bowed deeply, saying in a solemn tone, “Wish you a victorious return.”
“Thank you.”
Lolan Hill stepped out of the palace. Outside the gate, a line of knights in silver-white armor waited patiently, holding bright cross lances, with sun emblems on their white cloaks.
These were the Steel Sun Knights from the Tixilam Mountains, who would serve as the wise lady’s personal guards, heading southwest to Clancia to face the full-scale offensive of the Falcon Kingdom with a 200,000-strong army.
“Let’s go!”
Captain Kanda shouted loudly. With his order, the hundreds-strong formation began marching forward on the road covered with accumulated snow, heading towards the city gate.
The accompanying knights were mostly at Sequence 4 or above, known as War Sequence 4 White Flame Knights. When they advanced further, they would become War Sequence 5 Scorching Sun Knights, followed by War Sequence 6 Blazing Sun Knights.
As the team started moving, transparent flames ignited beneath their horses’ hooves, melting the snow and speeding up their charge across the land. From above, their formation looked like a sharp arrowhead, advancing southward.
—
Three days later, at the border camp of the County of Curtain.
Due to the barren land, there were no prominent large cities near the Falcon Kingdom’s border, and the population wasn’t high. Now, the border troops had set up barriers and beacon towers to monitor potential enemy movements.
Inside the main tent.
Lolan Hill and several generals were discussing.
“What’s the current situation?” She had just arrived last night.
“The Falcon army has already occupied Brown Flute County in the Mufeng Province. We are currently defending Tonghai County and Curtain County.”
“How many enemies do we have?” Lolan Hill continued.
“About 200,000 cavalry, 100,000 infantry, and 50,000 winged people. According to intelligence estimates, the enemy forces are still increasing, and the total number is expected to peak at around 500,000.”
“It seems another tough battle awaits us,” Lolan Hill sighed.
Indeed, it’s no wonder that this knight and winged people co-governed country could gather 200,000 cavalry and occupy a whole county in Clancia in such a short time. This was the border line with the most territorial losses since the start of the war.
The Falcon Kingdom wasn’t wealthy; most of its land was desert, with only a few oases where residents lived. In earlier years, many adventurers explored the ruins here, making it bustling.
Later, as the ruins were gradually excavated, it became a lawless zone. Many large gangs of bandits set up bases here, robbing goods and taking them deep into the desert, making it difficult to recover them.
This situation persisted until hundreds of years ago when a heroic knight ventured into this land. Using his formidable strength, he captured and defeated various bandit groups within the region and gradually incorporated them under his command.
Finally, this knight went to the cliff mountains by the sea to negotiate with the winged people. After over a decade of mutual familiarity, the leader of the winged people was moved, and trade between the two sides began.
The desert riders brought distant goods, while the winged people exchanged their exquisite crafts. Over time, the two sides jointly established the Falcon Kingdom.
Within the Falcon Kingdom, for a long time, the culture of rangers and knights flourished, and the people valued chivalry greatly. Thus, many rangers and riders within the kingdom were hired by others. Some became attendants to the West Wind nobles, while others served as guards for caravans, spreading their unique cultural charm.
And these people living in the desert, due to their need for trade and water, often raised sturdy small horses. These horses were good at carrying heavy loads and traveling long distances, capable of transporting goods across arid lands and traversing rugged mountain paths to reach the cliff mountains where the winged people lived. To protect themselves from the sun and high temperatures, the people of the Falcon Kingdom often wore white robes.
—
A week later, on the barren wilderness, the two armies faced each other.
On one side of the wilderness, knights clad in scale mail, wearing white headscarves and veils stood far away. They carried round shields and long swords, with some horses hanging dark gray iron plates. Long spears rested on the saddles, easily accessible.
Facing the blocking forces of Clancia, these knights from the Falcon Kingdom did not speak. Under the mournful sound of horns, they whipped their horses, accelerating gradually, then charging forward with curved blades and long spears aimed at the enemy lines.
Figures moved, dust swirled, and the blades flashed like waves of scales, surging forth.
