Chapter 111: Reclaiming the North

Reclaiming the North.

It was probably a phrase no one in the Albion Kingdom had ever imagined they would hear.

After all, for the longest time, the Malidean Wall stood tall, protecting them from the threats that came from the North.

That was how overwhelming the might of the Cardias—the Guardians of the North—and the wall was in the people’s eyes.

And that was also why the atmosphere that enveloped the troops that were marching northward felt somewhat unsettled.

They were still unable to believe that both the wall and the great family had vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Isaac found it all strangely moving.

Reclaiming the North…

It feels somewhat pleasant to the ears…

In his previous life, after the Malidean Wall was breached, they couldn’t even approach the Northern Region.

That was how unfavorable the situation was at the time; they had to retreat southward day after day, unable to even dream of reclaiming the land they had lost.

This time, I won’t surrender anything to you guys.

He didn’t know what kind of tricks they used to take the North, but he knew that there was no way the Cardias would’ve retreated so easily.

Also, he knew that Silverna was still fighting somewhere.

“Front! Demonic Beast horde! Shield bearers, move forward and form ranks! Archers, to the rear!”

Upon seeing the Demonic Beast horde, Lord Eisenwolf shouted, infusing mana in his voice.

At the veteran’s command, the soldiers hurriedly moved into position.

Their line of march was centered around a village.

With the disappearance of the Malidean Wall, the people from nearby villages had evacuated themselves.

This left the villages empty, making them perfect places for pack-hunting Demonic Beasts to stay or eat the abandoned food.

They moved with the assumption that the Demonic Beasts had made nests in each village.

Thanks to the princess gifting Isaac Ravenfall, they assigned him to the left-wing cavalry.

If there was one unfortunate thing, it was that his tachi wasn’t a suitable weapon to be wielded on a horseback.

Beside him was the Grandmaster, who had gone to meet her disciple, Damian, yesterday.

She hadn’t particularly mentioned what conversation they had to him, but…

If that’s what she decides, it’s fine…

In the end, Isaac chose to follow her decision.

After all, Damian only betrayed them at the end, so he figured that as long as the situation didn’t get that desperate, that outcome wouldn’t happen

“Yawn, I’m bored.”

The Grandmaster—mounted on a horse that was also from the princess—was riding in a rather unique way; sitting cross-legged.

Her balance remained unshaken even as the horse moved, a feat approaching artistry.

The cavalrymen’s gazes as they looked at her were either filled with curiosity or disapproval, the latter due to the pose that could be considered frivolous.

But having seen her single-handedly crushed the Blue Stream Society…

None of them dared to approach her.

“When are we going to move?”

“I don’t think we’re going to. Cavalries cost a lot to move. They’ll only deploy us to hunt Demonic Beasts that have settled in the villages.”

“Tsk, if I had known this, I’d have joined the infantry.”

When it came to cavalries, one could consider that every time a horse moved, resources would be spent. Now, if a horse got injured mid-hunt, that would become an immediate loss of strength for the cavalries.

One could even say that a horse’s life on the battlefield was worth more than a human’s.

Hence why they were a force that shouldn’t be deployed unless they had to.

“The northern expedition will proceed in two phases. The real clearing operation will be in the second phase.”

“Second phase? Ugh, I didn’t attend the meeting yesterday, so I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“During the first phase, we’re gonna push straight through to where the Malidean Wall was. This is what we’re doing right now.”

Like breaching a gateway, they’d pass through the villages to reach the Malidean Wall.

“When we arrive, we’ll assess the situation and rebuild the frontline. We’ll establish temporary measures, even if it’s just with palisades.”

“Hmm.”

Finding it interesting, the Grandmaster took out a cigarette from her bosom and put it in her mouth.

As they were talking, the Demonic Beast horde was being subjugated by the rest of the army.

“The second batch of reinforcement should arrive by then. After that, we’re gonna spread out our formation and clear the remaining Demonic Beasts inside.”

“Hammer and anvil. Quite typical.”

The real strategy was as simple as the summary.

After all, they didn’t need complex strategy or tactics to deal with mere Demonic Beasts.

They only needed simple, yet effective methods to do so.

“Anyway, have you talked with Rianna yet?”

The Grandmaster glanced at him.

Seeing how she asked so in a sly manner, she seemed to have been quite curious.

“Well, we had a conversation of sorts.”

“So that’s why the knot in your eyes has disappeared.”

“What knot?”

“I’m your master, no need to beat around the bush. Meeting your ex-wife must have been burdensome, right?”

“…”

“They assigned Helmont to the right wing too, no? Maybe we’ll meet them by chance later~?”

“Haa… As if that would happen.”

A few hours later.

The Grandmaster smiled at Isaac, claiming her prophecy had been fulfilled.

Meanwhile,Isaac pretended not to see her as he pulled Ravenfall’s reins tighter and increased his speed.

Currently, they were in Yandes Village.

The same village where they faced the Transcendent Race Nortemus.

Once again, this place had transformed into a battlefield.

“Left wing! Right wing! Now!”

Cavalry poured in from the left and right sides of Yandes Village.

They kept a slight distance to avoid colliding with each other, but…

That didn’t stop the Demonic Beasts from being trampled under the horses’ hooves, pierced by the riders’ spears and swords, and fell without any resistance.

Among the mounted troops in the right-wing, a familiar red-haired figure could be seen.

It was Rianna, swinging her greatsword at the forefront.

For a moment there, Isaac felt that their eyes met, but he pretended not to notice and went on his way.

“Hey hey~”

On the other hand, there were those who made zero effort to engage in such subtlety.

Sharen, waving her hand, openly greeted Isaac and the Grandmaster.

The bright smile on her face didn’t fit the atmosphere of the battlefield at all.

After the cavalries’ charge swept through the Demonic Beasts, the infantry quickly filled in the gaps they made and made quick work of the remaining beasts.

And that was how the Demonic Beasts’ subjugation in Yandes Village came to an anticlimactic end.

“Rest! We’ll rest here today!”

Three medium-sized Demonic Beast hordes.

Including the large horde that had occupied Yandes Village, it made four.

Though their marching speed wasn’t fast compared to the difficulty of the battles, their advance was steady.

“You told me that the commander is retiring soon, no? Maybe that’s why he’s taking it slow and refusing to get greedy. We could push to the next village steadily like this at this rate.”

Isaac, who was setting up his tent again, smiled and added to the Grandmaster’s words.

“Well, he’s a veteran. He’s pacing our advance because he knows our goal isn’t just to reach where the wall was at, but to establish a foothold there and hold out.”

“Oho, is the sword not the only thing you have deep insight in? You have a deep insight in war too? Interesting, interesting.”

“In my previous life, you didn’t take up the command baton either, Grandmaster. Instead, you paved the way for us with your sword.”

“Ah, that’s the only thing I can do, after all. In that sense, it’s truly regrettable that the warhorse can’t withstand the force.”

The Grandmaster muttered as she sneakily crawled into the tent Isaac had just set up and lay down inside.

Earlier, when she tried to swing her odachi with some force, her warhorse couldn’t withstand it and almost collapsed sideways. From then on, she had to take care to not swing her sword carelessly.

“And there’s Helmont. Amazing bunch. Surrounding themselves and their horses with Crimson Essence as if it was armor and charging in. The Crimson Essence truly has a lot of uses, huh?”

“Sure, but why are you lying there?”

“Their horses are also strong too. Maybe the strongest in this entire army. Don’t you think so?!”

“…”

“A-Ahem, I was just joking. You know, Sharen isn’t here, I thought I played her part for a little… I mean, don’t you miss that little lass?”

The Grandmaster, seemingly embarrassed, turned slightly to lie on her side.

Her tail wagged back and forth, clearly indicating that she was messing around.

“I asked, why are you lying there?”

When Isaac entered the tent and shook her shoulder, the Grandmaster answered with her eyes closed.

“Your Master is sleeping.”

“…”

“You unworthy disciple, how dare you disturb your master’s slumber.”

“Get up.”

“I’ll consider it if you’ve come to kidnap me. If not, come back later.”

“I said get up.”

“Stop shaking! It’s making me dizzy! By the way, have you done that in this tent? The male scent here is quite strong.”

“What…?!”

“Hehe, that was a joke. You always have this serious expression on your face, like you’re going ‘I’m gonna kill all the Transcendent Race. Kill, kill, kill,’ all the time, so I figured I’d tease you a little.”

“I don’t. I’ve never even thought about that…”

At that moment, they could feel someone’s presence outside the tent.

When they glanced over, they saw an unexpected woman standing there.

“Rianna?”

“…”

She stared into the tent without saying a word.

Her gaze was focused at the Grandmaster lying down.

“My, she looks like she wants to stab me to death.”

Saying this, the Grandmaster’s tail subtly wrapped around Isaac’s arm.

As if claiming him as her own.

“What business do you have? We are quite busy right now.”

After taking a deep breath, Rianna regained her composure and gave her an answer.

“Please restrain yourselves. A disorderly unit will inevitably have weakened discipline.”

“How can one suppress the affection between a man and a woman? Don’t you know that sexual desire is said to be the most fearsome thing humans could face?”

Crack.

A cracking sound, as if something broke down, echoed, but its identity was unclear. One thing for sure was that it came from Rianna’s direction.

“It’s disrespectful to other soldiers. As soldiers, you should exercise self-restraint according to your duties.”

“Can’t I just cover my mouth like this? Or we could overlap our lips to muffle the sound.”

The Grandmaster playfully covered her mouth with both her hands. Seeing this, Rianna’s eyes trembled again as she unconsciously clenched her fist.

“Grandmaster, that’s enough.”

Isaac sighed, got up from his seat, and exited the tent. Seeing this, the Grandmaster gave him a slight wink.

He knew what she was trying to do.

She’s trying to tell me to not be intimidated by my ex-wife.

And that I’m living well even without her.

She was trying to boost his confidence by that overly clingy act and the uncharacteristic lewd marks.

But, that was too much, Grandmaster…

See? She doesn’t seem like she’d avert her gaze from my tent anytime soon…

“What’s the matter?”

“…The young nobles have been summoned. It seems the Blue Stream Society has proposed to advance further.”

She’s still staring…

Rianna’s gaze remained fixed on the Grandmaster, and it was clear that she wouldn’t withdraw it anytime soon.

“They’re asking for our opinions, but the commander probably wants to scold them.”

“To scold them, huh?”

“Since he’s planning to retire, he probably wants to say everything he has to say.”

“Rianna?”

It was only when he waved his hand in front of her face, Rianna’s gaze finally left the tent.

“…Let’s go.”

As he followed Rianna to the staff’s quarters.

“Um… Isaac.”

“I’ve been thinking… Have your old way of speaking returned…?”

“…!”

Rianna paused momentarily.

Then she quickly moved forward again.

“B-Baron Logan. I know I shouldn’t interfere with your personal life, but…”

“…”

“You’re a member of this army now. Such behavior can build internal disorder and lower the unit’s morale.”

“…”

“So, p-please restrain yourself.”

If…

“B-But, i-if you really can’t hold back… M-Me—”

“Huh—“

“I-I could—!”

Rianna turned her head to look at Isaac, but he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was locked to the sky.

“Huh—?”

What he was seeing was a crack across the night sky.

Something was falling from the sky.

Noticing Isaac’s unease, Rianna’s expression immediately hardened and she quickly followed his gaze.

That something, a creature, fell near the staff quarters. It looked around in confusion before baring its teeth.

It was as if it didn’t know why it was here.

Funnily enough.

Isaac knew this guy.

Its smooth, dog-like face.

Body filled with sturdy, yet practical muscles.

And red eyes that seemed to see nothing but blood.

“Black Dog…?”

The moment he muttered that name, the creature seemed to notice him and glared at him.

Isaac immediately gripped the sword at this waist before calling out to Rianna.

“Call everyone. It’s a Primordial.”

Black Dog immediately charged in response.

The hunting dog without a leash.

In his previous life, this particular Primordial had swept through various battlefields, causing damage on humanity’s side.

Isaac hurriedly drew his tachi and responded to the creature’s claws.