Summoning the Holy Sword

Thousands of armored horses galloped forward while the soldiers raised their shimmering swords. Nobody could remain indifferent in the face of such dignified attack, but Gaya didn’t even bat an eyelid. Instead, she ruffled her ring finger on the harp strings.

“—!”

In an instant, the entire world became clear and silent.

The ground sunk in abruptly as though a gigantic object had crashed down from the sky and not a single Cavalry stood before Gaya any more. In the blink of an eye, the shapeless sound wave had smashed them into snowflake-like fine powder. The young lady stood to her feet and the powder fluttered in the gentle breeze.

“Ugly, weak, and not worth a mention.” Gaya swept a glance at the ground covered in white powder before her. She snorted and left with her harp in hands.

Everything had ended for her.

But it had just begun for the others.

It was afternoon.

General Dade lowered his gaze to the Cloud Summit Fortress in the distance and he sucked in a deep, long breath to calm his nerves. He observed the soldiers on the Fortress walls. They had pulled back their bowstrings fully and were aiming at his men. However, there weren’t any movements in the Fortress indicating their intentions to move out. This was fine for General Dade because his mission wasn’t to take down the Cloud Summit Fortress. With his current manpower, he would pay a huge price to take down even this tattered Fortress. Moreover, it was the ‘Red Fox’ Garcia taking charge of the Fortress and General Dade knew the best ways to deal with a cunning person like him. The best way against him was to observe changes and ensure that the soldiers wouldn’t leave the Fortress.

“… General Dade, sorry to interrupt you, but don’t you think you’ve remained silent for a little too long?” The voice sounded in his ears once again.

General Dade let out a helpless sigh.

Forget it. My mission has been accomplished… No matter what happens next, it has nothing to do with me anymore.

General Dade lifted his head and called out. “Messenger…”

His voice had never been this agonizing.

The fiery sun shone on the city walls brightly.

Garcia leaned listlessly and the liquor flask in his hand was empty.

“This is boring. What’s that old fart doing? Setting up camp and not moving an inch? Is he intending to be a permanent resident there? Heh. What’s the point of this deadlock? He might as well send some men forward for a great fight. Tch, I’ve finished my liquor. How troublesome. I wonder how’s that little girl’s doing on the other side. If that little girl is doing well, maybe I can use this chance to attack that old fart…”

The slipshod Fortress Commander rubbed his hands and let out a cheeky laugh as though he was more like a dirty gangster. But shortly after, he stood up straight and revealed a stern expression. “Heh. That old fart is finally sending out his troops? How daring of him. Messenger, pass down my orders… Eh?”

Garcia’s hand gestures came to an abrupt stop. He squinted at the teams of soldiers approaching the Fortress. The soldiers weren’t raising their weapons and charging over aggressively. Instead, they were unarmed and crestfallen while their leader raised a white flag high.

“What in the world?” Garcia was dumbfounded.

The dejected, unarmed soldiers entered the Fortress with the escort from the soldiers. Garcia scrutinized the young man who stood beside the dispirited old general who was bound tightly in ropes. “Mr. Rhode, long time no see. What a huge surprise you have there.”

“It’s nothing, General Garcia. I was just passing by and I saw that your Fortress had been surrounded again. Since I had nothing better to do, I thought that I might as well… It seems that this ending is great too, right?”

For unknown reasons, Garcia found the word ‘again’ ear-piercing.

“… Yes, it’s all thanks to you.” Garcia shrugged lightly and approached General Dade.

He shot him a look and gestured to his bodyguards. Shortly after, the bodyguards silently brought the old general away and Garcia turned to face Rhode with a smile. “Mr. Rhode, you’ve done a great job again. Don’t make the other nobles too jealous, will ya? By the way, your troops are…”

“I know. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

Rhode was confident in Lize’s abilities. In fact, he had received a ‘live report’ from Gillian about Lize’s battle plan. Got to say, Rhode knew that Lize had this talent in her and she performed impressively this time. Clerics were a strict support class and this meant that an outstanding Cleric had to grasp the characteristics and classes of the members in her team, in order to prevent any mistakes during battle. Due to this reason, many Clerics in team battles took up the roles of adjutants because they possessed pragmatic commanding moves, meticulous observation skills, and sharp reactions. Lize had no lack of these characteristics and during their previous operations, Rhode had discovered that Lize led her Cleric team skillfully without any issues. This was one of the reasons that he had appointed Lize to represent him in commanding the battle.

Remarkable results.

Rhode felt that he was really fortunate. Indeed, Lize lacked overall views on situations. Perhaps it was due to her small-minded personality that she limited herself to observe the outcomes of the one or two battles. The furthest that Lize could envision in this battle was the Reformist Party trying to launch an attack on Paphield after getting past the defensive line. On the contrary, Marlene was different. As Rhode’s adjutant, she wasn’t as careful in pre-battle preparations, but she concentrated on the present conditions instead. If both of them were chess players, Lize would be planning her moves in terms of gains and losses while Marlene would watch the movements of the entire chessboard.

Both of them had their merits and drawbacks. If Rhode could make use of their strength perfectly, it would surely be beneficial for future battles. Marlene didn’t need his guidance while Lize finally unleashed her potential under pressure.

This was the best gain for Rhode.

“I see that Mr. Rhode is aware of the current situation?”

Garcia had invited Rhode to his room and he asked softly.

Rhode twitched his brows. He picked up the teacup and sipped the fragrant tea. “That’s right, Mr. Garcia. I’m clear of the current situation. But, nobodies like us should do what we’re supposed to and as for the other matters… Someone else will naturally do it.”

“I hope so.” Garcia shook his head as he knew what Rhode meant.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Garcia knitted his brows and responded. “Come in.”

The door opened and Lize entered the room. “General Garcia, we have accomplished the mission. Among the 3,500 enemy Cavalrymen, 2,300 of them are dead and those who survived are heavily injured. My men are looking over them, but there are too many of them. If it is possible, I hope the Fortress can… Mr. Rhode?!”

Lize shockingly detected Rhode sitting at the side. She widened her eyes in astonishment. “You’re back? When did you…”

“Only just, Lize. I’ve heard from Gillian. And you’ve done well.”

“Mr. Rhode…”

Complicated emotions clouded her mind as she witnessed his nod. There were feelings of joy, complaints, and grievances… She didn’t know how she should face Rhode. She looked at Rhode vacantly but she couldn’t utter any more words. On the other hand, the corners of Rhode’s mouth turned up and he approached her, placing his right hand on her shoulder. “Good job, Lize. I’m happy that you’re able to face everything bravely and accomplish the mission that I’ve handed to you impressively.”

“Mr. Rhode, I…” Lize blushed to Rhode’s gaze.

When she was about to respond, suddenly, a soldier rushed into the room. “Reporting, Sir! We received news that the Thistle Wreath Fortress has fallen into the enemies’ hands! The Southern Legion’s 20,000 troops have penetrated deep into the Paphield hinterland!”