Chapter 243 - Volume 3
Chapter 22 – Expansion (3)
The sky’s cotton-like clouds seemed like they were set aflame by the setting sun’s penetrating rays. The near crimson sky extended to a great distance before it gradually turned to colors of violet and dark blue, with patches of unlit clouds at the end.
The clouds were considerably free of any indication that they were going to rain and instead hinted of good weather for the days ahead. While the trills and warbles of the birds could still be heard, they were diminishing and became quieter than it was a few minutes ago.
Scarlett’s eyes were slightly tinted by the sunset as she stood at Brendel’s side. She looked over to Mountain Graham’s northern direction; it extended towards Karanjar’s mountainous regions which wrapped around Firburh and continued eastward to the Dark Forest.
It was rumored that the mountains were the source of the land’s wealth with countless treasures buried beneath the ground. The silver mine in Trentheim was rumored to be just a small portion of what the mountains held, and even that alone was enough to supply Graudin with money to spend.
While the natives treated the tallest peak of the mountains as something holy and regal, it appeared like an enormous predator in her eyes. The jagged rocks that jutted out at the top caught the sun’s rays and glinted brightly, but the dense foliage from the trees that grew out at sharp angles seemed to prevent light from entering, and appeared like there were something mysterious lurking behind the shade.
The lumber mills in the forest were visible spots that stood out, and it seemed like there were few Subterrane Dwellers in them. But the truth could not be further away. These creatures dug the ground beneath it and created tunnels leading to exits all over the mountains. The small gaps in between boulders might lead into a network of tunnels.
It was impossible for an army to reach the mountain valleys without being detected by the Subterrane Dwellers’ strict guard.
Jana had seen enough talented nobles, so she quickly accepted the new Amandina.
“There is little information on the battlefield that’s reliable. Things change all the time,” Jana shook her head, her crimson hair shimmering in the torches’ flames, “it could be possible that it’s a Subterrane Dweller that was left behind in order to check us, or perhaps they are the enemy’s scouts that have reached us. The former would mean that their battle discipline is very high, and if it’s possible I wouldn’t want to face this army; the latter would mean the enemy’s response and organization are exceptional, and the battles ahead would be challenging…… And the reason for that is their scouts. The lumber mills are supposed to an entire day’s journey from each other. For the scouts to reach this place so quickly, it would mean their physical attributes are astonishing, as well as their speed to gather their army.”
“Which possibility do you think it is?”
“Based on experience, I would think it’s the latter.”
“Experience, you say?”
“Miss Amandina, relying on experience is very important, especially when you are unable to confirm something. Instinct honed from experience is more reliable than your knowledge—” Jana answered, before loud clashes of weapons colliding each other suddenly filled the air. The mercenaries had encountered Subterrane Dwellers and were fighting them off. “But our lord is even more impressive–”
“What?” Amandina looked blankly at her.
“The enemy is fighting back instead of fleeing, so it means they are enemy scouts. If that’s the case, it would mean that the enemy’s main forces are nearby. Judging from the amount of time that the enemies’ main forces are going to take to reach here, the height of our battles will be at midnight, to even predict the time taken for the enemies to reach us, that boy…… Ah, excuse me, I mean our lord truly knows the enemies well.”
“That’s not all he predicted.” Amandina looked up at the moon as she said in a flat tone.
“Oh?”