Chapter 119: The Hero They Mocked Is Finally Revealed
In the Ashenford army camp...
Inside the tent Alistair was telling Sorin everything about his previous encounter with the Blackstone Golden Knight.
Then suddenly one soldier entered without announcing his arrival, his breath was high. Seems like he had run straight here.
Alistair and Sorin paused on this, and turned toward him with inquiring eyes, while Alistair gave him the displeased glare.
The soldier flinched at the vice commander’s gaze, because the news was so important, that in panic he forgot to announce his arrival.
Alistair became even more displeased, after seeing the soldier was not saying anything, so he shouted. "What’s happened!"
This brought the soldier out of his afraid state and then he told the news he was carrying with a nervous voice. "S-Sir! The Blackstone armies are marching toward us!"
Upon hearing this Alistair’s face became completely pale, while Sorin just raised his eyebrow, because he never knew that the Blackstone legions were so brave, that they would left their safe ground, their advantageous position.
On the side, Sorin also noticed Alistair’s pale face, on which he shook his head and asked other things from the soldier.
Soon the soldier answered everything one by one, like the numbers of knights and Body Temper soldiers, while also detailing about warhorses and other units. In the last he also added.
"Sir, Baron Luke, along with Baroness an-" On the last part he gave a nervous look toward the pale-faced Alistair, who was also listening to everything after getting a little calm down.
But seeing the soldier’s look, a bad premonition rose into his heart, while Sorin urged the soldier to continue.
"Sir, that early Golden Knight woman is also among them." The moment the soldier finished, a bam sound echoed and Alistair, with horror, slammed against the table.
Sorin, seeing this, became confused, because he did hear about their loss in defeat, but why Alistair was being so afraid of her.
Alistair, didn’t care about the looks Sorin was giving him, because even though he didn’t get much wounded from the earlier fight, but her attacks were really painful. Which he never felt before.
Seeing Alistair was not in any condition to lead, he ordered the soldier to prepare everyone and with that he also headed out, while leaving a word for Alistair, "Rest for a few minutes, then come."
---
On the place, where battle will likely going to happen, the surrounding onlookers were discussing the outcome of the battle with excited tone. Hell, some even bet 10,000 gold coins on Ashenford victory, while saying.
"The Blackstone territory is going to lose for sure. Because I have seen the numbers and they are not their match at all."
But the many onlookers, didn’t participate in their betting, they just waited for the battle to begin.
Nyra and Octavia were standing a little far from everyone, but even then many noble men and women had surrounded both of them, while keep trying to exchange in conversation with them.
On this Nyra only gave occasional nods and didn’t much reply to the groups. After that she observed the surrounding, that around 20 baron territory people’s, which were under her father’s rule, had come here.
’Don’t they have any work to do.’ She thought irritably, after noticing some noble descendants among the crowds.
Following that her gaze turned to the other side, there merchants and adventurers had made their own separate groups, but even then their numbers were way more than the nobles.
"Sophia, we should not be here." Damien Blackriver, the eldest brother of Sophia Blackriver said.
Sophia stood there with a smile, patiently waiting for Sir Luke. Ever since he had saved her, her faith in him had never wavered.
Hearing her brother complain for what felt like the hundredth time, she smiled and replied, "Brother, you should have faith in Sir Luke. I know he’ll win this war. I’m certain of it."
Sophia was not confident about this earlier, but after hearing that the Blackstone territory also had an Golden Knight, she decided to bet on Blackstone and share these thoughts with her family.
Even though she kept insisting that Blackstone was the future and that they needed to support Sir Luke to strengthen their family’s influence, her father only replied, "We will wait for the outcome of this war."
And that was how she and Damien ended up here.
Damien, still shook his head, because he heard. That the Ashenford main army was already here and now they have two early Golden Knights, in which one was the renowned Sorin Ironclad.
And this thought was also shared by many adventurers and merchant groups, but still everyone decided to gather here. Because many merchants wanted to sign the deal with the Ashenford family here first.
Sadly for them, they were celebrating far too soon.
Luke had already made his decision. Once the war was over, every merchant who had refused to sign a trade agreement with Blackstone Territory beforehand would pay a heavy price for crossing his lands.
This was Luke’s way of retaliating against those who had turned their backs on Blackstone when it needed them most.
While the adventurer groups were here for fun and were also looking, if they could join the interested party territory, which is likely the Ashenford.
"They are here!!!"
The cry echoed across the battlefield, and everyone immediately turned toward the grasslands.
In the distance, a massive army emerged, tens of thousands strong, marching beneath an ash-gray banner bearing the emblem of "an Iron Fist Clutching a Broken Silver Chain"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their overwhelming momentum shook the very earth beneath their feet as they advanced like an unstoppable tide.
At the front rode the renowned Sorin Ironclad, the commander of the Ashenford Army. Beside him marched the vice commander, a brown-haired man and a direct relative of the Ashenford family.
"The Blackstone Legions are here as well!!!"
Another shout rang across the battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention toward the mountains.
There, another army was descending the slopes. Although far smaller in number, its disciplined ranks marched with unwavering precision. In just a few moments, they would arrive at the battlefield.
As everyone waited for a few minutes, finally both armies stopped 1 km apart from each other.
Sorin looked toward the Blackstone legion and also saw the recently popular Hero, though in a negative way. But when he observed more, he found out that the Hero was way different from the rumors.
’He is not afraid.’ Yeah, that piqued his curiosity, there he was sitting on a warhorse calmly, while Luke was also observing his army.