Four Split Personalities

"Can’t I go out there and help kick a few myself?"

Ger looked at Snow Mane and the others with a sidelong glance, lowering his voice, "Don’t tell me you’re unaware of the situation below. Casualties are climbing by the second, and if this continues, the number of dead will soon multiply. They are all alive, real people. Once the strained string snaps, the situation is likely to turn into a rout."

Having recovered about sixty percent of his strength, Snow Mane sighed and shook his head, "But the Black Vatican Priest also mentioned that the Knight Order isn’t merely the main force in the third phase. If everyone strikes too soon, we could face serious problems in the final stage. You know, our strength is really limited..."

Ger rolled his eyes in exasperation, weakly rolled over and climbed onto his rather delicate pony, then collapsed onto the saddle, "I understand the logic. That kid from the Church of the Dawn has explained it to me several times. But knowing is one thing; watching these young people throw their lives on the line is another. I’m supposed to be a holy knight with relatively high moral standards. If those rookies are freaking out, how can I not be frustrated?"

Snow Mane gave a wry smile. Other than the ’relatively high moral standards,’ I had no faults to find in Ger’s words.

Indeed, they did not see themselves as saviors, nor did they display the arrogance that Sir Cay inadvertently showed; but even so, watching fellow warriors falling continuously on the front line was by no means a sight that pleased them. It had little to do with chivalric codes or moral standards, but simply a pure desire to contribute their strength.

However, until the orders arrived, whether it was Snow Mane and Fire Tongs, Ger, or the over four hundred holy knights calmly standing nearby, none could make a premature move.

Because Motan had already made it clear to them earlier, he hoped they would restrain their emotions. Even if a premature assault could prevent some casualties, the overall strategy had to go smoothly, and for the subsequent phases, the Knight Order still needed sufficient combat power to save more lives. However, they absolutely could not disobey the command until the other side was ’ready.’

So Ger had the entire Knight Order wait up until now, even after Snow Mane and the others had just returned from scouting without getting permission to attack. In fact, the person responsible for informing the Knight Order whether they could engage had just arrived.

"Please be patient, my lords."

A Lizardman knight, adorned in bright silver scales, flicked his tail and spread his hands, "I really have no say in this, but if there’s any news from below or orders from the Commander, I assure you I’ll be the first to inform you all. So for now... please abide by your duty."

...

Three minutes later

Game Time PM14:40

Hodir Mountain Path, East Side Trail

"Slow down! Everybody, slow down!"

The Beastman warrior clad in heavy plate armor, called Big Ear Mosquito, shouted at the clergy about ten meters away who, if careless, would burst a great distance forward, giving them a furious glare, "What in the world mutated in you?! Every one of you, priests and clerics, sprints faster than I, a warrior!"

The group awkwardly slowed their pace; one middle-aged man with a black beard wearing a dark yellow gilded long robe chuckled somewhat awkwardly, waving his hands, "Little brother, you don’t know. We who worship the Mother Goddess are really strong, we could work in the fields for ten days straight without taking a single breath."

"My lord..."

A younger man beside him, whose chest also bore the Insignia of the Fertility Church, interrupted with a conflicted look and whispered, "Sir, ten days without a breath will end in death."

Another Low-level Pastor from the Church of the Dawn quickly chimed in, "And as I recall, you folks induce your crops to ripen using Divine Arts rather than physical strength."

The high-ranking Priest of the Fertility Church, who had traveled a long way from the Holy Lands, found himself at a loss for words and after a while, he sighed in resignation, "I’m just worried..."

"No matter how worried you are, we must conserve our strength before reaching our designated location."

Big Ear Mosquito shook his head and gestured, "Everyone, decrease your speed and stay concealed. After ten minutes, we’ll use Death Dust to mask our scent; attracting creatures would ruin all our efforts."

"Such an odd powder, filled with the scent of death, yet not repulsive," remarked the good-natured high-ranking Priest of the Fertility Church, marveling at his portion of Death Dust. He then approached Big Ear Mosquito, whispering, "By the way, do you know how things are on the front lines?"

The corner of the latter’s mouth twitched and he gently shook his head, "I don’t know, the Black Vatican... man didn’t tell me anything. And you don’t need to be formal with me; I’m just a mere messenger soldier."

The high-ranking Priest laughed heartily, clapped Big Ear Mosquito on the shoulder, and flashed a bright smile, "As newcomers here, you folks who have been struggling in Misha from the start are our seniors. This is what we’ll do: I won’t stand on ceremony with you, and you don’t have to with me, okay?"

"Agreed."

Big Ear Mosquito agreed readily, grinning broadly, "In that case, if you lead your men to keep rushing forward recklessly, I’ll scold you."