Under the Oak Tree - Vol 2 Chapter 86

Vol 2 Chapter 86

Maxi gave them a silent greeting with her eyes. Hebaron’s cavalry unit was in charge of clearing the army’s tracks from the rear, which meant he usually only arrived at camp late into the night.

“It’s been a while, my lady,” Hebaron called out jovially. He addressed both Maxi and Anette as he said, “After days of having only weather-beaten men for company, I’m relieved to be in the presence of such fine ladies.”

Anette let out a low snort. Hebaron chuckled despite her lukewarm response before walking past them to his commander. The impish look on his face vanished, replaced by the air of a dignified knight.

“I have scouted the western route as you instructed, Commander. I don’t believe there are any threats of an ambush.”

“That’s not good enough,” Riftan said curtly. “You must be certain.”

Hebaron shrugged. “We are not deities. There’s a limit to how much information we can gather in such a short time. As far as we can tell, there are no traces of monsters having ever been there.”

This drew Maxi’s curiosity, and she studied the two men. Had Hebaron been on some private mission under Riftan’s orders? She bit her lip as she glanced at her husband’s impassive face. It saddened her that she could not penetrate through to his thoughts even a little.

“I will have to be content with that, then,” Riftan mumbled, mulling it over.

With that, he marched on past the soldiers who were setting up tents. Soon, they wove through the Wedonian camp and reached the one bearing Balto’s banner. Though the order of the armies changed now and then, it was usually the Temple Knights of Osiriya leading, followed by Balto, Arex, Livadon, and Wedon. Thus, they had to walk the length of the whole army to reach the meeting location. Maxi warily eyed the Baltonian soldiers as she willed her aching legs forward.

The northmen’s attire were mostly ragged, and there was an emptiness to their sunken eyes and gaunt faces. She found their bleak appearance slightly unsettling. They ate around a fire, sitting hunched against the gale like beasts.

“Stop looking,” Anette warned. “Don’t give them reason to pick a fight.”

Maxi looked away. The group quickly cut through the Baltonian camp and reached the Osiriyans. It appeared that the meeting had started without them inside the Temple Knights’ barracks. They caught snatches of heated voices as they drew closer to the large, hexagonal tent in the middle of the encampment.

She followed Riftan in with a worried expression. Though fifteen or so meetings had been held so far, they had yet to settle on a definitive plan. Not only did the commanding officers refuse to compromise, but the high priests and knights also asserted their opinions. This tense dynamic always seemed to turn meetings into squabbling matches.

“Ah, finally,” Richard Breston remarked as they entered.

At his odious tone, Sejuleu Aren and the commander of the Arexian unit cut short their heated argument. Riftan gave the men a curt nod before walking over to Princess Agnes. The tent did not have enough chairs to seat the fifty or so people gathered inside, so some were perched on wooden crates or barrels while others stood leaning against tent poles.

After glancing between the Remdragon Knights and the mages, Maxi quietly chose a chair near Riftan. Though the seating was not assigned, she was still nervous that she would be commanded to move. Despite her worries, no one seemed to mind the current arrangement.

Once everyone was settled, Kuahel looked up from the map he had been studying. “It appears everyone is here. Let us begin.”

“Is there still more to discuss?” quipped Richard Breston, grabbing a wine cup from the side table beside him. “I tire of these pointless arguments. Siege strategies are simple: you either cut their supplies and wait for them to starve or bombard their walls until they collapse.”

The Baltonian commander stretched out his bulky, muscled legs and propped an elbow on his armrest. “But since we’re more likely to starve to death before the enemy, our only option is to focus our attack on the vulnerable sections of the ramparts.”

Folding his arms, Sejuleu said in exasperation, “Have you forgotten that we are dealing with seventy-kevette double walls? Our siege weapons will be useless against them. We must find a way in and destroy the gate. Sending a unit of our best men to attack from the inside should make it easier for us to capture the city.”

“Are you suggesting we use the tunnel?” Breston said, snorting. “Just look at the size and length of it. Do you think the monsters guarding the entrance would welcome us with open arms when our army tramps through it in one long procession? They will block the entrance the moment they detect intruders.” His lips curled into an infuriating smirk as he added, “Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t try. Which unit will take on this dangerous task?” “The Bolose Royal Knights will do it. My men and I can handle such risks,” Sejuleu retorted stiffly.

“Let us be rational about this,” said one of the high-ranking knights of Arex, looking annoyed. “It’s not because we lack the courage that we do not speak up. We simply cannot divide our forces without considering if this plan has any chance of success.”

“Even so, we can’t leave the tunnel unguarded,” said another knight. “The monsters might use it to slip out or bring in the basilisks for food. Why don’t we preemptively destroy the tunnel and the basilisk farm?”

Another argument broke out as the high-ranking knights of Livadon voiced their objections. Maxi fought back a sigh. All the previous meetings had ended similarly, with everyone asserting their opinions and ultimately failing to come to an agreement. Even on the eve of war, the commanding officers seemed as hardheaded as ever. She hunched her shoulders as uneasiness wound through her.

Just then, something heavy fell onto her lap. When she whipped her head up in surprise, Riftan tilted his chin at the leather coat he had draped over her knees.

“Put it on.”

Maxi blushed. Had he mistakenly thought she was cold? She thought of returning it at first but quickly changed her mind and put it on. The coat was ridiculously big on her, but she instantly felt warm. She buried her face in the fur collar and inhaled the scent of iron and leather. His gaze lingered on her a moment before returning to the bickering men. Finally, he broke his tight-lipped silence.

“Have you all forgotten there is another way into the city?” When all eyes flew to him, Riftan calmly scanned the faces around the tent. “We can sneak in through the wyvern farm. We’ve done so once before.”

He turned to Albern and Geoffrey as he said this.

Geoffrey quietly nodded. “Sir Riftan is right. The wyvern farm is also connected to the outside through a tunnel.”

“Didn’t you say the entrance is located in the middle of a steep rock face?” Adolf countered with a surly expression. “There aren’t many soldiers nimble enough to scale a rock wall. And ladders or magic would give us right away.”

Riftan’s reply was full of suppressed irritation at the man’s ignorance. “Why would we use such conspicuous methods when we’re trying to enter unnoticed? If we decide to use the tunnel, we’d have to do so with the same method as last time.”

“Do you have a plan in mind?” Sejuleu asked, his eyes glinting.

Riftan paused for a moment. “I have two strategies. The first is to sneak into the wyvern farm, as I have already mentioned, and manipulate the rune to make the wyverns attack the city instead. That would be the most efficient method.”

“Is that possible?” said Kuahel.

Celric nodded. “It is. From our examination of the rune, we have discovered that it affects the wyverns in three ways. First, it mellows the monsters’ aggression. Second, it heightens their protective instincts; that is, their desire to protect their pack and territory. And finally, it suppresses their appetite. The enemy is essentially controlling the wyverns by suppressing their natural urges, hence it is also possible to produce the opposite effect by slightly altering the rune.”

Murmurs rippled through the tent. After keenly observing the reaction, Riftan said, “My plan is thus. While the army waits outside, two capable mages escorted by three knights will infiltrate the city and incite the wyverns into a rampage. Once the city is in chaos, an elite unit will enter through the basilisk tunnel and open the gates for the rest of the army to charge in. If successful, we can conquer the city within two days.”

After quietly listening to Riftan speak, Richard Breston said derisively, “Are you so sure that everything will go according to your plan? The monster army may be aware of our movements by now. If they have already fortified their defenses, I highly doubt we’d be able to get in using the same method.”

“That is true,” Riftan admitted after a pause. “If the first plan is thwarted because the enemy’s intelligence network is more formidable than we thought, we will proceed to the second plan.”

“Second plan?” Breston said, cocking an eyebrow.

Ignoring him, Riftan continued, “If it becomes apparent that the first plan is infeasible, the coalition army will be notified immediately, after which the siege will begin. This time, we will lure the monsters out from behind their walls to provide an opportunity for a unit to slip into the city.”

Silence reigned over the tent as he finished his explanation. Everyone seemed to be turning over the plan in their minds.

Kuahel sighed and pensively stroked his chin. “It is going to be a long war.”

“Once the siege starts, it will be difficult to sneak in since the city will be closed off,” Riftan admitted. “It might take a long time for the monsters to drop their defenses enough for us to lure them out. We will not be able to avoid heavy casualties in the process.”

After grimly staring at the map on the tray table, Riftan finished somberly, “We can only hope that the first plan succeeds.”

“Even if we can’t reach the wyvern farm, can’t we use the tunnel to get into the city?”

Riftan shook his head at Sejuleu’s question. “Not with its structure. To make full use of it, we must first breach the monsters’ defenses. Since we only have one chance to sneak in, we can’t squander that opportunity with an ill-conceived strategy. The covert unit will have to wait for the best moment to seize the city.”

Pausing, he regarded each of the commanding officers. “If anyone has a better plan, I will concede.”

While the other knights began deliberating in hushed voices, Sejuleu Aren voiced his support for Riftan’s idea.

“I accept your plan. The elite unit of the Bolose Royal Knights will take on the infiltration.”

“I have gone ahead and scouted the route leading to the basilisk farm,” Hebaron chimed in as though he had been waiting for his chance to speak. “There are no monsters in the area. Though I cannot speak with absolute certainty, I don’t believe the monsters are aware that we know of the farm’s existence.”

Maxi’s eyes widened as she realized the nature of the clandestine investigation Riftan had ordered..