While Helmuth and Leon were returning on their horses towards Albert, racing against the remaining time, Albert and his companions were preparing to depart.
Albert prepared weapons for everyone who needed them and armed his men with the best available weapons. He also prepared horses, one for each of them. Only one hour passed before this small army, consisting of a few hundred fighters, was ready to begin its march.
Meanwhile, the only thing hindering the army's progress was the absence of Helmuth and Leon. Although Albert had given Helmuth and Leon three hours to prepare themselves, he only took two hours to prepare himself and his army, while he waited during the third hour doing nothing.
A minute passed, then two, then ten, then twenty of that hour, but there was still no sign of Leon and Helmuth. Despite this, Albert continued to wait for a longer period until only ten minutes remained before the departure time.
At these moments, the recruits began whispering among themselves; some even claimed that they had fled and would not come. Although none of them knew Leon, most of them knew Helmuth, the famous dwarf with the iron fist. Because of his widespread fame, some tried to question his honor at these moments, calling him a cowardly fugitive, as if they were certain he had fled.
As the countdown to departure began, most of the recruits mounted their horses, ready to leave, with only one minute remaining until the scheduled departure time. At this moment, Albert felt disappointed and also thought that Leon and Helmuth had abandoned him and fled.
Albert was well aware of Leon's strength and knew very well that it was unlikely for him to flee from combat or battles despite possessing all this power. However, doubt crept into his mind from other aspects. He thought to himself, what if the Golem story was just a lie, nothing more, fabricated by Leon? No matter how much Albert thought, he found no logical explanation for the matter. Why would Leon lie to him? And why would Helmuth give him such great trust? In the end, Albert had no choice but to believe in him, just as his friend Helmuth had believed in him.
The zero hour struck, and it was finally time to advance. There was no more room for retreat. Before Albert gave the signal for his army to begin its march, he looked to his right, towards the eastern entrance of the town, hoping to see Leon and Helmuth coming from there, but unfortunately, he saw nothing.
He made up his mind, and finally, Albert shouted at the top of his voice, saying, "Now, let everyone advance! It's time to show those Golems our strength!"
As soon as he finished, the shouts of his soldiers grew louder and louder, and they began marching north on their horses. Albert and his assistant led this small army.
As they marched, the assistant approached Albert closer than necessary, intending to whisper in his ear, "My lord, do you really think that monster who was with the Iron Fist has actually fled in fear of battle?"
Before answering, Albert sighed a little and then said, "Ah, Foo, I wish you would leave me alone. I no longer care about anyone. All I care about is the safety of my family and saving as many lives as possible in the North. Whether that monster has fled or not, it doesn't matter to me."
Albert's words indicated his deep frustration. He had placed great hopes on Leon, but all his hopes vanished before him at these moments. However, despite this, his determination and enthusiasm to save his family were like a burning flame that could not be extinguished in his heart, and this flame was what was driving him now.
As the army advanced, a few hours passed, and evening fell. Here, the army had to rest before continuing their march at dawn. As soon as the sun began to set, Albert ordered his small army to stop and set up their tents in this area. "Alright, everyone stop. We will camp here tonight."
And so, Albert and his army spent this night sleeping in the open, waiting for the dawn of the next day to continue their journey.
At these moments, the soldiers were talking loudly, surrounding the fires. "Hahahaha, have you heard the latest news? I had a friend coming from the far west who said that the Holy Kingdom of Florin would launch the Arthros Festival soon after eliminating this Golem army. I will go there and have the honor of carrying the sword of the hero Arthur, the demon slayer."
As soon as this soldier finished speaking, many soldiers around him began to mock him, saying, "Hahahaha, you will carry the hero's sword? Hahahaha, you must be joking, aren't you?"
And so, the sounds of laughter and discussion grew louder and louder, and everyone enjoyed this evening despite the lack of resources. But everyone preferred to enjoy themselves, for everyone here knew very well that this might be the last time they would enjoy an evening like this, and that they might face their demise in the upcoming war.
In another part of the Novaris Emirate, Leon and Helmuth were on their horses, heading somewhere, and they were moving very fast.
"Hey, Helmuth, are you sure this path is a shortcut and will get us there faster?"
Helmuth replied, "Yes, it is. Just trust me and follow me." In this scene, there was a lot of mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Helmuth and Leon and where they were heading with such speed.
Royal Capital Varisia: Urgent Report, Your Majesty
Meanwhile, as this messenger arrived from the East, covering all this distance to the Royal Capital Varisia, it was almost midnight. However, the messenger insisted on delivering his urgent report at this moment.
Only a few minutes passed before the King summoned the messenger to hear his message. As soon as the messenger entered, he paid his respects to the King and asked for permission to speak. The King did not hesitate to grant him permission, saying, "Speak, what is the urgent matter that cannot be postponed until tomorrow?"
The speaking voice was faint and trembling, indicating the advanced age of its owner. The old King, who could barely speak, waited to hear the messenger's message.
"His Majesty has granted you permission, so deliver your message."
The messenger spoke with intensity and discipline, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I carry an urgent message from Lord Albert Beaumont."
At this moment, one of the guards spoke, saying, "Alright, hand over the message now. We will review its contents."
As soon as he took the message, he began to read it aloud.
"From Lord Albert Beaumont to His Majesty King Regard Novaris: The eastern borders of our kingdom have recently witnessed an escalation of strange incidents that have perplexed us. Monsters began behaving strangely, unlike their usual behavior, causing great damage to our eastern borders. After lengthy investigations, it was found that the reason for the monsters' behavior was their fear of an impending danger creeping towards our nation from the East. A witness confirmed the presence of an army of ancient Golems, estimated at a thousand Golems, marching towards the northwest of our eastern borders. It is now heading towards the city of the North and will arrive in a few days. I, as a noble of the Novaris Emirate and protector of its eastern borders, am preparing an army to defend the city from this danger, and I request at this time that support be sent from the capital towards the North to strengthen our defensive capabilities and to preserve our great Emirate."
Everyone in the royal hall was in shock. A thousand Golems was not a normal number at these times. Shouts erupted within the hall. Some supported sending aid, saying that Lord Albert could not be joking about such matters, while others disbelieved the message and described Albert as a madman who had lost his mind.
Due to the increasing volume of voices, the King had to intervene to put an end to the matter. The King shouted at the top of his voice, saying, "Enough! Whoever utters a single word without permission, I will slit his throat!"
At this moment, the King was also at the peak of his anger. He was torn between his trust in Albert and the opposition of most of his council. Due to his old age, choosing one of the two options in such situations was extremely difficult.
The King looked at the faces of his entourage, then turned to the messenger and said, "Hey, messenger, are you sure of the accuracy of this statement?"
The messenger replied, "In fact, Your Majesty, we sent many exploratory missions to determine the cause of those strange phenomena among the monsters, but all of them failed. On the last day, Lord Albert met that famous dwarf with the Iron Fist, and he was accompanied by a young human. As soon as Lord Albert met these two men, he ordered the gathering of soldiers and the sending of an urgent telegram to Your Majesty, and he is now leading a small army towards the North."
The King sighed a little and then said, "Ah, I understand. So, I understand from your words that Albert obtained this information from that dwarf with the Iron Fist and did not see the Golem army with his own eyes."
When the King reached this point, some of his entourage spoke, saying, "You see, Your Majesty, Albert wants to move the Emirate's army based only on information he received from a dwarf."
The King turned towards the speakers and glared at them with a pale look filled with anger, then said, "Did I not order you not to speak without permission?"
At this moment, the speakers retreated, trembling with fear, as if their end was near. But the King turned his gaze towards one of the guards, a powerfully built knight, and from the unique design of his armor, it could be said that he was the commander of the Novaris Knights.
At this moment, the King addressed this knight, saying to him, "Commander of the Guard, what is the strength we can send to Lord Albert now?"
The knight advanced several steps, then stood directly in front of the King and said, "Currently, preparing a large army will be difficult, and we will not have enough time for that. Therefore, I believe it is better to send a force of elite Royal Knights and a thousand soldiers with them. With this force, we can at least ensure the safety of the population."
This was the opinion of the Commander of the Knights. The King leaned back a little and began to think very deeply. About a minute passed in this state until he finally rose from his place and then said, "Alright, let everyone listen. From this moment, Commander of the Knights, I appoint you at the head of a force of fifty knights and a thousand soldiers under your command. Lead this force to support Lord Albert and protect the security of the Novaris Emirate."
With this, the King finally made his decision, and the Royal Army began preparing to depart tomorrow morning.