"I do not intend to involve the Leyndell Army in this operation," Godwyn said. "The Frenzied Flame cultists have grown so bold that I find it impossible to believe no one in the Capital is intentionally turning a blind eye. Every time the army moves, the cultists relocate in advance. It is clear that whoever is protecting them holds a high position—someone whose eyes and ears can track every deployment of the Sovereign's Army."
"Why would a high-ranking official in the Capital conspire with the Frenzied Flame?" Raven asked, stirring his tea. "Do you have a suspect in mind?"
"The Frenzied Flame possesses the power to upend the current order; it is only because they lacked sufficient tinder and fuel in the past that their threat was never obvious," Godwyn replied. "As for who might be dissatisfied with the current status quo—I will not cast suspicion lightly. Before solid evidence is found, baseless accusations only serve to undermine the unity of the Golden Dynasty."
Raven nodded. "And by striking this cultist stronghold, we might find evidence of their collusion with certain individuals in the Capital, is that it?"
"If luck is on our side," Godwyn said. "There are many units within the army that report directly to me, but a large-scale deployment would inevitably draw attention. Therefore, this operation will rely primarily on mercenaries and wandering knights recruited from the populace. They are all outsiders, and they won't know the true target until after we've departed. This ensures that the information remains secure."
"A sound arrangement," Raven remarked.
Godwyn smiled and took a sip of tea.
"I have prepared enough Runes to hire these warriors, but money alone doesn't always yield the best results." Godwyn leaned forward slightly. "Raven, I invite you to the battlefield with me. You can observe firsthand who fights with true valor and reward them with a place in your knightly order. This will bolster their morale, and you will find genuine warriors for your ranks."
Godwyn's logic was flawless; it seemed like a mutually beneficial arrangement—but was it truly that simple?
"I understand. Thank you for your help, Prince. I was actually worrying about how I would select the members of my order," Raven said with a polite smile.
"Nonsense, I am the one who owes you a favor! By offering commissions in your order as a reward, I can save a great deal of extra bounty money," Godwyn chuckled, then added, "However, the brave warriors I've invited today are ones I've already set my sights on. I plan to put them to great use, so you aren't allowed to poach them."
"Of course," Raven agreed. "To a successful partnership!"
Seeing how much Godwyn valued them, the warriors at the table were moved to the point of nearly swearing their lifelong fealty on the spot, loudly proclaiming their devotion to the Golden Prince.
The group continued to drink tea and converse about various topics, the atmosphere becoming quite jovial.
Godwyn clapped his hands, and a group of alluring maidens entered to begin pouring wine. Soon, several of the maidens were sitting in the laps of the wild warriors.
Seeing the tea party take a turn toward the debaucherous, Raven cleared his throat. "Prince Godwyn, I overindulged last night. I'm afraid I'm in no condition to drink more today."
"Ah, that was an oversight on my part," Godwyn said with concern. "You've traveled all the way from Liurnia and haven't had a proper rest since arriving in the Capital. You should return early to recover your strength. Come, I'll see you to the door."
After parting ways with Godwyn at the palace gates, Raven intended to pay Radagon a visit, but he was informed that the King had already left for the main army camp outside the city.
Over the next two days, Raven commissioned a banner for his knightly order. The design featured a white wolf gazing up at the moon against a night sky. Aside from that, he made no other moves, choosing only to receive a few aristocratic visitors who had sent calling cards in advance. The power players of the Capital still seemed unable to gauge the depth of this new demigod, so most chose to remain at a distance for the time being.
Shortly after the banner was delivered, word came from Godwyn: it was time to march.
They gathered outside the city walls in the early morning. To avoid drawing eyes, Godwyn brought fewer than a hundred of his personal guards, and even his ancient dragon companion, Fortissax, was absent. The main force of the operation consisted of over eight hundred rowdy mercenaries and rangers.
Most of these men were loners or members of small teams; only a few were mid-sized mercenary bands of about fifty men. There didn't seem to be any singular leader among them who commanded universal respect.
Godwyn announced that he was the commander of the operation and Raven was the vice-commander. He emphasized that Raven intended to use this battle to scout for his knightly order, potentially granting knighthoods and fiefs to those who excelled.
The crowd had clearly been unaware of this. Upon hearing it, they erupted into cheers. When they learned that the target was merely a group of Frenzied Flame cultists in a village, they were overjoyed. They were so eager to set out that they seemed worried the cultists would be too weak, ending the fight before they could display their bravery.
"Our target is Dominula, the Windmill Village. We should arrive by noon. Once the cultists are purged, if the hour is early, we will return the same day; if it is late, we will camp in the town," Godwyn declared.
The men roared their approval, boasting that they would certainly return today and have the heads of every cultist within half an hour of arrival.
Raven scanned the crowd. Their weapons were a chaotic assortment—swords, spears, flails, great axes, scythes, and morning stars. Their armor was even more mismatched. At the very least, everyone had a horse, so they wouldn't be slowed down on the road.
He took that last thought back immediately. A white-haired old man wearing a straw cloak and an Okina mask was wobbling along on a horse so skeletal it looked like it might drop dead by the roadside at any moment. The beast's eyes were half-closed, looking utterly listless.
Raven shook his head. These mercenaries lacked discipline and didn't seem to have any warriors approaching the level of a true hero. He suspected that a charge from half their number of regular knights would send them scattering in a rout.
That said, they were professional killers who lived by the blade, while the Frenzied Flame cultists were mostly ordinary people who had gained a fraction of supernatural power. Unless the cultists had a tenfold advantage in numbers, the outcome was a foregone conclusion—and that wasn't even accounting for the two demigods overseeing the battle.
Among the mercenaries, Raven did not see the wild warriors who had attended Godwyn's tea party. Given Godwyn's reputation for collecting talent, the top-tier experts had likely already been absorbed into his private guard. As for the rest of these men, it was hard to say how many were spies.
However, recruiting subordinates through other means wouldn't solve the spy problem either. It was better to just go with the flow and make the most of this opportunity.
Though Godwyn was the architect of the operation, he stayed in the rear with his personal guards. Seeing that Godwyn had no intention of commanding the mercenaries—likely wanting to test Raven's capabilities—Raven calmly took command. He organized the mercenaries into three columns to support one another, making the ragtag bunch look somewhat respectable. Even if they ended up charging like a swarm of bees once the fighting started, at least they had some semblance of structure for the approach.
With nearly a thousand riders in tow, the force galloped straight toward the Windmill Village.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(68 Chapter - Ongoing)
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