As the words fell, azure particles fluttered about.
Before Thorne could even react, the Princess of the Moon had vanished without a trace, leaving only those star-like particles as proof of her visit. As expected of a demigod, even her exit was stylish.
Thorne felt a sense of longing. Recalling their conversation and the subtle gestures she had inadvertently shown, the corners of his mouth curled upward. Ranni is quite interesting.
After his quiet meeting with Ranni, Thorne left just as silently.
Then, the knight Allen took him to the armory to pick out a weapon. From rows of sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, he selected a streamlined curved sword. There was no other way; unless he had one custom-made by a blacksmith, finding a genuine tachi in Liurnia was difficult. He'd asked Allen, who mentioned seeing weapons from the borderlands before, but Caria didn't have any.
A curved sword it is, then. At least it's more comfortable to use than a standard straight sword.
Besides, this wasn't just any common curved sword; it was a weapon Caria had borrowed from their allies, the Bloodhound Knights. Its name was Bloodhounds Fang, a refined weapon of knightly caliber, perfectly suited for his current situation. Bloodhound sword techniques—anyone who's used them knows how good they are. Ranni's rewards didn't end there. After picking the weapon, he was gifted a set of Ronin Armor, finally freeing Thorne from his mismatched attire. As for whether he was now considered a Magic Apprentice or a soldier, only the gods knew.
Next, Allen assigned him to a combat squad responsible for defending the shoals at the rear flank of the manor. Surprisingly, the captain of this five-man squad was an acquaintance.
"Yo, haven't seen you in two days and you've already traded your old gear for new stuff!" An archer named Karin punched Thorne in the chest, her smile revealing a mouthful of white teeth. She was the same companion from the night they ambushed the supply caravan. Having seen Thorne's skills firsthand, she was very enthusiastic.
"Hello, Captain Karin," Thorne nodded, forcing a smile.
She was a woman, but nearly two meters tall with messy blonde hair, broad shoulders, and bulging muscles. She didn't look like a female archer at all; if she grew some facial hair, she could immediately pass for a burly man. It reminded him of a certain famous saying. I beg you, leave some milk for the child.
"Haha, don't tell me you just realized I'm a woman? I wouldn't turn down a pretty boy like you, you know." Karin laughed loudly, hooking her arm around Thorne's neck to drag him aside, pointing at the others:
"Duke and Lyra. We went to seek death together that night.
"They were supposed to be in the infirmary recovering, but I dragged them back here."
Thorne had been preoccupied when he first arrived that night, but looking closely, they were indeed members of the team that ambushed the supply caravan.
Duke was a somewhat shy sword-and-shield user who gave a dry laugh as a greeting.
Lyra held a Crescent Moon Halberd; she was tall with long arms, wearing a partial set of Cuckoo Knight armor with the insignia scrubbed off. She gave a dull nod before returning to the wood carving in her hands.
As for the last person, Karin didn't need to introduce him.
Thorne's eyes lit up as he walked over quickly. "Arno, you were assigned here too?"
He was a bit nervous around these battle-hardened veterans, and he scratched his head.
"Uh, I think I'm riding on your coattails." This place was hundreds of meters from the front lines; he no longer had to fear being crushed by a catapult stone.
"Don't belittle yourself, you're a veteran who's seen blood too," Thorne patted his shoulder, looking at the waves on the lake. "Besides, it's not safe here either."
"Well said! It's because we're short on manpower that we've been sent to guard the shore. Those damn Cuckoos aren't idiots; if they can't even figure out how to copy a successful tactic, they might as well just go die," Karin laughed, slapping Thorne's back with a series of loud thuds. "So brothers, we hold this position until every last one of us is dead!"
The sun set, and the light of the Erdtree gradually dimmed, signaling the end of the day.
The boulders from the catapults hadn't stopped falling from dawn to dusk.
From time to time, wounded soldiers were carried past them toward the manor for treatment, while reinforcements constantly arrived at the manor to reinforce the walls with their lives.
By evening, no more reinforcements could be seen. Everyone knew the manpower was exhausted; a general offensive was certain to happen tonight. The group guarding the lakeshore was accustomed to life and death. Except for Arno, who was still nervous, everyone went about their business. Karin was fast asleep, her snoring seemingly trying to drown out the sound of falling boulders.
Lyra was focused on her wood carving, fully immersed in artistic creation.
Duke, the shield-bearer, ran to the lakeshore for something and returned a while later looking refreshed.
As for Thorne, he found an empty space and practiced his skills repeatedly. "Bloodhound sword techniques!" He swung the curved sword upward, leaving a trail of light in the air as the wooden post was sliced in half. Thorne used the strength of his core to retreat several meters, then stepped off his right foot. His body vanished instantly, reappearing in front of the post.
The blade flashed again, and the falling wood was split into two more pieces. Whew... Thorne wiped the sweat from his forehead. After using it three times in a row, he felt his stamina reaching its limit. He twisted his wrist, looking at the curved sword in his hand thoughtfully. This was the power of Ashes of War. Simply put, it was like attaching a technique to a weapon, much like a pre-written program that allowed the wielder to use it immediately.
The advantage was the extremely low threshold; as long as one had limbs, they could use it, skipping the learning process and executing it fluidly without much thought.
The disadvantage was that this 'program' was written by someone else; it wasn't one's own power. "This Bloodhounds Step is quite impressive. I need to find a way to learn it properly." Thorne was very interested in that unique second-stage physical technique. He closed his eyes, and images flashed through his mind.
Gathering energy at a single point for a sudden burst to close in on the enemy, followed by a cross slash, a thrust, a Carian Slicer, or even jamming a staff into the enemy's face to turn them into a pulpy mess. That feeling wasn't easy to learn; it required a unique technique. Thorne kept stepping and moving in place until his clothes were soaked with sweat. Learning sword techniques couldn't be rushed; it often relied on a flash of Comprehension Ability. But since it was a technique created by humans, it could certainly be mastered.
He sheathed the Bloodhounds Fang back into the scabbard on his back and walked back while wiping his face. A campfire had been lit by the shore, and the squad was gathered around it eating. "Thorne, I got your food for you." Arno handed over a plate. Thorne thanked him, but his expression grew serious as he looked at it. There was goat meat and a cup of clear liquid. His nose twitched—it was definitely alcohol. "Uh, aren't you eating?"
"You idiot, look at how smart Thorne is. Meat and wine—it's obvious the battle is about to start." Karin propped her head on her hand and snorted irritably.
Arno's eyes widened as if he realized something. His face immediately darkened, hiding a hint of fear. The catapults had been pounding all day; the Cuckoos were clearly about to attack. Then he felt the ground vibrate slightly. Looking up, a ten-meter-tall Troll wearing a Carian Knight helmet was walking past them. Another siege was about to begin, but this time, the Cuckoo Knight Order was coming for real. "Eat. They might not even make it here." Thorne's expression was as calm as ever. Forget catapults, he had even survived bombardments from the Interior Ministry. Why worry so much?
He would just cut down whoever came. No one spoke. The only sounds were heavy chewing and the crackling of firewood.
A moment later, a roaring battle cry like a sudden thunderclap reached their ears. Arno couldn't help but look south, but he couldn't see anything because of the stone buildings. He could only see the light of Glintstone Sorcery illuminating the sky, followed by the distant sound of clashing weapons like falling rain. The unknown was even more terrifying. Amidst the clashing steel, the occasional 'rumble' of collapsing walls could be heard.
It was unclear if it was the Trolls or the catapults. Regardless, the sorcerers atop the stone buildings held their staves high and fired frantically, only to be struck by hidden ballistae. They fell like kites from a hundred meters up, hitting the ground with a wet thud.
"This... this..." The young man's fingertips turned white as he gripped his spoon, and he swallowed hard. "Are we just going to sit here and watch?"
"What else can we do? A soldier must do their duty." Karin patted his shoulder and laughed loudly. "Relax. Back during the defense of the Royal Capital, the scene was much bigger than this. Enchanted walls ten meters thick were blasted right through by Radahn's Gravity Magic."
Thorne, who was eating quietly, pricked up his ears. He looked up and asked, "Captain, you came from Leyndell?"
"You didn't know? Tsk, if I weren't so uneducated, I'd give you a proper lecture on how brutal that battle was." Karin blinked, her mind filled with terrifying scenes. Demigods clashing, soldiers flying away like scraps of paper, and falling stars smashing houses to pieces. Thorne was curious.
Seeing Karin struggle for words, he simply interrupted: "The demigod coalition besieged Leyndell. Why did they fail?"
"They weren't united. Besides, the Royal Family had a hero on their side."
"Who?"
"'The Omen King,' Morgott!"
Looking at the admiring Karin, Thorne fell silent. This Morgott was also one of the demigods, but he had a tragic fate. Because he bore the deformed traits of an Omen, he had been exiled to the sewers since childhood. But he rose from the filthy sewers.
Instead of taking revenge on the Golden Order that had mistreated him, he fought to protect it, repelling the other demigods. Now, he was the lord of the Royal Capital. Such magnanimity in returning good for evil was enough to call him a hero.
"Then how did you end up in Liurnia?"
"I didn't dare stay in Leyndell anymore. Unfortunately, I'm a jinx; wherever I go, trouble follows." The tough woman gave a bitter smile.
"Have you accepted your fate?" Thorne asked back with a faint smile.
"Accept it? As long as I have a breath left, I'll shoot this damn fate to death..."
Karin stopped, her gaze snapping toward the lake.
By the moonlight, several small boats could be seen riding the waves toward them. "Brothers, we finally have work to do!"
Without another word, Thorne and the others set down their plates, all of them staring toward the lake with grim expressions.
"Arno, go report to Master Allen. Hey, don't leave just yet." The tough woman pulled the young man back. Looking at the confused youth, she picked up the wine cup at her feet. "Come, let's have a drink. We'll meet at the Erdtree."
She wasn't particularly devout. While the others stared blankly, Thorne was the one who raised his cup. "Honor in death, disgrace in life. We'll meet again in the graveyard."
The strong liquor burned its way down his throat. Thorne loved wine, but he hadn't expected his first drink in The Lands Between to be on a battlefield. Listening to the battle cries, he actually narrowed his eyes comfortably.
Clang. The wine cup shattered. He picked up his curved sword, his limbs warm, his Battle Intent surging. Time to kill.
***
Chapter 8: The Battle of the Lakeshore
The moon was full tonight, seemingly hanging right over their heads. Combined with the light emitted by the Erdtree, it wasn't hard to see a dozen small boats rowing across the lake, each carrying several soldiers. In the small pond that was Liurnia of the Lakes, there was no navy. These boats must have set out from some island on the lake, joining the fray while the battle was at its peak. It couldn't really be called a sneak attack; these few dozen Cuckoo Soldiers didn't expect to take the manor by surprise alone.
"Will attacking the manor from the rear cause morale to collapse?" Thorne understood this tactic all too well. In battle, it wasn't always about how many enemies you killed but about maintaining your momentum. Whoever lost their nerve first would lose. The countermeasure was to have sufficient reserves, and if Caria had enough troops, they wouldn't have sent a mere five people to guard the lakeshore.
The group had just taken their positions by the lake when they heard Duke, the shield-bearer, cry out in alarm.
"Look! What is that?!"
Thorne looked up quickly, his pupils shrinking.
High in the sky against the full moon, a silhouette was rushing toward them.
Its wings spread wide, its massive body blotting out the moonlight.
It opened its hideous maw, and azure flames were gathering inside. The Glintstone Dragon, Smarag! Immense pressure bore down from above. Thorne gritted his teeth. Seeing the glintstone fire approaching—likely covering a hundred square meters—he grabbed Arno's collar and lunged back to dodge. Suddenly, a large cloud of blue particles appeared in the air, and another dragon, its head covered in glintstone crystals, blocked the way. Boom!!
The two dragon breaths collided in mid-air, the overflowing flames making the lakeshore as bright as day. In an instant, the dragon breaths dissipated, and the second dragon bit down on a massive moonlight sword, swinging it upward with a fierce strike. "It's Lady Adula!" Lyra, standing nearby, growled. Seeing Smarag fly back a hundred meters to dodge the light sword, she slammed her halberd into the ground in frustration. What a pity! They almost cut that evil dragon's head off! "Ignore them, we have our own mission!"
Karin fired an arrow into the lake and roared at the others, "Get the Fire Pots ready! Don't let these damn Cuckoos land easily! We hold this position until we're all dead or reinforcements arrive!" Thorne withdrew his gaze at the sound. In truth, there wasn't much to see in a fight between two dragons; they just used claws, tails, and dragon breath to strike at each other, fighting from the sky down to the lake surface. A 'boom' sent a massive plume of water into the air, and who knew how many fish were caught in the crossfire. He looked back at the lake.
The dozen or so boats were only a hundred meters from the shore. Karin held her bow, while Arno and the others used crossbows to fire continuously, sparks flying off raised shields. If Thorne were a powerful sorcerer, a single blast of Comet Azur would have sent all the Cuckoos to feed the fish. But he was only an apprentice, so he raised his staff and concentrated his energy. Great Glintstone Shard! The casting time was longer, but the resulting orb of light was larger. A glintstone shard the size of two fists slammed into a shield, knocking the man backward. "Now!"
Bows and crossbows fired together. This time, without the shield's protection, a mist of blood erupted from the boat, and the screams of the wounded soldiers echoed through the night. However, the flotilla continued to press forward. On the swaying boats, it was better to land quickly than to try and return fire. Thorne heard a series of commands. "Quick! Magic shields!" "Two people row, everyone else block!" Several large shields immediately glowed with azure light.
The Great Glintstone Shards were neutralized upon impact, not to mention the ordinary crossbow bolts, which simply shattered against them.
Seeing the boats closing within fifty meters, Karin put down her bow and roared, "Fall back!"
Duke and Lyra ran back without a second thought. Thorne grabbed his dazed companion and sprinted away.
Glancing back, he saw a large number of glowing stones being thrown over. Cuckoo Glintstones — basically magical grenades! The stones hit the ground and immediately burst into shards of glintstone.
As Thorne rolled behind a breastwork, he felt the meter-thick earthen wall rattling from the impacts. Looking up again, the weeds on the beach had been cleared away, leaving dim glintstone crystals everywhere. Before Karin could even catch her breath, she leaped up and pulled the trigger on a ballista mounted behind the earthen wall, its line of fire aimed directly at the landing point.