The eighty well-armored Winged Cavalry gathered for the first time, fully armed and imposing.

Supported by the Vassal Army provided by Mueller, offering replacement mounts and lances for the Winged Cavalry, as well as Hawk Trainers to serve as army scouts.

"Bring enough water and rations, we depart immediately."

The cavalry set off at full gallop, under the gaze of townspeople who looked on with either amazement or admiration.

The drawbridge was raised by the farmer soldiers on the watchtower, turning the winch.

Jeanne glanced up at the Siegfried High Tower on the city wall. With such a formidable siege weapon, she wondered how many it would take to conquer this seaport city that Losa claimed was both easy to attack yet hard to hold.

...

The situation was far worse than Jeanne had imagined.

As soon as their army appeared in the open field, a falcon began circling overhead.

"Hawk Trainer, can you bring it down?"

The Hawk Trainer replied in awkward Gaulish, "Yes."

With a shrill cry.

The hawk on the Hawk Trainer's shoulder shot out like an arrow, attempting to chase the enemy's falcon, but soon his hawk, with a human-like panic, swooped down from the sky and landed on the Hawk Trainer's leather-cushioned arm.

"What happened?"

Jeanne frowned.

The Hawk Trainer looked grim and pointed a finger to the sky, "Look, look there."

Beneath the clouds, hawks began to appear, one after another.

More than a dozen falcons circled over the troop like vultures eyeing a dying man in the desert.

"It seems the enemy has mobilized on a considerable scale this time."

Jeanne's expression turned cold.

Bows and arrows would certainly be ineffective against these predators hovering in midair. Although her Holy Spear could do the job, using it against falcons would be like using a cannon to shoot mosquitoes.

Too wasteful!

Though unlike Losa, who'd be exhausted after using the Holy Spear just once, she could only use it three consecutive times, while the enemy's falcons clearly outnumbered that amount.

"Now, we are completely exposed to the enemy's sight."

Prajna's face was rather unpleasant.

No matter how skilled a Commander might be, having their every move exposed under the enemy's watchful eyes feels daunting.

It's like in a real-time strategy game where the opponent has map hack.

You're still setting up a mining operation while the opponent is already selling the base and mobilizing troops, deploying tanks.

"Then what should we do now?"

After pondering for a moment, Jeanne said, "Proceed as planned, carry on with the original plan and support the frontier fortress being attacked by the enemy."

Just as Kurs had previously mentioned, Losa hoped Rauf would attack Eira Port, not only to avoid shouldering the blame of breaking the ceasefire agreement but also because, after acquiring the Siegfried High Tower, Eira Port was no longer an easily attacked yet hard-to-defend place.

"Ha, if that Piercer indeed plans to seize the opportunity to attack Eira Port, the Lord would surely welcome it."

…

Cough——

"Water, get me some water."

When Losa awoke, his throat felt incredibly dry.

Prajna handed over a glass cup, a trial product by Marles, filled with pristine well water.

"How long did I sleep?"

Losa drank the water in one gulp.

His Spiritual Power increased by another three points. Now, he had officially surpassed the fifty-point threshold for Spiritual Power and still had twelve Attribute Points remaining.

"A full day and night."

"That long?"

Losa was a bit surprised.

"Traces of the enemy have been spotted on the border once more, with at least a hundred elite cavalrymen invading?"

"Has Jeanne already departed with all the Winged Cavalry remaining in the city?"

He frowned.

He wasn't actually worried about it; Jeanne's command abilities surpassed his, and even if the enemy greatly outnumbered them, he believed Jeanne could win.

He was merely curious about what Rauf was really up to this time.

"Prajna, help me put on my armor. I need to head to the Assembly Hall and ask Hans how the situation stands now."

Upon reaching the Assembly Hall.

Listening to Hans's report on the current circumstances, he couldn't help but pause: "Because we lost air superiority, we can't get any information from outside?"

Losa found it hard to imagine that losing air superiority could be so detrimental even in the Middle Ages.

The Hawk Trainers recruited by Mueller for Losa were few in number, since the profession was tied to the Fire Worship, and while Losa didn't persecute the Fire Worshipers, he certainly didn't grant them any privileges.

"What about the scouts we sent out?"

Hans shook his head, "No news from them either."

Model speculated, "Could it be they were attacked by the falcons? Those large birds of prey have talons as sharp as steel blades, and they're tough to deal with."

"That's an exaggeration; it's not like we haven't encountered Saracen falcons before."

Losa shook his head and replied, "Our scouts are fully armored cavalry. They're not afraid of sharp beaks and talons."

He pondered for a moment, then sneered, "It seems our neighbor is determined to make a bold move."

If it was just a border conflict, Rauf clearly wouldn't need to intercept even the scouts dispatched from Eira Port.

"Notify everyone, Eira Port is entering a wartime state of alert. The Count's Guard and the Eagle Banner Brigade will patrol the entire city, arrest and detain all suspicious individuals to prevent enemy spies from inciting chaos within the city."

"The Black Shadow Banner Team and Armenian mercenaries will immediately be deployed on the city walls, with the gates being of utmost priority."

Hans furrowed his eyebrows, "My Lord, Lady Jeanne might still be counting on our support."

Losa shook his head, "The enemy clearly comes with ill intentions, and Jeanne leads nearly all our mobile forces. It's not our turn to aid her."

He snorted coldly, "Let us watch and see what kind of scheme Rauf is really planning."

...

Losa ascended the city wall, reaching the very top of Siegfried High Tower.

He carefully moved the crossbow cannon away from the shooting slit, propped his hands on the windowsill, and gazed into the distance.

From afar, he saw flags suddenly waving on the hillside.

Hundreds of fully armed cavalry were forming orderly ranks, slowly emerging into view.

Following closely were elite infantrymen in variously designed armors, along with a multitude of recruits in simple clothing, too numerous to discern at a glance.

In the further distance, he could even clearly see a procession of supply wagons, slowly transporting various siege weapons and provisions closer.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.