"How many waves has it been?"

Looking at the burning shield carts in front of him, Victor dragged his exhausted body back to the line and asked Mira who was assisting nearby.

"The third wave." Mira lightly raised three fingers and then looked up at the sun in the sky.

The sun overhead was almost at noon position, and this skirmish lasted much longer than anyone expected.

Looking again at the battle line in front of him, the War Monks' morale was generally still high, but signs of fatigue were showing.

"Hey hey, mint water is coming."

A few service soldiers each carried large buckets of mint water, wobbling as they ran down the slope.

Seeing the cool mint water, the War Monks didn't rush to grab it; instead, they stood firmly like poles in their original positions, without moving.

This was because the service soldiers would help them fill up the mint water completely and deliver it to each brigade.

They passed the mint water sent from the rear, one to another. Under the baking of the sun, even the mint water in the water sacs felt a bit warm.

Swallowing the refreshing mint water, the cool sensation rushed straight to their heads, dispelling much of the summer heat.

Having drunk the sip of mint water, Kolman found the cicadas' singing around him became much clearer.

Standing next to Kolman, Victor peered into the distance at Zelaken's formation with a telescope.

In the golden wheat fields, farmers were bent over harvesting wheat and rice, even though they might have been looted of their surplus and had their homes burned in the morning.

But if they don't work, they won't have food next year; if they don't work, whom can they threaten?

In such hot weather, many in the Ibe Army collapsed due to heatstroke.

Having borne the Divine Art of blessings multiple times, these people were already in a weak state, and adding heatstroke, it wasn't long before dozens died suddenly from it.

Under such conditions, Victor estimated that the enemy would find it difficult to launch another attack before three in the afternoon.

However, the Ibe Army's left wing, being close to rivers and streams with the shade of trees, was the least affected.

"Guess what cunning trick Count Zelaken will use against us next?"

"Who knows? I guess he'll enlist a wizard to curse us."

"Don't joke, but really, don't joke, these devil monks might actually be from the Fire Prison."

Smart Zelaken was the nickname the Salvation Army monks gave to Zelaken, mainly from his act of splashing Holy Water at the Salvation Army during the second wave of attack.

As a result, the Salvation Army remained unscathed, but the Holy Water's ineffectiveness ironically reduced the morale of the Ibe Army.

After being repulsed by Victor and others, Zelaken did not give up.

First, he mobilized peasant soldiers to form two large phalanxes, attempting to use superior numbers to defeat the Salvation Army.

Then, demoralized by the Holy Water incident, the peasant soldiers led the retreat, dragging the guards along, retreating before even fighting.

Soon after, incentivized with potions and bounties, Zelaken returned with the guards.

He changed the large phalanx to columns, attempting to reduce the attack area of the muskets but was repelled by the flank's L-shaped shooting tactic.

After Zelaken took over an hour to regroup, he gathered many doors from the vicinity and mounted them on wagons.

He had the peasant soldiers push these cart forts straight in, blatantly using Horn's cart fort tactic against him.

In response, Horn immediately ordered the fireball crossbows to advance fifty meters.

Four Wizards of the Flaming Rose controlled the fireball crossbows, launching four large fireballs, and a blaze ended Zelaken's cart fort dream.

However, both Horn and Victor were puzzled. If the shield cart tactic had been paired with the Extraordinary Knights, there might have been a real bloody battle.

The reluctance of the Extraordinary Knights to join due to "post-medication side effects" was understandable, but the fact that the Nikosaks remained intact the whole time left them wondering.

"Could it be they're preparing to retreat?" Dass looked up at Horn, who was holding the telescope.

Had it been Nidesar making this decision, Horn wouldn't find it strange, but the problem was, they hadn't reached that point in the battle yet.

Even if Nidesar wanted to leave, wouldn't shifting the formation provoke an immediate attack from the Salvation Army down the slope?

The positions of both sides were too close; even if retreating, it had to be incremental. It's impossible to have almost decimated the central army and still not retreat now.

"Woo woo woo—"

The urgent sound of the horn blew from the right flank, invigorating Horn's spirit. Had the Nikosaks moved?

Horn immediately jumped off the rock, seized the telescope from Dass, and scrutinized the Ibe Army's Left Wing Army.

Oddly, the guards were still lazing under the shade of trees, fanning themselves slowly, while the retinue knights and Nikosaks were still by the stream...

"No, that's not the Nikosaks." Horn's eyes widened suddenly, "Why are half the horses in the stables gone!"

"Your Grace, it's not that direction!"

Dass grabbed Horn's shoulder, directing him to the right side of the Right Wing Army.

A sand sculpture flag representing Nidesar fluttered wildly across the hillside, and three hundred Nikosaks and two hundred retinue knights miraculously appeared at the rear flank of the Right Wing Army.

"Where are the Cuirassiers?" Tossing the telescope back to Dass, Horn waved the flag towards Hakuto.

However, Hakuto responded with semaphore indicating no enemy movement detected.

Not from the left, could it possibly be from the right?

"Impossible." Dass frowned deeply, "We chose this position because the west side by the river is marshland and swamps; their Divine Technique of Walking on Flat Ground can't work over water!"

At this moment, Mormon, who had been meditating on restoring mana beside them, suddenly opened his eyes.

He was momentarily stunned, then quickly propped himself up, running over to Horn: "Your Grace, can I use the telescope?"

Lifting the telescope, Mormon scanned back and forth at the edge of the swamp marsh and suddenly stopped his gaze.

After about three seconds of silence, Mormon gritted his teeth and murmured angrily, "There's a traitor!"

"Traitor?" Dass didn't understand the meaning.

Lowering the telescope, Mormon's eyes were filled with fury: "There are traces of Petrifying into Mud and Frost spells at the swamp and forest edges…

Damn, there's a wizard working for them, how dare they? Have they forgotten how those knights treated us?"

Horn and Dass exchanged a glance. Although they had solved the mystery, the process was completely unexpected for them.

Nidesar truly knows no bounds, for if it were an Imperial Knight or Church Bishop commanding, they wouldn't dare use spells to achieve tactical objectives.

Within the Church, procedural piety is the real piety.

Adjusting the Blood Covering Cloud to an accessible position on his belt, Horn took a deep breath and donned his helmet: "Hakuto Division, maneuver to the right flank, temporarily abandon the right high ground."

Pausing for a moment, Horn turned his head: "Imperial Guard, follow me to support the right flank!"

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