Now they have arrived at the designated assembly point, which is merely thirty kilometers from the Ten Thousand Demon Rock. They reached here in the morning and set up camp.

But it's too quiet, eerily quiet; they haven't encountered any Beastmen nor the allied forces they were supposed to meet on the way. They seem to have been abandoned by the world, left alone at the world's end.

This is truly strange; after setting up camp, scouts have searched several kilometers around the camp but found no trace of Beastmen or any allied forces.

Not encountering the allies could be acceptable, because they received news about two armies being ambushed and suffering significant losses, possibly preventing them from meeting. But not even seeing any Beastmen, now that's too odd?

It must be remembered, Ten Thousand Demon Rock is the core of the Beastmen's faith and the center of their camp. At all times, there are surely Beastman Warbands stationed near the Ten Thousand Demon Rock, along with the powerful Doomsday Bull guarding. Laine and his army are only thirty kilometers away from the Ten Thousand Demon Rock, so it's impossible not to spot even a shadow of the Beastmen by now.

Standing on the soft grass, looking at the lush forest in the distance, Laine couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

Marquis Gabriel approached Laine from behind. After a series of battles, the third son of the Red Dragon Duke had come to completely acknowledge the champion of the Lady: "I have scouted as far as twenty kilometers away, within the surrounding twenty kilometers we haven't encountered any Beastmen, nor any... humans."

"So you're saying the Beastmen moved the Ten Thousand Demon Rock?" Laine asked with a furrowed brow.

"It seems so, the Beastmen must have moved the Ten Thousand Demon Rock elsewhere; otherwise, there shouldn't be an absence of Beastmen in this vicinity," Gabriel agreed, discussing military affairs with Laine.

The two suddenly felt like headless flies; they've arrived at the designated assembly point, yet saw neither enemies nor allies.

What's the situation? Laine and Gabriel both felt confused, uncertain about what to do next.

Should they advance toward the intended target location? But the Right Army is too small in numbers to face the Beastman Army alone.

Should they wait where they are? What if they fall into a trap, unknowingly surrounded by Beastmen?

Retreat? This option seems even less reliable; unauthorized withdrawal may lead to severe consequences. Marquis Angxi only mentioned that withdrawal is permissible if unable to rendezvous, but Marquis Angxi hasn't confirmed being unable to rendezvous. If they dare retreat now, they'll never shake off a cowardly label, possibly facing accusations.

Thus, until they receive new orders, the Right Army can only wait.

"Gabriel, you said earlier, our Marquis mentioned he and Adelaide fell into an ambush, suffered significant losses, and might be unable to rendezvous with us. What kind of losses would prevent them from meeting us?" Laine could only find two stools and sit in the giant forest to chat with Gabriel.

"That would require at least one to two tenths in terms of casualties," Gabriel nodded.

The Knights are well-trained professional soldiers, and the soldiers could be considered semi-professional infantry. A one to two tenths loss is still tolerable for them, but the peasants are entirely different. These conscripted folks are both fragile and lacking leadership, and without Knights overseeing, they are usually defeated at the first contact, barely holding against one assault. Even with Knights overseeing, the peasants' combat capability and morale are pitifully low, making standing defense against enemy attacks possible, but launching an offensive very difficult.

Unless led by Holy Grail Knights, peasants can only display cannon fodder-like combat power and morale.

The military guide suggests that after suffering one to two tenths of casualties, it's not recommended to continue fighting; it's best to rest in place and maintain morale.

The number of Holy Grail Knights is exceptionally rare, the exact number of Holy Grail Knights only the Lake God Witch and Grand Tutor Green Knight might know. Estimates for the number of Holy Grail Knights are around three hundred to five hundred, most of whom guard the Holy Land of the Lake Fairy. There's little awareness of how many Holy Grail Knights are active outside, so people are unable to ascertain the exact number. However, it's certain that the number of Holy Grail Knights is scant, and only when the Knight Kingdom faces significant crises will the Holy Grail Knights be deployed collectively.

This Knightly War seems more like a training opportunity for the young Knights of the Kingdom.

For now, until new scouts return, they can only wait.

"Alas~ there's nothing, it seems something major has happened in this forest," Laine stretched lazily and said helplessly.

"There's no other way."

......

Outside Yulsen Castle, smoke fills the sky.

It is now the third day of the Knightly Army's bitter siege of Yulsen Castle. Only more than three thousand Beastmen remain inside the castle, but the Knightly Army has already suffered over half casualties, their morale plummeted to rock bottom. Even soldiers and knights have begun deserting, with many knights urging Marquis Angxi: "Marquis, the war has failed, we should retreat quickly!"

"No! Not possible! This war cannot be lost!" The Marquis's face was covered in sweat and dirt forming a messy lump, as he roared at the knights: "I don't understand, we've already trapped the Beastmen in that dilapidated castle, why can't we take them down?"

His deputy general Pierre, wrapped in bandages, tried to persuade him: "Marquis, the remaining Beastmen are all elites, and their combat style doesn't depend on walls. We haven't broken through after several days; we need to retreat, Marquis."

Marquis Angxi's long golden hair, once silky, was now covered with smoke, neglected in care, dry like straw, as he weighed the pros and cons.

If they retreat now, the remaining ten thousand Knightly Army might withdraw from the forest; although the Beastmen are heavily damaged, they wouldn't dare pursue, at least leaving behind some remaining strength.

However, the cost of defeat afterward would be enormous. His Marquis title would surely be stripped, he would face a military court, and appointing his grandnephew as Commander would damage the King's prestige, he might never get another chance to lead troops for the rest of his life.

His life would be ruined unless he gained the Lady's forgiveness and completed the Holy Grail Trial, becoming a Holy Grail Knight.

But... is it possible? How could the Lady forgive someone who had lost the Knightly Army?

If they don't retreat?

Once the Beastmen's reinforcements arrive, his Knightly Army faces the risk of collapse; this he understands, the Beastmen understand, but if he can annihilate these Beastmen before their reinforcements arrive and cut off the Beast King's head, then this war isn't entirely lost.

Everyone races against time.

In the end, a spirit of adventure prevailed, Marquis Angxi gritted his teeth and said: "We can't retreat, let me lead the people and charge once more!"

Another noon of fierce fighting, the battle continued until the sun leaned westward at three in the afternoon, yet the knights couldn't break through the remaining Beastmen; the Great Horned Beasts and Minotaurs were truly deadly. Even though the knights reached the Beast King's side, the final result remained fruitless; the Beast King personally repelled the knights.

Just as Marquis Angxi was forced to withdraw, a piercing and low horn sounded from the depths of the forest.

It's the Beastmen Screaming Great Shaman "Heart-Eater" Groz! After moving the Ten Thousand Demon Rock, he hid it, then led the remaining living forces and elite troops guarding the Ten Thousand Demon Rock to rendezvous with the Beast King!

"Roaaaar! Humans... the end... is upon us!" Seeing their reinforcements finally arriving, the Beastmen's morale surged.

The faces of the knights turned ashen.

Soon, the exhausted, lacking supplies, and demoralized Knightly Army was badly defeated under attack from both sides, and then trapped by the Beastmen within a small basin in the valley.

Thus, when Marquis Gabriel picked up the Magic Communicator, what came through was Marquis Angxi's voice filled with despair.

"Right Army! Right Army! This is Angxi Desmond! The Knightly Army is surrounded by Beastmen; we've suffered heavy losses and need your support, we need your support!"

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.