Chapter 58

Sometimes people's worst thoughts can become true.

This is why we are all taught to be prepared for the worst in case it does happen. Some people succeed and minimize their material and mental losses. Although, there are exceptions.

Eleanor Leywin was just a 9-year-old girl, who, with all her heart, tried her best to prepare herself for upcoming times. In fact, she did really impressively at the beginning, but after her parents decided to participate in a war…

Everything changed, the situation was turned upside down for her.

She herself escorted Twin-Horns to the exit of a hideout, including others who decided to make a contribution to this war. Subsequently, along with the former DC members, Ellie found herself under the tutelage of Kaspian Bladeheart.

Being close to at least a few familiar faces gave the young girl a little psychological support. Then…

Even though those people left the hideout to further contribute to the war, now Ellie was left with a little friend, Beru, and her dog, Dobby. The little academy of young mages in the hideout was set up for the nobles, but Ellie was allowed to learn there.

During these times, she stayed with Heslteas, who took care of her like their own child. As expected, Ellie still couldn't get over the fact that her parents were away from her, even her brothers.

"Please be okay!" she said, clutching her palms together and closing her eyes. She pleaded loudly.

Meanwhile, very far away from the hideout, the party of Twin-Horns exited through the teleportation gate in Etistin. They have arrived together with the soldiers assigned to them, along with other adventurers.

The environment was bustling. The military took over this city after General Varay's forces made contact with the enemy fleet. So the council gave the command to reinforce the city as this was the largest capital in the whole of Dicathen.

Along with the capital of Elenoir, this place in Sapin was the foothold of the Dicathen. They had optimal locations and were connected to different places with the teleportation gates. So the council could quickly transfer one division to a different city.

"All the remaining military personnel and adventurers, make your way to the city square." The announcement made it to everyone's ears.

"Okay guys, let's get done with this." Reynold said as he followed behind a nearby carriage carrying Dicathenian forces from abroad. The group went after him, behind the rolling carriage.

The city itself was alright, though. There was no evidence of battle even happening close by. Every few meters you would see another military man, and the further away they got from the teleportation gate, the larger the concentration they saw. This raised Reynolds's morale. He wasn't really strong before... only because of Ashborn's gift, he had achieved new strength. The beast will, which alters human physiology a little. Besides, he had a family. Dying on the battlefield sure is honorable for a warrior, but the thought of leaving his closest behind isn't sweet.

Surely, the others had similar thoughts as Reynolds. In particular, Alice, who felt very sad leaving her daughter, though, was the one to bring this fate on herself. She decided to follow the Twin-Horns, along with Reynolds, to contribute to the wars.

"March forward!"

"Thrust the spear properly!"

Shouts from all around the road grabbed the group's attention. It was a group of people lined up shoulder to shoulder with some distance between them. They were thrusting large spears into nothing, with heavy breaths as the sweat rolled down their faces.

"What's up with them?" Reynolds approached the back of the carriage and asked one of the soldiers.

"Uh, this. Most likely, they are getting ready in case the city gets captured. Who knows, they might apply great resistance to the enemy forces." Replied the soldier.

"Thank you," He thanked the soldier and went back to his group.

"So, what did you ask them?"

"Nothing much." Reynolds shook his head at his companions. Nobody said anything, so the group continued on their journey to their destination. The gang of adventurers trailed behind the carriage as it traveled through the streets, and they were occasionally halted for questioning.

The group then proceeded to the vast open square, which was packed with tents. All around them, the tents shared one specific sign. The leather that they were covered by had the sign of the military.

'And how are we supposed to find ours?' Everyone had the same thought. Every tent appeared to be identical. It would be difficult to find the correct one. Much to their relief, they didn't have to search for it as someone approached them.

"The adventurers?" A woman with bags under her eyes closed herself off to the group of adventurers. According to her disoriented appearance, the woman hadn't had any sleep in a few days.

"Yes, the party of Twin-Horse is reporting for duty." Raynolds answered, while also saluting the female.

"Bruh...Seriously," the woman said as she looked up at him. "Aren't you an adventurer?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Reynolds turned to his group. The answer never came as the woman interrupted.

"Nah. Now, just go to the biggest tent and register your arrival. I have hundreds of more people to mark in my notepad."

"Alright…" Hastily, the group of adventurers walked away with quick steps. While the woman stayed to greet new adventurers.

"What a pity! That woman probably didn't get a normal night's sleep in days."

"But she had a yellow core, must be strong." Jasmine commented. Others nodded. They didn't have high core stages, so only Jasmine could really see them.

"We should get going, that lady said to visit the biggest tent."

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"Has General Aya engaged with any enemy troops yet?" The white-haired woman asked the soldier next to her.

The soldier shook his head before answering. "General Varay, the Alacryan forces were not seen across the Elshire forest."

"So, we were the only ones who made contact…" Varay's eyes furrowed as she studied the precise map of Dicathen's western shore.

She made the chart herself, attempting to mark every conceivable landing spot for Alacryan's army. The western coast of Dicathen appeared to be an ideal location for a ship landing. Simultaneously, Etistin Bay was effectively protected.

Varay ruled out a frontal attack on Etistin Bay in favor of focusing on the area south of Etistin. Since there was a large forest where adversaries could hide, regular patrols were required throughout the area. The north of Etistin is an open field, detecting opponents will be easy.

"What about the Darv? Has General Bairon spotted enemy forces?" Varay raised her eyes to her subordinate.

"Unfortunately, ma'am, no." The brief answer came out of the soldier's mouth. Varay gazed back at the map.

There was a chance they'd come from the east, but the terrain can be unpredictable, especially with new dungeons springing up all over the place. It's unlikely they'd choose that location, and even if they did, there's a good chance they'd be distracted by someone's castle.

"Excuse me! We were asked to come here." Everyone in the tent gazed at the entry. There was a group of people dressed as adventurers, all of whom wore armor that was more decorative than functional.

"Adventurers? Ma'am, I'll register them quickly."

"Go ahead," Varay said, nodding. She returned to her job and began planning her next steps. The generals had a massive weight on their shoulders, they had to carry them until further notice from the council.

Meanwhile, the group of adventurers was questioned. "So, which group of adventurers are you?"

"Twin-Horns, sir."

"Alright, let's get over the registration soon then. State your names and affinities. You may leave then." The paper and ink magically appeared in his hands as he said that.

"Reynolds Leywin, B-Class adventurer. The augmenter with an affinity towards the fire." The soldier nodded and wrote him down on the paper. He also inspected the man's core, which was currently on the light-orange stage.

"Leywin?" From the other side of the room, Varay perked up, hearing the man's name.

Reynolds blinked, "Yes…?"

"The father of Arthur and Ashborn Leywins, perhaps Alice Leywin, is also here." Varay got up from her place.

"Yes, ma'am... How does the lance Varay know us, Reynolds!" Alice screamed the last part in her husband's ear.

The lance heard her words clearly, "Worry not, I just came across your files in the documents. The council has sent the data of adventurers, and besides, I have received the word from Kaspian Bladeheart."

"I thought we were having problems again..." Alice sighed relievedly.

"Must be tough living with the two powerful and young mages."

The auburn-haired woman nodded in agreement, "Certainly, ma'am. But I'm worried about how do you know my children so well?"

"It happened not so long ago when I encountered the auburn-haired boy named Arthur Leywin in the Xyrus Academy."

"I see, what about Ash?"

"If you mean him then…" She couldn't say anything else because she was too embarrassed to admit it. Her first encounter with Ashborn was maybe the most humiliating experience of her life.

Her blood flow soared to unthinkable heights the moment she locked her sight on him. She was absolutely terrified. Her heart began to race and sweat began to pour down her face. Wouldn't it be terrifying if you were a white-core mage and still couldn't access someone's core level despite your best efforts?

The lances were meant to be the most powerful, but what if the king's prior statements were all lies? Yes, they were all lies, or the king was unaware of that person's existence. (Man Ashborn such a chad, barged into the council meeting, established the dominance without elaborating anything, and left.)

"Phew, the girl is still suffering from trauma."

"Adam!" Everyone glared at the redhead. "How are you talking to the general?" Durden smacked the back of his head.

Varay didn't respond to a statement since she knew it was accurate. When she recalls that day, she still gets goosebumps down her spine. The white-haired lady is still puzzled as to how Bairon managed to remain sane after their private meeting.

After some thought, Varay declared, "The party of Twin-Horns... if I recall correctly, Mrs. Leywin is an emitter. It's decided then, you will be assigned to the rear of the first division." She then turned towards her subordinate.

"Prepare equipment for them; those things won't go." She then left and flew away from the tent into the skies.

"The General is always like that. Anyways, adventurers, you will have a hard job from now on. Follow me. I will show you the equipment."

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"Guys, check out my drip!" Adam dashed out of the dressing room, wearing metallic armor. It wasn't thick enough to completely shield the user from any damage, but it was sufficient enough to minimize it.

As he looked over at his friends, he complimented them, saying, "You guys look good as well."

"Quit blabbing and let's go." Helen whacked Adam in the back of the head again, motioning him to follow them.

They were assigned to the first division of Dicathen's military, which was considered the largest and strongest military land warfare asset. Twenty-five thousand soldiers' division, under the leadership of Varay Aurae, also consisted of a few brigades (Medical brigade and such…)

In other words, it was a unit capable of continuing fighting on its own. But it will only happen when Dicathen's army's supreme commander, Virion Eralith, is no longer able to command.

"We are assigned to the rearguard, interesting who is commanding this part."

It is impossible for a general to command twenty-five thousand soldiers at the same time, no matter how powerful he/she is. As a result, divisions have extra groups/subdivisions led by higher-ranking officers who receive orders from the even higher-ranking commander.

Unfortunately for Jasmine, the commander of their group was...

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Once again hello, this chap was supposed to be much bigger...but, f*ck it. I don't really want to make people wait for content so here it is :)

My discord: https://discord.gg/2wyWZKt8PR

Cya