Awakening the Great Chapter 98

Chapter 98 — Tomorrow

Late afternoon.

Shortly after both armies had established their camps, Royce gathered the Mountain Rabbits' key mbers in one place.

"The enemy's strength numbers approximately 9,000. Diplomatic efforts have failed. Since the Imperial side refused to accept even an attempt at negotiation, the path forward for the Alliance forces is now clear. Even so, the one reason we remain unshaken is because we trust one another."

There was nothing particularly special being proposed. It was essentially ant to steady the hearts of the mbers before battle—and the one who benefited most from the captain's words was none other than Calix.

‘My composure is wavering. Why is this happening to ?’

Remarkably, he was feeling sothing close to fear. He had resolved to lead from the front, yet with countless enemy soldiers before his eyes, he could not deny the turmoil within him. It was the sight of his comrades standing beside him that weighed on his mind.

One wrong choice…… And the lives of the entire Mountain Rabbits could hang in the balance.

A heavy sense of responsibility unlike any he had known before pressed down upon his shoulders. A large-scale battle he had never experienced was closing in.

Just then, Marik's composed voice broke the silence.

"Like the captain said, this battle may be soone's last. But surviving isn't the only thing that matters. What matters more is how we live. I am ready to go all the way with all of you."

The Vice-captain was right.

The Mountain Rabbits were now pressing forward toward a clear question.

How will we live?

The answer to that question was obvious. Basim let out a fierce snort, and Zahira offered a faint smile. Calix, too, slowly raised his head and looked around him.

‘This isn't my responsibility alone.’

That was right.

They had chosen to move forward together.

Thud.

Gregor, the seasoned warrior, placed his hand on Calix's shoulder. A warm heat passed through those wrinkled palms.

Only then did his tightly shut mouth open.

"We need to end this aningless conflict quickly. The true enemies are pressing in from the east—we cannot afford to waste ti here."

All eyes converged on him. In the place where the trembling had settled, he t his comrades' gazes with steady eyes. There was no looking away.

Shortly after, Royce asked briefly.

"Have you decided on a thod?"

Calix answered without hesitation.

"Yes. We're going to strike the enemy at the head."

The Mountain Rabbits turned his answer over in their hearts. Even without hearing detailed orders, they could all tell it would be extrely dangerous.

Yet not one of them questioned it.

Only Hadiya stepped forward to add a few words of practical advice.

"Then you'll need to convince those within the Alliance first. The desert folk will be itching to lead the charge. If you rub their pride the wrong way, they might end up trying to block us instead."

It was not sothing to brush aside.

"Tell

more."

For just a mont, a shadow that could not be erased passed deep through his eyes.

"In the desert, personal honor is held above life itself. So sotis they'll accept a reckless charge."

After that, the Mountain Rabbits spent so ti organizing various response plans. They clearly distinguished what they could concede to Kalahim and what lines must never be crossed—and at the center of all those strategies was Calix.

***

After the sun had set, inside the Alliance's tent.

Shadows overlapped beneath the lamplight, and a hushed tension settled heavily across every corner of the encampnt. Representatives from Kalahim, Viale, and the Mountain Rabbits gathered once more in one place.

Their positions differed, yet all of them knew one thing for certain.

The Niboria Empire versus the Alliance forces. Before this great battle could be fought, it had to be decided who would lead the field.

There was a brief silence as everyone watched one another—

Then, all at once, Calix spoke without waiting his turn. It was a calm and resolute tone, like a commander issuing orders.

"A head-on collision is not sothing we can handle. We will take the vanguard, and Kalahim will hold the flanks. We would like Viale's side to handle the center."

"……!"

No questions. No asking for the other party's opinion. It was closer to a quiet declaration. The eyebrows of the Kalahim elders twitched at this—but before they could react, the elven commander Serylion Belrnar got ahead of them.

"Our side's infantry numbers fewer than a thousand. We won't be able to hold for long."

"That is fine. Holding the front line head-on is not what matters here. We must draw the enemy's attention to the flanks to lure them into complacency, and in that opening, we will decide the battle."

As he replied with a gentle nod, bewildernt spread through the room along with a small murmur.

Serylion was not swayed by the atmosphere in the hall. He gazed at Calix with a aningful look, then let out a brief sigh and dropped his eyes to the map. He had not yet heard enough detail to voice approval or objection.

Instead, fierce resistance erupted from the Kalahim side.

Bang!

"You intend to make the desert warriors your sacrificial lambs! If you're that confident, then let the Mountain Rabbits go themselves!"

Kalahim's commander Barakh slamd the table and shouted. Even his subordinates flinched silently at the intensity of his reaction. The conference room froze with tension in an instant.

Yet Royce, along with every one of the Mountain Rabbits, did not so much as blink. Everything was unfolding exactly as they had expected.

Shortly after, Calix quietly fired back.

"It is quite the opposite. We are familiar with the enemy's strength. In other words, we are not offering you a role as sacrificial lambs—we are giving you the opportunity to claim the greatest military honor."

"Ha, so you're saying you know the Imperial forces inside and out?"

A burst of mocking laughter rang out for a mont, but he continued in a flat voice. He knew what kind of strength those present possessed.

More certainly than anyone else in this room.

"Yes. According to our reconnaissance, the enemy's center is shield infantry-focused, with spear and sword units on the left and right flanks. Additionally, it appears the Empire's elite knight order is positioned deep within enemy lines. At minimum, nine hundred strong. Including reserve forces, it would likely reach one thousand."

Thud.

The laughter stopped all at once. The Viale side watched in silence, but Barakh and the Kalahim elders exchanged startled glances with one another.

In that ripple of unease, an undeniable question seeped through.

"……How do you know that? We only just received word of it ourselves."

"What exactly are you referring to?"

"The Richterkreutz. One of the Empire's eight great knight orders, and the Emperor's personal inspection order—that is what I an. How in the world did you know they had co?"

"That is not sothing I am in a position to disclose just yet. However, if our intelligence is correct, this could beco an opportunity."

"But—"

As the intelligence their spies had gathered was laid bare, those present began pressing him as though demanding answers—when suddenly, the elven commander tapped the tabletop with his fingertips.

"Hold on. Are you saying Kalahim knew of their presence but kept it secret?"

A brief silence answered in place of words. Serylion Belrnar shook his head as though he had grown thoroughly tired of it all. A sardonic murmur escaped him as an afterthought.

Even so, Calix continued with an unaffected expression. If he had delivered the shock through one-sided proposals until now, from here on it was ti to reassure and persuade.

"In my view, the only ones who can stand against them are the desert warriors."

The gazes inside the conference room converged on a single point. Now that the mood had shifted to a certain degree, all that remained was to deliver the finishing blow.

"……That may be true, but your ambitions are excessive. You have no experience commanding forces of this scale."

"Then hear it first and judge."

Just as the other man's lips were about to move, Calix stepped ahead of him. He pointed to the tactical map on the table and continued.

"Our forces are cavalry-heavy by composition, so a frontal breakthrough is impossible from the outset. Even if it were possible, the losses would be devastating."

"So you're saying you'll lure their main force out?"

"Yes. In particular, we must draw out the so-called 'Richterkreutz'. However, at that mont, a preemptive charge is forbidden. The key is to hold and buy ti. After that, we will commit the vanguard and settle the battle."

"……That is a reasonable argunt. The enemy, too, would not wish to be surrounded on both flanks. The Richterkreutz wear heavy armor, so they won't fear direct engagent. Luring them out should not be a difficult thing."

To Barakh's ears, these were acceptable terms. It was not sothing he would be shouldering trendous risk for alone, nor did enormous sacrifice seem likely.

‘If we win, all the better. And if things don't go as planned, we simply fall back. If the Mountain Rabbits lose their footing after that, complete control of the Alliance will be ours.’

There seed to be more to gain than to lose.

Of course, Calix had an entirely different thought in mind.

‘In any case, an improvised army can't carry out a complex operation. Presenting short-term, clear objectives is the best we can do.’

Like this, their intentions differed—yet when conditions aligned, they could still join hands. And so, at this point, he delivered the finishing blow.

The most powerful force in politics.

That was justification.

"Above all, Barakh, you yourself agreed to this."

"Agreed? What agreent—when did I ever—"

"You promised personally that the Mountain Rabbits would take the vanguard. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Barakh paused briefly and looked around. The Kalahim elders could not hide their expressions of bewildernt. There was no better alternative, and to shrink away now would an the Mountain Rabbits had chosen a far more dangerous path than themselves.

In the end, it beca a proposal that could not be refused.

‘To think they would even secure the moral high ground. Forcing resistance here would completely unravel the Alliance's cohesion. Accepting it is the right call for now.’

Kalahim's supre commander quickly finished his calculations.

"……Is that sufficient?"

He asked briefly. It was a kind of signal that he would accept the proposal.

"If things go wrong, it will be your life on the line—no. The entire Mountain Rabbits will be in danger. A single mont of hesitation could an the difference between life and death."

At the warning that followed, Calix looked squarely at the other man and replied.

"Yes. It is sufficient."

Without accepting risk, a true victory cannot be seized.

The young commander leading the Mountain Rabbits no longer wavered.

***

As the campfire flickered gently, Calix sat at the center of the encampnt and looked around him. Though a great battle lay just ahead, there was, surprisingly, a calm atmosphere drifting through the Mountain Rabbits' side of the camp.

"Hey, you fool—if you tie your ankles all the way up and slip, you'll be dragged face-first along the ground!"

"Then perhaps you should have been born taller. When a dwarf rides a horse, what other choice is there?"

"You little—"

The dwarf Basim was in the middle of an argunt with Volga. Sothing about the 'ankle-bind riding technique' this and that—the bond between master and student truly ran deep.

Beyond them, the priestess Ella was reciting prayers among the mbers, and Royce and Marik were freely trading jokes. Zahira appeared to be discussing the use of throwing weapons with the elf Airien—they seed to have grown quite close already, sohow.

And as was only natural, Gregor was seated at Calix's side. The old man sat cradling his shield, nodding off.

"Get away, you lot…… Grngh, grrrgh, woof woof……"

"……"

Whatever dream he was having was anyone's guess, but Calix lifted a blanket and draped it over his shoulders. The sight of him sleeping soundly was, strangely, a source of reassurance. Seasoned warriors did not tense up. Even as they tended to their armor and sharpened their blades, they exchanged the kind of easy conversation that made it feel like any ordinary day.

Calix, likewise, was no longer afraid. Though he did not stop gazing toward the enemy lines, again and again.

……The Richterkreutz, was it.

True to the reputation befitting one of the Empire's eight great knight orders, a golden radiance shimred at the heart of the enemy camp. A brilliant brilliance that pushed back the dark. Barakh, Kalahim's commander, had reached the level of a top-grade swordsman—yet the enemy's aura was far more vivid than his.

‘But how powerful an opponent they are doesn't matter. This is war. If we carry out what we've been given to do, we can win.’

It was then.

"You've done it again."

"……?"

At the sound of the voice, he turned his head, and there was a dark-skinned young woman. It was Hadiya. She approached quietly and sat down across from him on the other side.

"I heard you shut the Kalahim lot's mouths shut tight? I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes."

At the usual banter, Calix smiled faintly and returned the remark.

"It's thanks to you. You said they had too much pride, and you were right. It was a great help. Co to think of it, you're from the desert too, aren't you?"

"……"

A sudden silence fell at those casually spoken words.

Hadiya furrowed her brow and gave no answer for a long while. Only after quite so ti had passed did she turn her gaze toward the light filtering from the enemy lines and slowly begin to speak.

"Hm, truth be told, I hate the desert. Anyone who's left that place will say the sa. Zahira, too—and

as well."

At this unexpected sincerity, Calix's face stiffened with surprise.

On the surface, Hadiya had an outgoing personality. Yet at the sa ti, she had built solid walls within herself. There were mories of laughing together, but there had never been a truly deep conversation between them.

And yet that person was, for the first ti, laying bare what she had kept hidden.

"Of course, I ca from a far more wretched background than Zahira. Being the child of a slave, around the age of twelve, my siblings and I were sold off as a pair. If they were going to sell us, you'd think they'd at least send us to a larger tribe—instead they pawned us off to a tribe whose entire wealth was thirty heads of livestock."

She let out a hollow laugh.

"Sure enough, our new master treated us like hunting dogs. Find places to raid, fetch water, go steal things—that sort of thing. What an absolute ss it was. If I'd been alone I would have run off long before then, but my little brother was held there, so I couldn't bolt."

At this, Calix opened his mouth with heaviness.

"I'm sorry. I misspoke."

"Don't be sorry—I'm just muttering to myself, pathetically."

Hadiya gave his shoulder a light thud and laughed it off, then went on to unspool her mories of her brother. It was the story of a kid who was much smaller, said even less, and was an awkward little sniffler.

"He was dumb but kind. Even when he was starving he never complained, and even when he got rotten at he'd just grin away. Even when I snapped and raged at him he'd only weep and beg…… He was a true pushover, as they say. Gentler than , and weaker than ."

"……You cared a lot for him."

"That's right, I think I did. He beca the reason I could endure a hard life."

But her brother was not in this place. Hadiya drew in a deep breath and let the words out.

"Then one day, my brother left this world in the most senseless way. While I was away, that man who called himself our master struck him, and just like that, the life went out of him."

"……"

"It was absurd, and I was furious, and sad too—but at the ti I had no choice but to run. I'd overheard them talking about how 'we'd better sever that one's ankle tendons'. So thanks to that, I didn't even have ti to make a grave for my brother."

The campfire crackled softly with a tiny pop. Calix did not turn his gaze away once, and listened carefully to every word the other spoke.

"In the end I couldn't bury my brother—but I managed to escape and survive. After that, I found the Mountain Rabbits, and at the black market I even had a decent neural accelerator implanted. Looking back, I was truly lucky."

And at the very end, a aningful question erged.

"Don't you want revenge?"

At Calix's question, she shook her head with a composed expression.

"Those people were already swept away by another tribe. There's no grudge left to speak of. So what I hate isn't people—it's the land. The Kalahim Desert."

Hadiya spoke with genuine candor. It was true that she carried guilt regarding her brother, but she had begun to believe she could now accept even that.

Perhaps it was because she had watched the dwarf Basim change.

Once upon a ti, that stubborn stout man had declared he would claim a treasure that would leave even his own kin in awe—and he had overco both greed and lingering attachnt. Instead of caring what others thought of him, he had gone to his son's grave and boasted to his human companions.

If Basim had managed it, then surely she could too.

But since she hadn't brought it up in order to lant, at the very end she returned to her characteristic playful tone.

"So let's win big tomorrow. Let's show them that it's not Kalahim—it's us, the Mountain Rabbits, who are the stars of this battlefield."

A small smile played at the corners of her lips as the two of them gazes crossed. Calix looked steadily back at her. The shadow cast across her face was too heavy to smile back in return. Yet one thing, at least, was clear.

She had every right to demand victory.

In the process of drawing up strategies, Calix had received help from Royce and Marik—but the person he had spoken with the most was Hadiya. She had rushed about tirelessly to scout the enemy, and had played a major role in giving the tactics their concrete shape.

Then, Calix answered in a low and earnest voice.

"Yes, let's win—no matter what. For our tomorrow."

His shoulders were still heavy. Yet the weight of responsibility resting upon them was one he had accepted in full. More than anything else, the Mountain Rabbits were trying, once again, to prove sothing.

That imperfect beings, gathered together, could beco a perfect whole.

And so, beneath the moonlit night, their resolve was made complete—

The next day, the stage of the great battle was set.