Chapter 60: The Eastern Forest - I
Luka guided Furia towards the gathering knights. He glanced back at Reina, who seed quite hesitant to approach the very n who had threatened her with spears and swords less than a day ago.
It wasn’t like she’d completely trusted him either.
"Lord Luka!" Gerard, in his half-plate armour, waved beside a stalwart, proud horse with a brown and black coat of fur.
"Gerard, how are preparations?"
He took a glance, noticing most of the n from the dinner now taking cold baths, before wearing their armour and gathering around their horses. The hunters all sat in a circle, preparing their bows and helping repair and maintain arrows.
When watching her closely, he found Vaun’s atmosphere was different.
Unlike the usual stiff old man, there was a delicate grace with all her movents, as if she was no longer willing to hide her true form.
’If she wishes to reveal herself, I should provide a stage to do so.’
Though humankind lacked trust towards elves, after so many decades of helping Babylon, he couldn’t let her live a lie anymore.
’It’s not that I miss her elven beauty.’
Or maybe it was just his own selfish desires.
"We’ve managed to round up all the knights, which totals 50 official knights and 22 squires for the mission. I haven’t checked with Vaun, but it looks like twenty of the 30 hunters who accepted the role of being your archers have joined the mission."
"Well, I did say it was optional. Gerard, we shouldn’t judge them too much just yet."
A total of 30 people chose not to take part, though Luka didn’t get angry; his mind remained calm as he counted their numbers and adjusted his plans accordingly.
These people were amateurs, neither experienced hunters nor warriors.
The majority wanted to be trained by Gerard or Vaun.
He closed his eyes, listening to their conversations fading into distant noise.
The mont he did, the system’s panels popped up in the darkness of his sight, forming a small list of his troops.
[Amol Warriors: 112]
[Mature Knights: 52]
[Squires: 22]
[Mature Hunters: 25]
[Archer Trainees: 30]
[Warrior Trainness: 40]
’Sort them into the ones joining us tonight.’
After his command, the panels with a slight magenta hue reford and showed the tally so it was clear for him to see.
[lee Units: Amol Warriors (50), Mature Knights (50), Warrior Trainees (20)]
[Ranged Units: Mature Hunters (25), Archer Trainees (10)]
’I see... make note of the people who didn’t join, with the tag ’watch progress’ for .’
The system flashed once again, and the 30 people who didn’t take part, without knowing their nas, could be tagged with the watch progress. The tag appeared in a vibrant magenta text box floating above their heads.
’How does the system work like this?’
He couldn’t quite grasp how the system knew things that even he didn’t.
"I’ll follow your judgent, My Lord."
"Mhm, that’s the best way for now, Gerard." Luka paused for a mont, then tapped the screen in front of his eyes, then ticked the share box. "You should be able to see a faint purple box hovering above their heads, right?"
"W-What is this?! My Lord, is this so form of Magic?"
The old knight hadn’t dealt with complicated systems or the likes, which would soon beco commonplace throughout the kingdom. In fact, Luka firmly believed the other races had access to this system far before humanity.
"Well, consider it sothing similar."
He didn’t want to spend all night explaining it to the old knight and just gave a simple explanation linking this to the fact that he used an unholy sword.
’Oblivion’s existence is so useful!’
After ten minutes, the old knight nodded, his finger dancing in the air as he seed more confident and used to his own status page.
"This is such a wonderful thing, although I cannot help but feel it is a little too good to be true, My Lord."
"Well, you’ll understand when that thing called Level ticks up, and you can improve your physical attributes using bonus points."
The old knight shook visibly before looking up at Luka with shining ice-blue eyes.
"D-Do you an I can still beco stronger, killing re goblins will help this old knight surpass his pri?!"
"Ah, take this to your grave, it’s sothing only yourself and a few others have."
Gerard’s eyes widened before he stood up straight and perford the knight’s salute, his hand slamming against the steel armour on his chest.
"I swear to take this to my grave, My Lord!"
"Mhm, then I’ll be arranging to leave for the Eastern Forest now, I leave the North and Iris in your hands... don’t forget she’s now technically your Lady!"
"!!!"
Luka patted Gerard’s pauldron before guiding Furia and Reina along with him, avoiding the large crowd. He ca to the eastern passage, where his group would leave together.
Luvia leaned against a wooden pole, her arms folded as she wore a tight, all-black outfit. The material was stretchy and clung to her figure but left her abdon and chest a little exposed.
"You’re here." She spoke bluntly, eyes lighting up at the sight of Reina.
"Yeah, you’ll be mounting Reina tonight. Hurry and help her settle down—there are too many knights for her liking."
"Hmph~"
She passed beside him with long, silent strides.
Even the faint squeak of her outfit seed muted by her grace.
"Luka?!"
The next voice ca from the direction he had just left, with Galatea panting, her hands holding the reins tightly as she rode on her brilliant white steed.
"Galatea..." He couldn’t help but stroke his lips.
The knight’s eyes widened upon seeing his slight action.
Next, her cheeks beca pink before she shut her helt and snapped the reins of her horse.
"I’ll be joining you on my horse—wolves just don’t suit ."
’Damn...’
He’d planned to have them all travel by wolves except him, because the monsters in the forest would cause the horses to panic.
No matter how well-bred the horses here were, they weren’t pure warsteeds.
Though he wondered if there might be so thod to fix this in the future, for now, he could only watch as Galatea passed Luvia atop Reina.
"Hmph! Savage, dressing like a common whore!"
"Heh... don’t be so cocky." Luvia snapped back.
"!?"
Galatea didn’t seem to grasp Luvia’s words as she tilted her head and continued onward to the eastern gate.
Luka didn’t get involved.
He focused on the task at hand.
First checking Oblivion and his armour, adjusting the size and length. After he mutated into a Stage One Fallen, his entire body grew longer, needing to fix the blade and grip along with the gauntlet ford by Miasma.
"This should be enough for now..."
As he checked the black steel beneath his gambeson, he heard the sound of paws spreading mud behind him. Soon, a small group of archers and Vaun appeared, all of them guiding smaller wolves beside them, a total of six, including the elf.
Behind them, Iris led a small group of Amol Elite warriors with Brea beside her.
"Hm?"
She strode forward on her dark grey wolf before stopping a few inches from him.
"What’s with your strange expression? Aren’t you happy to see ?"
Luka didn’t respond straight away, because the sight of her in fur armour was just too thrilling, the princess with slightly elegant actions now clad in revealing fur armour, that barely covered her crotch and hips with a dangling leather skirt that kept her thighs and undergarnts hidden.
"Y-Yeah."
"Heh, don’t forget what I told you... I wasn’t joking." She pressed the pole of her heavy axe against his neck while smiling viciously. But then, she shifted closer and whispered. "Don’t get hurt, I’ll send Brea with you... I’m counting on you tonight, Luka."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Her soft pink lips trembled faintly as she t his gaze. The way her erald eyes shook in sync made him realise that, although Iris spoke roughly, there was a subtle layer of concern beneath it.
So he didn’t make an issue of it.
His hand slipped onto her lap, out of the other warrior’s view. He then grasped her fingers, stroking her knuckles before squeezing tightly.
"I’ll do everything I can, let’s free your people from their suffering."
"Nn, thank you."
Her lips curled into a fragile smile, growing stronger as he continued to stroke.
Eventually, Iris snorted and pulled away, yanking her reins before bouncing off towards the north gate with her warriors.
Brea remained.
Her eyes focused on Luka as she chewed her lips.
’It seems she didn’t want to join ... I can’t really bla her, though.’
He waved at the Templar and motioned for the group to gather with his hand signals.
Luvia’s complacent voice danced through the air.
"Manwhore bastard! Always flirting with other won..."
However, his focus was on Iris and this battle.
Tonight, she would face hell; the sights he wanted to stop her from seeing would likely create a deep, dark wound on her soul for the rest of her life. The way goblins torture and dispose of those they need and don’t need.
Even the divine found it terrifying.
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