A Distant Reverie

Chapter 67

Morning dew clung to the surface of his armor. Footsteps rumbled behind him, accompanied by the clink and clank of cold steel.

Duke Calon led his army out of the dreary forest. Fort Nyak towered over the horizon. An open grassland, about the distance of a half-day's march, separated his campsite and the castle.

He took a deep breath. The frigid autumn mist prickled his throat. The chilly breeze leaked through the gaps in his armor, caressing his weary body in a cold veil. Rain soaked the earth overnight. Ominous clouds continued to crowd the skies, however, suggesting that the abhorrent weather was here to stay.

The realization made him frown. These weren't the most optimal conditions to lay a siege. The treacherous weather produced muddy grounds that were difficult to traverse, and the frigid rains would sap their strength if they came again. And while the defenders could stay sheltered into inside the castle interiors, the attackers were forced to camp out in the elements.

It seems like I can't dawdle.

The timing wasn't in his favor. The royalist faction's soldiers had already been sighted in march enroute towards Fort Nyak. If he couldn't decisively seize the castle before their arrival, he might find himself pincered from two fronts.

There was also the matter with Alice.

She's late.

He had been counting on her to remove the expedition team's mystic. She was expected to have returned last night. Given her track record, her absence meant that there was a high chance she failed or defected.

Duke Calon shook his head. No matter. He ran out of uses for her anyway. The result of this final battle did not hinge on her presence.

"Sir," one of the scouts from the advance party returned on horseback, "The princess was spotted on a hill mid-point from the castle. It seems she wants to negotiate."

A dialogue at this timing? He was naturally wary.

"Who's accompanying her?"

"As far as we can tell, just two people. Lady Reine is one of them. The other seems to be a short woman with scarlet hair and an eye-patch."

Marine Houshou. Duke Calon narrowed his eyes. The odds of this being an ambush was low, but anything could happen when there was a sword master on the other side.

"Bring me a horse. Bring a squadron of my personal guards to accompany me," Duke Calon ordered.

Very well then, princess. Let's see what you have to say.

-----

Kobo grimaced. Even under the misty vapors of the overnight rain, she could see a number of flagbearers in the distance. The banner of House Raden, engraved with the striking prestige of an eagle, rippled under the chilly breeze. The dotted specks of argent beneath the flags were all soldiers and warhorses cladded in steel—enough to nearly span the entire clearing of the woods.

And yet, more continued to pour out of the forest like an endless swarm of insects.

Her finger twitched. A heavy dread loomed in the pits of her stomach. The thought of defending against an army of the magnitude with just the royal knights and the expedition team was crushing.

"...Reine, when are the reinforcements expected to arrive?" she asked, barely keeping her voice steady.

"Two days. Possibly three now with this rain," Reine replied with a dark gaze. Even her trusted aide was flustered at the sight of this enormous army. Kobo knew that Duke Calon had garnered additional support from the neutral factions after the tragedy at the Fountain Square, but she didn't think it would have made this great of a difference. The numbers before her were mind-boggling to look at.