A Bookworm's Journey in the cardinal world ||Tensura X Ascendance of a Bookworm

The battle for Ehrenfest

Hinata's POV

The morning sun cast its warm rays over the gates of Ehrenfest, but the brilliance in the sky starkly contrasted with the turmoil in my mind. I stood rigidly, my grip firm on the reins of my horse, as the uneasy weight of our task bore down on me.

"Come now, everyone," I urged, my voice steady yet edged with urgency. "We must do everything in our power to halt the knights before they reach Ehrenfest. Should we fail..." My throat tightened, but I forced myself to continue, "...they will face Rimuru's forces. And we all know how that will end."

Arnaud rode up beside me. "Yes," he agreed, his tone grim. "We must ensure this encounter does not escalate. Their demise would not only stain our honour but also further entangle our country in a needless conflict."

Litus also added, "Indeed, Lady Hinata. To prevent this, we must ride swiftly and decisively."

I nodded sharply. "Let us make haste, then. There is no time to waste." With that, I spurred my horse forward, the others following behind as we quickly closed our distance with the Templar knights.

"Lady Hinata," called out Sir Lionel, one of their leaders, as he broke formation and rode forward. "What brings you here? Have you come to lead us in Luminas' name?"

"No," I replied firmly, dismounting my horse. The knights behind him stiffened at my tone. "I have come to prevent you from marching any further. Your actions here today will doom not only yourselves but the Holy Empire as well."

"But we were given orders by Lord Leonard and Lord Garde and the Seven Days clergy. Ehrenfest is currently being ruled by a puppet, Aub. Under him, Ehrenfets has been reduced to a mere vassal state of Tempest. As Knights of the Holy Empire, it is our duty to free them from the demon lord's control!" He replied loudly.

"And was it not me who informed all of you not to do anything against demon lord Rimuru, did I not? Also, it was an oracle I received directly from Lady Luminous. Are you saying you are going to betray our god as well?"

"Th-That's not what I meant," he replied defensively.

"Then pray tell, what did you mean exactly? Not only did you go against my explicit orders, but you also acted against the wishes of our dearest god, Lady Luminous."

As we talked, I noticed that the rest of the Crusading army had arrived as well. I also noticed Leonaard and Garde arriving to confront me directly.

"Leonard Garde I hope you two have a very good explanation for going against my orders. If you have, I am willing to listen, but know this: if it was for something foolish, then you all best be prepared to face the consequences. Your act of moving an entire army across the borders of Tempest and then invading Ehrenfest is tantamount to treason against the country. If you back down now, you all may receive a lighter sentence. Leave immediately, and I may reduce your punishment."

"Leonard I certainly didn't expect this from you. Your actions have caused Lord Rimuru to nearly declare war on us. The Western nations are not prepared to confront both a demon lord and a true dragon. Please cease this foolish endeavour." Arnaud exclaimed.

"Indeed, Lord Leonard is right; please cease this foolish endeavour. Lord Rimuru might retaliate, and this could lead to a war between our two nations," Litus chided.

"Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. We all know that such drastic actions will lead onto a warpath with Tempest, a war that I might add we are not prepared to face. I believe it would be in our best interest if we cease all this and handle all our problems internally." Fritz added.

But despite our best efforts, the two knights refused to budge.

"Have you all also been brainwashed by the Demon Lord? We already know that the message delivered to us was by Lady Florencia, who is also a mere puppet of the Demon Lord. Also, Lady Luminous told us not to confront Rimuru directly. She never forbade us from taking apart his puppets. So we are still following our god's wishes and acting according to our teachings." Garde exclaimed.