Chapter 625 - 624: The Rescue Plan

The scout team led by Sonia discovered a dragon being besieged by Crystal Cluster Giants near the edge of the battlefield.

To be honest, Gawain was quite bewildered when he first heard the news.

Because his initial reaction was to wonder whether Miss My Little Pony had fallen from the sky again—after all, that blue dragon had a precedent for this, and seemed to have unreliable flying skills.

But he quickly dismissed this assumption because the report indicated that the dragon was black, and Gawain, analyzing rationally, thought it shouldn’t be the result of Melita being scorched black by Arcane Lightning...

Nonetheless, he immediately dispatched support troops to the breakout point marked by Sonia to aid the dragon. He also set off right away, arriving at a forward base on the front line—numerous troops were gathering at this stronghold, preparing to use it as a springboard for further action in the Red Maple District.

...

It was only upon seeing several uniquely designed steel chariots and a large number of fully armed human soldiers appear ahead that Maji finally realized that she had survived.

That was the Cecil army—troops capable of advancing from the edge of the contamination zone to its heart.

The engines of the steel chariots roared, and the Magic-guided Artillery emitted a piercing screech, as Obelisk-shaped Warheads accelerated by tracks fell into enemy ranks, bringing explosive ends to those wretched and twisted lives. Soldiers in metal armor, carrying heavy combat backpacks, marched alongside with flame throwers in hand; everywhere they passed, rolling flames engulfed all, setting everything ablaze.

The battlefield was suffused with the aura of iron and fire, this savage yet advanced force profoundly stirring Maji’s soul.

Deafening explosions echoed everywhere, with the ground quivering slightly under the onslaught; Maji struggled to shake off a Crystal Cluster Giant trying to grasp her tail, watching as the creature was shredded into pieces mid-air by several oncoming light beams. The lethal magical effects sprayed about like cheap crossbow bolts, strafing all standing targets that weren’t allies. Amidst the ceaseless tremors, Maji couldn’t help but shrink her neck slightly, feeling an inexplicable fear—

Just what kind of power had the resurrected founding king forged within his realm?

She ran along the safe path covered by artillery, her strong dragon claws pounding the ground with a somewhat awkward gait. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a large vehicle charging up the slope, adorned with the steel emblem of the Holy Light on its surface, imprinted with numerous consecrated expressions and holy symbols; the vehicle’s roof-mounted weapons fired repeatedly, sweeping the battlefield with searing white light. Subsequently, metal doors on the sides of the chariot flung open, and several warriors clad in heavy white armor, exceptionally tall and robust, barreled out. They wielded hefty warhammers, with their helmet and shoulder armor inscribed with scriptures, while the holy cloth on their chests fluttered in the breeze. They stormed into battle, zealously smashing the nearest Crystal Cluster Giant with their warhammers, roaring loudly: "Execute purification by the Holy Light!"

Afterward, these Berserkers picked up some kind of burning device slung on their backs and started sweeping it around the area.

Finally, the battlefield fell silent.

Gryphon Knights and Giant Eagles circled high above, vigilantly observing the surroundings. A commander-looking soldier, accompanied by several soldiers, approached Maji. The commander, looking at the Black Dragon before him with curiosity and caution, asked, "How are you? Can you understand human language?"

Suppressing the sharp pain from her wounds, Maji answered in a deep, almost guttural voice, "Yes."

"Good—," the officer nodded, then quickly noticed the numerous bloody wounds on Maji and immediately turned to wave his hand, "We need a Priest here—she’s severely injured!"

Even though Maji’s voice was deep in her dragon form, the officer discerned the feminine features in her tone.

Maji initially intended to say her injuries were inconsequential, that her Dragonkin constitution could withstand it until reaching the evacuation point. But she was soon speechlessly shocked, for she saw those heavy-armored warriors, even braver than the Berserkers, approaching her, with the leader taking a metal-shelled Prayer Book from his waist, ready to cast a Holy Light spell...

So... these are Cecil’s Priests?

In that moment, Maji suddenly understood why the original Holy Light church at the southern borders had been driven out...

...

The rescue mission proceeded smoothly, and not long after Gawain arrived at the forward position, he received the successful mission report.

In the mission brief, the commander highly praised the White Knight Squad’s performance on the battlefield—their valiant extermination of the enemy and effective treatment provided to the aid target. Despite being a single squad, they accomplished what an entire brigade couldn’t, earning them significant commendation.

This greatly comforted Gawain and affirmed his belief: Priests, after all, are naturally skilled in healing and saving lives...

By the evening of that day, the unknown Black Dragon, who appeared to be somehow connected with the Duke of the North, arrived at the forward post.

Having received effective treatment, she entered the camp on her own.

Gawain specifically cleared a large area within the camp to accommodate this visitor, as he recalled that Dragonkin were monstrous creatures up to tens of meters long (according to Melita Ponia’s data). But when the Black Dragon appeared in the camp, Gawain found the situation differed somewhat from his expectations.

It was a particularly petite dragon, with a maximum wingspan perhaps only a dozen meters, measuring just one-third to one-half the size of an adult dragon, and its wings especially twisted and stunted, as if underdeveloped.

Although Gawain had only seen Melita Ponia’s dragon form from afar and could only estimate based on adult dragon length, he was certain that a standard adult dragon should be much larger than this Black Dragon before him.

Is this a young dragon?

With such questions on his mind, he approached the Black Dragon walking into the center of the camp without hesitation. The dragon paid little attention to the surrounding unique prefabricated tents and rotating Magic Detection Devices, nor to the gazes of nearby soldiers and officers. She came before Gawain, and on her face, vastly different from a human’s... there was a visibly discernible urgency.

Before getting too close, she spoke rapidly: "Honorable Duke, The White City requires your aid! Victoria, she..."

"Rest assured, I’ve received the news. The main forces have already begun moving north," Gawain interrupted the dragon, noticing how his words visibly steadied her breathing, which piqued his interest. "Who are you? What’s your relationship with Victoria Wilder?"

The Black Dragon was silent for a moment before clearly speaking words that greatly surprised Gawain: "I am Maji. You’ve met me before."

"Maji?" Gawain was momentarily stunned, taking several seconds to search his memory for the pronunciation, and then realized this was likely the name of Victoria Wilder’s black-haired maid—a very distinctive name, unlike something from Anzu.

"I see... a dragon..." Gawain smiled and nodded slightly. "The Wilder Clan has established contact with you all..."

"I follow Victoria of my own accord," the black dragon immediately said, showing a bit of curiosity, "You... don’t seem surprised when facing Dragonkin?"

"I’ve dealt with dragons before," Gawain said casually, then took the opportunity to ask, "But the dragons I’ve met seem to differ from you. If I’m bold enough to ask—and feel free not to answer if it’s offensive or taboo—are you a young dragon?"

He remembered that the black-haired maid’s human form seemed mature, and that piqued his curiosity about her dragon form. Besides, this was a rare chance to learn more about Dragonkin, and given that they needed his help, a simple question like this was unlikely to cause offense.

He noticed Maji hesitated as if the question had touched a topic she was reluctant to discuss, but she still spoke with some hesitation: "This is... a malady..."

"Alright, I understand," Gawain vaguely grasped the situation and immediately interrupted. "Apologies, my lady, if my question was offensive."

He then looked at Maji’s current form and changed the subject: "My lady, can you assume your human form? It might make our conversation a bit easier."

The black dragon slightly lowered her neck: "I can—please step back a little."

Gawain and a few other commanders, along with Amber and others who’d come to watch, immediately retreated. The black dragon at the center of the open space unfurled her wings and tail, and with a strong wave of magic and a sudden cyclone, her entire body became enveloped in a pulsating veil of light—

As Gawain watched the light cluster continually shrink and change, a thought crossed his mind: Most transformation spells in the world originate from Dragonkin...

Maji, with black hair and black eyes, wearing a maid’s dress with two longswords at her waist, emerged from the light.

In the crowd, Amber couldn’t resist whispering to Sir Philip: "I’ve always wondered—where do they stash their clothes and items after they shapeshift?"

The young and straightforward knight was evidently not used to the intelligence chief’s line of thought and was momentarily stunned: "...Why do you think like that?"

"Thank you very much for your assistance," the human-formed Maji bowed deeply in front of Gawain but couldn’t help asking, "When will your troops..."

"Our main forces can reach the front lines by evening. We can launch an attack overnight, but first, we must devise an effective attack plan," Gawain interjected, raising his hand to point at the nearby barrack that served as a command post. "Please, come with me; I need to understand the situation to the north first."

Maji followed Gawain and several Cecil officers into the command post. The first thing she noticed was an extremely detailed and intricate map hanging on the wooden wall.

On that detailed map, she saw the Gigantic Tree Path Entrance marked with numerous tactical symbols, intersecting arrows, lines indicating enemy positions and battlefield divisions, and several numbers and shorthand codes she couldn’t comprehend.

Despite only being a maid in name, Maji immediately realized what this map represented: It signified the Cecil clan’s control over the battlefield and a type of warfare that had never been achieved before!

Her initial reaction was to turn away due to the overwhelming amount of information that could influence the tides of war. But she quickly realized that Gawain brought her to see this map deliberately.

Gawain spoke by her side: "Please mark Victoria’s position, the enemy’s position, their approximate scale, and the status of the main defensive lines—if you know it."

Maji nodded, approaching and pointing to the location of The White City: "Victoria and the Mountain Corps are trapped in the castle area...

"The enemy has entirely surrounded The White City; there’s no ground breach. Their numbers... conservatively exceed fifty thousand, and this number could increase anytime because they have a continual inflow of reinforcements. If their attack falters, they will surely increase their forces...

"This location is Red Maple City, on the eastern bank of the Gorgon River, serving as the monsters’ main base...

"When I flew over, I saw those creatures moving part of their forces toward the south..."

Gawain listened intently to Maji’s intel, continuously collating and considering it, while beside him, Philip and several strategists whispered rapidly, simulating potential attack routes.

"How long do you believe Victoria can hold out?" Gawain suddenly asked.

Maji replied heavily: "They originally relied on the power of the great blizzard to hold out for three days. But when Victoria chose to withdraw the storm, confronting the enemy head-on and depending on the castle’s walls and the soldiers’ struggles, they might hold for two days of they can... No, they’re the Mountain Corps; they can certainly hold for another day! Even without the storm, they can endure three days!"

Gawain sighed softly to himself.

Rather than scraping by under the safety of a shield for three more days, the northern soldiers chose to valiantly fight and potentially fall within those three days...

"I’ve already been delayed a day en route..." Maji added.

Meanwhile, Philip and the strategists had already come up with several plans. A strategist quietly murmured a few words to Gawain’s ear.

Gawain raised his head, looking toward Maji: "My lady, I’m afraid we can’t reach The White City in two days."

The black-haired maid’s eyes widened instantly, but before despair could fully cloud her expression, Gawain continued:

"But we only need one day to reach Red Maple—and then we can obliterate it."

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