561 CH 521: WE NEED TO FIGHT
[Fortress]
Sitting in the fortress, the Tiger Lord listened quietly as he received the report and losses of the night prior.
"So the entire squad was eliminated."
He sighed quietly when the tanuki finished providing all the necessary information.
"One minute of silence for all the departed."
All soldiers present, be they Tigers or otherwise, gritted their teeth and lowered their heads.
Praying for the souls of those they lost and wishing them a better future.
One minute later, the Lord stood up, his eyes red but his countenance calm.
"We have been misled into thinking that there was no Duke rank present in the encampment."
A Duke was not something to be squandered.
Though one Duke could hardly decimate an entire army, they were tactical weapons that could change the course of a battlefield.
Sending two such important resources to the frontiers was overkill, no matter how important this fortress may seem.
"Is Lustburg preparing some grand plans?"
He couldn't help but worry and wonder. In his memory, Lustburg was nothing more than a decaying country that had mostly shut its borders after the death of the hero king.
Prior to this, they had suffered many losses, and their power had dwindled quite a bit. This was one of the reasons they did not hesitate to choose to attack Lustburg the moment they thought Camelia lost her power. [1]
'Were we merely tricked once again? Does Lustburg hold so much power they can afford to send two Dukes to the frontier?'
This was absurd. Truly, this was undoubtedly absurd, and yet, he found himself unable to dismiss those worries that gnawed at his heart. His rationality was clashing with his feeling, and while he would generally listen to his instinct, this was only so when he was hunting alone.
"Very well. I will send a message to the King. No matter if it's speculation or the truth, it's not my place to decide."
He was a vassal. His goal was merely to advise and to fight when the order was given. But more than anything, he was a Leader, the leader of his entire tribe, and as such, he had the absolute duty to be careful in his words and actions.
The Tigers were in a dire situation. There was no need to increase the problem they were facing.
"My Lord, what do we do now?"
His subordinates gazed at him, eyes full of trust despite the obvious defeat.
They knew very well that their leader had been the one to suggest taking the front line, and they knew that doing so meant having the highest chances of dying, as was proven the night before.
Even so, they did not fear.
They were fighting, not just for mere riches, but for a glorious purpose: that of reinstating their clans to the rank they deserved.
While they may die, as long as their death could bring victory, their children and the children of their children would enjoy the results of their sacrifices.
"I will fight."
"Leader!"
They rose up, refusing vehemently to let this go.
"You are the hope of our clan! You cannot take the Frontline now!"
Indeed. Ever since the decline of the Tiger clans, they only had three elders who had reached the Duke rank.
Those elders were old and tired, reaching the end of their lifespans, and as such, simply stayed in hibernation to protect their Land and deter others from attacking them.
The current leader, though, was also a Duke rank, and more than anything, he was young.
He was the only one in the current generation to have reached the Duke rank, and there was no one else approaching.
If he died -
"Do you think me so weak that I would die this easily?"
His voice was calm, but his aura and majesty swiftly spread, quelling any refusal.
His mind was made. He would fight.
"The main Forces of our country are advancing. But such a movement is slow. If we do not stop the construction of the Circle, by the time our army reaches this place, there will be nothing left to protect."
They were the vanguard. Sacrificial pawns they were, but the role they played could never be downplayed.
"If full destruction is impossible, even partial one is acceptable. As long as we can slow down the main army of Lustburg, then this mission will be considered a success, and our clan will rise once again."
The difference between war beasts and Humans was something that could never be surpassed as long as they were not in the Duke rank or had a good contract.
In normal cases, to match the army of Wratharis, Lustburg had to send two or three times the number.
This was one of the reasons the development of Circle teleportation had been so important for the development of Lustburg.
"Soon, the Wyverns Knight should set sail, but even then, they are elite and few in numbers. We also have our way of dealing with them. But once they reach here, destroying the circle will be extremely hard."
The worst was that once the Circle was completed, only the full blow of a Duke level could truly destroy it.
This was now or never. Failure was not acceptable.
The Tiger Lord growled, his eyes blazing with a powerful will.
"Let's get ready, everyone. I will fight that woman. Truly, it must be a fight of destiny. Hahaha!"
He laughed out loud. He felt absolutely no confidence. In fact, he was even trembling. He was afraid and full of hesitation.
But he was the leader. He could never show weakness in front of those who trusted him. Doing so would be an insult to those who fought and died for him.
'Let's do it.'
He would fight and he would win.
[1]: Referring to the events of Saint Fall during Vol 2.
(AN: This war is also kind of Nuwa arc. As you know, the girl is very important thanks to her lineage. But she didn't have much time to screen. Personally, I admit I should have written the War arc in the mortal realm before the War in the Astral realm. But it is what it is with Web novel writing. I wonder if I should change the order of events in the LN version. But this would basically change everything. Sigh.)
