In front of the Main Gate of the frontier City of Gilm, a massive crowd had gathered.
Soldiers, knights, and adventurers stood in formation alongside a long line of carriages. Surrounding them were lovers, families, and friends who had come to see them off. The air was thick with a bittersweet mixture of emotions: some wept as they clung to their loved ones, others shouted encouragement to keep their spirits high, and many made no effort to hide the dread written across their faces.
Today was the day. Margrave Daskar Larkus was leading his army to war.
Under normal circumstances, it was rare for a high-ranking lord to personally take the field, but Daskar was a veteran warrior. Both his experience and his instincts screamed that this conflict would be far more than a simple border skirmish. The series of plots aimed at the City of Gilm, the appearance of Beast Soldiers, and the discovery of unknown magic items had all put him on edge. Consequently, he had decided to commit almost every available man to the campaign, leaving behind only the bare minimum required to defend the city.
Daskar had also instructed the other members of the Neutral Faction to mobilize as much strength as they could manage. He had even reached out to the local representatives of the Noble's Faction and the King's Faction, stressing the danger of the coming war and requesting their cooperation.
The Noble's Faction listened to me, Daskar thought, looking over his troops with a touch of bitter resentment. Even the nobles in this city seemed to take the situation seriously. But the King's Faction...
He turned his gaze toward the army he now commanded. There were eight hundred adventurers, five hundred knights, and three thousand regular soldiers, including volunteer soldiers. Including the logistics and support staff, his total force numbered approximately five thousand.
Given that the City of Gilm had a population of roughly one hundred thousand, the garrison left behind was skeleton-thin. That he could mobilize such a force while still maintaining any semblance of defense was a testament to Gilm’s unique status as a frontier stronghold.
The high proportion of adventurers was a direct result of their location on the frontier. The knights and volunteer soldiers also possessed a high level of martial spirit and training compared to the soft units of the interior. However...
It is still not enough, Daskar muttered inwardly. If the Bestia Empire is truly committed to destroying this kingdom, a force of this size will be swallowed in an instant. I must coordinate more effectively with the other factions.
He caught the eye of the Knight Commander and gave a small nod.
The Knight Commander immediately stepped forward, his voice booming across the plaza. "Listen up! Lord Daskar Larkus, the Margrave, has words for you!"
The man was well-suited to lead the Knight Order of the City of Gilm; his voice reached the ears of all five thousand soldiers—and the five thousand civilians seeing them off—with ease. The mages in the crowd watched with admiration, recognizing that he was using Wind Magic to carry his words, yet the raw authority and heat in the shout were entirely his own.
The Knight Commander applied the same magic to Daskar, allowing the Margrave’s voice to resonate directly in the minds of everyone present.
"This war is, without question, an act of unprovoked aggression by the Bestia Empire," Daskar began, his voice echoing eloquently. "As many of you know, they have long coveted our ports—they crave the sea. A port brings wealth, and wealth brings power. But does that mean we should stand by while our homeland, the Kingdom of Mireana, is invaded? No! Absolutely not! Can we allow them to trample over our lives just to satisfy their greed? No! We march to protect our homes. This is not a hunt for monsters; we go to stain our hands with the blood of men. Do not hesitate. If you falter, the lives of your friends, your parents, your children, and your loved ones will be the price of your doubt. The enemy is an invader. I say it again: do not hesitate! My friends, my children, my beloved citizens! You live on the frontier of this kingdom. That makes you the strongest force we have!"
Silence fell over the crowd as Daskar finished. Then, a heartbeat later, the plaza erupted.
"UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
Everyone—adventurers, knights, soldiers, and civilians alike—let out a thunderous roar.
"Let's do it! We'll protect this country!"
"Yeah! Kill every last one of those Bestia bastards!"
"We won't let them touch our city!"
"I'll cut them all down!"
"And I'll take them from a distance with my bow!"
"For pure destruction, nothing beats magic!"
Daskar nodded with satisfaction at the display of morale. He raised a hand and made a sweeping horizontal gesture, and the excited shouting gradually died down.
"Larkus Territorial Army, move out!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
With that final roar at their backs, the army began its march toward the front lines.
Leading the vanguard were roughly four hundred adventurers. Used to the dangers of the frontier, they maintained a high state of alert as they moved. Thieves, archers, and rangers scouted ahead, sensing the presence of monsters before they could launch an ambush. Rei and Seto were assigned to this group as well. Seto's senses as a gryphon were far sharper than any human's, and its presence as an A-rank monster served as a natural deterrent. While a few bold monsters like goblins occasionally tried their luck, they were cut down the moment they appeared.
Behind the adventurers came Daskar’s knights and the carriage train. Normally, baggage wagons would be heavily laden with supplies, slowing the entire army to a crawl. However, nearly half of the logistical burden was stored within Rei’s Misty Ring. Because the carriages were carrying significantly less weight, the horses remained fresh and the entire column was able to maintain a brisk pace.
Interestingly, several people in this group were riding horses that would usually be pulling wagons. This was because the carriage frames themselves had been stored inside the Misty Ring. Since carriages were vital for transporting the wounded or moving supplies to areas Rei couldn't reach personally, Daskar had insisted on bringing them along in this compact manner.
The next group consisted of regular soldiers and volunteer soldiers. Positioned near the center of the formation, they marched with confidence, protected by the elite units on the outskirts. Their morale remained high, and occasional cheers broke out as they advanced.
Finally, at the rearmost position, were the remaining adventurers. An attack from the rear could be catastrophic, especially if it threw the less-experienced volunteer soldiers into a panic. To prevent this, Daskar had placed his most reliable assets at the back. The most prominent among them was the A-rank party, the Axe of the Thunder God. The entire army took comfort in knowing that if something attacked from behind, those veterans would be there to handle it.
While there were other A-rank parties in Gilm, they were rare, and many were currently away on long-term requests like dungeon exploration or guarding high-ranking nobles in the capital. Rei had only met the Axe of the Thunder God because they happened to be between jobs when the orc settlement was discovered; it had been a stroke of incredible luck for the city.
Other familiar faces, like the parties Scorching Wind and Eternal Power, were also scattered among the ranks, though they had yet to achieve the same level of fame.
"Guruuuu," Seto growled low in its throat, eyes fixed on the forest lining the highway. Rei could feel several presences fleeing into the deep brush, terrified by the gryphon's power.
"What's wrong?" Luno asked, walking beside Rei. "Thinking about the girls at the guild reception?"
"Nothing like that," Rei replied. "Shouldn't you have noticed it? You're the one with the Magic Eye that sees magic power directly."
Rei glanced at the woods as he spoke. Luno, with his visual prowess and thief skills, was an ideal scout, which is why they had been paired at the very front of the column.
"Yeah, probably just some forest wolves," Luno said dismissively. "They usually hunt in packs, but they're low-rank..." He trailed off, looking back at the massive column of five thousand people spilling off the road. "Not even a forest wolf is stupid enough to challenge this many people. You'd need to be an A-rank monster like Seto to even consider it."
"Guru?" Seto tilted its head, then returned to scanning the highway.
"But seriously, how was it?" Luno pressed, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"How was what?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about Lenora and Kenny. I saw you talking to them before we left."
Rei let out a small sigh. "It wasn't anything special. They just told me to be careful and come back in one piece."
"That sounds pretty special to me. Rei, you might be used to it, but those two are absolute idols at the guild. Every adventurer in Gilm loves them. If the other guys find out they're personally worried about you, you're going to be the most hated man in the army. You'll have to watch your back for friendly fire."
Rei chuckled and stroked Seto’s feathers. "Lenora just sees me as a troublesome younger brother. As for Kenny... well, she has unique tastes, I'll give you that."
"A troublesome younger brother, huh? Given the messes you've made since arriving in Gilm, she's probably right."
Luno laughed, his teasing gaze fixed on Rei. It was true—even though Rei hadn't been in the city for a full year, he had been at the center of more incidents than most adventurers saw in a decade. Rei simply averted his eyes and focused on the path ahead, ending the conversation.
Because of the sheer size of the army, they failed to reach the City of Abuelo by nightfall. While the knights and adventurers could have made the distance easily, the volunteer soldiers lacked the conditioning for a sustained forced march.
They eventually set up camp about seventy percent of the way to Abuelo. Though the frontier was dangerous at night, the sheer presence of five thousand armed men kept most predators away. They made it through the night with only a handful of minor injuries from stray monsters.
Rei, however, had the busiest evening of anyone. He spent hours pulling dinner for five thousand people and hundreds of camping tents out of his ring. By the time he was done, he was undeniably the most exhausted person in the entire army—a fact even Daskar and the upper management had to admit.
As a result, Daskar’s original plan to use Rei’s Item Box to carry the supplies of the other faction armies was quietly shelved for the time being.