Meanwhile, as Luka pushed north through the perilous forest, growing stronger ever so gradually. Iris sat atop her well-trained brown wolf, watching as her fellow dwarves and the human warriors who followed her armed themselves.

"Are you worried, Lady Iris?"

A gentle, but powerful voice came from behind her as Gerard rode a rather fierce-looking wolf, missing one eye, with brilliant white fur like his hair.

"Eh, you! Kekeke, did you abandon your horse knight?!"

"No, Dear Lady. This mission is important to you, My Lord and the future of our people, thus I have chosen the best possible mount."

’Though I understand their Lord perished...’

Iris didn’t mean to constantly mock or degrade the men and knights from Babylon.

The memories were just too vivid for her to forget the moment they sent a distress call to Babylon for help when the goblin shaman first appeared and received no answer.

He didn’t take the goblins to conquer them on the first day.

The goblins would strike in the middle of the night, kidnap young women and slaughter a few men.

They repeated this six times, whittling down their ability to fight back.

The fact that no one came to help as she ran away created a thick scar across her heart. Forced to watch her people and Amol Village burning. Most of her resistance towards Luka came from that lingering pain.

"Sir Gerard, about Luka..."

She didn’t know much about the young man who managed to stir her desire to fight back, the dying embers that almost completely simmered. His actions awakened something inside her when she witnessed the weak, feeble boy who rode into battle.

The image of a sickly and weak boy, now Lord, fighting for his people and then swearing an oath to aid her.

Iris wasn’t a statue or a mannequin.

She was a woman, a girl who enjoyed romantic novels.

Though her feelings towards him were lingering at the level of interest and goodwill towards him as a person.

It was thanks to these initial feelings that she agreed to become his Fiancée.

"About My Lord? What do you wish to know, My Lady? However, I must admit that even I am quite confused about the recent changes. Though for the best, it feels he’s forcing himself, like a candle fighting against a storm."

"Eh?" She pulled the reins of her wolf and glanced back at the knight. "Don’t you know him well, but you’ve sworn an oath to him, right?!"

Gerard smiled back at the young woman’s reaction.

"My Lady, do you know it can take a lifetime to understand even half the intentions of another person, even then, that person could make a decision that completely shocks you. Thus, knowing the Lord well now, or in a decade, doesn’t matter."

"Grrrrr!"

He grunted, clearing his throat as the wolf beneath him let out a low growl.

"All that I trust is his eyes."

"His eyes...?!" Iris furrowed her brows and stared funnily at the knight.

The old knight just chuckled, his gaze facing the distant horizon, where the vague sight of Amol Village started to appear.

"It’s simple, when he asked for me and the others to follow him, all the things he said and offered weren’t lies. His eyes told me, at that moment, Lord Luka was spilling his earnest goals and desires. He wishes for a larger, more powerful and free Babylon."

Gerard peeked at Iris’s slightly confused expression and stroked his grey whiskers.

"You see, for us, this land is important. To me personally, this land is where my beloved wife, mother and father rest, and for the longest time, I have wished for the Lord to unite the two territories and create a stronger Babylon."

"No longer bowing to the surrounding Lord’s like cowards."

"No longer in fear of a goblin or orc invasion each night, I close my eyes..."

"A land where my granddaughter can spread her wings and achieve her dreams!"

"A-Ahem! Forgive this old man, who loves to talk and dream."

Iris leaned on her palms, watching Gerard with a faint smile. She didn’t know why her chest felt so warm as she listened to the elderly man talk about dreams. ’I used to hate this place, from the soil to the mountains sealing me inside... However.’

"It’s okay, I enjoyed listening."

She paused.

Her eyes shook slightly.

’Ah... that boy, his enthusiasm is infectious.’

Iris dragged herself up before snapping the reins.

"Thank you for the chat, Sir Gerard."

Her wolf sped into the distance, kicking up dirt as if to avoid the conversation and deny the bubbling turmoil growing in her chest. She planned to leave, to escape once Amol Village regained its legs under Luka.

Yet, when she thought of leaving, an unsettling weight in her gut made her feel as if something had grabbed and twisted it.

’Focus! I have to focus...’

The ground spread under her wolf’s paws with a wet slap.

Dozens of wolf riders aligned to her right and left, with the knights mostly on horseback, apart from the old knight.

"Here! On Me!"

Though it appeared they might be heading straight for Amol Village at first, she raised her hand, circling it in the air, and headed west.

Towards a crumbling old tower, not far from the halfway point.

"Spearman, to the front! Take care of lingering goblins." Her voice cried out as she guided and led the troops with a different style than Luka.

Gerard soon rushed up and appeared beside her.

He didn’t speak with the same soft voice, but a rough and strong knight’s bellow, as he drew his sword and took position ahead of her.

"Allow this old knight to offer his services as your guard."

’These damn old men...’

She couldn’t help but remember the old Amol warriors who remained to fight to help her escape, all stupid like this man.

"Don’t get injured, my Knights must be the Elite of the Elite!"

"Ohohoho~ I will do my best, My Lady!"

Without another word, she grasped the reins tighter and gripped a smaller, throwing axe from the saddle bag hanging from her wolf’s flank.

"Everyone, Charge!"

...

In the distance.

The ground thundered as a combined force of 100 knights and warriors charged the small outpost, once used like the one they had retook a few nights earlier. Once a bridge between Amol and Babylon to link the two territories.

Now, it was a useless wasteland filled with human corpses and goblin waste.

Fifteen goblins sat before a fire, their bodies idle as the ground began to vibrate, shaking more and more until they finally stood.

"Ggigiigigi!?"

"Grek!"

The goblins scrambled to grab their makeshift spears, stolen weapons from the Amol Warriors, and other items.

Thanks to the Hobgoblin leaving with most of the more intelligent goblins.

These goblins lacked a strong leader. So they just loitered as an early warning system for the main camp with the Shaman.

Within a few moments, the goblins set up lines, hidden behind the collapsed wooden walls and fallen bricks half their size. A group of them held cheap, crude bows, drawing them halfway as the wolves and horses appeared.

Their little mouths curved.

Chalk scraping giggles leaking through their cracked lips.

"Take them out! Kill them all!" An Amol warrior screamed before tossing a spear.

Fwooosh!

The sharp iron tip lanced through the air, pinning a goblin to the wall with a thud.

In response, a goblin shouted. "Grenna! (FIRE)"

The small band of goblin archers took potshots into the darkness, their murky yellow eyes able to see clearly up to 30 metres.

While the humans needed torches, they lacked such advantages.

Twang!

The cheap bowstrings rattled as their short, brown arrows tipped with a mixture of all things foul, goblin waste, dirt and rotting flesh.

The aim of these arrows was quite obvious.

"SPREAD OUT! Goblin Archers, five to the northeast!"

A young woman’s voice bellowed through the air, causing the goblin’s eyes to gleam ever brighter as their long, disgustingly wet tongues slid across their lips.

"Gal!! (Woman!)"

"Gallaa! (Women!)"

"Gallaa this! You disgusting freaks!" Iris shouted as she flung a throwing axe into the crowd of goblins. The sharp stone head rotated seven times before tearing apart the forehead of the leading goblin.

It fell to the ground, slumped over its bow.

"Slay them all! It’s time for Vengeance!"

The intense sound of combat rang through the dark outpost, with wolves tearing throats, spears ripping flesh, and the neigh of horses creating a beautiful melody of revenge for the Amol Warriors.

Yet everything ended in less than an hour.

The once confident goblins became bodies to harvest Mana Crystals.

Iris hopped off her horse, coming to the half-fallen tower, before squatting as she tapped the floor with her axe.

"It’s here somewhere..."

"My Lady, do you require a hand?" Gerard asked.

He sat covered in bright green and blue goblin blood before hopping off his wolf and gently petting its cheeks. The old knight almost beamed with energy as he moved like a man half his age.

"Mhm, just keep the torch on me for a moment. I have to find the signal stone that leads underground." She crawled through the dirt and mud, which brought a smile to Gerard’s lips; he seemed to appreciate her actions, even though she was a princess.

After a short time, the sound of her axe hitting stone changed to a more hollow thunk instead of a thud.

The stone she began to uncover had a small hole which could be hooked into it to lift it from the ground. A subtle chill leaked from the gap, and the howl of wind passing through the tunnels followed.

"Aha! Found it! We destroyed the tower to hide it from those dirty things."

This time, it was Gerard who raised his torch, swinging it in a circle.

"Gather up!"

As he glanced at the large stone slab, Gerard’s mind could only return to his Lord and the situation to the north.

It was finally time for their night to begin for real.