'Shizu-sensei…'
The thought of Shizu filled Hinata with growing unease. 'Who manipulated her? Is she safe now?'
To enter the forest quickly and ensure Shizu's safety, Hinata had to swallow this bitter pill.
Staying here was just wasting time!
Every minute of delay increased the chance of Shizu being in danger.
Hinata couldn't afford to gamble.
Sigh.
Hinata sighed. "In the end, it's a lack of information."
They knew nothing about the forest's situation.
Who was the enemy?
Where did they come from?
Who was scheming behind the forest's calamity?
Unlike Rimuru, Damien hadn't established a Monster Kingdom.
The enemy couldn't grasp his side's full strength, leaving them at a disadvantage no matter what they did.
That was what frustrated Hinata the most.
"Captain, you haven't slept in days. Rest a bit."
Leonard urged, "No matter what, your health is crucial. We'll need your strength next."
"Yeah."
Litus grabbed Hinata's hand, wanting to share a tent with her captain. "Rest well, Captain. If anything happens, I'll let you know right away."
"Mm."
Hinata valued these comrades deeply.
The young woman silently vowed never to let any monster harm those she cherished!
As the Crusaders joined forces with Falmuth's 50,000-strong army...
On a plain just over a hundred kilometers away, Artoria was quietly observing their movements.
"She's Hinata, huh?"
Through her Clairvoyance, Artoria took in Hinata and the other captains. "Impressive strength. A worthy opponent."
"Commander!"
Souka descended from the sky, reporting, "We've prepared to block the enemy's retreat, ensuring no one escapes!"
"Good work."
"No, no."
Souka smiled. "I should be thanking you, Commander, for giving us this chance to prove ourselves."
In this war, Artoria's goodwill toward the dragonewt was clear to Souka.
She wanted the dragonewt to become her allies, even her direct legion.
So what?
Aligning with a powerhouse like Artoria, Souka had no complaints.
Moreover, he sensed a familiar aura from Artoria.
He couldn't be mistaken.
It was the bloodline power unique to dragons!
In other words, Artoria was, like them, a dragon.
Her Stellar Spirit traits had merely suppressed that potent dragon bloodline.
By all accounts...
As Britannia's Red Dragon, Artoria would at least rank as a Dragon Lord on the Central World.
With further growth, she might even become a Dragon God for the Monster Kingdom.
"Miss Treyni."
"Any orders, Artoria?"
Treyni wasn't physically present, but her consciousness was linked to the entire forest.
As long as they stood within it, monsters could communicate with her anytime.
"Tomorrow, separate the enemy's main force from their army."
Artoria marked the A-rank or higher powerhouses she'd detected. "That girl named Hinata, the six captains by her side, and the 111 Temple Knights."
Plus the 3,000 Crusaders.
These were different from the Falmuth army and required a different approach.
"Luminous?"
"I heard from Lord Damien that this Luminous is actually the Queen of Nightmares, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords."
"We'll deal with that after the war."
For now, Artoria's only task was to defeat the enemy.
Yes, defeat... not kill.
Wiping out Falmuth's 50,000-strong army was a decision the Monster Kingdom had already made.
But opinions differed within the kingdom on whether to eliminate the 3,000+ reinforcements.
Rimuru, Treyni, and others believed they could capture them and demand answers from Luminous.
Diablo, however, thought that since they'd chosen to invade, they should be killed outright!
As for Damien...
He chose a third option.
He didn't care much about Hinata and her group.
For Shizu's sake, he could forgive their audacity.
At worst, he'd make Hinata pay a price later.
Perhaps have her teach at the academy or serve him tea to temper her edge.
Since things hadn't escalated to the worst, everything was negotiable.
But Luminous was different!
Damien had some plans for the Queen of Nightmare.
Capturing Hinata and her group would be the perfect bait to lure Luminous in!
Damien wasn't Rimuru.
If you wage war against me, I won't play nice.
If Luminous dared to show up...
Damien wouldn't mind adding another beauty to his harem.
After all...
'She didn't want the vampires to become extinct, right?'
---
"Let's move."
The next day, Hinata woke early.
After a night of rest, she was fully recovered.
She knew she had to stay calm.
Otherwise, even if Shizu was in danger, she'd be powerless to help.
"Crusaders, assemble!!"
The Crusaders, true elites of the Holy Empire of Ruberios, gathered within minutes of Hinata's command.
"Lady Hinata?"
"We'll go first. You follow!"
Hinata gave the Archbishop no pleasantries, issuing her orders. "Full regiment, follow me into the forest!"
"Your Majesty."
Watching Hinata and her group's backs, the Archbishop stood by the king, smiling. "With Lady Hinata's strength, mere monsters are no threat!"
The King of Falmuth nodded repeatedly.
He was quite pleased with Archbishop Reyhiem's arrangements.
If Hinata could resolve the issue, the 50,000-strong army could return victorious with minimal resource loss.
"Pass my command!"
"All forces, advance!!"
Clop, clop, clop...
The sound of hooves echoed endlessly.
Thousands of knights in silver-white armor, led by the six captains and Hinata, stepped into the Jura Forest's border.
Following them was the vast, seemingly endless 50,000-strong army.
Along the way, trees, shrubs, animals, and magical beasts blocking their path were all swept aside by this force.
***
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