'Shizu-sensei..'
Thinking of Shizue, Hinata grew increasingly uneasy. 'Who exactly bewitched Shizu-sensei, and is she safe now?'
To enter the Jura Great Forest as quickly as possible and ascertain Shizue's safety, Hinata had no choice but to accept this disadvantage.
Staying here any longer would only be a waste of time.
Moreover, every minute of delay increased the possibility of Shizue encountering danger.
Hinata couldn't afford to gamble.
"Sigh."
Hinata sighed. "Ultimately, it's still a lack of intelligence."
They knew nothing about the situation in the Jura Great Forest.
Who was the enemy?
And where did they come from?
Who was behind the disaster in the Jura Great Forest?
Rin did not establish a Monster Nation Federation like a Demon Lord.
The enemy couldn't gauge his true strength, and no matter what they did, they would be on the back foot.
This was what made Hinata most uncomfortable.
"Commander, you haven't closed your eyes for several days. Please rest first."
Leonard advised, "No matter what, your body is the most important thing. We still need your strength, Commander, in the coming battles."
"Yes."
Litus held Hinata's hand, expressing her desire to share a tent with the Commander. "Commander, please rest well. If anything happens, I will notify you immediately."
"Mm."
Hinata still valued these companions.
The young woman secretly swore that she would never let any monster harm the people she cherished.
And just as the Holy Knights converged with the Kingdom of Falmuth's 50,000-strong army,
On a plain just over a hundred kilometers away, Artoria quietly observed the movements here.
"Is she Hinata?"
Through her clairvoyance, Artoria took in Hinata and the other captains. "Her strength is good. She's a worthy opponent."
"Commander!"
Souka descended from the sky and reported, "Preparations for blocking the enemy's retreat are complete. Not a single person will escape!"
"Mm, you've have worked hard."
"Not at all."
Souka smiled. "It is I who should thank you, Commander, for giving us this opportunity to earn merit."
In this war, Artoria's goodwill toward the dragons was not lost on Souka.
She understood Artoria's intentions.
Artoria wanted the Dragon Species to become her aid, perhaps even a direct military force.
But so what?
Being able to ally with a supreme being like her, Souka had no dissatisfaction whatsoever.
Furthermore, Souka sensed an extremely familiar aura from Artoria.
She couldn't be mistaken.
This was definitely the power of the True Dragon's bloodline.
In other words, Artoria, like them, was actually a Dragon.
It was just that the racial characteristics of a Star Spirit suppressed that powerful True Dragon bloodline.
If one were to calculate it,
Artoria, as the Red Dragon of Britain, would at least be on the level of a Dragon King in the Cardinal World.
If she continued to develop, she might even become a True Dragon general for the Monster Nation in the future.
"Treyni-san."
"Is there anything you need to arrange, Artoria?"
Treyni wasn't physically present, but her consciousness was connected to the entire Jura Great Forest.
As long as they were in the Jura Great Forest, the monsters could communicate with her anytime, anywhere.
"Tomorrow, separate the enemy's main force from their army."
Artoria marked the A-rank and above powerhouses she had detected. "That young woman named Hinata, as well as the six captains accompanying her, and 111 Holy Knights."
Plus 3,000 Holy Knights.
These individuals, unlike the Kingdom of Falmuth army, needed to be dealt with differently.
"Luminous God?"
Treyni said, "I heard Rin-sama say that the Luminous God is actually the Vampire King among the Ten Great Demon Lords."
"Such matters should be considered after the war ends."
What Artoria needed to do now was only to defeat the opponent.
Yes, defeat, not kill.
The complete annihilation of the Kingdom of Falmuth's 50,000-strong army had already been decided by the Monster Nation.
However, regarding the remaining 3,000-plus reinforcements, there were differing opinions within the Monster Nation on whether to attack them.
Rimuru, Treyni, and others believed that these people could be captured, and then an explanation could be demanded from Luminous.
Diablo, on the other hand, believed that since they chose to invade, there was no need to consider. Just kill them.
As for Rin...
He chose a third option.
Rin didn't care about Hinata and the others.
For Shizue's sake, he could forgive their impoliteness.
At worst, he would make Hinata pay a price afterward.
For example, making her a teacher at the academy, or serving Rin tea and water to temper her sharp edge.
In any case, things hadn't reached the worst point. Everything could be discussed.
But Luminous was different.
Rin still had some ideas about this Night Demon Queen.
Capturing Hinata and the others would be the best bait to lure Luminous in.
"Let's go."
As day broke, Hinata woke up early.
After a night of rest and recuperation, Hinata's condition had fully recovered.
She knew she had to remain calm.
Otherwise, even if Shizue was truly in danger, she wouldn't be able to do anything.
"Holy Knights, assemble!!"
The Holy Knights lived up to their reputation as the elite of the Holy Empire of Lubelius. Almost within minutes of Hinata issuing the command, all 3,000 men had assembled.
"Lord Hinata?"
"We'll go first. You follow."
Hinata didn't give the Archbishop a good look and directly ordered them to advance. "The entire corps, follow me into the Jura Great Forest!"
"Your Majesty."
Watching Hinata and the others depart, the Archbishop stood beside the King and smiled. "With Lord Hinata's strength this time, mere monsters are nothing to fear."
Falmuth King nodded repeatedly.
He was quite satisfied with Reyhiem's arrangements.
If Hinata could solve the problem, then the 50,000-strong army wouldn't need to consume much in the way of supplies to achieve a great victory.
"My command!"
Falmuth King said, "All troops, advance!"
Thump-thump-thump.
At once, the sound of hooves rose and fell continuously.
Thousands of knights clad in silver armor, led by six captains and Hinata, stepped into the borders of the Jura Great Forest.
Following closely behind was a mighty, seemingly endless army of 50,000.
Along the way, whether it was the forests and bushes blocking their path or various animals and magic beasts, everything was swept away by this army.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)