The gale was like a savage beast, tearing mercilessly through the endless shrubs and letting out roar after roar.
The river, by contrast, was calm as a silver ribbon. It wound through the village before rushing over the cliff's edge, forming a magnificent waterfall.
Night hung low like a vast black curtain, heavy enough that it seemed one could reach up and touch the glittering stars.
With Summonwater Village as the boundary, the vast expanse of Caelid lay to the east, while peaceful Limgrave lay to the west.
Many years ago, however, the nights in this village had been forbidden ground for the living, without a single light to be seen.
Some said countless white bones still slept beneath the silt at the bottom of the river, as if telling the story of that dark chapter in its history.
There were no roads here at all. Only countless small boats sailed in straight lines across the boundless lake.
Suddenly, a huge shadow swept across the surface of the water, like a giant eagle spreading its wings in flight, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Radahn was still riding his pony by the riverbank, watching the scene.
He rather enjoyed this feeling. Not the vile thrill of trampling lives underfoot, of course, but the surge of excitement he felt every time he fought bloodily on the battlefield.
When you galloped across the battlefield on horseback, the clash of steel rang clear and bright, and warriors displayed their valor to the fullest, roaring at the top of their lungs like lions.
That was when a hero's tale truly began.
Yet the anger hidden deep in his heart had still not faded. Although the war was progressing quite smoothly, and the rich fruit that was Limgrave seemed almost within reach, those treacherous villains hiding behind the scenes had still not been found.
Radahn knew his guess had been right. Those people's goal had been war, because ever since the Redmanes crossed the border into Limgrave, there had been no further reports of villages being attacked.
This was a war with a conspiracy buried beneath it. The reason he had led his army out despite knowing that, aside from the fact that the arrow was already on the string and had to be loosed, was his immense confidence.
He believed that no matter what schemes and tricks those treacherous villains tried to play, they could not stop him and the Redmanes from advancing.
If those people truly had any ability, they would not be hiding away, only daring to play petty tricks in the dark and not even having the courage to fight an open battle.
"We've completed the first round of investigations. At present, the most suspicious are several newly appointed Sages. Sage Grilan has already sent people to watch their every move..."
Radahn silently listened to Ogha's report. This Redmane Knight had been just as diligent throughout the journey. Ogha never neglected any task Radahn entrusted to him.
In truth, it might be more accurate to say that Ogha himself wanted to drag those despicable people out, because no one from Caelid could look at the tragedy on the border without feeling anger.
But he truly was not suited for this kind of work. The only investigative method he could think of was sending a few knights to follow those Sages under the pretext of protection.
Anyone with eyes could tell there was something suspicious about suddenly doing such a thing at a time like this.
It was not as though the Sages lacked combat ability, nor were the Black Mages short of capable hands. Each of them was skilled at killing, clearly not the sort of person who needed special protection.
Fortunately, Sage Grilan was there to help. This kind of work that could not be brought into the light was exactly the specialty of those magical assassins. If the Redmanes could not follow them, then the Sorcerers would.
You might find protection from outsiders suspicious, but surely you could not refuse the goodwill of your own leader.
In short, whether or not those so-called Sages could see the problem in Grilan's arrangements, it would greatly reduce the chance of that spy continuing to take risks.
Radahn turned his head thoughtfully, his gaze falling on Ogha beside him.
He lightly patted Ogha's shoulder armor, then slowly raised his head and stared into the night sky, where the starlight seemed frozen in place.
Radahn saw Flying Dragons soaring beneath the stars, wings spread wide. They were the allies who had once helped them leap over the high walls of Leyndell.
Summonwater Village was a village large enough to rival a town, yet as Stormveil's outpost, it did not even have a wall. The deep, wide lake was its natural barrier.
It was funny, in a way. Decades ago, he had led a great army along this very waterway once before.
Back then, they had been warmly welcomed, not treated as enemies.
Still, the master of this village at the time had been a noble he did not much care for.
Everyone knew that noble had ambitions of becoming a Dragonlord's vassal. Even so, Radahn had not refused the help he offered.
The world was vast, far too vast to be governed by one person alone.
Even if he eventually ascended the throne and became Lord, he would still need to rely on those nobles to help him govern the Lands Between.
At the time, he had not known what the Lands Between would look like without nobles.
The young Lord of Limgrave had given him a different answer. Perhaps nobles were not something this world could not do without.
But it was still far too early to speak of that now. The throne was still distant from him, and between him and it lay more than half of the Lands Between, along with several opponents he had to defeat.
A sharp whistle split the air from the village ahead, as if a great flock of flamingos had torn through the night.
Those flamingos flew out at astonishing speed, plunging straight toward the surface of the lake.
The bright red glow radiating from them was like clusters of burning flame, enveloping the fleet and making it impossible to look away.
Of course, they were not some strange luminous creatures called flamingos. It was a rain of flaming arrows.
In the next moment, Ogha could not help feeling puzzled. There were far too few arrows. The enemy's resistance was much weaker than he had imagined. Those few dozen arrows were more like a ceremonial salute fired before opened gates.
"They're... afraid?" Ogha froze. Even if they could not win, should they not fight to the last drop of blood? How was this any different from surrendering?
"Do not disturb the residents once you enter! That was merely an invitation to the decisive battle from our opponents. They are waiting for us at Stormveil!" Radahn said, immediately taking command.
The moment he gave the order, Ogha had already squeezed his horse's sides and rushed out, charging straight toward the front line.
At the front were three Guards Infantry Regiments. Each regiment had one thousand well-trained, well-equipped soldiers, for a total of three thousand men, along with an improvised aerial force made up of ten Flying Dragons.
This force was jointly commanded by three Redmane Knights ranked among the top eighteen seats of the knightly order. All of them were seasoned commanders who had fought in countless battles.
In their expectations, Summonwater Village, a prosperous commercial village-town and strategic stronghold, should have had at least a thousand defenders. Now, they did not even know if there were a hundred.
If Ogha had been commanding the army alone, he might have grown suspicious in the face of such an abnormal situation and wondered whether this was a trap deliberately laid by the enemy to lure them in.
But things were different now. Radahn was personally holding the rear. Even if the enemy Lord was here, it would only mean the decisive battle had begun early.
Could a mere attempt at luring them into a trap frighten him?
The three infantry legions began to advance faster, while the Flying Dragons circled overhead to observe the situation. The defenders fired another scattered volley of arrows, which struck the shields with dull thuds.
No one noticed that a tall figure was also watching the battlefield. His deep eyes were like candle flames in the dark, silently observing this attack and defense.