In Limgrave's Summonwater Village, the Redmane Army had already been resting for nearly half a day.
These rough men from Caelid had expected to find proper supplies and a chance to rest here, but reality left them bitterly disappointed.
The moment they entered the village, they eagerly searched the Governor's residence and the village storehouses.
Yet they did not find a single grain of rice or a single rune. Worse, they now had to provide rations for more than a hundred prisoners.
The village had been stripped cleaner than a field swept by locusts.
It was far from what they had expected, and the patience of these rough men was wearing thin.
Just as Radahn had predicted, the Redmane Army met no fierce resistance when they approached the village.
At first, the defenders' shots were only meant as a deterrent and posed no real threat.
Radahn wisely chose not to have the Flying Dragons burn the village from the air or break through the defensive line, because he knew that, despite the defenders' Fire Arrows filling the sky, they had caused no real damage.
Before dawn, they had easily taken this first major town in eastern Limgrave. But at that moment, all the knights and soldiers wanted to do was curse every last relative of the Fire-Bearer Army.
More than once, the knights had pushed open a storehouse door with eager anticipation, only to find an empty room and a heart full of disappointment.
This was proof enough that the Fire-Bearer Army had planned to abandon this place from the start.
Although the Fire-Bearer Army truly could not match the Redmane Army in a direct confrontation, the knights had never imagined they would give up Summonwater Village so easily.
Never mind that Summonwater Village was an important settlement whose tax revenue rivaled that of a major city. Even if money did not matter, its location alone made it the first line of defense against the Redmane Army.
The Redmane Knights who had led their soldiers around to search for supplies returned one after another. Bright Glintstone lamps washed the Governor's office in clear white light, while the towering Demigod stood by the window, looking down over the whole village.
"Well? Did you find anything?" Radahn's lips curved into a faint smile. He slowly opened the window, then turned around with his hands behind his back.
Standing before him were two knights in Redmane Knight armor. As soon as they saw Radahn, they gave him a proper military salute.
The two knights showed excellent discipline. One of them quickly presented a detailed report, while the other was Ogha. The knight who delivered the report was his adjutant.
Ogha shook his head helplessly, as though he had a thousand things to say but no idea where to begin, then walked slowly toward Radahn.
"The Fire-Bearer Army is worse than bandits. They didn't leave us a damn thing. And those hundred-plus prisoners? We can't let them go, but we still have to feed them. That so-called Lord of Cinder is treating us like fools."
Ogha complained bitterly. The moment he mentioned that Lord of the Tarnished named Nolan, his temper shot straight up.
Was this not clearly taking them Redmane for pushovers?
Ogha had originally hoped to replenish some military supplies in this prosperous little village and ease the pressure on their logistics. But now, it seemed that plan had gone up in smoke.
The villagers themselves were quite wealthy. They had plenty of money and more than enough food.
But the Redmane were warriors, soldiers of the Starscourge General. Naturally, they would never stoop to oppressing civilians, burning, killing, and looting.
So there was nothing to be done. He could only swallow his anger. He certainly could not vent it on innocent commoners.
Ogha kept muttering under his breath as he moved forward like a ghost, picked up the wine bottle on the table, raised it, and drained it in one go before wiping his mouth.
It was clear the knight was truly thirsty. While inspecting the storehouses, who knew how many generations of the Fire-Bearer Army's ancestors he had cursed.
Radahn seemed to have expected all this. He simply watched him with a bright smile, neither reprimanding him nor showing the slightest sign of anger.
At that moment, one knight after another entered the office. Without exception, they all brought the same news as the Redmane chief knight. No rice, and no runes.
The rough men's expressions were ugly. If they had not been standing before Radahn, they would already have started cursing to vent the violence in their hearts.
But Radahn was right there, smiling happily as though something amusing had happened, so the knights merely pressed their lips together and refrained from spoiling their lord's mood.
After standing there long enough, even the slowest among them realized something was off. How could their lord have thought of something amusing? He was clearly laughing at them.
The man who had done nothing was enjoying himself, while the ones who had worked seriously had become the butt of his joke. If they could beat him, the knights would have gone up and punched him.
"After all these years, why are you still so reckless? Since the enemy was prepared, isn't the current situation only natural? Of course they wouldn't leave us important supplies like money and grain."
Radahn stood before the Governor's desk and spoke in a casual tone. As for the Governor's chair, he had moved it aside. It was too small and completely mismatched with his size.
"I imagine Miro Fortress behind them and the villages along the way will be the same. Looks like the Fire-Bearer Army plans to fight us to the death at Stormveil," Ogha said.
"By the same logic, once we take Stormveil, all the money and grain in that city will become our spoils," Radahn said slowly, his eyes fixed on the map spread across the long table.
Even though the general's words offered some comfort, the gloom in their hearts was still hard to dispel.
So what were they supposed to do? It seemed only by showing their courage on the battlefield could they fully release this pent-up frustration.
Another day passed, and soon the order for the army to move out was issued from that room.
Although the village was not small, they had gained nothing of substance here.
On the contrary, they now had more than a hundred extra mouths to feed, and that was only a minor part of the problem.
Every day, tens of thousands of people were waiting to be fed. Staying one more day meant enormous consumption. War was like a giant rune grinder, a bottomless pit that devoured resources.
Besides, the battle to capture Summonwater Village had been exceptionally easy. They did not need much time to rest. One day was more than enough.
The moment each legion received the Starscourge General's order, they immediately broke camp and set out, their goal clear as they advanced toward Stormveil Castle in the west.
The water route was still their only option. They could only rely on boats and proceed slowly, and the journey was rough. But once they left the lake behind, the road ahead would be open and smooth.
Limgrave's infrastructure had already been built to a highly complete standard during Godwyn's rule.
After leaving the lake region, a flat official road leading straight to Stormveil appeared before them. The road was broad and level, wide enough for the army to pass.
To the north and south of the road, aside from Miro Fortress, stood one small village after another.
Just like Summonwater Village, they offered little resistance.
Of course, the Redmane Knights were not surprised by this. They all believed the Fire-Bearer Army simply had no power to withstand their attack.
And so the Redmane Army surged forward like a torrent, rushing onward without encountering any obstacle.
Only when the soldiers finally raised their heads and their gazes were drawn to the banners burning like flames atop the city walls did they come to a stop at the foot of Stormhill.