Chapter 198 Chapter 197 The Skillful Warrior Has No Renown
The Bartos army won the battle at the cost of thousands of casualties. The beastmen dropped their weapons and fled in all directions, and the knights pursued them relentlessly for several days. Only after their swords grew dull and their horses tired did they slow their pursuit.
The Beast King and several powerful beastmen escaped from the battlefield, but Duke Kasong, to prevent the beastmen from regrouping, joined forces with the Pegasus knights to hunt them down for a full day and night, killing them all and hanging their heads on the tips of their spears.
Only those beastmen who hid in the mountains and forests, utilizing the complex terrain, managed to escape death.
It is roughly estimated that this battle left nearly fifty thousand beastmen corpses on the battlefield. The Bartos side could not attend to so many details; they burned the beastmen corpses left on the battlefield, while the rest would rot in the mountains and forests.
The head of the Beast King was hung on the saddle of a Pegasus knight as they returned to parade. The whole army breathed a sigh of relief, the ominous clouds hanging over everyone’s hearts dissipated, and Bartos’ infantry gathered around a bonfire, chatting and laughing, eagerly mentioning that spring was coming and they could soon return to till the land.
Some, overly optimistic, began to calculate that with so many dead in the northern duchy, wouldn’t they have plenty of fields to cultivate?
The knights took off their armor, allowing their attendants to wash off the sweat and blood, then jumped into the nearby river to clean up before returning to camp for a good sleep. The next day, they did not don the heavy armor again or continue the pursuit, but instead gathered to eat, relax, and boast.
Even though the battle was technically still ongoing.
Duke Kasong himself wore luxurious garments made of Sairis silk, crafted by elves, holding a golden cup resembling the legendary Holy Grail, filled to the brim with wine.
He generously distributed the precious wine in the army to all the noble knights and promised that upon returning to the Quinas Castle, his treasured wine cellar would be open to everyone.
“It’s like a half-hearted champagne celebration.”
Ji Ma mocked, but her attire rendered her words unconvincing. Dressed in a black gown adorned with a golden pendant on her horns, with a snow-white chest exposed, she too looked like she was attending a banquet.
In contrast, George was dressed much more simply. He strictly adhered to the Holy Order’s recommendation, donning full plate armor, but this armor looked less attractive than before.
In close combat with the beastmen, especially the minotaurs, the opposing weapons struck and deformed the plate armor.
George’s shoulder armor was particularly misshapen, and although he later painstakingly used a hammer and a dome-shaped anvil to pound the dents back into shape, he was not a professional extraordinary blacksmith, leaving the surface uneven and quite unsightly.
Thus, George draped a small yellow and blue cloak over his shoulders. As Ji Ma had remarked, “This outfit looks like an old farmer archer.”
It is worth noting that Bartos, the old farmer, also liked to wear a small cloak that covered his shoulders.
But what troubled George most was his gauntlet; during the battle, the strap broke, and the rivets fell off, forcing him to cut a new strap himself. Unfortunately, the color and rivets did not match the original design.
This lack of color uniformity made George feel uncomfortable all over.
George asked, “What is champagne?”
“It’s a celebratory drink from a distant land, filled with bubbles, so when you open it, the liquid sprays out. People particularly love to spray each other with it to celebrate victories.”
“Can you still not scout in the dreamscape?”
“Yes, the closer I get to the northern black mist, the denser it becomes, a pitch-black expanse filled with trees that can kill,” Ji Ma replied. “If you give me another ten days or half a month, I will find a way to break through. Right now, all I know is that I’m being targeted by the Mother of All Beasts, that old hag.”
After that day of victory, Ji Ma noticed the gray mist in the dreamscape becoming heavier, escalating to a “black mist.” The entire area was filled with deadly trees, greatly shrinking her scouting radius.
Naturally, this matter was reported to Duke Kasong. George went personally, but in the end, nothing changed.
Duke Kasong merely verbally instructed the mounted attendants to scout more, while insisting on relaxation; everything remained as it was.
As for why Ji Ma’s vision was obscured by the black mist, after some discussion, they concluded that it was a necessary measure taken by the Mother of All Beasts to prevent the beastmen from being trampled by the knights’ horse hooves too often.
In simple terms, the knights’ valor had intimidated the Mother of All Beasts.
“I must persuade Duke Kasong once more,” George insisted. “We must not relax based on past experiences.”
“Then you are bound to fail again,” Ji Ma responded. “He will only smile and nod at you, while praising your caution. Then, right in front of you, he will call for attendants to step up the scouting, and those attendants will grumble while kicking a few roasting knights by the bonfire. The knights will complain as they eat baked potatoes, murmuring that the higher-ups are all mixed up, while they go take a casual ride around the surroundings.”
“But I must remind him; it’s my duty.”
“That black knight will be delighted,” Ji Ma remarked. “He’s been strutting around in front of you these days, flaunting his title as the Giant Butcher, constantly calling that poet with the coconut shells to create all kinds of giant-themed poems, while also insinuating that you’re too cowardly to fight from the back.”
“That guy?” George recalled, realizing Ji Ma was speaking the truth about the constant sound of coconut shells. “Is it really necessary to mention it?”
“If you don’t care, I do.” Ji Ma replied. “Clearly, holding the flank and killing the giants are both indispensable, but everyone only remembers those standing atop giant corpses. They utterly forget that it’s thanks to us running back and forth, cleaning up after their reckless moves, and trying to buy them time for raids. The feeling of working hard only to be overshadowed by others is truly dreadful.”
George was puzzled. “But what does this have to do with me reminding Duke Kasong?”
“He’s provoking you; he’s been bottling up frustration.” Ji Ma explained. “With your current prestige, persuading Duke Kasong will only give him a chance to challenge you; he will definitely counter your suggestions.”
“So what?” George questioned. “Even if he challenges me a hundred or a thousand times, his moment of glory in life will likely just be standing atop a giant corpse. Why should I be afraid of his provocation?”
Truly arrogant, Ji Ma almost reflexively wanted to retort, but upon realizing that George indeed had the strength to back up his pride, she refrained.
“Alright, alright.” Ji Ma sighed. “Have you thought about how to persuade him?”
“Explain the importance of your scouting, as well as the cunning of the enemy. Currently, we have pushed too far into the war zone; along the way, there are only deserted villages and towns. The castles have all been destroyed by some immense force, which four one-eyed giants simply cannot achieve.”
“That’s quite articulate,” Ji Ma considered for a moment, adding, “Additionally, there are a few more points to include. Firstly, even though the beastmen outnumbered Bartos’ army by several tens of thousands, the vast majority are inferior horned beasts.”
From a certain perspective, the sheer volume of inferior horned beasts was one of the reasons for the beastmen’s defeat in that battle. The numerous fleeing inferior horned beasts hindered the battleworthy horned beasts.
“Secondly, we have not even seen the face of that old hag, the Mother of All Beasts… Is she really cooped up in the mountains, barely surviving?”
After listening, George committed her words to memory and said, “Thank you for your military advice.”
With that, George couldn’t help but ask, “Ji Ma, I want to ask you, I feel like you know quite a lot about military matters.”
Ji Ma fell silent but smiled at George.
George did not pursue the question further, turning to exit the tent, making his way toward the largest tent in the camp.
Inside the tent, sounds of knights laughing while drinking and the rhythmic clinking of coconut shells echoed:
“The Giant Butcher, the Giant Butcher, fearless in front…”
“The coward, hiding behind, afraid to join…”
George took a deep breath and pulled open the tent flap, saying, “Everyone, I believe now is not the time to celebrate.”
The black knight’s large red face bloomed in laughter: “Ha, coward?”
Ji Ma didn’t join the feast, and later she heard that George publicly urged Duke Kasong.
Duke Kasong politely rebutted that George was being overly cautious, stating that with so many beastmen dead, the remaining ones must be exhausted.
However, the black knight didn’t have such a good temper; for every statement George made, the black knight countered, ultimately concluding that George was simply afraid.
In the end, George had an honorable duel with the black knight, and the battle concluded with George’s victory.
Nevertheless, in the end, everyone sided with the black knight, openly stating that George was too cautious, leaving George in a bad mood and absent from the banquet.
George sighed, “Ji Ma, you were right.”
“Since you’ve done all you can,” Ji Ma said, “why not relax tonight as well? How about we meet in the Dream Palace?”
“Alright.”
