The War Begins (Please Add to Favorites)

The war with the Upper Green Forest came very suddenly.

In the Month of Green Banyan Rebirth, Aaron was training his group of cannon fodder when Turner Shorien, one of his father's knights, rode over on horseback and shouted, "The Davis Family has launched an attack. The lord commands you to head to the Black Crow Dunes immediately!"

"Understood!"

Aaron thumped his fist against his chest. Seeing his subordinates still looking bewildered, he barked, "What are you waiting for? Go get your gear on! We're going to war!"

At those words, every last one of the cannon fodder looked uneasy.

But after all the training and discipline of the past few days, they at least knew whose orders to follow. With Sanchez, Green, and the other squad leaders keeping them in line, they soon steadied themselves.

"My lord!"

Eight-Fingers came to Aaron's side. He wore a battered iron helmet he had found somewhere, but had no other armor. A bitter look showed on his face beneath his bushy beard. "Can we... win?"

"We have to win!"

Aaron replied solemnly. As a member of the Sothoth Family, defeat would bring unimaginable consequences.

Thinking of that, he couldn't help cursing his useless cheat even more.

During this time, his daily dreaming had increased his energy—or, more accurately, his mysterious units—and strengthened the power of his dream self.

At the very least, he could move faster and sense more.

But... Aaron in the real world didn't even feel any more energetic...

As expected, bringing the power of his dreams into this world was incredibly difficult.

Putting those thoughts aside, Aaron led his troops toward the Black Crow Dunes.

The dunes lay at the border between the Upper Green Forest and Lower Green Forest. The surrounding wasteland was worthless, making it a perfectly expendable battlefield.

Still, the timing was a little strange!

Aaron looked at the farmland on either side of the road and pondered.

The Green Foresters' way of keeping time was still very primitive. They divided the year into a dozen or so months based vaguely on the growth of plants.

Why "a dozen or so"? Because the length of each month was vague.

As Aaron understood it, their timekeeping was so inaccurate that even leap years and leap months couldn't correct the enormous errors. So they simply let the number of months vary from year to year, following the natural world—especially the state of Grandmother Green Banyan.

In Sothos Territory stood a Green Banyan that had been designated the "Divine Tree." The months were determined according to the tree's condition.

Of course, since banyans were evergreen and didn't shed their leaves, autumn in Sothos Territory was a rather vague concept...

And now was spring, when all things grew!

In ancient times, this was the season for farming!

The two lords had only about a hundred standing troops each, so they had to conscript militia for war. If they kept fighting like this, production would suffer, and a famine was sure to follow the next year!

The Davis Family shouldn't be so foolish, should they? Or... had they stockpiled a large amount of grain in advance, and wanted to provoke the Sothoth Family into fighting in spring, disrupting the planting season? If they dragged things out until next year, the Sothoth Family would collapse without a fight?

That would also explain why they were the ones who started the war...

Aaron had a thought, and his heart grew heavy. He realized that the Davis Family also yearned for and had plans to control the entire Green Forest.

The Black Crow Dunes.

The dunes had now been divided into northern and southern halves, with military camps on each side.

By Aaron's estimate, Sothos Territory had sent around eighteen hundred troops this time, while the Davis Family had nearly two thousand!

"This really isn't some village brawl over wild boars anymore. At the very least, it's a county-level fight!"

Wearing fine leather armor, Aaron passed through the rows of camps and entered the main tent.

Theodore and Colin were both clad in fine armor, with several knights behind them. When they saw him enter, they each gave him a slight smile.

"Father!"

Aaron stood ramrod straight, his expression resolute, and struck his chest with his fist.

"This is your first time at war. Stay with Sir Alfred. He'll teach you well."

At least Theodore wasn't sending his son to his death. He pointed to a knight with slightly graying hair who held an enormous spiked mace.

"I'll obey your command."

Aaron knew that the old knight had seen many battles and had extensive experience. Though staying with him wasn't as safe as being with Colin at Theodore's side, it was still relatively safe.

Woo-woo!

Amid the mournful sound of horns, Aaron followed Sir Alfred to a slightly elevated spot on the dunes.

Nearly four thousand men formed two separate battle lines around the dunes, creating an enormous battlefield. Dark green and blue banners seemed to divide the land into two camps.

The Sothoth Family's banner had a dark green background, with a forked banyan tree emblem.

The Davis Family's crest, meanwhile, was a single eye.

"Remember, don't panic the first time you go into battle. Keep your family motto in mind." Alfred glanced at Aaron and instructed him.

"Unwavering!"

Aaron recited his family motto, then recalled the Davis Family's motto: "See all."

"Good. Here they come!"

Alfred said it calmly.

At that moment, Aaron saw the enemy formation begin to move slowly.

At the very front were ragged peasants with shoddy weapons, just like their own. Panic showed on their faces as the regular soldiers and knights behind them drove them forward to attack the Sothoth Family!

"On my command, archers, loose!"

Mark, in charge of the archers in the middle of the formation, roared and swept one hand forward.

A volley of arrows fell, striking many unlucky men. They collapsed to the ground. Some had missed vital spots and were still moaning.

But it made no difference! Their comrades behind them were swept along and trampled right over them. Soon, the moaning stopped.

Rumble!

The two armies charged. There could only be a few volleys of arrows before the two forces collided like raging floods.

"Charge!"

Alfred roared as he mounted his horse. Clad in armor, he looked like a moving metal fortress.

Aaron was positioned on the Sothoth Family's right wing. He gave the order, "Form a charge! Forward! Forward!"

Though fear showed in the eyes of Eight-Fingers and the other squad leaders, they still carried out the command well, making their small group of several dozen men part of the battle.

Rumble!

Aaron charged forward for a short distance. Suddenly, his vision darkened, and a flash of blue appeared before him.

The enemy was here!

"Die!"

He swung the Cross Sword in his hand and brought it down without hesitation.

The militiaman in front of him had been a farmer. Even after a few days of training, he had found the courage to kill, and his eyes were full of malice. But his equipment was too poor. The Cross Sword split his pitchfork in two, then slashed diagonally through his upper body, spilling his intestines and organs across the ground.

That was a mistake!

Aaron pulled his sword back and assumed a defensive stance, wary of the enemies all around him. His brow furrowed slightly. There's no need to use the Cross Sword against these unarmored militiamen. A rapier will do. I have to save my strength... whether we retreat or pursue later!