Negotiations

Early on the morning of May 28, Valkin Glarov, a Senior Knight of Girislav's directly subordinate Knight Order, woke in his tent at the makeshift camp. Valkin had led his men in from the eastern edge of Frost-Wolf Forest on February 20, but over a month of marching, they had lost most of their warhorses. Many of the mounts used by these directly subordinate knights were imported Black-Scaled Horses, and every single loss meant His Majesty the king had lost more than one hundred Gold Coins.

It was not only warhorses they had lost. They had also clashed several times with Beastmen, Wolf-Barbarians, and Magic Beasts, and in early March had nearly been driven back into Girislav's territory. Only after Human Race Archmages and high-ranking knights took action were they able to enter Frost-Wolf Forest once more. After that, they tracked the fleeing Beastmen all the way, finally emerging from the western side of the forest and seeing the destination they had first envisioned: Lokirav Pass on the eastern border of the Gallop Plains.

Before the war, Valkin had been personally received by His Majesty King Peteriev. The purpose of this squad of knights was very simple: open a path through Frost-Wolf Forest and establish a makeshift camp east of Lokirav Pass, ensuring that before the new Gallop Kingdom was founded, Girislav would swallow all of Frost-Wolf Forest whole.

"Mihal, call the various Knight Orders to assemble. We need to drive those Wolf-Barbarians west of the pass," Valkin said to his adjutant outside the tent. "Have them hurry. His Majesty said that as long as we take the land, we'll be pioneering lords here. I don't want more Knight Orders carving up the territory!"

"Yes, Captain. I'll speak to the other three captains at once." The adjutant showed a fawning