In this era, survival rates were low, making the land vast and the people sparse. Though it was a village, each household stood quite far from the next.
This army was not large, but in order not to disturb the residents here, Nara still did not allow the troops to enter the village. Instead, they camped on the plains south of it.
Nara sat not far from the bonfire, not having removed her heavy armor. From time to time, she raised her head to look toward the other side of the village. In her heart, there was always a faint sense of foreboding.
"How have the night patrols been arranged?" Nara asked Les as he approached.
"They've already been assigned." Les did not look well. He spoke bluntly. "But I don't think they'll put much heart into keeping watch."
"Morale is still too low." Les sat down and sighed. "They can't see any hope. They don't believe they can win, so they have no drive for anything they do."
"I understand." Nara nodded. Interkami had been beaten into fear over these past seven years. The army's edge had been worn away through defeat after defeat. The only reason they were still willing to take the battlefield was because they had no other choice.
In other places, deserters had very low status. If someone was discovered to be a deserter and captured, they could be reduced to slaves with no status at all. That kind of life was barely better than death.
"An army in this state would only be marching to its death if it went to the front lines." Nara turned to look at the soldiers. She could feel their confusion. They did not fear death, but their fearlessness was not particularly heroic. They simply had no goal at