The footsteps of war did not pause in the slightest. The Flame Kingdom's knight orders had mobilized in full force, boarding Iron Dragon Warships and Fire Dragon Merchant Ships. Empowered by the merfolk's tremendous propulsion, they swiftly surged into the Eagle Kingdom.
They did not immediately make landfall. The coastal hinterlands had already been laid waste, with no resources left to plunder.
Thus, the warships and merchant ships continued to be propelled by the merfolk, sailing upstream along several of the Eagle Kingdom's famous rivers and penetrating deep into its interior to pillage.
Most of the Eagle Kingdom's great cities lay along these river basins. Land cultivated over many years was exceptionally fertile and rich in produce, making it impossible for people to relocate and seek refuge. The nobles here had never imagined their fiefs would come under attack, nor could they bear to abandon them.
But faced with the Flame Kingdom's menacing knight orders, there was little resistance they could offer. After all, dragons guarded those knight orders from the sky.
"Why? Why do the Flame people have no scruples at all? Aren't they afraid of the royal family's wrath?!" Some nobles whose news had arrived late still knew nothing of the dragon-slaying battle even after the Flame Kingdom's knight orders attacked—without Magic Platforms, they basically relied on letters to convey information.
Unfortunately, how could the speed of letters compare to the speed at which merfolk propelled warships?
By the time the knight orders began their charge, these nobles were still feasting and making merry night after night, drowning themselves in decadent pleasure. So, without surprise, castle after castle fell easily to the Flame Kingdom's knight orders riding magic beasts and fine steeds. Population, food, elves—all were taken captive.
"Watch yourselves! Don't scrape or bump the elves!" Marcus Wheel