Dawn.
When the first ray of sunlight spilled down.
Dew still clung in glittering drops to the crisp blades of grass on the ground.
Each drop reflected the sunlight.
A pair of deerskin military boots passed by, carefully stepping around the lush green grass.
Following the boots upward, their owner wore splendid standard-issue armor.
A war bow was held in his hand, with a quiver of arrows slung across his back.
Pulling the view farther back, an entire army was advancing beneath the morning sun.
In the distance ahead lay a settlement Charles had seized.
Outside the settlement, its residents had spent the night in darkness.
They looked toward their homes, confused and afraid.
Yesterday, only a few who had dared to openly resist had been killed or hanged.
Apart from having their homes seized, the others had suffered no losses.
Some people looked at the settlement now.
Busy figures could be seen within it, along with a great number of warhorses.
Cooking smoke had begun drifting skyward long before the sun rose; now, only its lingering scent remained.
More and more human cavalrymen donned their armor and began assembling outside the settlement.
Beyond the settlement stretched vast fields that had already been harvested.
The fields still held the stubble left behind after the harvest.
Charles's cavalry had long grown accustomed to this style of long-range raiding warfare.
They also underwent this kind of training in their daily drills.
These cavalrymen were often made to march continuously for several days, or even more than ten days, before being thrown straight into battle.
For example, clearing out Greater Goblins, Gnoll bandits, and the like from certain places.
Like yesterday, being able to rest in civilian homes before battle, eat a meal in the morning,
and feed the horses at night—those were