Setting Out Again

At the banquet, Harrot chatted curiously with the Dwarves and Elves.

The Dwarves were boisterous: "Drink this cup with me, and we're brothers!"

Then, the Dwarf brothers declared: "Since we're brothers, let's have another!"

Harrot: "..."

The Elves were more reserved, drinking fruit wine. Harrot found a cheerful, handsome Elf to talk with for a while.

Most Elves preferred a peaceful, quiet life, staying in the Elf Forest. These Elves were unusual, curious about the outside world.

When they learned that Elder Iltiran was going out, they followed along. To them, life in the Elf Forest was simply boring.

For some reason, the Elves were exceptionally friendly towards Harrot. As they chatted, the Elves even led Harrot in a few Elf dances. Even Marcus, with his incredibly high Charm, didn't receive such treatment.

The grand banquet lasted from afternoon until midnight. Everyone dispersed to rest, conserving energy for the next day's pioneering journey.

Harrot, for once, wasn't "busy" that night, simply falling asleep peacefully with Sihrulu and Hill in his arms.

The next day, before leaving, Harrot bid Sihrulu and Hill farewell: "Wait for me, I'll be back to pick you up soon. Then you'll be the lord's wives!"

With that, Harrot kissed Sihrulu's belly and face. He left two Lucanir Rangers and seven Lucanir Infantry to serve and protect them.

This time, there were many soldiers for the pioneering effort. Unlike before, Nobles couldn't act freely; they had to accept the alliance's arrangements for battle.

The Dwarves formed their own army group and determined their combat plan based on tactics.

The Elves simply needed to shoot arrows from a distance. There were less than 100 of them in total, all young Elves. It would be difficult to explain their deaths to the Archmage, so it was better for them to avoid close combat.

Harrot only took ten Knight attendants with him to depart with Marcus, while Marcus brought all his soldiers with him.

It's important to clarify the feudal relationships of this era. Harrot was loyal to Marcus, and Harrot's Knight attendants were loyal to Harrot. However, Harrot's Knight attendants had no obligation to be loyal to Marcus.

Simply put, your vassal's vassal is not your vassal. Marcus had no right to command Harrot's Knight attendants, and Marcus would also try to avoid commanding his Knight attendants through Harrot.

Marcus would assign any tasks to Harrot, and whether Harrot did them himself or had his subordinates do them, Marcus wouldn't interfere with the process, as long as the result was good.

Harrot was given a Magical Warhorse and a full plate armor crafted by Dwarves. Even with Harrot's average Riding Skill, he could now fight on horseback.

Previously, if he were to swing a greatsword on horseback, with his Power, the horse might have been knocked down by the force of the blow.

This Magical Warhorse wasn't given to him permanently; it would be reclaimed after the battle and then re-allocated to various Nobles based on performance, who would then decide whether to keep it themselves or give it to a Knight.

After all, the price of one Magical Warhorse was almost equivalent to an entire village!

Harrot's warhorse could use Wind Magic, not for attack, but for support. It could reduce air resistance and increase movement speed, making it a top-tier Magical Warhorse. Marcus had specially picked it for Harrot using his authority.

The Centaurs of the East weren't completely mindless beasts. After repelling the alliance's first invasion, they sent Scouts to reconnoiter and observe.

The pioneering force, nearly 100,000 strong, was discovered as soon as they crossed the wilderness. The Centaur Scouts scattered and fled back to report the intelligence.

The pioneering allied army wasn't surprised; they were prepared for a direct confrontation anyway, so it didn't matter whether they were discovered or not.

However, the location of the decisive battle had to be chosen carefully. The Centaurs were an entirely cavalry force, so fighting on overly flat terrain would be suicidal.

The alliance found a somewhat uneven but not too rugged terrain and began constructing fortifications. Based on their deductions, the wild and arrogant Centaurs would most likely take the initiative to attack them.

"Just waiting for them to attack is too passive. Let's do something to force them to attack!"

Marcus suggested slaughtering the peripheral small tribes to enrage the Centaurs. As the rulers of this land for thousands of years, the Centaurs had never suffered such humiliation and would surely attack them in a fit of rage.

"Let's go, Harrot, let those Centaurs see what we can do!"

Marcus himself, of course, had to set an example for his own proposal, leading Harrot and other Knights in a small cavalry unit to raid those small Centaur tribes.

Many other Nobles also followed suit, beginning their hunt for Centaurs. The territorial struggles between different races were truly this cruel.

The Thunder Tribe was gathering its forces, mobilizing other small and medium-sized tribes in their territory, preparing to crush the allied army in one fell swoop. At first, they didn't pay much attention.

However, not only were the small tribes suffering heavy casualties, but many of their own tribesmen who were out hunting were also killed by the allied army. In a fit of rage, they formed several elite squads to attack the enemy.

Marcus and Harrot were intercepted by one such squad.

The opposing force consisted of over 40 individuals, and their leader was extremely powerful, capable of using extraordinary abilities similar to War Stomp.

The Centaur leader unleashed this ability as soon as he encountered Harrot and his group. Fortunately, the power and range of his move were far inferior to a legendary Centaur's, and Harrot and his group were all cavalry, so they weren't too greatly affected.

But the subsequent battle was extremely frustrating. The Centaurs were also cunning. Realizing that Marcus's group was too strong, they didn't charge in for a direct confrontation but instead attacked with arrows from a distance.

This was truly frustrating. Except for the few riding Magical Warhorses, the others couldn't keep up with the Centaurs' speed. Even if those few chased them, they weren't guaranteed to win, and no one knew the strength of that Centaur leader!

Another reason why the Orcs lost to the Centaurs was found: the Orc army had very few cavalry and ranged archers, so they had no way to deal with the Centaurs kiting them.

Marcus's fireballs didn't have the same range as arrows, so he could only lead Harrot and the others in a desperate escape. Fortunately, their armor was of good quality, and the Centaurs' arrows were of average quality. Although many people were hit and injured, there were no fatalities.

"This can't go on, the men can hold on, but the horses can't!" The Bald Man said anxiously.

Marcus also had a headache. These Centaurs, when their arrows couldn't penetrate the men, aimed for the horses. Magical Warhorses were fine with their heavy armor, but ordinary warhorses weren't.

To adapt to the expedition, the soldiers rode medium-sized horses that were easy to feed and had excellent stamina. These horses had limited Power, and carrying heavily armored men left them no extra capacity for horse armor.

Several soldiers' horses had been hit by arrows and wouldn't last much longer. Harrot looked at the anxious Bald Man and the indecisive Marcus, gritted his teeth, and suggested:

"Let's risk it. I'll take the lead! After my Magical Warhorse uses Wind's Aegis, it can easily catch up to the Centaurs. I'll be fine. You take the opportunity to organize the soldiers to follow!"

Marcus had no better idea and nodded, cautioning, "If it's too much, retreat. Don't be reckless!"