Setting Out Again

At the banquet, Harrot curiously struck up conversations with the dwarves and elves.

The dwarves were forthright. "Drain this cup, and we're brothers!"

Then the dwarf brothers declared, "If we're brothers, then have another cup!"

Harrot: "..."

The elves were more reserved and drank fruit wine. Harrot found a sunny, outgoing, handsome elf and chatted with him for a while.

Most elves preferred peaceful, quiet lives and stayed secluded in the Elf Forest. These elves were unusual ones who were curious about the outside world.

When they learned that Elder Iltiran was heading out this time, they followed along. In their eyes, life in the Elf Forest was simply too boring.

For some reason, the elves were especially friendly toward Harrot. By the end of their conversation, they had even brought Harrot along to dance several elven dances. Even Marcus, with his exceptionally high charm, had not received such treatment.

The grand banquet lasted from the afternoon until midnight. Everyone dispersed to rest and prepare themselves for tomorrow's land-clearing expedition.

For once, Harrot was not "busy" that night. He simply held Sihrulu and Hill and quietly fell asleep.

Before leaving the next day, Harrot bid Sihrulu and Hill farewell. "Wait for me. It won't be long before I come back for you. Then, you'll be the lord's ladies!"

After saying that, Harrot kissed Sihrulu's belly and face. He left behind two Lucanir Rangers and seven Lucanir Infantry to serve and protect the two women.

There were many soldiers in this land-clearing expedition. The nobles could no longer act independently as they had before; they had to accept the alliance's battle arrangements.

The dwarves formed their own forces into an army group and determined their battle plans according to their tactics.

The elves only needed to shoot arrows from afar. There were fewer than a hundred of them in total, all young elves. It would be difficult to answer to the Archmage if any of them died, so they might as well avoid close combat.

Harrot only brought ten Knight Squires with him when he set out with Marcus, while Marcus did his utmost to bring along all of his soldiers.

The feudal relationships of this era needed some explanation. Harrot was loyal to Marcus, and Harrot's Knight Squires were loyal to Harrot, but Harrot's Knight Squires had no obligation to be loyal to Marcus.

Simply put, your vassal's vassal was not your vassal. Marcus had no right to command Harrot's Knight Squires, and Marcus would also avoid commanding them through Harrot whenever possible.

Whenever Marcus had a task, he assigned it to Harrot. Whether Harrot handled it personally or had his subordinates do it, Marcus would not interfere with the process as long as the result was good.

Harrot was granted a Magical Warhorse and a full suit of dwarven-forged plate armor. Even with his mediocre Riding Skill, he could now fight on horseback.

Previously, if he swung his greatsword from a horse, his immense strength might have knocked the horse down from the force of his swing.

The Magical Warhorse was not being given to him permanently. It would be reclaimed after the battle and reassigned to the various nobles according to their performance. The nobles could then keep it for themselves or distribute it to their knights as they saw fit.

After all, the price of a single Magical Warhorse was nearly enough to equal an entire village!

Harrot's warhorse could use wind magic. It was not an offensive type, but a supportive one that reduced air resistance and increased movement speed. It was considered top-tier among Magical Warhorses, and Marcus had deliberately selected it for Harrot using his authority.

The Centaurs in the east were not entirely mindless beasts. After driving off the alliance's first wave of invasion, they had sent scouts to investigate and keep watch.

The land-clearing force, nearly a hundred thousand strong, was discovered as soon as it crossed the wilderness. The Centaur scouts scattered in all directions and fled back to report the intelligence.

The allied land-clearing force was not surprised. They had been prepared for a head-on confrontation from the start, so it did not matter whether they were discovered.

However, they had to choose the battlefield carefully. The Centaurs were entirely cavalry; fighting them on terrain that was too flat would be suicide.

The alliance found an area with uneven terrain that was not overly rugged and began constructing defensive works. According to their judgment, the savage and arrogant Centaurs would most likely take the initiative to attack them.

"Waiting for them to attack is far too passive. Let's do something to force them into attacking!"

Marcus proposed massacring the small outer tribes to provoke the Centaurs. As the rulers of this land for thousands of years, when had the Centaurs ever suffered such humiliation? They would surely charge at them in fury.

"Come on, Harrot. Let those Centaurs see what we're made of!"

Since it was Marcus's proposal, he naturally had to set an example himself. He led Harrot and the other knights in forming a small cavalry unit to raid the Centaurs of those small tribes.

Many other nobles followed suit, beginning their hunt for Centaurs. Territorial struggles between different races were simply this cruel.

The Thunder Tribe was gathering its strength and mobilizing the other small and medium tribes within its territory, preparing to crush the allied army in one decisive strike. At first, they had not had the time to pay attention to them.

However, not only had the small tribes suffered heavy casualties, but many members of their own tribe who had gone out hunting had also been killed by the allied army. Enraged, they formed several elite squads to attack the enemy.

Marcus and Harrot were intercepted by one such squad.

There were more than forty of them in total, and their leader was extremely powerful. He could also use a supernatural ability similar to War Stomp.

The Centaur leader unleashed it as soon as he encountered Harrot's group. Fortunately, the power and range of his move were far inferior to those of the legendary Centaur. Harrot's group were all cavalry, so they were not greatly affected.

But the battle that followed was extremely troublesome. The Centaurs were cunning as well. Realizing that Marcus's group was formidable in combat, they did not charge in for a direct clash. Instead, they attacked from afar with arrows.

It was truly infuriating. Aside from the few riding Magical Warhorses, no one else could outrun the Centaurs. Even if only those few pursued them, they might not be able to defeat them. No one knew just how strong that Centaur leader was!

They had found another reason why the orcs had lost to the Centaurs. Orc forces had very few cavalry and ranged soldiers, so there was truly little they could do when the Centaurs kited them.

Even Marcus's fireballs did not have the range of the bows. He could only lead Harrot and the others in a miserable retreat. Fortunately, their armor was of high quality while the Centaurs' bows and arrows were mediocre. Although many were struck and wounded, no one died.

"We can't keep this up. The men can endure, but the horses can't!" The Bald Man said anxiously.

Marcus also had a headache. When the Centaurs saw that their arrows could not pierce the men, they started shooting the horses instead. The Magical Warhorses wore heavy armor and were not afraid, but ordinary warhorses could not withstand it.

To suit the expedition, the soldiers rode medium horses that were easy to feed and had excellent endurance. Such horses had limited strength; after carrying heavily armored riders, they had no strength left to wear horse armor as well.

The horses of several soldiers had already been hit by arrows and could not hold on much longer. Harrot looked at the anxious Bald Man and Marcus, who could not make up his mind, then gritted his teeth and suggested:

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

Marcus had no better idea. He nodded and warned, "Retreat if you can't manage it. Don't push yourself!"