This was a natural disaster, and a man-made calamity too.
The iron hooves of the Kingdom of Raitelia tore through the northwestern lands of the Minicia Kingdom like a searing plowshare, sweeping everyone into the turmoil. No one could escape.
Their objective this time was not merely to fight the Minisians, but to carry out a thorough purge... to destroy their will to resist, plunder their wealth, and eliminate any potential future threats.
This cavalry army, renowned for its speed and cruelty, split into several columns and swept across the vast plains, hills, and forest edges like packs of hungry wolves.
They burned the villages along their route, drove off or even slaughtered civilians who had failed to flee in time, and sowed the seeds of terror deep.
This destructive wave inevitably reached the relatively secluded valley where Elena and the others were hiding.
At first, only scattered refugees appeared near the valley.
It began with three or four ragged, terrified farmers who stumbled into the valley's outer security perimeter and were discovered by Bagnian sentries.
The Minisian farmers brought vague but horrifying news: the Retalians had come, killing everyone they saw and burning their villages to the ground.
The guards brought them before Alvin and Torres. Both captains immediately grew wary and questioned them in detail.
The refugees were incoherent, but their accounts all pointed in the same direction... a massive cavalry force was sweeping along the main road, seemingly not far from here.
Alvin's and Torres's hearts sank. Cut off from headquarters, they knew nothing of the good relations between their side and the Retalian Army. They immediately ordered a heightened alert, doubled every sentry post, and expanded the patrols' range while shortening their rotations.
At the same time, they reported the news to Elena.
Elena stood at