A little earlier, Sylvanas had led her troops silently through the mountain forests, reaching a small hill between the Sanctum of the Sun and the Farstriders Camp before dawn.
From this position, they could clearly see the main troll force that had just launched its attack.
"Send out rangers to keep watch over the surrounding area. Eliminate any troll scouts immediately. We cannot let our movements be exposed."
Although she hoped to prove herself with a great victory, Sylvanas had not completely lost her head. She had cautiously sent ranger scouts to investigate throughout the journey.
Unfortunately, the novice rangers still lacked experience. Zul'jin, who was experienced and knew the terrain well, had long since ordered Nalorakk and Halazzi to station several scouts in ambush near this hill, where they lay motionless.
As the high elf rangers searched the area, these scouts watched them silently, seeming to blend into their surroundings. Once the rangers had passed, they quickly left to report to their respective forces.
Oblivious to all this, Sylvanas was still observing the battlefield.
The fighting on the main battlefield was considerably fiercer than at the Farstriders Camp. The trolls held a well-ordered formation, with towering warriors charging at the front and poisoned javelins flying from their ranks now and then, inflicting considerable damage on the rangers.
Farther back, witch doctors and hexers muttering spells also caused the high elves plenty of trouble.
Chain Heal restored the wounded trolls, while the hexers hurled all sorts of spells glowing a sickly green toward the high elf positions.
Fortunately, this was not Lireesa's first battle against trolls. The high elves sheltered behind their fortifications were rarely struck by javelins. Even when someone was that unlucky, their companions quickly pulled them back for the priests to cure the poison and treat their wounds.
The arcanists dealt with the spell attacks. Having trained in magical combat for years, they were well accustomed to such situations and countered the attacks in an orderly fashion under Lianda's command.
So far, the battle had proceeded just as Lireesa had expected. The trolls did not have enough troops to break through the high elf positions. Once their offensive ran out of steam, she could lead her troops in a counterattack.
Although the course of the battle sent Nalorakk into a towering rage, he could hardly find an opening under Lireesa's orderly command.
By now, Nalorakk had even resigned himself to being punished by Zul'jin when he returned. Just as he was about to order a retreat, a scout likewise leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
"Ha! Good, very good! Some brats who don't know their place want to deliver sacrificial offerings to us!"
After hearing the scout's report, Nalorakk burst into excited laughter. He immediately gathered his troops and began an orderly withdrawal.
The enemy protected their rear ranks thoroughly as they withdrew. Lireesa found no good opportunity to pursue and could only watch the trolls retreat swiftly with a frown.
She had expected the trolls to begin retreating around this time, but they were clearly not heading toward Zul'Aman. Instead, they were heading toward a nearby, seemingly empty hill.
"Could it be?!"
Something occurred to Lireesa, and she could no longer worry about being ambushed. She immediately ordered her ranger scouts to gather intelligence while she swiftly led most of her troops out, preparing to go to the rescue.
As her mother, she naturally knew that her second daughter, Sylvanas, had always hoped to catch up to her eldest sister, Alleria. It was precisely with this in mind that she had deliberately sent the steady Yawen and her exceptionally gifted, mature young pupil Charlemagne to assist her.
But she had still failed to anticipate that Sylvanas would override everyone's objections and force through a surprise attack plan. Now, she could only do her best to salvage the situation.
On the hill, Yawen was quietly observing the situation below. As he watched the trolls suddenly retreat, an ominous suspicion arose in his mind.
"Second Miss, something is wrong. Those trolls seem to have discovered our movements. They're advancing toward us now."
"What?!"
Sylvanas and Xiao'en cried out at the same time.
"Impossible! I sent rangers to scout the entire way. How could they have discovered us?"
Yawen shook his head gravely. "I don't know, and this isn't the time to discuss it. We should retreat quickly. The troll forces on both fronts have probably received word. If we don't withdraw now, I'm afraid we'll be surrounded on this hill."
Xiao'en looked anxiously at Sylvanas, hoping she would order a retreat.
He had come to the front more to polish his credentials than to risk his life. A beautiful woman mattered, but his own life mattered more. He had absolutely no intention of throwing it away here.
If only I'd stayed in camp with those peasants...
Liadrin had also discerned the trolls' movements by now. They were indeed heading straight for the hill.
"Syl, let's retreat. Once they surround us, it'll be hard to get away."
Sylvanas gritted her teeth, unwilling to accept it. Having undergone Lireesa's strict training, how could she fail to recognize their current situation?
"...Retreat. Return to the Farstriders Camp before they complete the encirclement."
After issuing the order to retreat, Sylvanas seemed to wilt.
Giving this order was no different from admitting that her plan had failed completely. Not only would she fail to inflict heavy casualties on the trolls, she might even disrupt her mother's original plan, adding uncertainty to a war they had already been certain to win.
But it was clearly already too late to retreat. Halazzi had led roughly a hundred trolls to firmly block their escape route.
At this point, the elves' fatal lack of frontline classes was laid bare. If they had warriors with strong assault capabilities present, then, supported by the rangers' and mages' ranged attacks, Sylvanas's force, with its overwhelming numerical advantage, could easily have broken through Halazzi's defensive line.
Their current situation, however, was awkward. All the trolls under Halazzi had raised their shields, firmly blocking the rangers' retreat like a turtle with its limbs drawn into its shell.
Although this purely defensive approach could not inflict casualties on the elves, it had already achieved their aim of buying time. Nalorakk's vanguard was drawing ever closer.
"This is bad! We can't break through their defenses. Second Miss, we can only return to the hill and use the terrain to defend ourselves for now. After that, we'll have to count on relief from elsewhere."
Seeing no hope of breaking out, the experienced Yawen could only propose this poor excuse for a solution.
Pale-faced, Sylvanas looked down at the shield formation, still perfectly ordered, and gave a bitter laugh.
"So this is the disaster an incompetent commander brings upon her troops... I let the prospect of glory blind me, and now I've dragged you all into this!"
(End of chapter)