Side Story: Jeanne the Knight of Amary

Night before the day when the peak of the Blackwinter War occurred.

At the Huntara army camp in front of Skaldia City. Specifically, in the camp of the troops led by Viscount Amary.

A long-haired blonde woman wearing shimmering silver armor walked into the main tent where the Viscount had been waiting.

The woman in armor was Jeanne Amary. A new recruit in the knight squad under Viscount Amary's banner.

Jeanne was recruited by Nicolas Amary from the Wynteria Garrison after her nephew obtained the Fire Glove.

The Viscount was unwilling to let Jeanne and her Fire Glove be under the direction of General Grid in Wynteria.

Jeanne had great potential. So in the end, he asked his nephew to return to his own territory.

For Jeanne herself, she willingly followed her uncle's request. She entered the military academy and joined the Wynteria Garrison solely for the sake of gaining experience. Her main goal was still to return to the Amary territory where she would protect her homeland.

As Jeanne entered the tent, called in the middle of the night like this, questions filled her mind.

She saw her uncle, Nicolas, sitting behind a makeshift table.

Jeanne immediately saluted the Viscount respectfully.

"Is there anything I can assist you with, Lord Amary?" Jeanne asked earnestly.

Nicolas chuckled softly, "No need to be so formal, Jeanne. Just call me 'uncle' as usual."

"I apologize, sir. But this is an official meeting–"

"Jeanne."

Jeanne's words were cut off. She looked at her uncle, his gaze intense. She felt a cold sweat run down her neck before swallowing hard and attempting to speak.

"Alright... Uncle."

Nicolas smiled upon hearing that. Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Despite her uncle appearing weak, even being perceived as weak by most people, there was always a menacing aura emanating from him.

Honestly, that aura frightened her.

"Umm... why did Uncle Nicolas summon me?"

Nicolas then handed a piece of paper from his desk to Jeanne.

"Read this. Tell me your opinion."

"Hm? A letter?"

Jeanne reached for the letter her uncle had given her. She glanced at it briefly, noticing that both sides of the paper were used, causing the ink to slightly blend together. It made it somewhat difficult to read.

At that moment, Jeanne immediately realized that the letter was not from a noble or a military official. They wouldn't do something like this.

Only common people usually send letters like this, aiming to save costs and not use new paper.

Therefore, the sender's identity intrigued her. Jeanne was eager to start reading before her eyes widened instantly.

Because on one side of the paper, it wasn't ink that was used. Instead, it was something else that was very familiar.

"This... blood?!"

The letter startled her even more. Jeanne immediately read the writing made of blood. However, the longer she read, the wider her eyes opened. Because at the end of the letter, there was a name she didn't expect.

Signa Wayde.

Many thoughts swirled in Jeanne's mind. But she had to put them all aside because the letter she had just read seemed somewhat confusing, then she turned the paper and read the other side.

The side where the letter was written with regular ink. Jeanne's mind was stunned. Not only because of its crucial content, but also because of the person who wrote that information.

Cien Millard.

The middle-aged man who sold her the Fire Glove.

"U-Uncle... is this true?" Jeanne asked hesitantly.

Her fingers trembled as she held the letter. Inside her, conflicting feelings of belief and disbelief surged upon reading the new information.

"According to the messenger, Signa has left the army and will soon head to Moontear after reporting to General Grid. I have also sent someone to verify it with the General. I think he will return shortly. So, for now, we can assume that what's written in the letter is true."

Nicolas replied calmly and explained. He himself didn't immediately consume all the information without verifying it first.

However, he was already familiar with Signa's writing style. And what was in the letter was indeed Signa's handwriting.

So for Nicolas, he was already about 80 percent convinced.

"Doesn't that mean Moontear is in a dire situation? Can they hold on?!"

Nicolas couldn't answer that question.

"We can only hope they can hold on until Signa arrives."

"Is Signa enough to fight against the enemy?"

Nicolas smiled grimly, "That man is like a whole army. If there's no Rank 10 or higher on the enemy's side, everything will be fine."

Jeanne nodded, hoping what Nicolas said would come true. Signa would arrive and everyone would be safe. But...

"We're talking about the Abyss here. No one knows what they will do!"

"So, what's your opinion?" Nicolas asked again.

Jeanne thought for a moment before answering.

"If it's true, then the situation in Moontear is as important as in Blackwinter. Signa alone is not enough. I think, just to be safe, although it's late, it's better to divide the current army into two forces. And send one force to the east."

"I expected that. It seems like that's the most logical thing to do. Signa must have said something to the General before leaving. We'll know what the General decides soon. But one thing is certain..."

Jeanne nodded in agreement with Nicolas' last statement. One thing was certain, that she would be on the front lines in the Blackwinter War.

Signa ordered the owners of Fire Glove and Bluminous to do something at a specific time, namely when a threat equivalent to the Champion appears.

Jeanne was entrusted with the responsibility of being Huntara's secret weapon to win the war if it happened.

Jeanne clenched her hand tightly, causing her nails to dig into her palm. She returned under the banner of Amary not only with the Fire Glove but also with Bluminous, given to her by Nicolas. Thus, she was the only one who possessed both weapons.

Signa might have thought that the two weapons would be used by two different people, hence giving two different instructions. The owner of the Fire Glove would focus on fighting the enemy forces, while Bluminous would confront the unique figure.

Now, both instructions had to be carried out by Jeanne.

"Are you sure you can do it alone, Jeanne?" Nicolas asked, somewhat concerned.

If Jeanne admitted that she couldn't handle it, Nicolas would lend Bluminous to someone else. Although, in truth, among his knights' squad, Jeanne was the most skilled in the art of the spear.

Others were skillful too, but not as effective and deadly as Jeanne.

Jeanne closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Nicolas didn't know whether to feel relieved or sympathetic. But for now, he didn't have many options. Even if there were spear knights better than Jeanne, they were not from his camp.

Allowing an outsider to use Bluminous could lead to problems if that person became greedy and wanted to keep the spear for themselves.

'The risks are too great. I hope you can do it, Jeanne," thought Nicolas as he watched his niece leave the tent.

His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were filled with determination to face the coming day.

The next day arrived.

The Huntara troops, led by General Grid, moved in the late morning.

They were moving relatively late because the General had to plan and rearrange the composition of his troops based on the information provided by Signa.

As Jeanne had anticipated, the army was divided into two, with one heading towards Moontear.

Because of this, the reinforcements led by the General arrived late to the battlefield. They only arrived as the sun began to set.

The vanguard of the reinforcements immediately attacked the Blackwinter troops when they found the Huntara forces struggling.

Many of them were unaware of the situation at that time. As a result, the most conspicuous figure among the enemy forces, A'wan, became the primary target.

Not only was he conspicuous, but the aura created by the Demon General made it necessary for them to prioritize taking him down.

Unfortunately, it was a wrong decision. A'wan was too powerful for them to defeat. Hundreds of soldiers from the reinforcements were annihilated instantly. General Grid and the other high-ranking officials were taken aback.

General Grid then went to meet with the high-ranking officials of the Huntara forces, led by Princess Sravati.

Grid knew that it was Princess Sravati who was leading the war based on the information from Signa.

Princess Sravati briefly explained the course of the battle to the newly arrived officials. Among them, Jeanne was also present, accompanied by Nicolas.

After learning of the war situation, General Gris burst into laughter. He never expected that Sravati could corner the enemy this far.

He realized that there was only one push left for them to win. However, that push was obstructed by A'wan.

That's why Grid ordered all the troops to attack with full force. There was no need to conserve energy. Crush and trample all the enemies right away. Let the setting sun be the sign of the end of the war.

While his troops advanced, Grid would deal with A'wan.

"Viscount Amary!" Before departing, he called Nicolas.

"Yes, General!"

"Where are they?"

Nicolas immediately understood who the General was looking for.

"There's no they. Just her, Jeanne," Nicolas introduced his niece, "Signa seems to have made a mistake. The user of the Fire Glove and Bluminous is Jeanne, General."

Grid turned to the woman introduced by Nicolas and was astonished. Because he was already familiar with her. She was one of the academy graduates he personally selected to join him in Wynteria.

Seeing Jeanne, he burst into laughter.

"I heard you resigned. Little did I know, this is where you are, young girl."

"I apologize if my resignation seemed sudden, General!"

"Hahaha! At least you still have that confident look in your eyes! Jeanne, be prepared. Observe the overall situation of the war. Use your Fire Glove's power at the right time. I'll taste that demon first. If I feel the situation is critical, I'll call you."

"Understood, General!"

"Good, don't die before me, Jeanne!"

Grid urged his horse forward onto the battlefield. He met with Huntress and together they fought against A'wan.

Jeanne couldn't stay idle either. She went to the battlefield, her horse galloping fast. Her spear pierced every enemy in sight.

This was Jeanne's first war. The atmosphere weighed heavily on her. It made her perception feel as if it had only one dimension.

Grid told her to observe the surroundings. But she couldn't. Her hands and focus were busy dealing with the threats in front of her.

As time passed, Jeanne felt increasingly suffocated. Her hands grew heavy. And at that moment, she fell from her horse.

Jeanne tumbled onto the ground, soaked in the blood of thousands of lives. She saw her horse grimacing in pain and falling to the trident of a winged demon.

The demon lunged at Jeanne. With reflexes, Jeanne raised her spear, and unintentionally, the tip of the spear struck the demon's head.

Jeanne took a deep breath. As she began to regain her composure, she noticed a massive gate in the sky. A gate from which thousands of demons yearned to escape and attack the humans below.

"They can't be let through!"

Jeanne stood up, activating all the core fragments embedded in her pair of Fire Gloves.

"[Tongue of Fire]!"

A massive flame, like a dragon's breath, surged forth, engulfing and burning the large gate.

Both sides were stunned at the same time. For Jeanne, it felt like time had stopped. Although for a moment, she could feel the battlefield around her.

Then Jeanne's gaze fell upon Grid and Huntress, who seemed to be struggling. She instantly remembered Signa's instructions.

Jeanne channeled all her mana into Bluminous. Then she ran swiftly towards A'wan.

"Who did this?!"

"ME!"

Jeanne shouted as she thrust Bluminous into A'wan's heart. Unfortunately, the demon was able to move, and the stab missed its mark, grazing the demon's shoulder.

After that, Jeanne, Grid, and Huntress worked together against A'wan. The battle was fierce, although in the end, A'wan succumbed to the poison of Bluminous.

It took the combined of the three individuals mana before they succeeded in poisoning the demon.

Jeanne stood atop A'wan's lifeless body, pulling out her spear. Then she felt all her strength drain away.

She collapsed and only regained consciousness three days later.

When she woke up, she realized that she had been recognized as one of the heroes of the Blackwinter War.