Into the Lostin Forest

"Good...Let's move into the forest." Randal's expression becomes resolute.

"""Yes, sir!!"""

With that, the knights step onto the boats one team at a time. There are ten boats prepared by the baron for this operation. Two teams for one boat is a bit excessive in Randal's opinion but he doesn't say it out loud. He will gladly accept the kind gesture since the baron wants to suck up to Viscount and possibly him.

Lately, the number of gifts he received has increased tenfold. The gifts come from various ranks of nobility.

One question hovering in his mind, did these people really think his word can sway the viscount? Despite working with nobles and joining a banquet on a few occasions, Randal still can't figure out their thought process.

Leaving that aside, Randal made a quick roll call. Running away from the mission can result in harsh punishment.

He needs to make sure no one does it or Aeglen's reputation would be jeopardized.

After making sure everyone is on board, the boats set sail on the second-widest river on the continent.

Approaching the target location by water is the most guaranteed way of successfully hunting the dunirrs.

There are two reasons for this.

First, the forest itself is huge.

Humans do have a general idea about Lostin's topography, but not every single area was mapped in detail. The deeper humans go, the less information is available. Entering this forest is like walking blindfolded in the middle of the night. If one is not careful, one will end up stumbling.

Each step needs to be taken cautiously. And with every step they took, there was a danger crawling around them.

Second, dunirrs settlements are usually located near the river. This is an indisputable fact. Like humans, dunirrs do need water to survive and the river is the primary source of water for them.

The stark contrast is that they are incapable of digging a well with their size. It means they can't permanently move inland.

Twenty minutes have passed now.

Randal heave a sigh of relief. 'At least, everything is fine. No threat was found nearby and let's hope it remained that way.'

The distance between Sabburg and Elid at the centre of Lostin is around 225 kilometres. It was a staggeringly long distance but can be easily shortened by using the boat.

Floating on the Zheqas River, the atmosphere in this forest had become eerily silent. The only sound they heard was water displaced by their boats. Animals in Lostin seem to be aware of the outsider's presence.

The knights can feel the eyes watching them, but are unable to pinpoint the exact direction. Trees and tall grass are everywhere, shortening their sight. All the knights can clearly see are the remnants of former dunirrs settlements which they had destroyed in the past.

As usual, they had no remorse for what they did.

Due to this suspense, nobody had the mood to start a conversation. They are eyeing around for possible danger. If an attack did happen, it can be from any direction.

The knights simply scoffed at the indescribable feeling that is currently clutching their hearts.

It wasn't the first time they felt this way. Every time the knights are here, they get the same feeling.

However, it is different for Randal. His intuition is much stronger than his subordinates.

This time, he was certain that it was not a usual feeling. An ominous one.

"Something's wrong..." To be safe, he gives a sudden order to the knight. "Everyone, grab your weapon!"

To hear a grim voice coming from their commander, the knights obey without much thought.

Randal looked left and right but found nothing. There's no sign of hostility from above either.

Then, he stares at the water beneath. It was calm, too calm if he was asked.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

After staring at the surface of the water for a few minutes, he realized what was beneath their boats.

"Stop the boats. There is a giant snake swimming directly under us." He spoke to the knights in a voice that was neither too loud nor too low. But, his voice can be heard by all.

"Holy sh-", The snake's presence startled one of the knights. To their relief, his teammate manage to cover his mouth before he finished swearing.

As per Randal's order, the knights stop the boats in instant. All eyes look out on the water. It is the first time they encounter such a creature. With the help of the sunlight, they finally see its silhouette. The sheer scale of the giant snake is enough to break their entire boats.

Naturally, no one is stupid to provoke the snake. They are literally in its domain.

All they do is wait for the snake to swim away. Luckily, their hope become reality.

....

Point 1,

A landing site that was chosen by Randal.

Two hundred knights of Aeglen safely arrived at the fork that split the river into two branches after two hours of a boat ride.

The sun has reached its peak, scorching right on top of their head. Heat has begun to make them sweat than they already are.

The tense situation they were into had long gone. And the knights never encountered it for the second time. Yet, their legs still feel weak.

"We've arrived at Point 1. Team 1 to Team 10 will move by foot from here to Elid. You guys are responsible for blocking Elid from the south and east side." Randal instructs with a low voice.

The knights nod. It was a simple instruction. Randal sees his subordinates put their boats on the riverside.

From afar, he can hear the knights grumbling. Mostly, about their wimpy complaints.

"My god, just how terrible this terrain is."

"Urghh, remembering that snake made my entire body feel soft like slime."

"I feel you. I would rather go to war than participate in this capture operation."

"Shut up and move! The commander is still here watching us."

He simply ignored their complaints.

After confirming they have marched inland, Roland and the remaining one hundred knights depart for Point 2, "Alright, everyone. Let's go to our next destination. The attack must happen simultaneously."

"""Yes, sir!!"""

"Keep your voice down. No need to shout at the top of your lungs or our prey would hear you."

And so, another one hundred knights move to Point 2, fifty kilometers away. The second landing site is directly at the bank of the river of the settlement.

Randal's aim is to completely surround the settlement from all sides at the same time.