Episode 19 : The Great Advance - Part 2

 Not long before that--

"Shh--don't make a sound!"

"Listen. Do not speak. Cover her with a cloth so she doesn't hurt herself."

"Be careful not to let your sword come in contact with the metal. The infantryman who pulls the car must keep the wheels well oiled."

 After a flurry of orders and messages, the whole of Mongol's army began to march solemnly.

 Leading the way is Astorias, with Polack in tow. He has successfully fulfilled the mission of scouting, which he volunteered to do, by finding the current location of Shem's main army, and has received the first kind words of praise from Amneris.

 This would be the final battle - or at least, the true beginning of a series of fierce, decisive battles. This was something that all of Mongol's troops were well aware of.

I won't let you go.

We will end this. I will make this the day of Shem's destruction.

When this war is over, we can return to our old home in Mongol, beyond the River Kes.

 Though our thoughts may be different, our motivation is the same.

"Now, at a point five tad from the oasis where Shem is staying, all the troops must stop and divide into two groups. One group will go around and block the retreat of the Shemites from the north of the oasis, while the main body will come straight into the Shem camp from the south. Ilm takes command of the detouring party. He will place his men in a half-moon shape, so that the Semites will not be able to find an escape route to the east or west."

"If the Semites become aware of the surprise attack before we disperse, blow the trumpet to signal them. All the troops should attack Shem straight from the south. However, the Il-mu troops should penetrate the Shem camp, form up there, and cut off the retreat once again."

"Do not give Shem the time of day to prepare for war. Once you're ordered to charge, charge forward, attack, and destroy."

"Do not let a single one of them escape alive. The Leopard, the traitor Er of Argon, the twin of Paro, let these four live. But Shem, do not spare even one of them."

"Let Shem disappear from the Nosferus Desert!"

 The messages sent one after the other conveyed the fierce, vengeful heart of the Commander-in-Chief and his cruel knowledge.

 But that all stopped when the march began. The cautiousness of the surprise attack had already begun, in the hope that Shem would not notice.

 The Knights of Arvon, who lost Regan following Astorias' Red Knights. Captain Thangard is seriously wounded and sent back to the rear, and the Black Knights of Twolead have no words.

 The two thousand white knights of the bannermen led by Vron and Rindt are almost unharmed. In the middle is the duchess Amneris on horseback, accompanied by two palanquins of mages and guarded by Feldric's messengers. After her, the number of infantry has dwindled considerably.

 The rearguard was guarded by Ilm's troops, who were ordered to take a detour. They must not only try to keep up with the others, but must also look behind them often, to make sure that no sandworm or other Nosferus monster follows them, and that they are not followed by Shem's scouts.

 Each time the cloth-covered hoof wiped at the sand, the sand flew up softly, forming a soft haze in the moonless desert night. For fear of the eyes and ears of Shem's sentinel, they were forbidden to speak or make a sound. The mute serpentine hordes of horses and men, solemnly and secretly hiding in the dunes of the night, emerged again in the midst of the waves of sand.

 When they crossed the Kes River, left the defensive line and entered the desert, they were an imposing force of 15,000 men led by Count Mars and eight other battalion commanders.

 Now, with the loss of the Earl of Mars, the loss of Little Earl Regan, and the wounding of Thangard, the army itself has dwindled to well short of 10,000. Nevertheless, it is still a mighty march of majesty.

(Did I underestimate Nosferus too much? ...)

"Princess?"

 The white horse carrying Amneris, the palanquin on the horse following on either side of the white horse, a banner on the left side of the palanquin lifted up, a dull shining eye peered out, and a deep voice said.

"Did he say anything to you?

"It's all right, Gayus. I'm talking to myself."

 Amneris lifted his hand to the reins and shook it gently. The general of all the armies must not show a moment's doubt about his decision, even to his chief of staff, on horseback on the way to a decisive battle, even if he were to ask for advice later in his tent where no one would hear him.

 With his helmet pulled down, Amneris muttered to himself, no longer speaking aloud.

This barren land of sand and rock is wide. It's too wide. perhaps it would have been easier... but thanks to the unexpected resistance of the Semites. There's not much left. If the battle were to be prolonged, we would have to return to the defensive line to hold the brunt of it, since we were in the desert and could not collect from the villages. We'll have to factor in a few days of travel on the way back. I don't want to do that, then it's all for nothing. In the meantime, Shem may regroup and flee into the mountains to the north. Our morale will be severely affected. (It's as if, then, we were building castles out of sand and letting the wind destroy them. ...)

"Gayus."

 She raised her helmet slightly and raised her voice so that it could not be heard too far ahead.

"is ..."

 There is a dull reply from the palanquin.

"What do you think, Ghayus? Do you think it would be better to send a platoon of Feldrick's troops to the garrison on the banks of the Kes and send word to the reinforcements that should have arrived in Arvon to follow us?"

"What the--"

"Or should we still send out a message and let them set up a supply line for now? I just don't want this to go on unnecessarily long. As soon as possible, as long as we are successful in destroying Shem, I would like to turn back to the defense line and come back to establish a new fort. To be honest, I'm also worried about Torus. I'm also worried about the Crystal occupiers. I left Count Boran as acting commander of the occupation forces in Paro on short notice, but before and after I left Crystal, there were many remnants of Paro troops here and there, and it seemed as if they were determined to fight the occupation forces."

 Amneris, annoyed, put his hand under his helmet and brushed back the blond hair that hung down.

"I'm curious."

"Goyi: ..."

"Perhaps by the time the reinforcements arrive, the matter will be settled. And if the matter is not settled by then, it will be difficult for the reinforcements to eliminate all of Shem's small forces that are dispersed and fighting in detachments."

"You say there is no need for reinforcements at this time."

 Amneris was somewhat flattered. Because his thoughts matched hers.

"If you're going to send a messenger, make sure he knows what's going on and that he's ready to move at any moment."

"Hmm. That's what I was thinking. The more we fight and move, the more vague our bearings become. At this point, it's necessary to inform the garrison of the approximate position of our forces."

 Amneris said thoughtfully.

"But though we seem to have already penetrated far inland - though we can no longer see the Kes River, not even a shadow of it - we have still only taken the first step into the desert. There is still no sign of the Valley of Miasma that Kal-Mor saw, nor any indication that it is in this direction, and I'm sure that Nosferus still lies beyond those rocks.

"..."

"Gayus. --Nosferus, that's a big place."

"Is . --wide, sir."

 Amneris seemed to be trying to say something more.

 But he thought better of it, stopped talking, and let horse walk on. A heavy silence fell around them again.

 And they continued their march. On and on they went, until they came to a gently rolling plain of sand, black and rolling, as if it were the surface of a calm sea. It seemed that no matter how hard we went, the oasis we were looking for did not appear. Occasionally, a piercing cry or a strange, deafening noise would break this monotonous, sleepy night march.

 It could be a scream at the sight of the tentacles of a giant anteater emerging from the sand. Or it could be the sudden, noiseless appearance of a giant eater out of the sand, who rushes to grab the spearhead of a soldier and snaps it with a crunching sound.

"Shh!"

 Every time they did so, a whispered scolding sounded. Before long, the soldiers of Mongol seemed to have grown accustomed to the Nosferus Desert and its bizarre and deformed inhabitants.

 Solemnly, the army of Mongol advances. Only once in a while, a messenger runs across the right side of the line under the command of Amneris, breaks the silence and gives a new order. But even then, they only convey direction, encouragement, and instructions in a voice too subdued to be heard loudly in the desert.

 A strange silence, as if before a storm, enveloped Nosferus. The night in Nosferus is always deathly still, but the silence of that night is even more so, perhaps because they are anticipating the carnage and madness that will begin before sunrise.

 There's no moon overhead tonight. No, it's out, but there's a rare cloud over Nosferus that tends to hide its pale, cool form. As if in response, the pale Iris, goddess of the moon, wearing a haze of mist, hides herself behind the clouds, leaving the world in utter darkness, and then reveals her capricious face again, illuminating the black undulations of the dunes with a cool, pale glow. The black undulations of the dunes are illuminated in a cool pale glow.

 The stars, not many in number, are her little companions, and she is their leader. As the party advanced, the sky lifted up, and it seemed as if it were about to fall upon them, but in fact it never stepped towards them.

 Sometimes, as the wind blew against their cheeks, Angelhair, riding on the wind, would come to them, white and faint. No longer would the soldiers of Mongol be frightened or chilled by it. They have come to know it as nothing more than a harmless and strange addition to the bleak landscape of Nosferus. The angel's hair struck horses, men, and the edge of armor, and melted away without a sound, leaving nothing behind. The people paid no attention to the transient flowers of the wind.

 The night of Nosferus weighs heavily on the troops as they walk in silence. Asturias, with his whole army behind him, quietly leads them towards the scene of the battle. For the first time in a long time, his face is radiant, his eyes are darkened, and he is watching them closely to make sure that they do not miss anything, whether it is the slight glow of the water of the oasis or the shadows of the people ahead.

 This spearhead was the opportunity he had dreamed of. It was the opportunity Yarn had given him to achieve his modest dream: to take credit, to catch the eye of the princess, and to win her heart.

 Asturias, this young aristocratic officer, had no such ambitions as catching Amneris's eye and rising to prominence, or attaining the status of a pony to the beautiful princess two years his junior. It was not that he was so unworthy of such a desire. His father was an earl of an ancient family, and held the position of Commissioner of Security, and was highly trusted by Grand Duke Vlad. Eventually, Asturias would succeed to the title as the eldest son, and depending on his merits, a promotion to General of the Left Prefecture would not be a dream.

 She has a good family background, good hair, and is of the perfect age. If the Grand Duke thought that it would be more advantageous for him to take in a duchess son-in-law from an appropriate family at home, rather than a political marriage with the royal family of another country, Asturias' name would naturally be one of the candidates, along with the dead Count Regan, Viscount Marius, the successor of Count Mars, and other young men of the same age. I am sure that Asturias will be one of the candidates.

 Asturias, however, was not thinking about any of those things.

 I'm not saying he didn't dream it in secret. He's in love with Amneris, and he worships him with all the sweetness and austerity of a first love. He has long been aware of his own feelings. Asturias, however, is a single-minded and devoted young man with a very knightly sexuality.

 It is not only impure, but even blasphemous, to look to her for the love of a noblewoman, her husband's position, or any such prize. It is not because you want to be recognized or to take credit for something, but because you want to turn the beautiful woman around and turn her heart to you.

 For Asturias, Amneris' "well done" and "well done" smile were more than enough. A word of praise, a medal, a knighthood, would be nothing.

I want to be Princess Amneris' knight. I want to die for her every smile. That's what I was born to do. That's my heart.

 The young passions have become stiff, and the most pure and unadulterated flames, which have yet to be contained by anything, are burning.

 For that, he had to take credit.

It must have been Janus, of all people, who allowed me, my scouts, to discover the oasis of the Shemites.

 Yeah, he believes it.

 It was frustrating to move slowly and with caution through the soft, treacherous desert of night, where anything could lurk. Every now and then, his knees would clench in frustration as he ordered the horse to run faster and faster, as if he wanted to whip him around.

 The carriage carrying the two enigmatic mages, Gayus and Kal-Mor, walks silently along both sides of Amneris, as if to make you wonder if there is anyone inside. Ilm, the rearguard, is grimacing at the tragic wounding of his best friend, Tanguard, and is gritting his teeth as he contemplates Tanguard's pale, bloodied face.

 Each of them has different thoughts and secret resolutions. The Mongol Expeditionary Force, reduced to nearly half its numbers, took a brief 15-talzan break and headed east! To the east! East!

 In the meantime, the Iris in the sky was also obscured by the clouds, and kept on moving in the western horizon, as if it were playing a game with them on the earth.

"Gayus, time."

"There will be no more sunrises."

"Slow."

 Amneris chews his lip a little. He says to let it out.

"When the sun comes up, everything will be as it was. Is the oasis that far away? Asturias said the oasis was about 30 thad. Thirty thad is plenty, we've come a long way. At all."

 Asturias, unreliable as he was, saw Amneris leap into the saddle vault and skim the pre-dawn darkness ahead of him.

"I see you!"

 Suddenly, from the front of the line, there was a quiet but uncontrollable buzz!

"The Oasis of Shem! About five tarts ahead!"

"You see it! All right, all troops, halt. Prepare to disperse. Feldrick, send word!

"I understand."

 At Amneris's command, Feldric attempted to issue orders to the messengers under his command.

 is--

"No--wait a minute!"

 Amneris's face suddenly became tense. At that moment, two red knights, whose armor and headgear were bright scarlet even to the night eye, came rushing back toward the main camp. They were Asturias's men. Amneris's cheeks tightened as he looked at them.

 Asturias, on the other hand, was at the head of Mongol's army, checking the dimly familiar terrain and doing a little dance.

"All right, we're close!

 Polack, who had jumped out of the horse, picked up the last of the guideposts, which he had left behind as a sign as he rode back toward the main army.

"I'm sure of it, sir!

"All right, send a single horse to his highness. We'll form up for a full attack immediately."

 In a hushed voice, Astorias held up his hand to see if he could make out the great oasis he had just seen, where all the armies of Shem were slumbering here and there.

 But then his body suddenly stiffens.

"What is it, sir?

 Polack, the second-in-command, who had already summoned his men and was about to report to Amneris, looked up at the young captain in surprise.

"Wait a minute-- you're acting weird."

 Astorias' voice is suddenly strained.

"I see movement in the Semitic army. There's a flurry of activity. Don't you think, Polack?"

"If you say so..."

"I hope you noticed."

 Asturias and Pollack stared at each other for a moment in the darkness. If they had noticed, the ambush would have been a complete failure.

"Let's send out the scouts, Captain.

"All right. Let them come as close as they can on foot, not on horseback."

"Right away!"

 Immediately, a flurry of activity spread throughout the entire Mongol army. The darkness had already faded considerably, and the purple of dawn was beginning to replace the black of night.

 The scouts returned and announced in a hushed tone that there was an unusual murmur and panic in the camp of Shem.

"It seems that our surprise attack has been noticed. The Semites are pacing left and right in the oasis, buzzing, perhaps, completely unprepared for battle."

"Um--"

 Astorias looked pouting.

 But the next moment,

"You are flustered by the preparations, then the battle preparations are not all finished yet. Maybe they finally realized where they were just now. Come on, Polack!"

"Ha!"

 Immediately, the two squire riders broke ranks and rode back in a long line with tremendous speed. With a gust of wind, they charged the white knights of Amneris and rode straight to Amneris, not even bothering to dismount.

 Amneris' decision was quick.

"All troops, full attack!

"All hands on deck!"

"Sweep the Shem army!"

 A new dispatch will be sent to all troops in Mongol's army immediately.

 The army of 8,000 is on the move!

 There was no longer any need to whisper or hold back the horse. All the knights' whips went up and struck the horse's buttocks, and their spurs kicked the horse's belly. Just as a water snake swimming in the water, suddenly jumped to the surface and began to rush forward with great speed, a cloud of dust rose up, and with a thud ... the ranks fell forward.

"Mongol! Mongol!"

 Ahead, a tremendous uproar spread like wildfire throughout the oasis.

"Aye-aye, aye-aye!"

"Alfetu!"

 Amneris quickly flings down the reigns he holds in his hands.

"Kill them all!"

 A sharp voice pierced the spreading confusion.