The scouts on the plains grew restless.
This time was different from before. It was not just a routine watch to prevent the Gnoll-kin from moving south. Word from the higher-ups said that the human army might be making a move.
Three days after the conflict erupted between the War Pig and the Wasteland Bovine Clan, Aililan took command of a special task force from the Fourth Wing Army, consisting of 1,000 light cavalry.
Aililan stood on a platform to address the troops.
“The Wasteland Bovine Clan assaulted our delegation. This is a stain upon Atester City and the Church. They must pay the price for this. You will fight to spread the Church’s light…
“Soldiers, I will not waste words on nonsense.
“After this battle, if your performance satisfies me, I swear by my name as a Saintess that I am willing to grant you a banner and bestow upon you the name of Chastity.”
The cavalrymen responded with a thunderous roar, “We fight for the Church! We fight for the Saintess!”
This was more than just having a righteous cause for war.
Aililan had promised them actual benefits.
Within the entire Church, units that could be named after a Virtue were exceptionally rare. Now, Aililan was willing to grant them such a distinguished honor.
It was not just the cavalrymen who were excited; even some of the generals from the Fourth Wing Army were starting to feel restless with anticipation.
With Aililan’s command, the 1,000 light cavalry immediately set out, heading toward the battlefield at high speed.
They carried only water and enough dried meat to last for ten days. What Aililan wanted was speed.
‘If I dragged a massive logistics train along, the essence of my blitzkrieg tactics would be lost.’
***
As she left Atester City, Aililan saw quite a few people.
Almost all the high-ranking officials of Atester were present. Chief of Justice Ibisos pleaded, “Lady Aililan, you cannot do this. You absolutely must not leave Atester City.”
They were not there to stop her from sending troops, but to prevent her from personally participating in the battle.
Finance Chief Grace was even more blunt, cursing loudly, “What is the Fourth Wing Army even doing? Every year, we spend such a massive military budget—has it all gone into the bellies of dogs? To think the Saintess Aililan has to personally go on a campaign!”
Military Chief Gareyas remained silent.
Gareyas had grievances he could not voice. Could he really stop what the Goddess Lady wanted to do?
“The duty of the Saintess is to stabilize the center, not to descend to the front lines.”
“Goddess Lady, please stop playing around.”
Aililan waved her hand and scolded them. “Enough. I have heard these words far too many times. Atester is a border city. As the Goddess Lady, how can I not know war? If I do not experience the fires of war personally, how can I properly govern Atester City?”
Everyone fell silent.
They had tried to persuade her before, but it was useless.
At that moment, a fast horse galloped forward. Haiyisi, the temporary manager of the Mass Church, arrived at Aililan’s side and sighed. “The Governors must stay to stabilize Atester City. Even without me, the Mass Church has many clergy members to preside over it. I must stay by your side. You cannot possibly drive me away, can you?”
“Priestess Haiyisi, you…”
“Saintess, please allow me to follow you.”
Haiyisi was a priestess who was practically the next Bishop of Atester. Her future, and even her life, was closely tied to Aililan.
To put it simply, if she looked after Aililan well, she would be promoted. If anything happened to Aililan, she would be in deep trouble.
Fortunately, Aililan still had some conscience.
But then again, which of the Seven Virtues Saints was not a bit rebellious?
Take the Saintess of Temperance, Liweiya, for example. When she governed the Sixth Wing, her temper was so fierce that heads practically rolled in the streets. Though those stories had become Church secrets now, the current Saintess Liweiya was famous for being gentle and lovely.
Once the light cavalry left the outskirts of Atester, they immediately picked up the pace.
This time, the commanders Aililan brought along were Fina Nisi, Renata, and Milisanel.
The group did not stop until they reached the border line of the Beastman Plains.
“Everyone, rest and reorganize. We move out after nightfall,” Aililan ordered. The 1,000 cavalrymen were well-trained; they dismounted and silently began to hydrate and eat.
Renata broke off a piece of dried meat and handed it to Aililan, asking curiously, “Saintess, why didn’t you bring my Chastity Knights along?”
To the side, Fina Nisi chuckled and shook her head. “The Chastity Knights are heavy cavalry in every sense of the word. How would we move them? By equipping the knights with another thousand-man logistics corps?”
Aililan bit into the dried meat and could not help but look at Fina Nisi with newfound respect.
One could doubt this woman’s character, her morals, or her promiscuous nature.
But one could not doubt her strength or her command ability in military affairs.
Unlike Renata, who was a specialized talent scouted and promoted from the outside, Fina Nisi was a graduate of the Church’s theological academy and had ranked first in her class at the Church’s military academy. She was a true dual-path talent.
Upon graduation, she was immediately assigned to the Chastity Knights. In less than one year, she had become the Grandmaster of the order.
Aililan swallowed and shrugged. “Correct. Light cavalry is for fast strikes and raids. Heavy cavalry is for breaking formations.”
Fina Nisi narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, “Then, what is a raid?”
Aililan glanced at her and said meaningfully, “Are you testing me? Then listen well. The true meaning of a raid lies in quickly identifying and destroying the enemy’s high-value targets, such as their supply lines.”
Fina Nisi said in surprise, “I didn’t expect the Saintess to actually know about these things.”
Aililan responded, “Grandmaster Fina Nisi, do you think I am stupid?”
“No, Lady Aililan will always be the smartest and cutest girl in my eyes.”
Aililan choked. “You…”
‘Crap, I almost fell for Fina Nisi’s tricks again.’ Aililan brushed her sleeves and left the area, saying she was going to check on the soldiers’ condition.
Behind her, Fina Nisi revealed a disappointed expression. She thought she had finally found a common topic of conversation.
However, the knowledge Aililan displayed had indeed impressed her.
Back at the Holy Land, she had seemed like an ignorant young girl. How had she grown so quickly after coming to Atester?
She used iron-fisted methods to implement military reforms.
She opened the Mutual Market to revitalize the economy.
She supported the War Pig, ensuring that the Gnoll-kin closest to the human border were not thinking about invading humans but were instead fighting among themselves. Fina Nisi had a premonition that as long as the War Pig did not die, the Orcs on the southern plains would never have a chance to invade Atester.
Furthermore, with the Jackal Tribe acting as a front line, a prototype of a human buffer zone was gradually being constructed in the southern part of the Beastman Plains.
Most shocking of all was that after this series of measures, Atester City had actually gained a massive amount of revenue, which was being reinvested into the people’s livelihoods and the military.
The citizens became wealthy.
The army became stronger.
If one analyzed it deeply, even an old farmer tilling the soil was getting better prices for his grain because of the Mutual Market.
Fina Nisi thought deeply. ‘The Saintess is making the Mutual Market something that affects every single person. But she’s growing too fast. Well, she is a Saintess, so I suppose it is only natural. I wonder what goes on inside Aililan’s little head… I really want to know.’
However, the more excellent she became, the more value she had for Fina Nisi to conquer.
Regardless of what Aililan was thinking, Fina Nisi only thought about the day she could pin her down. She wanted to see the Goddess Lady crying while being conquered.
Wouldn’t that be just perfect?