She gently closed her eyes.
Yarandale knocked on the door late at night, holding two cups of tea. Aililan’s workload over the past few days had been a bit too heavy.
One cup to calm the nerves, the other to refresh the mind.
“Saintess, you should rest.”
“Not yet. I’ll rest in a little while.”
Aililan picked up the black tea meant for refreshment and took a small sip, her eyes fixed on the stacks of documents and intelligence reports on the desk. Clearly, she planned to stay up a while longer.
This scene made Lan Dale’s heart ache, yet she could do nothing about it.
“Saintess, should we request instructions from the Holy Land?”
“No need. This is a matter for the Fifth Wing Region, and a trivial test for me.”
“Those War Pigs truly deserve to die.”
“Yes, they do. But they cannot die at this moment.”
“Does the Saintess still intend to use them afterward?”
“Why not? The War Pigs are a barrier we worked hard to cultivate. Only they can suppress the orcs they conquered. But now, we must first suppress them.”
“How do you plan to do it?”
“Execute only the ringleaders.”
“Saintess, I have a plan.”
“Oh? Speak.”
“Given your relationship with the ‘Diligence Saintess,’ if you could ask for her assistance, suppressing the War Pigs would be a matter of moments.”
“That won’t do. If I go begging to that Diligence woman, who knows what outrageous demands she might make of your Saintess—that is, of me—later.”
The atmosphere seemed to ease considerably.
Lan Dale excused herself and quietly left the room.
It wasn’t until the late hours of the night that the light in the Saintess’s room finally went out.
—
The next day.
Aililan assembled her elite forces, even bringing along Fina Nisi, whom she had always disliked.
Now was not the time for personal grudges, but for unity and cooperation.
“I have two things to do.”
Aililan had forsaken her luxurious and comfortable carriage and was now riding a tall white horse, slowly passing before her trusted elites.
These were the elite among elites, knights belonging to the Saintess of Chastity. Each one was chosen from thousands, individuals who would be addressed as “Sir Knight” elsewhere.
But here, they were merely the Saintess’s knights, loyal soldiers.
“One is external.”
“One is internal.”
“Please follow me and bear witness with me.”
Aililan spurred her warhorse. With a whinny, the tall white horse galloped northward.
Behind her, the Chastity Knights thundered forth, charging straight toward the plains of the orcs.
Atester’s messengers had already gone ahead to the Jackal Tribe to confirm their loyalty.
What Aililan needed to do now was to personally verify it once more.
The warhorses galloped past, raising clouds of dust that lingered over the vast, boundless plains.
After rejoining the group, Fina Nisi had taken over partial command. After all, she was the Grandmaster of the Knight Order. Aililan wouldn’t cause trouble over such matters.
She urged her horse forward to catch up and said, “Alright, Lady Saintess. We have traveled over four hundred miles in a forced march, resting less than five times. Even if the men can hold on, the horses cannot. Shall we choose a place to make camp?”
Aililan glanced at her, her tone serious as she corrected, “During work, please address me as Saintess.”
“…Yes, Lady Saintess.”
“Granted. Make camp. Set up the pots and prepare the meal.”
After the order was given, everyone fell almost silent.
This was not only due to discipline but also because the long forced march was utterly exhausting.
An ordinary person would be listless after riding in a carriage for four hundred miles, let alone riding a bumpy warhorse.
Even Fina Nisi lost the desire to get close to the Saintess. After arranging the defenses, everyone rested early.
—
The next day, another forced march.
This time, they traveled nearly three hundred miles.
Now, they were seven hundred miles deep into the territory, far from Atester City.
Even Renata was struggling. Adjusting the armor on her shoulder, she muttered under her breath, “If we keep marching like this, we’ll be coughing up blood from exhaustion…”
As Aililan gave the command: “All units—rest where you are.”
All the trusted elites breathed a sigh of relief.
After nightfall, Aililan finally made contact with the Jackal Tribe.
The Jackal Tribe Chief, Hucli, had the same shrewd, calculating glint in his eyes as always. His gray and white, messy fur made him look even more like an old dog.
“Oh, my beloved Saintess, I finally see you again! Like the bright moon in the sky, shining alongside the sun, my longing for you—”
“Enough of that. If you truly respected me, you wouldn’t have brought so many tribesmen soldiers.”
“Saintess, you misunderstand me.”
“Cut the nonsense. Let’s talk business.”
“I’m all ears. However, I heard the Saintess has encountered some considerable trouble lately. Coincidentally, we Jackals, along with the thirteen tribes we’ve conquered, might be able to help you. But… you know, this is a poor land. We also hope for more of your care, Saintess. What do you say?”
“You’re negotiating terms with me?”
“This isn’t negotiation, just a request.”
“And if I don’t agree?”
“Then I’ll have no way to explain it to my tribesmen.”
“What exactly do you want?”
“If you just agree…”
“I do not agree.”
As the words fell.
Aililan calmly said to a fully armored knight in splendid armor beside her, “Show them your valor. Do not disappoint me.”
Hucli’s face instantly turned ugly.
He had brought nearly a thousand men today.
The next moment—
That knight spurred his horse forward. One man, one horse, one lance, he plowed a deep furrow straight through the Jackal Tribe’s formation.
Then, with a sweeping sword strike, they fell like wheat before a scythe.
Hucli: “I, I, I… Stop! My most respected Saintess, please have your man stop!”
Stop? Impossible.
The following Chastity heavy cavalry had already entered the fray.
Aililan had brought less than two hundred people, yet they were overwhelming the Jackal Tribe’s near thousand.
Nearly half an hour later, the fighting gradually ceased.
The air was thick with the strong smell of blood, and the plains were littered with severed limbs.
The losses for the Chastity Knights were less than ten. After all, these were also elites around Hucli, so casualties were inevitable.
One by one, Jackal Tribe warriors clasped their heads and crouched on the ground.
Aililan walked across the blood-soaked grass, muddy and slippery, the crimson blood staining the hem of her clothes.
A longsword was placed against Hucli’s neck.
“Chief of the Jackals, I’ll say this one last time—what I give, you may take. What I do not give, you cannot seize. Understood?”
“U-understood! I truly understand now! I, Hucli, will always be your most loyal dog, Saintess!”
“Let’s talk business. How many troops are you willing to contribute this time?”
“T-two… twenty thousand?”
“Not enough.”
“Thirty thousand?”
“I’ll name a number: fifty thousand. And I’ll permit you unlimited plunder of everything except the population in the War Pigs’ territory after defeating them.”
“Truly? Ah, ahem—the Saintess’s word is law! I’ll do exactly as you say!”
The two discussed some specific details further before Aililan quickly led her people away.
She couldn’t understand why every time she met the Jackals, she had to beat them up.
Aililan had no time for intricate schemes, so she had to use absolute, high-end force to intimidate the Jackals as quickly as possible, ensuring they wouldn’t dare harbor any disloyal thoughts.
But it was also possible—
The Jackal Chief was just born asking for a beating.