“Sister! Sister!”
Kasia wanted to know more about her sister Kaxier’s situation, but the Secret Art Link had already been severed.
No matter how much she called out, she received no response.
Furthermore, this kind of Secret Art Link was always established one-sidedly, meaning Kasia had no way to reconstruct the connection to reach her sister, who was currently in grave danger.
“Priestess Kasia? What happened? Was Priestess Kaxier just using the Secret Art to contact you?”
The young priestess apprentice beside Kasia, Sila, asked in a low voice.
“…Sila, watch the Totem in my place. I am going to find the Chief.”
Kasia massaged her temples and remained silent for a moment.
Although her sister, Kaxier, was currently in danger, the Iron Jaw Tribe’s raid on Hanover Province was also a matter of extreme urgency.
Kasia had to do as her sister instructed and report the vital intelligence to Gros, the Chief of the tribe.
She understood that this information could significantly reduce the casualties their kin would suffer when attacking Border City.
“Understood, Priestess Kasia,” Sila said respectfully, taking over the duty of guarding the Totem.
Kasia immediately set off for Chief Gros’s cave. She informed him of the cunning nature of the Lord of Border City and warned him about the red-haired female Knight they needed to be wary of.
“Chief, that is the situation. Sister Kaxier suggests that you should be more cautious when attacking Border City. Do not fall into that Lord’s traps, and do not engage that red-haired female Knight lightly.”
When Kasia arrived to report to Chief Gros, it happened to be the time when Gros and the various Centurions were discussing the tactical arrangements for the attack.
“What cunning Lord? That is just petty tricks! And a red-haired female Knight? No matter how strong a woman is, she cannot be stronger than the warriors of our tribe! Chief, let me, Big Barton, be the first to go! I guarantee I will bring both that human Lord and the female Knight back alive for you!”
The one-eyed Big Barton crushed a hard animal bone in his mouth with a loud crunch, then slammed a fist into the ground before him.
“Sister Kaxier’s judgment cannot be wrong. You should be more restrained, Big Barton — you only have one eye left, after all.”
Kasia looked at Big Barton with dissatisfaction. This muscle-brained brute actually dared to doubt the intelligence Kaxier had risked her life to send back!
“What about my one eye? Humans just have a few petty tricks! The reason Priestess Kaxier was captured was not because of the humans’ caution; it was simply because she was not strong enough, which is why she is afraid of everything. Look at me — even though I lost an eye back then, I still crushed that human Holy Knight!”
Big Barton retorted dismissively, his hand making a smashing motion in the air.
“You!”
Hearing Big Barton insult Kaxier’s strength, Kasia grew even more resentful of the brute. However, she restrained herself in front of the Chief and the other Centurions.
“Enough! Big Barton, Priestess Kaxier would not send useless intelligence. We must still be careful of the humans. Just as Priestess Kasia said, you only have one eye left now.”
“Yes… Chief.”
Big Barton lowered his head gloomily. The two other Centurions on either side acted as peacemakers, trying to de-escalate the conflict between Barton and Kasia.
“I understand. Thank you for the intelligence your sister, Priestess Kaxier, brought back, Priestess Kasia,” Gros said with a nod of affirmation.
“Everything for the eternal existence of the Iron Jaw in the mountains.”
Kasia desperately wanted to rescue her sister from danger, but she did not bring it up to Gros at this moment.
She knew very well that safely rescuing her sister from the hands of human nobles was far more difficult than capturing Border City.
Even at the cost of dozens or 100 of the tribe’s warriors, it might be impossible to achieve.
“Don’t worry. I will do my best to rescue Priestess Kaxier. From now on, the Iron Jaw Tribe will not abandon any of our kin unless it is absolutely necessary!”
Gros patted Kasia on the shoulder and spoke with a serious tone.
“Thank you, Chief.”
Kasia bowed her head in gratitude, though she knew that Gros’s promise was more of a motivational speech for the Centurions than a literal vow.
Several consecutive years of hunger and cold, combined with the past forced abandonment of the elderly and children deemed “burdens,” had left the morale of the Iron Jaw Tribe unstable.
Had it not been for the heaven-sent opportunity of the frozen river, the Iron Jaw Tribe might have splintered after this winter, with members seeking refuge in other tribes.
By declaring that he would not abandon any kin, Gros was breaking away from the failures of the past few years. He was motivating the Centurions to restore confidence in the tribe among their subordinates.
“There is no time to lose. The time for our attack on Border City is set for tomorrow! Chief Sorenfen of the Emerald Tail Tribe and Chief Feilin of the Blazing Claw Tribe have already agreed to our alliance request and are gathering their troops. They have promised that as soon as we take Border City, their forces will immediately cross the frozen river. Then, our three tribes will simultaneously begin attacking the north, center, and south of Hanover Province.”
“The right to raid the cities in the wealthiest central region belongs to us!”
Gros briefly explained the general plan.
Next, the Centurions began competing for the order of the attack on Border City. Each Centurion presented the unique strengths of their own units, all wanting to be the one to lead the conquest.
‘Sister, you must stay safe,’ Kasia thought worriedly as she watched the group, who were almost at each other’s throats.
Influenced by the intelligence Kaxier had sent back, the final decision was to appoint the oldest and most experienced Centurion, Old Gula, as the vanguard for the attack.
Big Barton, who wanted to lead the charge more than anyone, was extremely dissatisfied.
His unit was placed toward the back of the middle group, leaving him with almost no hope of claiming the glory of being the first to take the city.
“Wait, Old Gula might be experienced, but this charge should be led by those of us who are young and strong!” Big Barton said grumpily.
He voiced the thoughts of many others.
“I know you and many others are dissatisfied with this arrangement, Big Barton. But remember, the Iron Jaw Tribe is no longer what it once was. We cannot afford heavy losses. There is more than just Border City to conquer on the other side of the Piranha River. Once we take Border City and gain a foothold, we will push forward immediately!”
“I guarantee that each of your units will have a chance to lead the assault on at least one city!” Gros stood up and addressed the crowd.
“Does anyone else have an objection?”
Seeing no response, Gros added another sentence.
“We have no objections, Chief.”
The Centurions expressed their agreement one after another, even Big Barton following suit reluctantly.