Chapter 624: The Reinforcement Plan

Sonia’s reconnaissance squad had discovered a dragon under siege by crystal cluster giants near the edge of the combat zone.

To be honest, when Gawain first heard the news, he was completely baffled.

His initial thought was, could it be that “My Little Pony” lady had fallen from the sky again? After all, that blue dragon had a history of such mishaps—her flying skills weren’t exactly reliable.

But he quickly dismissed that theory. The report specified the dragon was black, and Gawain reasoned it probably wasn’t Melita after being scorched by arcane lightning…

Regardless, he immediately dispatched reinforcements to the breakout point Sonia had marked, while he himself set out for a forward stronghold on the front lines. There, a large force was gathering, preparing to use the position as a springboard for further operations into the Red Maple region.

…

It wasn’t until several oddly designed steel war machines and heavily armed human soldiers appeared ahead that Maggie finally realized she was still alive.

That was Cecil’s army—the force that had fought its way from the edge of the contaminated zone all the way inland.

The engines of the steel war machines roared, magical cannons screamed piercingly, and obelisk-shaped shells accelerated along rails slammed into enemy ranks, ending the miserable, twisted lives of those creatures in explosions. Soldiers clad in metal armor carried heavy combat packs and wielded flamethrowers, advancing alongside the vehicles. Wherever they passed, flames roared and everything burned.

The scent of iron and fire filled the battlefield. This brutal, civilized force—more savage than savagery itself—shook Maggie to her core.

Deafening explosions echoed from all directions, the earth trembling beneath the blasts. Maggie struggled to shake off a crystal cluster giant that had grabbed her tail, then watched as the monster was shredded midair by a dozen converging beams of light. The deadly magic scattered like cheap crossbow bolts, sweeping across all standing targets not allied with them. Amid the thunderous shockwaves, Maggie instinctively shrank her neck, overwhelmed by a sudden, inexplicable dread—

What kind of power had that resurrected founding duke forged in his realm?

Following the safe path carved out by the artillery cover, Maggie’s strong claws pounded the earth in a somewhat awkward sprint. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large vehicle bearing a steel holy emblem, its surface stamped with prayers and sacred symbols, charging up a slope. Weapons on its roof fired repeatedly, sweeping the battlefield with scorching white light. Then the metal side door slid open, and several towering warriors clad in heavy white armor burst out. They wielded massive war hammers, their helmets and pauldrons etched with scriptures, and prayer cloths fluttered on their chests. They charged into battle, smashing the nearest crystal cluster giants with furious blows, shouting, “Execute the purification of the Holy Light!”

Afterward, these berserkers raised some kind of flamethrower devices strapped to their backs and began sweeping the area with fire.

Finally, the battlefield fell silent.

Griffon knights and giant eagles circled high above, maintaining vigilance. A soldier who looked like a commander approached Maggie with a few troops. He eyed the black dragon before him with a mix of curiosity and caution, then asked, “What’s your status? Can you understand human speech?”

Maggie gritted her teeth against the pain from her wounds and let out a deep, almost growling voice: “Yes.”

“Good.” The officer nodded, then noticed the heavy bleeding from her many injuries. He immediately turned and called out, “We need a priest here—she’s badly hurt!”

Despite Maggie’s low, dragon-like voice, the officer recognized the feminine tone.

Maggie wanted to say her injuries weren’t a problem—that as a dragon, she could tough it out until reaching the extraction point—but she was stunned into silence when several heavily armored warriors, even more formidable than the berserkers, approached her. The leader removed a metal-bound prayer book from his waist, clearly preparing to cast a holy spell…

So… these were Cecil’s priests?

At that moment, Maggie suddenly understood why the original Holy Light Church had been driven out of the southern territories…

…

The rescue operation went smoothly. Shortly after Gawain arrived at the forward stronghold, news of the mission’s success was delivered to him.

In the briefing, the commander praised the White Knight squad for their battlefield performance—they had bravely eliminated enemies and provided effective medical aid to the rescue target. Though only a single squad, their impact was irreplaceable even by a full battalion, truly deserving commendation.

Gawain felt relieved and more convinced of his belief: priests really were best at saving lives…

By evening, the mysterious black dragon—apparently connected to the Northern Duke—arrived at the stronghold.

Thanks to effective treatment, she walked into the camp on her own.

Gawain had reserved a large area in the camp for this visitor, remembering that dragons were massive creatures, sometimes dozens of meters long (according to Melita Penita’s data). But when the black dragon appeared, he realized things weren’t quite as he’d imagined.

This dragon was unusually small, with a wingspan barely over ten meters, only about one-third to one-half the size of a full-grown adult dragon. Her wings were especially twisted and stunted, as if they hadn’t fully developed.

Though Gawain had only seen Melita’s dragon form from a distance and could only estimate her size, he was certain a standard adult dragon was much larger than this black one.

Was this a young dragon?

With that question in mind, he calmly approached the black dragon standing in the camp’s center. She barely glanced at the strange prefab shelters or the swirling magical monitoring devices nearby, nor at the soldiers and officers scrutinizing her. Instead, her distinctly non-human face showed clear signs of anxiety.

Before Gawain could speak, she hurriedly said, “Honored Duke, Stonehold needs your support! Victoria—she…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve received the message. The main force is already moving north,” Gawain interrupted. He noticed her breathing ease slightly, which piqued his curiosity. “Who are you? And what is your relationship with Victoria Wilde?”

The black dragon paused, then clearly said something that surprised Gawain: “I am Maggie. You have met me before.”

“Maggie?” Gawain was momentarily stunned, then after a few seconds dredged up the name from memory. It seemed to be the name of Victoria’s black-haired maid—a distinctive name, unlike anything from Ansu’s style.

“I see… a dragon…” Gawain smiled and nodded slightly. “So the Wilde family has established contact with your kind…”

“I serve Victoria by my own will,” the black dragon said immediately, a hint of curiosity in her voice. “You… don’t seem surprised to see a dragon?”

“I’ve dealt with dragons before,” Gawain replied casually, then asked, “But the dragons I’ve seen don’t look quite like you. If you don’t mind me asking—feel free not to answer if it’s offensive or taboo—are you a young dragon?”

He recalled that the black-haired maid’s human form was quite mature, so he was especially curious about her dragon form. This was a good chance to learn more about dragons, and since she needed his help, she probably wouldn’t take offense at a simple question.

Maggie hesitated briefly, showing signs of nervousness and irritation, as if the question touched on something she preferred not to discuss. Still, she answered with some reluctance: “It’s… a disease.”

“Alright, I understand,” Gawain said, guessing what it might be, and quickly apologized, “Sorry, madam, that was an inappropriate question.”

He then glanced at Maggie’s current form and changed the subject: “Madam, can you shift into human form? It might be easier for us to communicate that way.”

The black dragon lowered her neck slightly. “Yes—please step back a little.”

Gawain and several other commanders, along with Amber and others who had come to watch, immediately stepped back. In the center of the clearing, the black dragon flexed her wings and tail. A powerful magical pulse and a sudden whirlwind enveloped her in a shimmering, writhing light veil—

Watching the light contract and change, Gawain couldn’t help but think: Most polymorph spells in the world originated from dragons…

From the light emerged Maggie in human form: black hair, black eyes, dressed in a maid’s outfit, two long swords hanging at her waist.

Amber whispered to Philip, “I’ve always wondered—when these shapeshifters transform, where do their clothes and belongings go?”

The young, straightforward knight was clearly thrown off by the intelligence chief’s odd train of thought and blinked, “…Why do you think like that?”

“Thank you very much for your assistance,” Maggie said, bowing deeply to Gawain. Then she couldn’t help but ask, “When will your army…”

“My main force will reach the combat zone by evening. We can launch an attack overnight. But before that, we need to devise an effective battle plan,” Gawain interrupted, raising his hand to point at a nearby command tent. “Please come with me. I want to get a better understanding of the northern situation.”

Maggie followed Gawain and several Cecil officers into the command tent. The first thing she saw was an exquisitely detailed map hanging on the wooden wall.

On the map, she saw the Giantwood Pass marked with numerous tactical symbols, intersecting arrows, lines indicating enemy positions and battle zone divisions, and a series of numbers and shorthand notations she couldn’t decipher.

Though nominally just a maid, Maggie instantly grasped what the map represented: Cecil’s control over the battlefield, a form of warfare never before achieved!

She almost turned away, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information—enough to sway the course of the war. But she quickly realized Gawain had brought her here for this very reason.

Gawain spoke beside her: “Mark where Victoria is, where the enemy is, their approximate numbers, and the status of the main defensive lines—if you know.”

Maggie nodded and stepped forward, pointing to Stonehold’s location. “Victoria and the mountain corps are trapped inside the castle district…

“The enemy has completely surrounded Stonehold. There are no gaps on the ground. Their numbers… conservatively estimated at over fifty thousand, and that number can increase at any time. They have a steady stream of reinforcements. Whenever their attacks fail, they will definitely send more troops…”

“This is Red Maple City, on the east bank of the Gorgon River—the stronghold of those monsters…

“As I flew overhead, I saw some of their forces breaking off and moving south…”

Gawain listened intently as Maggie relayed each piece of intelligence, carefully piecing it all together. Nearby, Philip and several staff officers whispered rapidly among themselves, running through possible attack routes.

“How much longer do you think Victoria can hold out?” Gawain asked suddenly.

Maggie’s voice grew heavy. “They were originally relying on the blizzard barrier to hold the line—maybe three more days. But then Victoria withdrew the blizzard and chose to face the enemy head-on. Now, relying on the castle walls and the soldiers’ fighting spirit, they might only last two days… No, wait—that’s the mountain troops. They’ll hold on at least one more day! Even without the blizzard, they can last three days!”

Gawain let out a quiet sigh.

Rather than cling to life behind a protective shield for three days, the northern soldiers had chosen to fight fiercely for three days before meeting death with honor…

“I’ve already lost a day on the road,” Maggie added.

Meanwhile, Philip and the staff had reached some conclusions. One officer approached Gawain and whispered a few words.

Gawain looked up at Maggie. “Ma’am, I’m afraid we won’t reach Giant Stone City within two days.”

The dark-haired maid’s eyes widened in shock, but before despair could take hold, Gawain pressed on.

“But we can reach Red Maple in just one day—and then we’ll burn it to the ground.”

(End of chapter)