The Twilight Knights' troops marched across the Moon Creek Plain, heading northeast.
Todd sat in the saddle, writhing uncomfortably. He had never imagined that riding a horse in armor would be such a painful ordeal. Looking at the marching troops, he considered for a moment giving the order to rest, but after thinking for a while, he ultimately abandoned the decision.
"Lord Todd, a group of refugees is coming!"
Todd frowned as he listened to Edgar's loud report. This was already the fourth group of refugees they had encountered, only a day after they left Muxi Town.
The commander-in-chief sat on his horse, using his "eagle eye" to look ahead. A kilometer away, a dark mass of people, at least eighty, stood. They knelt in the muddy ground by the roadside, holding up crosses and loudly proclaiming the mercy of the Holy Son Todd.
Todd winked at Huggins beside him, who led his horse toward the refugees and returned in less than ten minutes.
"They were all villagers who had fled from the east. They said the war there was getting more and more brutal, with vultures circling overhead and rats fatter than babies everywhere. The two sides began to spread the war to the villages of the common people. The Silver Ring and the barbarian allied forces were collecting grain and conscripting peasants from house to house, while the church and the Holy Guard claimed that these villagers were traitors and were openly plundering their wealth."
Todd sighed and waved his hand: "Give them some food and tell them to head west; there's no war in Muxi Town."
Huggins listened to Todd's words without moving, but instead lowered his voice: "I heard from those refugees that a small group of barbarian soldiers attacked the San Sidlow Monastery a few days ago."
Upon hearing this, Todd immediately turned to Huggins and asked, "Is the monastery alright?"
"The monastery had weapons, many monks possessed some combat skills, and with some simple fortifications, Saint Sidlow Monastery ultimately held out, but suffered considerable casualties. Regarding their future, I heard the monks have split into three factions: one hopes to migrate west to Muxi Town, another hopes to contact the church to apply for asylum, and the third hopes to make peace with the Silver Ring Kingdom." Huggins looked somewhat hesitant: "My lord, what should we do? Should we ignore it or intervene?"
Todd sat on his horse, lost in thought for a moment.
The San Sidlow Monastery was his first residence in this other world, and it held special significance for him. Moreover, the monastery possessed tens of thousands of books. Although he had managed to swindle a few hundred copies using printed copies of the "Bible," Todd simply couldn't bear to watch the remaining books potentially be destroyed. Both morally and logically, the San Sidlow Monastery should intervene.
Thinking of this, Todd said to Huggins, "Take the 'Inheritor' cavalry squad and get to the monastery as soon as possible. Move out the monks who hope to come to Twilight Town, as well as all the books in the monastery."
Huggins nodded, then asked, "What should I do if someone tries to stop me?"
Todd hesitated for a moment, then said awkwardly, "If necessary, you can take any coercive measures. Remember, protect those books! In a sense, they are more important than people!"
Huggins gave him a deep look, then nodded, called to his subordinates, and they left the route, heading towards the monastery.
Todd watched the knight's departing figure, recalling his earlier words. He lowered his head in deep thought, finally muttering, "All coercive measures... God, what did I just say..."
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Two days later, the army of the Twilight Knights arrived at the foot of the majestic Falling Star Mountains. The towering snow-capped peaks and layered mountain ranges were breathtaking and made people marvel at the wonders of nature.
"After marching for another two hours, we'll see Northstone Fortress." Cumberland glanced in the direction of the sun.
Todd nodded, and was about to say something when a cavalryman carrying a silver-ringed banner and wearing light armor came from a distance. As he approached the Knights of Twilight, he dismounted and raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.
Watching his subordinates take the letter from the cavalryman, Cumberland cracked his neck: "If I'm not mistaken, that Earl Hewlett fellow sent a declaration of war."
After carefully inspecting the letter and finding nothing amiss, the subordinate handed it to the commander-in-chief.
Todd opened it and looked at it for a moment, then said to Cumberland, "Yes, it is indeed a challenge. They challenge us to a decisive battle three hours later at noon on the plain in front of the fortress."
“Earl Hewlett, that noisy bird who always talks about his noble lineage, has no real skills but plenty of cunning.” Cumberland gestured to his men to extend the scouts’ reconnaissance range by another three kilometers before ordering the troops to rest in place.
Watching the old knight gather the company commanders together for a pre-battle meeting, then leisurely find an open space, spread out a blanket, and fall asleep, Todd was filled with questions but had nowhere to ask, so he could only sit on the ground in a daze.
Cumberland slept from morning until noon. After stretching and getting up, he didn't issue any marching orders. Instead, he ordered the soldiers to start cooking, but the amount of food was 30% less than usual.
After finishing lunch with Cumberland, Todd watched as the other man calmly examined a map on horseback while brewing a cup of barley tea. He could no longer contain his curiosity: "The enemy has challenged us to a decisive battle at noon, and it's already one o'clock in the afternoon."
“I know.” Cumberland took a sip of tea and said to Todd calmly, “Master, have you ever tried clapping along while singing hymns?”
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