Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 626 - 625: Battle Plan, Advancing on Red Maple

The tactical map hung before Gawain, with markers, names, rivers, and marshlands all precisely denoted in their correct positions.

Gorgon River, Red Maple City, The White City, battle zone boundaries, positions of the main forces of the Cecil Legion, direction of advance... Advanced tactical concepts and convenient means of information transmission allowed this map to present an amount of information that would astonish the tacticians of this era, enabling Gawain to quickly calculate most variables for an urgent march.

At the Cecil Legion’s speed of advance—although already very, very fast—Gawain’s main forces couldn’t possibly arrive at The White City in time. After all, ground forces can’t match Maji, the flying unit, in speed. Even if relying on force marches to arrive within two days, an overly fatigued army wouldn’t be able to fight the Crystal Cluster Legion, whose strength is not weak, since it’s already the deepest part of the contaminated area, where elite Crystal Cluster Giants are stationed.

But he could directly attack Red Maple.

Red Maple City was directly north of the main forces, with only a section of relatively flat riverbank plain between them. The route had been fully reconnoitered by the scout forces, and the entire path was within the cannon support range of the Cecil Inland River Fleet. Even Red Maple City itself was relatively close to the Gorgon River. When the Pioneer reached the western waterway of Red Maple, nearly a third of the city would be within range of shelling.

Considering the unique organizational structure of the Crystal Cluster Giants, they would emphasize the "command center" more than human armies. Once Red Maple City was fiercely attacked, Gawain was one hundred percent certain all nearby Crystal Cluster Giants would return to aid—including those attacking The White City.

This was Gawain’s version of "Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao."

Maji quickly understood Gawain’s strategy and realized it might be the most feasible plan at present.

"When our shells strike the walls of Red Maple City, the Northern Corps will be more than half safe—the Crystal Cluster Giants have a certain degree of telepathic ability. They will sense the danger to their main camp first and return to aid," Gawain said while standing in front of the map, his fingers sweeping between Red Maple and The White City, "then there are two possibilities. If we can completely destroy Red Maple’s command center before the enemy reinforcements arrive, the Crystal Cluster Legion losing their commander will immediately fall into a weakened and uncontrollable state. They will return to the main camp following previous obsessions, but their combat power will greatly be diminished, and we can set up our positions to simply eliminate those almost wild beast-like monsters;

"If enemy reinforcements arrive before we breach Red Maple’s defenses, we’ll switch to mobile operations, leveraging the mobility and endurance of mechanized forces that surpass the Crystal Cluster Giants. We can use this to our advantage, along with fleet artillery support, to eliminate those monsters on the plains before Red Maple City."

Gawain simply said his tactics, then Sir Philip and the staff began to revise and supplement the strategy. Maji, somewhat dazedly observing the orderly scene at the command headquarters, suddenly felt the Cecil Clan seemed to handle this war in a way akin to operating a machine: every action was planned, every change had a preset plan, soldiers, weapons, supplies, and even enemy resistance, all factors transformed into components, filled into the large war machine crafted by the Cecil Clan...

And the inevitable accidents and chance factors in war, as well as the army’s necessary flexible combat capability, were made up by the officers with their shrewd strategies.

At that moment, Gawain’s voice suddenly came from beside, interrupting Maji’s thoughts: "Moreover... I have another idea. Maji, you might add some changes to our tactics."

"Me?" Maji was startled, then immediately nodded, "If there’s anything I can do, I’ll definitely cooperate!"

"You’re a dragon, certainly better at flying than gryphons or Giant Eagles," Gawain’s thoughts began to become active, after noticing Maji’s Dragonkin identity, some tactics which had long brewed in his mind but couldn’t be realized at the current stage naturally came to mind, "How much load can you carry while flying at most?"

"I..." Maji hesitated suddenly, with some awkwardness on her face, "Actually not very good at flying..."

Gawain subtly furrowed his brow.

He recalled the seemingly deformed wings he’d seen before and Maji’s overly small physique in her Black Dragon form.

It seemed that this Dragonkin living in the human world had worse physical issues than he’d imagined—a malformed figure and wings... Surely some severe deformity.

Maji couldn’t help but lower her head: "Sorry, under these circumstances, I can’t help..."

"No, it’s okay, it’s just an alternative plan," Gawain said as he continued allowing his thoughts inspired by Maji to extend, gradually revealing a contemplative expression, "Besides, I have an alternative alternative plan..."

Meanwhile, he began rubbing the Mithril Ring he always carried with him.

Since he had already established "friendship" with the dragons, why not try it? Perhaps now was the time...

The magic construction embedded within the ring was activated, gradually emitting a slight warmth, and shortly thereafter, Gawain heard Melita Ponia’s voice in his ear: "The Mithril Vault is always ready to serve our important customers—hello, Duke."

"You should be nearby," Gawain already familiar with the other’s practiced "official opening," said in a flat tone, "Can you come over?"

The person on the other end of the ring seemed startled, hesitated for a moment before saying: "How do you know I’m nearby?"

Gawain’s tone seemed half amused: "Is there anything more worth ’observing’ to ’you all’ than this war?"

"...Indeed," Melita seemingly chuckled lightly, "Then please wait for a moment, I’ll be right there."

The communication ended, and Gawain’s gaze swept over Maji beside him — he suddenly felt curious, curious to see what would happen when the agent of the Mithril Vault, the blue dragon lady, encountered the Black Dragon living in human society.

...There shouldn’t be a melodramatic scenario where two dragons fight in the camp, right?

At the same time, deep in the camp’s warehouse area, Melita Ponia in a light purple gauze dress, her face partially covered in veils, stood up in the "lodging" warehouse. She casually tidied up the bedding and utensils around her—borrowed from nearby warehouses—then straightened up, holding her head high, and swaggered out of the Cecil’s rice warehouse.

This entire journey following from the southern borders to the Gigantic Tree Path Entrance, she had been freeloading her meals this way—proving that as long as she wasn’t seen by that strange half-elf, Miss Melita as the Dragon of Secret Magic could still preserve her dignity, having gone unnoticed by Cecil’s quartermaster for so long sneakily consuming the troops’ rice.

Gawain thought Melita was nearby and shouldn’t take long to come before him, but he never expected this "won’t take long" actually meant waiting for less than ten minutes.

When Amber entered with a peculiar expression to report that the Mithril Vault agent was already outside the camp entrance, Gawain even suspected that the blue dragon lady had stayed in his camp all along...

Melita Ponia entered the tent serving as the command headquarters, ignoring everyone else, walked straight towards Gawain. But after a few steps, she suddenly sensed a presence that caught her attention. Following this presence, she saw the black-haired maid standing not far from Gawain.

The latter looked over with a complex expression, which contained tension, restraint, and a hint of vigilance.

The agent of Mithril Vault couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows slightly: "Genetic defect?"

Then, she gently nodded to Maji, saying softly, "Hello."

At that moment, Maji seemed to have countless words she wanted to say, only to open her mouth, eyes complex and inscrutable, but ultimately, she merely nodded slowly: "Hello."

All of this was witnessed by Gawain.

Inwardly curious, he wanted to understand how dragon society functioned, what Maji’s existence meant for dragons with deformities, and how dragons like Melita viewed Maji, as well as why dragons lived in human society. But he knew that now was not the time to inquire about these matters.

He waved his hand to dismiss unrelated personnel, leaving only himself and the two dragons.

Gawain gestured towards Maji standing nearby: "As fellow dragons, she should be able to listen to our conversation, right?"

"Yes," Melita looked at the black-haired maid, "All dragons know the secret behind the Mithril Vault, including... those like her."

"Then let’s speak openly," Gawain exhaled, "I have a matter I want to ask for your help."

"Let me guess..." Melita’s light purple eyes gleamed slightly, "You want to leverage my power or the Mithril Vault’s strength to deal with those mutated ’monsters’?"

"...More or less, but I didn’t actually think about directly utilizing the Mithril Vault’s strength, that’s most likely impossible. I wanted to ask you..."

"I’m sorry, I can’t either," Melita Ponia interrupted before Gawain could finish, "Dragons are not allowed to participate in continental warfare, it is the law of our kind."

Gawain stared intently into Melita Ponia’s eyes: "But the war we are fighting against the Crystal Cluster Legion is no ordinary conflict; it involves the power of the gods and might even involve the chaotic wave."

"That indeed is a negotiable point," Melita Ponia admitted frankly, "but it’s merely negotiable. From the perspective of the dragons as a whole, the Crystal Cluster Monsters you speak of could be seen as a new form of intelligent life. You might not recognize their birth, actions, or even their societal structure, but from the perspective of the dragons... this war is no different in essence from the regime changes of any continental kingdoms."

Gawain had anticipated that this blue dragon lady wouldn’t easily agree to his request, but he hadn’t expected her stance to be so firm and hard to argue against. After a brief pause, he caught onto a key point in Melita’s words: "You said, from the perspective of the dragons as a whole..."

"...Yes, from the perspective of the dragons as a whole," Melita Ponia paused for two seconds, sighed lightly, "but as individuals, I and quite a number of dragons probably realize that the birth and spread of the Crystal Cluster Infectors is a disaster that should be stopped promptly, it’s just that... as part of the collective, we can’t act so easily. You understand what I mean."

Gawain quietly looked into Melita Ponia’s eyes for a few seconds, understanding the deeper meaning behind her words.

Give me a compromise. I need to report back to the higher-ups. .jpg.

Gawain pondered briefly and soon came up with an idea.

"Let’s try another approach," he adjusted his seated position, leisurely looking at Melita Ponia, "As far as I know, your Mithril Vault also handles transportation."

"We do indeed."

"Then I entrust you to deliver something to the Crystal Cluster Commanders in Red Maple City..."

"What is it?"

"...Three tons of crystal bombs, air transportation, cash on delivery."

Melita Ponia stared at Gawain with her eyes wide open, speechless for a long time: "..."

Gawain was a bit worried: "Is there a problem?"

"...My upbringing prevents me from swearing in such a situation, please understand—but I must admit, this is the most brilliant loophole exploitation I’ve ever seen."

Gawain sighed: "So, there’s no problem then."

"No, there is still one problem," Melita Ponia immediately interrupted Gawain, "I don’t think... the target recipient will pay after receiving the goods, which is a very important issue."

Gawain blinked but couldn’t detect the slightest joke in Melita Ponia’s face, so he seriously pondered for a moment and tentatively said: "Do you remember that ’God Metal’? If you’re still interested, I can give you a piece that’s even bigger than the last one, which we unearthed just recently."

He was referring to those "Zenith Star Relics" found in the Defied Fortress; as far as he knew, the dragons had always been collecting similar items, and those ancient device fragments were hard currency for the Dragonkin, more valuable than gold and silver.

And in his hand, a half-warehouse of them stacked up.

Melita Ponia’s breathing involuntarily quickened; she wanted to refuse further because the matter treaded on the line of what the Supreme Council might tolerate and might incur punishment, but...

"Deal."

But Cecil’s offer was just too high.

After the deal was struck, Gawain finally breathed a sigh of relief and casually said, "Your attack... I mean, your delivery will be a secret operation, I will prepare the ’goods’ in advance on the hillside west of the camp, you’ll collect them yourself."

"I understand," Melita nodded, but then her expression turned serious, "I just need to remind you, this may be the only time I can lend a hand in this war, and this already exploits a breach in the rules—your timing is impeccable. If it were any earlier, I might not consider the Crystal Cluster Infectors such a big threat, and if any later... the council would turn their attention to this continent, and they won’t allow me to exploit any loophole under their noses."

The council... it sounded like the governing body of the dragons?

Gawain silently took note of this potentially useful information for the future, and asked a question out of curiosity before Melita Ponia left: "Earlier, you said dragons can’t participate in wars on the continent, right?"

Melita Ponia nodded: "That’s what I said."

Gawain pointed to Maji beside him: "What about her?"

Melita’s expression took on a slightly complex shade as she glanced at Maji, then met Gawain’s eyes: "She and her kin are exceptions.

"She hails from the Sacred Dragon Kingdom; she’s a descendant of the exiles."

Having said this, the blue dragon lady seemed disinclined to linger any longer, directly turning away and leaving the room.

"What do you mean by descendants of the exiles? Feel free not to answer if the question offends you."

It was only after Melita Ponia had left that Gawain looked up at the silently standing black-haired maid beside him.

Maji’s emotions had calmed by now. She took a gentle breath and spoke in a seemingly unperturbed voice: "There’s no offense—everyone knows, the people of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom always call themselves Dragonborn, but rarely does anyone know the reason behind this self-reference.

"The rulers and some aristocratic members of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom, truly are dragons—exiled from the dragon’s home, ’Talronde’, due to genetic deterioration and some unspeakable sin committed by ancestors long gone."

Then she smiled faintly, shaking her head, the tone tinged with self-mockery: "So regardless of how time changes, or nations rise and fall, these pathetic creatures will never leave that frigid alpine, always calling it a ’duchy’ instead of a kingdom or empire..."

Gawain listened to this surprising bit of intelligence with some amazement, suddenly realizing something: "So... you’re an aristocrat of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom? Or part of the Grand Duke of Dragonblood’s..."

Maji seemed slightly resistant, cutting Gawain off: "Sorry, just a disregarded fringe family, and that is already in the past. I don’t wish to have any further connections with there."

"I understand," Gawain sighed, "Anyway, take a little rest. In a little over an hour, we depart."

...

The war machines of Cecil, after a brief rest, were once more marching toward a path of iron and fire.

On the Gorgon River, the Pioneer, leading Aurora and Morningstar, accompanied by several inland warships reconstructed from cargo ships and two light gunships, broke through wind and waves. Their magic energy wingboards were covered in black cloth, the engine sounds muffled by silencing enchantments; the fleet glided northward like silent phantoms;

On the east bank of the Gorgon River, war chariots and various troop carriers advanced along the routes scouted by the Steel Cavalry and Giant Eagle Scouts, rolling over gravel banks, crossing gullies, with night vision potions distributed to soldiers and dim-light filters installed on each war chariot, allowing the army to traverse the dark wilderness at a rapid pace;

It was the 43rd day of Revival Month.

Red Maple City, and the Mountain Corps trapped in The White City, lay just ahead.