Chapter 488: Chapter 461: Changing of the Guard

An army stretching for miles marched steadily along a winding road.

Oduro Flamel rode his warhorse at the head of the column.

The Flamel Clan’s ancestors had once been Honorary Knights of Wushan Territory. However, after several generations of decline, by the time Oduro was born, the family had almost no property left—only their noble title remained.

Although Oduro was now forty, he had fortunately achieved Golden Level strength and was faring much better than his father and grandfather had.

But with the family’s foundation gone, he had to start from scratch. After years of striving, he had finally come to the attention of Lurans.

It was on Lurans’s recommendation that he gained entry into the First Knight Order founded by Ronin. After passing Ridder’s assessment, he was appointed the temporary Vice Leader of the Moonlight Valley’s First Knight Order.

For Oduro, this was an incredible windfall. As a result, he took the tasks handed down from his superiors with the utmost seriousness.

A Scout galloped back from the front. "Vice Leader, sir, the perimeter of the West Wind Hill camp is three miles ahead."

"Good. Let’s reach the camp before sunset."

Though called a camp, West Wind Hill was more like a small, densely populated town. In addition to soldiers, there were ordinary civilians and even traveling merchants plying their trade.

However, given its military nature, it had not developed much.

The troops continued their march, and the camp soon came into view.

It was situated atop a small hill, encircled by a hastily built wooden palisade and other simple fortifications.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting a golden glow upon the hard-packed earth.

Oduro looked up. A banner bearing a golden Griffin on a blue field—the symbol of the Kingdom—fluttered atop the hill.

Just then, a party of riders thundered down the hill, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Is this the contingent of the Ronning Marquis of Moonlight Valley?"

Oduro urged his horse forward and replied respectfully, "We are. I am Oduro Flamel, Vice Leader of the Moonlight Valley’s First Knight Order. And you must be Sir Denny Torres?"

Denny Torres was a Kingdom Viscount and a battle-hardened Meteor Knight, who had been stationed at West Wind Hill for years.

To be honest, standing before the man, Oduro felt his own presence was somewhat lacking.

After all, he was weaker than the other man, and his rank and status were not as high.

Overall, however, his conduct was still commendable.

The man let out a small sound of surprise, sizing up Oduro with a slight frown. "I was told Ridder Main would be coming."

Oduro explained, "According to the plan, our Leader should be arriving shortly."

As he spoke, a sharp cry echoed from above. It was Ridder, arriving on his Griffin.

The snow-white Griffin landed before the column, and Ridder leaped from its back.

"Sir Denny, I am Ridder Main, Commander for the Ronning Marquis and Leader of Moonlight Valley’s First Knight Order. I am here to take command of the West Wind Hill defensive line. Here are my credentials for the transfer of command."

Denny could sense a profound, if faint, aura emanating from Ridder, and he knew at once that this man was powerful.

He swung himself off his horse and said with a chuckle, "Welcome, Ridder. And to all you brave Warriors. His Majesty will be proud of you!"

After a round of pleasantries, the two men exchanged the credentials for the transfer of command.

"My Knight Order will be withdrawing by tomorrow. For tonight, however, I must ask you and your troops to make camp outside. You’ll have to make do for one night."

There were barracks in the camp, but it was impossible for his men to clear out of them tonight.

"That’s no issue."

Ridder replied with a smile. "Oduro, go and see to the arrangements."

"Yes, Commander!"

Denny gestured for Ridder to follow, leading him into the main hall of the camp’s fortress.

As per the handover protocol, he needed to brief Ridder on the defensive situation at West Wind Hill and any other important details.

Ridder listened, deep in thought.

He recalled the state of the camp as he entered. ’The atmosphere here isn’t tense at all; it’s quite relaxed,’ he thought. ’The soldiers’ discipline seems poor.’

’So many years without a war must have made them let down their guard.’

After concluding his briefing, Denny said with a smile, "With your strength, holding West Wind Hill should be no problem. However, I suggest you visit a certain place before you finalize your defensive arrangements."

He paused before explaining, "The Crown Prince sent word to me a few days ago, requesting that the Ronning Marquis visit Red Pine Castle. Since the Marquis has not come, you should go in his stead. After all, the Crown Prince is our overall commander here."

Ridder stood and shook the other man’s hand. "Thank you for letting me know. I’ll head over."

The formal handover was complete. All that remained was the orderly occupation by the new troops and the withdrawal of the old.

Evidently, Denny had already made preparations. His men were mostly packed by the next morning. After lunch, he led his Knight Order away from West Wind Hill, heading toward Red Pine Castle.

The Seventh Knight Order of the Kingdom, led by Denny, would now report directly to Garrett.

The camp was empty only for a short while before it welcomed its new occupants.

Under Oduro’s command, the Cavalry, Infantry, and other units were assigned their new posts and quarters in succession.

After a flurry of activity, evening had fallen.

"Commander, sir, many of the barracks in the camp have been deliberately damaged. A lot of them will need repairs before they’re habitable. I’ve already assigned the logistics staff to the task, but until they’re fixed, we’ll have to be quartered rather tightly."

Oduro was indignant. "We’re all here to fight the same enemy. Why would they do something like this?"

Ridder grunted. There was no way to pursue the matter. He couldn’t know if damaging the barracks was Denny’s own instruction or something his soldiers had done of their own accord.

"Just see to the repairs," Ridder said. "Then, go notify the captains of the ten Knight Squads. I need to lay out our defensive plan to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack while we’re settling in."

He had already surveyed the surrounding terrain during the day and, combining his observations with Denny’s briefing, had drafted a preliminary defensive plan.

In the coming days, he would need to conduct a more thorough reconnaissance of the area, and even prepare to scout the enemy camp.

As for Denny’s advice that he visit Garrett at Red Pine Castle before establishing his defenses, Ridder had put it completely out of his mind.

’How could visiting this so-called overall commander be more important than getting my own position stabilized first?’ he thought.

Besides, according to Ronin’s plan, this land at West Wind Hill was not to be treated as a mere camp.

They would be stationed here for a long time to come. Rather than constantly transporting grain to the front lines, it would be far better to transform this place into a forward operating base and implement a system of military farming to become self-sufficient.

To that end, Ronin had already petitioned His Majesty the King for a fifty-year grant to manage West Wind Hill and had received his approval. There was no need to worry that any new construction would be abandoned due to a sudden transfer of command, or that it would simply be a gift to their successors.

「Red Pine Castle.」

Garrett’s expression was as dark as a thundercloud; he was in an exceptionally foul mood.

"This Ridder... how dare he so openly defy my orders!"

He slammed his hand on the desk, sending the books and letters piled on top of it flying into the air.

It was one thing for Ronin to disrespect him—after all, the Marquis’s status and power were undeniable.

But now, some Commander from Moonlight Valley—a man who was neither a noble nor had any significant background—also dared to defy an order from him, the supreme commander of this front. This was a show of complete and utter contempt.

"Go! Get a message to that Ridder at once! Tell him he is to report to Red Pine Castle by tomorrow morning!"

"And tell him that if he fails to appear, he and Ronin will both be held responsible for the grave consequences!"

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