Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 482 - 482 225 Probing Between Two Armies_2

482: Chapter 225 Probing Between Two Armies_2 482: Chapter 225 Probing Between Two Armies_2 However, before the full-scale battle erupts, when forces are evenly matched, the sky becomes more of a battleground for reconnaissance and hide-and-seek pursuit, at most relying on luck to hunt down lone enemy Sky Knights, rather than engaging in large-scale aerial combat.

After all, Sky Knights are an extremely scarce and precious force in the army; they will not easily fight to the death unless it is a decisive moment.

Especially now, even though King Lydwen’s Fire Dragon exhibits overwhelming strength against all aerial creatures in this region in one-on-one combat.

But if surrounded by dozens of Kantadar’s Lion Scorpion Knights, the danger is that too many ants could kill the elephant, and should the dragon suffer casualties, the loss of the king would be a considerable blow.

The “Scorpion-tailed Lions” trained by the Kantadar people may not be as formidable as the “Lorelette Griffins” of this world, but they are far more fierce than the “Stormhawks” and “Flying Pegasi,” and are likewise top predators in the natural food chain.

If Stormhawks encounter them, they can evade the Lion Scorpions’ hunt with extraordinary speed, but the Flying Pegasi’s flight speed is comparable to the Lion Scorpions’.

These aerial predators have always made the kings and lords of the North envious throughout the years of war between the two countries.

Being favored by Griffins is a rare occurrence, but Lion Scorpions are verifiable examples of mass breeding by the Kantadar people.

However, while the Orland Royal Family is proficient in raising dragon beasts, they have never found a way to tame Scorpion-tailed Lions like the Southern Kingdom does.

Historically, the Orland Royal Family has paid high prices to capture and buy Lion Scorpions, but they invariably remain untameable in the wild, and even those raised from a young age cannot be trained as mounts, eventually having no choice but to be fed to the Flying Dragons after countless attempts.

Currently, the “Flying Pegasi” imported into the Klonia Kingdom from the eastern “Orelia Kingdom,” despite breeding to a certain scale, when confronting Kantadar’s “Flying Lions,” those beautiful, noble “Flying Warhorses” become nothing more than food, relying entirely on the riders on their backs for protection.

Of course, Leon believes that if the North wins this battle, that new king of Kantadar named Caso will have no choice but to hand over the beasthandling secrets hidden for hundreds of years by the Southern Royal Family…

Perhaps, they have already been forced to surrender them to Lydwen III.

Unfortunately, even if the method to tame Lion Scorpions is obtained, Orland cannot immediately transform into a Scorpion-tailed Lion Cavalry unit.

No matter how fast Scorpion-tailed Lions grow, they still take three to four years to reach adulthood.

In the Northern Army, the Flying Pegasi dare not approach the Griffins; the only true companions may be the King’s Flying Dragon.

The regret is that Lydwen definitely has to stay in the Central Army to suppress the Southern Army’s aerial forces.

Now, the responsibility to control the airspace around the Grey Robe Valley army under Trosa on the eastern side rests on Leon and another team of Pegasus Knights…

He gradually descended in altitude, performing routine patrols monitoring the southern bank upstream of the great river, the riverine hills between the two eastern forests.

The reason for being assigned to monitor this area is that, according to intelligence from Kantadar Royal City’s court officials, besides the three large stone bridges along the main river’s mid-lower reaches, sandbars appearing intermittently and seasonally may occur near the upstream river fork.

Duke Ablo’s army undoubtedly has the potential to bypass the forests, cross the river at certain upstream mudflats, flank the Northern Army, and force the Orland Army to redeploy for defense.

The three to four thousand troops gathered in the North cannot block a hundred kilometers of river with potential crossing points at all times, especially as the enemy’s forces outnumber their own.

Only by deploying Sky Knights and Light Cavalry to swiftly detect and respond can they maintain the advantage necessary to launch a “Half-crossing Attack” on the Southern Army.

In fact, the seemingly calm land of the Ustato Kingdom is already overrun with Scout Cavalry units from both the North and South, engaging in secret battles across every corner.

The reconnaissance forces of both armies are like giant tentacles probing each other’s weaknesses and flaws, from sky to land, from open to hidden…

Leon discovered that today seemed to be his lucky day; though he couldn’t see clearly from this distance, through the consciousness waves transmitted by the magical contract, the Death Claw, capable of discerning the tiniest details at tens of thousands of meters, had caught some movement at the edge of his vision.

In a long-abandoned village on the eastern shore of the riverine land far from the tributary of the great river, the Griffin saw those “despicable humans” and their “delicious prey” beneath them.

Having finally spotted a Southern Army cavalry unit, Leon immediately became alert.

He pulled the reins and had the Death Claw ascend to three thousand meters, using the clouds to conceal their movements silently.

Using the cover of clouds, the Griffin appeared and disappeared like a small dot.

Leon dared not expose himself due to the distance, as both armies stood across from one another were comprised of seasoned elite forces, not rabble, who would never mistake a fleeting dot in the sky for an ordinary bird.

Only occasionally did he peer through the gaps in the clouds to spy on the cavalry entering the deserted village on the western shore.

One thousand….

more than that.

Leon glanced southward; there were similarly sized groups of figures moving rapidly.

When did they sneak in?

He remembered scouting sixty kilometers further south yesterday and not seeing these two thousand cavalrymen.

Were they marching stealthily overnight?

Slightly hesitant, but Leon tugged at his Griffin partner, knowing he could not get any closer.

There was no guarantee that the enemy hadn’t brought their Lion Scorpion units along.

Since he was the first to spot them before the air knights the enemy possibly had could change course and intentions, he had to return immediately to report the situation.

He urged the Death Claw to rapidly ascend.

Only after rising to six thousand meters, where Lion Scorpions could not reach, did Leon turn northward and swiftly fly towards the camp.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, he returned to the skies above the camp over dozens of kilometers away, diving down to lower his altitude.

Upon spotting the descending figure, the Pegasus Knights of Orland gathered around, only to veer off and continue their aerial patrol upon realizing it was an allied Griffin.

The massive beast landed with a thunderous thud in a clearing specifically reserved for it.

Leon dismounted and, granted the privilege by Trosa, briskly entered the general’s tent with the guards saluting without announcement.

The Great Lords, who had been discussing the maps and models, looked up collectively.

Without wasting words, Trosa instantly understood the intent of the young man who barged into the meeting: “Enemy situation?”

“…On the eastern bank of the tributary of the great river, near Beyerl Village, two thousand Urian Cavalry have appeared, suspected of having marched under the cover of night last evening…”

Leon, having briefly pressed his chest in salute, proceeded to report the enemy’s position and movements meticulously.

Upon hearing this, the Old Earl gave a quick glance at the map before him and addressed the Thorny Flower Earl on the other side, saying, “Lord Eriv, you are to immediately lead your forces and those of River Valley County to head to the upstream river fork as planned, to repel the enemy forces attempting to cross the river.

You are free to decide whether to take the initiative to attack if necessary, and Lord Leon shall temporarily remain under your command.”

“Yes, General.” Eriv, along with several Barons of River Valley County solemnly accepted the order, turned, and left the command tent to assemble a total force of three thousand eight hundred troops.

Leon nodded in salute to Trosa before following the lords.

“Proceed ahead of us and continue to observe the enemy’s movements, reporting back to me immediately as necessary,” Eriv instructed his valuable subordinate.

Leon nodded, mounted the Griffin saddle, and took to the skies once again…

Returning above the southern bank’s inter-tributary land, he rode the Death Claw hiding among the clouds, sneaking a look at the two thousand cavalrymen below.

He saw them send out small groups of five scouting toward the northeast upstream until his Griffin partner spotted several dots in the distance that looked like Scorpion-tailed Lions, Leon retreated to the north shore of the river’s fork.

The troops commanded by Eriv were already hidden in the woodlands beyond the high hills upstream.

After reporting the enemy cavalry’s latest movements on the opposite shore, he listened as the Sealing Lord swiftly issued orders: “Balfe, Leon, take a thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry, act as bait, and station at Green Creek Village on the eastern bank of the tributary.

Do not worry about exposure.”

“The rest of the forces will follow me retreat into the forest and when night falls, all soldiers will join hands to ford the shallows, ambushing in the western forest of the tributary stream….”