Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 166 - Unexpected Advance

Viviane rose to the sound of clashing blades.

She shot up from her bed, her senses becoming alert immediately as the fog of sleep quickly scattered from her mind. Moving rapidly, Viviane threw off her covers and thrust herself outside the tent, wincing slightly as a flash of golden sunlight blinded her momentarily.

Shielding her eyes from the glare, Viviane's gaze flickered through the camp at an unprecedented pace, attempting to locate the source of conflict as quickly as she could, only for her search to cease upon a rather confusing sight.

"W-What's going on...?" Viviane blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

The sound of combat was not the result of a surprise attack mounted by the witchspawn, but rather the product of Medrauta sparring against several knights. Though their fight was situated rather far from Viviane's tent, the clamor of their clashing echoed loudly and carried easily through the air in a way that was more than enough to wake the noblewoman from her sleep.

Realizing that there was no threat, the adrenaline in Viviane's body rapidly abandoned her, replaced by the grogginess that came with just waking up. Her vision swam, and she held a hand to her head, placing the other against the pole that held up her tent. She groaned, her tense muscles relaxing as she collapsed onto the sleeping bag behind her.

Ugh... This certainly sucks. Viviane sighed, laying on her back for a few moments before propping herself up once more. She squinted as a ray of sunlight streamed through the tent flap she'd left open, allowing a few curious soldiers to peer at her as they passed by. It didn't matter. She was dressed, after all.

Once she had collected herself and smoothed her messy hair, Viviane stepped out of the tent, remembering to close the flap this time before making her way toward the clearing where her knight was still engaging in combat. The fact that her knight was sparring despite the witchspawn threat was confusing, but there were a lot more questionable things going on through the camp as she surveyed her surroundings.

For one, everyone seemed relaxed. Lackadaisical, almost. The other, and more significant, change that she noticed was how many of the tents had been rolled up and much of the soldiers' equipment had been transferred to wagons. It was almost as if they were preparing to march.

Are we retreating...? Or advancing? Viviane frowned. If they were so readily preparing to move, then she was certain it must be the former. After all, advancing deeper into the territory of nearly infinite unkillable monsters was the equivalent of suicide, but if they truly were planning to retreat, then Viviane only grew more confused.

It was easy to sense panic in a retreating force. As disciplined as an army might be, it was human nature to feel fear when attempting to escape from a powerful foe. Yet, Viviane couldn't feel an ounce of panic in the troops. Of course, there was still the fear that resulted from being forced into prolonged combat, but there was no panic. No rush, unlike what normally happened when an army decided to pull back.

"Vivi!" Medrauta grinned as she caught Viviane's eyes in her own, disengaging from the senior knight she was sparring with. "Good timing! I was just about to swap out with Eris!"

"Swap out with Eris...?" Viviane frowned, still utterly confused.

Based on the position of the sun, it was nearly noon. Far past the time where the shield wall should've been set up, yet Eris sat quietly across from the knights, sharpening her daggers with nonchalance. Seeing Medrauta disengaged with the knights, she hopped off the fallen log she was sitting on and joined them instead.

It was a sight that Viviane simply couldn't comprehend, especially after spending the past two days in the command tent drafting defensive strategies with the officers. Even in the case of a retreat, the shield wall was indispensable.