The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 715- Stirring Undercurrents

"The scale of enemy movement exceeds anything witnessed in the last fifty years. There is no denying it now. The war of survival that our ancestors participated in is upon us."

The war that annihilated almost all of humankind and reshaped the land. It was now at their doorsteps.

"The scale of enemy movement exceeds anything witnessed in the last fifty years. All the border regions we have contact with have fallen silent. The outposts we made there have disappeared overnight."

From the ones who managed to run away in time, we learned that several border fortresses have already been destroyed.

The room descended into silence. All eyes looked towards the Commanders of the Seven Great Knight Orders.

In this difficult time, they were their ray of hope.

Brutus stepped forward. He clenched his fist and declared loudly. "It is the duty of us knights to fight the demons. To protect our loved ones, we must fight."

Vanessa, Conrad, Herman, Zargues, Leona... all showed their stances. They were ready to face off against the oncoming Forces of Darkness. Their resolve also inspired the other knights and everyone in the hall.

"What do you think, Sir Reinhardt?" Brutus asked.

He wanted to hear the thoughts about the newly risen hero of their kingdom.

"Burn brighter than the night. When the forces of Darkness rise, the knight becomes the flame that refuses to die." Reinhardt didn’t say much and directly stated the 14th rule of steel, the knight’s code of conduct.

His aura, as well as his indomitable spirit, caused others to have a much clearer understanding of his person.

Seeing the mood lighten, the Queen smiled. "Although it might look like the future is bleak, there is still hope. The Seven Kingdoms have reached an agreement. The Alliance of Humanity stands strong".

The Alliance... It was a wartime agreement that had only been invoked a handful of times in recorded history. When activated, all disputes between kingdoms cease immediately. All parties agree to share resources, information, and military strength.

An attack on one kingdom meant an attack on all seven.

The Queen continued. "Each kingdom will first secure its own borders. Once stability is achieved, reinforcements will be dispatched to neighbouring nations under pressure. If one kingdom falters or falls... then the remaining kingdoms will open their gates and receive their civilians and survivors."

Humanity survives together or humanity falls together. Like a fire, it ignited the willpower of all the knights. Many knights unconsciously clenched their fists. There was no need to say the rest.

If one kingdom fell, the demons would gain a foothold within the heart of humanity. From there, the remaining kingdoms would be forced into endless defensive warfare. One collapse would become two. Two would become three. Until eventually, humanity itself would disappear.

No matter what, as knights and protectors of humanity, they must find a way for the future generation.

After the King and Queen gave their speeches, the Council members stepped forward and began assigning territories and areas for the knight orders to guard. They are also responsible for organizing the military strength of Solaris.

Brutus would guard the western borders, Vanessa would guard the Eastern borders. As for the northern region...

The council member who was distributing the military force paused, and his eyes landed on Reinhardt. There was a slight glint in his eyes that he quickly masked away.

"Sir Reinhardt, leading his Order of the Temple of Light along with Silver Guardians and Falcon Warriors... shall guard the northern borders".

"Yes".

All the seven commanders nodded their heads. At this moment, Reinhardt did not notice the strange glint in the eyes of the council member. He accepted his task dutifully.

After that, a meeting was set up. Several large maps were unfolded and the strategy to counter the demonic forces was brainstormed.

Outside the castle, dark clouds gathered above Solaris. Far away, beyond the borders of civilization, beyond mountains and ruined lands and beyond the graves of forgotten kingdoms, darkness stirred.

The tide had begun to move. At the time, no one present knew. That this gathering... this meeting... would become the prelude to one of the darkest Chapters in human history. A Chapter written in blood. A Chapter that would claim a hero and stain the land red.

History would remember it by many names. The Great War... The Allied Campaign. But to the survivors, there was only one name that mattered. The Battle of Black Tide.

.

War had not yet arrived. Yet everyone could feel it. It lingered in the air like ominous clouds.

Be that as it may, it did not drastically affect the lives of the ordinary citizens.

The streets of Solaris remained lively. Markets still opened every morning. Merchants still argued over prices. Children still ran through the roads, playing.

Life continued as usual. But beneath that normalcy, something had changed. Fortress walls near the border region were being reinforced day and night.

Caravans carrying iron, timber and supplies left from the capital one after another. Not only that, warehouses were filled with grain. Medicinal herbs became increasingly difficult to buy and the prices of equipment and daily necessities quietly rose.

Everywhere one looked, preparations for war were underway. The Kingdom of Solaris was preparing for a long, drawn out war.

As one of the Seven Great Knight Orders of the kingdom, the Temple of Light was no exception.

Training grounds remained occupied from sunrise until sunset. Young recruits pushed themselves until their arms gave out and veteran knights instructed the newcomers with the best of their ability.

Everything was done in order to make sure these young and future knights could survive the upcoming dreadful trial.

Among the young knights, a few familiar faces could be seen. Vangeance fiercely practicing his swings. Silvia already challenging the veteran knights and establishing her talent.

Every Order began preparing in its own way.

As the commander of one of the seven great knight orders and one of the three heroes of humanity, Reinhardt found himself busier than ever. Meetings, deployments, logistics, negotiations with allied Orders... countless responsibilities fell upon his shoulders.

Thankfully, he had Ryley with him.

Although his potential was limited in terms of political acumen and intellect, Reinhardt believed that he was second to none in the whole kingdom.

Thanks to Ryley, he could relax a little.

"Bastard Commander, how dare you drop all of this on me". Ryley cursed. Just like in the present time, his mouth was as sharp as ever.

"Haha, don’t be like that. These documents and papers won’t kill you".

"I should be the one to tell you that. Stupid commander, do your own tasks".

Scratching his hair, Reinhardt quickly scurried out of the office. He had no shame in leaving all the office work to his subordinate.

After all, in there, he was out of his element. He would rather fight the demons than tackle the paperwork filled with the nobles’ long, winding, and boring words to safeguard their interest first during the war.

Meanwhile, Blueberry Town remained much the same. The fields stretched endlessly beneath the sun, and the scent of blueberries drifted through the air.

The church bells still rang every evening.

It was peaceful.

Perhaps because of that, Reinhardt found himself returning there more often. Sometimes officially, sometimes using some excuse.

Of course, the real reason he visited the town was because of Aurelia. Because the war was near, he cherished the time he spent with her.

Walking through the marketplace, helping her carry supplies for the church. Sometimes they simply sat beneath the large tree overlooking the fields while talking about things that hardly mattered. Weather, town, her shop... topics about ordinary things.

Of course, they deliberately avoided topics that would break the current mood or topics of feelings.

Nevertheless, to the onlookers, it was evident.

One evening, the two walked through the blueberry fields as the sun began to set. Golden light painted the world orange. It was a beautiful scene. For a while, neither spoke.

Eventually, Aurelia looked toward him. "Aren’t you scared of the upcoming war?"

Reinhardt was about to shake his head. Saying that there was nothing to fear. A knight never gives any excuse. If he dies, it means that he was only capable of that. However, when he saw Aurelia’s anxious eyes, he swallowed those words and thought over the question briefly.

"A little."

Hearing this, Aurelia blinked in surprise. Perhaps she hadn’t expected such an answer. Reinhardt smiled faintly.

"Only fools aren’t afraid of war. War means people die, it breaks apart families, and leaves promises unfinished".

Saying till this point, he looked at Aurelia, and his gaze softened. "But being afraid isn’t a bad thing. If fear helps me protect someone... then I think that’s alright."

Aurelia quietly listened. The setting sun reflected in her eyes.

"What about you?"

She looked away. "I’m scared too. I’m scared that one day you’ll leave and not come back." Her fingers tightly held the edge of her dress.