Morning reached Fort Knightfall without softness.
Light slid across stone floors scrubbed clean through the night. The great hall stood ordered—tables pushed back, benches aligned, banners hanging still. The smell of cooked meat was gone. Only the weight remained.
Scrolls covered the central command table.
Contracts.
They arrived without pause.
Mimi stood over the table, sleeves rolled slightly, posture sharp. She broke seals, scanned reports, and sorted them with speed. Green wax to the left. Yellow to the center. Red to the right.
Bella stood beside her, hands folded behind her back, eyes calm but observant.
"This one is dressed up," Bella said quietly.
Mimi reread the report. Terrain listed as open. Casualties omitted. Mana traces vague.
She slid it into the red stack.
"They're lying again," Mimi said.
"They always do," Bella replied. "Until it costs them."
Across the hall, rookies stood in formation.
They were mounted.
Large wolves waited beneath them—thick-furred, red-eyed, disciplined. Their breath steamed in the cold air. Each beast bore light Armor marked with the Red Flags crest.
The signature mount.
Every kingdom recognized it.
Every battlefield feared it.
Guards moved between the rows. Boots struck stone in rhythm. Wolves stayed still, ears twitching, eyes forward.
Daniel entered.
All movement stopped.
No salutes. No bows.
Only silence.
He walked to the command table and picked up a red-sealed contract. Read it once. Set it down.
"Rookies," he said.
A squad rode forward and dismounted in one motion. Knees hit stone.
"You will be deployed," Daniel said. "Threat level matched to your clearance."
"Yes, Great War General," they answered.
"If intelligence is wrong," Daniel continued, "you disengage."
His gaze hardened.
"You do not adapt. You do not improvise. You return alive."
The wolves growled low, sensing the tone.
Daniel turned slightly.
"Issue the warning."
A scribe stepped forward.
"To all kingdoms and chiefdoms," Daniel said, "false threat reports will be treated as hostile action."
The hall remained silent.
"If a knight of the Red Flags dies due to misinformation," Daniel continued, we will revoke "protection status, Trade access. and Strategic resources will be seized."
we will treat it as betrayal of our trust.
"leave in glory my mighty knights ."
"Yes, Great War General."
The gates opened.
Rookie squads mounted and rode out to different assigned places. Wolves ran like shadows, silent and fast. From the walls, veterans watched without with pride.
Signal flags rose.
Dungeon reports came in a few hours later.
"Western valleys," a runner reported. "Goblin strain. normal threat expansion expansion." reports say fifty hordes and an estimation of one thousand two hundred.
"the raging sheep rookie squad," Bella said.
As they came forward , their leader was the blind girl and her brother now as the vice, leader , immediately Daniel remembered her, he had even given her a special wolf, that helps her with her blind disability, she wielded a long Hitachi katana. and her brother wielded a long sickle. with a reach advantage. these weapons are of extremely high quality and they are always advised by the war general never to leave their weapons and always carry them at all times and failure to do that, the punishment is to be given a normal weapon. and nobody like that. the weapons are made by Lilith the domain it self. an entity only few members who have cultivated in the domain know abought the existence of this entity.
"I want to see mass massacre because goblins are weak ," Daniel added. the one who slays a lot of goblins will receive the prestige title of Goblin slayer. this sparked a fire in them.
Now,,.. make me proud. my mighty knights.
Another report followed.
"Southern ridge. Mana pressure spike. no clear information."
"send Scouts only," Daniel said. "we shouldn't engage."
"Yes, General."
Far above the city, large wings stirred the air.
Zenn circled city Knightfall.
His massive wings beat slowly, pushing pressure outward. The Aura alone kept powerful beasts miles away from city red flags. His shadow crossed rooftops and streets. Citizens stopped and looked up, shielding their eyes.
Children pointed.
Soldiers watched.
Dreams took root.
mostly Zenn flies in a circular formation around, city red flags mostly in the knight.
On the ground, Silver moved.
The alpha supreme wolf patrolled the outer districts with his packs. Dozens of wolves moved in formations around the city boundaries.
It was law. never to try and attack any of them, for the security of the attacker .
Silver tolerated no challenge. Not from beasts. Not from men.
Only Daniel.
Night fell.
At the highest point of Fort Knightfall, Daniel's chambers remained quiet.
Stone walls. Wide windows. One huge bed.
Daniel entered last.
Mimi sat on the bed's edge, ledger closed now. Bella stood by the window, watching Zenn's silhouette fade into the clouds.
Daniel removed his coat.
Mimi looked up at him and smirked. "Busy day, Great War General."
Bella turned, lips curling. "Very frightening," she added. "All that standing."
Daniel exhaled slowly. "You two enjoy this too much."
Mimi leaned back on her hands. "Of course we do. The whole continent fears you."
Bella moved closer, voice softer. "And they envy you."
"For what?" Daniel asked sheepishly.
"For us," Mimi said flatly.
Bella nodded, cheeks faintly warm.
Bella came from the window and pushed him on the bed. Mimi held him tight by the chest. then Bella tucked closer, only here allowing herself to be this close to the man she loves deeply.
Meanwhile Outside the fort, signal fires burned.
Far away, Eeseren and Prince Aarenn arrived at Castle Astrid in the royal Palace.
She stood beneath the lights, newly emerged from her cocoon. Her presence had changed. Sharper. Brighter. Eyes that drew attention without effort.
Secret admirers watched from shadows.
Prince Aarenn couldn't hide his anger.
But he said nothing.
Back in City Red Flags, wolves patrolled. A dragon guarded the sky. Contracts piled higher.
And Fort Knightfall remained steady.
Watching.
And Waiting.