“Lord, then we shall set off.” As Derrick rode past Kant on his camel, he bowed his head and saluted him.
“Alright, I hope that you can defeat the enemy and return to Drondheim safely,” Kant nodded as he said this and waved at the soldiers.
There were about ten thousand soldiers in this expedition. They walked out of the city gates of Drondheim’s main city in an imposing manner.
Kant stopped there as he watched the departing soldiers walk further and further away from the city gates.
It was the familiar desert again when the sky turned dark.
The marching warriors had no choice but to stop and set up camp. Derrick rejected the soldiers’ request to hold a bonfire to celebrate for him.
After dinner, he immediately walked to the tent in the center of the military camp.
This was the information reporting center during the march. Derrick walked in and when he saw Bunduk sitting in his seat, he immediately bowed and said, “Commander Bunduk…”
Bunduk smiled and waved his hand. “You’re also a commander now. Forget about the bow. If the soldiers see that, it won’t be good.”
“Thank you, Commander Bunduk,” Derrick said cautiously.
Then, he sat on the newly added commander’s seat beside Bunduk.
Bunduk took out two letters from a stack of documents, he handed them to Derrick and said, “This is a letter the Elf King wrote to Drondheim in the past week. One was given to me by Lord Kant, and the other was sent directly to me by a messenger.”
Derrick nodded, took the envelope with both hands, opened it, and began reading.
Bunduk got up and took a carpet-like map from another table. It was laid on the table in front of him and Derrick.
“According to the contents of the letter, the Elf Kingdom’s preparations this time are indeed very thorough. When we arrive with our troops and coordinate with their strategy, it seems like we can completely defeat our opponent,” he commented after he read the letter.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Bunduk replied affirmatively. Then, he asked Derrick to look at the marked map.
Derrick pointed to a green forest and said, “According to the Elf King, the lizardmen and jackalans encamped at the border should be here. They are indeed very close to Cumberland.”
“There’s a canyon near the location of this patch of green forest, which is suitable for an ambush. The battlefield this time is probably in that area,” Bunduk continued.
“Yes, it would be better if the war this time won’t affect Cumberland’s territory,” said Derrick as he stared at Cumberland’s location on the map.
“The Elf King said that it’s been raining continuously in the Elf Kingdom for the past few days. I wonder if we’ll encounter it when the time comes.” Bunduk carefully rolled up the map, put it aside, and sat back in his original position.
“Our warriors shouldn’t be worried. Everyone has already simulated the situation countless times during their usual training,” Derrick answered. “However, we are indeed not familiar with the terrain there. This might become a disadvantage.”
“What the lizardmen and jackalans are doing at the border of Cumberland is probably just a small matter in their eyes. However, the attitude of the Elf Kingdom this time will probably surprise them,” Bunduk recounted. “Our army will not stay in the Elf Kingdom. We will probably go to Cumberland after meeting the Elf Queen.”
“Okay,” Derrick nodded as he said thoughtfully.
The two continued to discuss their strategy before the battle, and it was already late into the night.
The footsteps of the soldiers outside the tent gradually died down. After bidding farewell to Bunduk, Derrick returned to his tent to rest.
After marching in the desert for a few more days, the only thing he felt fortunate about was that they had wiped out the Undead Kingdom. Therefore, the marching troops could pass through the territory of the Undead Kingdom, greatly reducing the time spent on the road.
When Bunduk and Derrick led their troops into the gates of the Undead Kingdom, a wave of proud cheers came from behind them. All the soldiers of Drondheim were proud of their troops.
Bunduk sat on the back of a camel, and his gaze circled the surroundings. He was also filled with emotions.
The Undead City was mostly deserted. After all, the number of garrisons sent from the main city of Drondheim was still relatively few compared to this vast city.
The soldiers in charge of the renovation were all working very hard to make the Undead City a place that was suitable for living, or rather, a city that was suitable for development.
Bunduk jumped off his camel and chatted with the leader of the army who walked out of the city gate to welcome him.
After learning that the cemetery of the soldiers of Drondheim who had died on the battlefield had been completed, he immediately rushed over with his other comrades who wanted to pay their respects.
A group of people walked into the newly built cemetery. Everyone’s faces revealed a sorrowful expression.
Everyone walked in silence in front of the graves of the soldiers they knew.
Bunduk stood outside the gate of the cemetery. He did not go in to visit. When he saw some of the soldiers begin to wail in front of their comrades’ graves, he could not help but feel a little sad in his heart.
As a commander, he couldn’t empathize with the newly enlisted soldiers.
He walked through the battlefield, where blood splattered everywhere, and watched countless comrades he was familiar with fall.
Gradually, his heart became firm. He became the leading flag on the battlefield, supporting all the warriors of Drondheim to advance bravely. In his eyes, having such resolute willpower was what every commander needed to shoulder.
“Commander Bunduk, aren’t you going in?” Commander Derrick walked over and asked in a soft voice.
His gaze also turned towards the garden with Bunduk.
“There’s no need for me,” Bunduk said, feigning nonchalance.
Derrick nodded in response. He could roughly understand what Bunduk was thinking. He didn’t say anything else.
“What about you?” Bunduk asked, “Aren’t you going to see your comrades?”
“Yes, I’ve already seen them. On the day the war ended,” Derrick said softly. His tone was filled with sorrow.
Bunduk turned to look at Derrick and sighed in his heart.
The two of them quietly waited for the soldiers to walk out of the cemetery. From time to time, they patted a warrior on the shoulder as a form of consolation.
That night, the soldiers of Drondheim, who had marched to the Elf Kingdom, stayed overnight in the Undead City.
They were warmly received by the local army.
The logistics staff of the army prepared many delicacies that had been treasured for a long time.
“If we finished up all the food here, the Lord should reimburse you,” Bunduk drank some of the wine prepared for the banquet and joked.
The leader of the Army who sat beside him shook his head with a smile and made a toast to Bunduk.
It was not until late at night that everyone dispersed. They returned to their respective camps to rest and reorganize.
To prepare for tomorrow’s departure.
