As I spent my days in the training yard and my new 'Mountain Home', I was given a little bit of freedom to move around in the forests down below with an escort.

The reason why I was given some freedom was since the Alpha Platoon was training the rest and the reason why I need an escort is beacuse Landar told me that I was too important to be killed by anything down in the forest.

"The forest holds quite a few weird things, doesn't it Ion?" I ask my most trusted companion.

"Indeed. Even I was quite fascinated by the three-tailed howler monkey. It's manueverability was quite surprising." Ion answers honestly.

"True. The four-eyed wild boar was interesting as well, one of the eyes was always focused on our group while it ate. It kept it's other eye on something else as well but I couldn't see what that was sadly." I sigh as I slowly start going to sleep after a long day of walking around the forest.

--- The next day ---

"Brother! Where were you yesterday? I couldn't find you at all!" I hear Alicia's voice the moment I exit my room.

I look towards Alicia who has her escort of six guards.

"I was out in the forest with an escort. I wanted to see what the wildlife around here is like.

My original goal was to investigate the signal and now I know what that is so... I'm just doing whatever I feel like. It's a nice vacation from all the research I had to do usually." I answer Alicia in detail.

"Can we come as well? I want to see those things as well!" I see Alicia getting very excited and I can't do anything but agree to her request.

--- Meanwhile near the front line while Hayden and his party are having fun ---

"Sir! No sign of the enemy today either! It's like they've vanished!" A common foot soldier shouts out to a commander who is walking down below.

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"That is impossible! Keep looking! Form a scout party! They musn't sneak past this castle without a single casualty!" The commander of the castle shouts out in anger.

Immediatly, a search party is formed and sent out from the castle gates.

They return a day later, half of them dead and the other half heavily wounded.

"Sir... We found them... They are waiting for reinforcements, sir... We saw ships landing on the coasts..." The scout who was speaking collapses infront of everybody and slides off his horse, hitting the ground with a loud thump.

All of the soldiers in the castle look at the collapsing scouts in shock before a soldier finally decides to take action.

"Get the paramedics! They need help immediatly!" A soldier shouts as well.

The commander sits down on the ground and sighs.

"We could barely hold off their attacks as it is... Now that they've got reinforcements? It's impossible. They'll breach the walls and kill all of us. I hope the others are ready back there with their plan. Otherwise they'll reach the United Capital.." The commander takes off his helmet and puts it on the ground.

"Sir, we can only do one thing and that is to strengthen our defenses. Nothing else will do. We must hold them back as long as we can." One of the advisors, who stayed at the castle, suggests an idea to the commander.

The commander puts on his helmet, grabs his sword from the scabbard and stands up.

"All troops in this castle listen to my words! The enemy numbers have increased! But that means our fierce resistance towards them must grow as well! I command all of you to take down at the very least five of those damn fiends with you before you die!

Strengthen the defenses! Reinforce the wall! Get all the anti-siege weapons ready! Prepeare for a very bloody siege!" The commander shouts at the top of his lungs and then raises his sword into the air.

He then releases a fierce battle cry that is heard to even the scouts of the enemy who can barely see the castle.

Everybody follows their commander and also raises their sword, spear or axe into the sky and shouts as well.

After they shout, they start grabbing every unused stone, plank and anything unused and reinforcing the wall, the gate and even the side-doors with them.

--- Three days later, in the same castle ---

The castle is fully reinforced and ready for a long siege, even it's food supplies are maxed out and many of the former barrels of ale are now full of water.

"The enemy still hasn't attacked? What are they waiting for?" The Commander asks, seeing the massive army of the enemy just sitting in their camp which has been moved quite close to the castle.

None of the soldiers answer, they are all waiting for the enemy to make a single move.