Steel and Mana

The snow had melted quickly, and after we sent away the fleet, we began deploying the army west, towards the east, letting them gather around Markoth. It took time, but with trains running day and night, it was manageable and, honestly speaking, a pretty inspiring sight.

From the Imaginary of the Camelot's command deck, I could see it all. The bare earth around the last city of Markoth was finally solid enough not to try to eat my people's boots. For a good chunk of time, after the snow had melted, there was too much mud... an endless amount of mud. If we had relied solely on carriages, gathering the army would have taken more than a few months... But our trains had solved that issue. For the most part.

And here we were, ready for marching.

From where I stood, the view stretched far towards the east, without any clouds on the horizon, just the intense sunshine coming down on us all. Wherever one looked, there was an ocean of tents, barracks, stables, wagons, and temporary workshops. Everything was in the process of being dismantled and was ready to be taken away. When nightfall usually came, hundreds of campfires burned, looking like fireflies from up here.

I wonder... How many will come back? A million men... ready to head into battle.

No... Over a million, if one counted every knight from the west, their peasant levies coming along, or mercenary groups, official cooks, healers, scribes who want to record it for the future, and the stable boys for the horses. If I counted everybody, we may have another quarter of a million auxiliary people coming, if not more. The largest army ever assembled on this continent, perhaps in history. And I was supposed to lead it... I would have never guessed it when I first came into this life.

I just wanted to have fun and a cool place for myself...

Yet, here I am, calling myself Sovereign, giving unique war machines to the people, and now having the responsibility pressing down on my shoulders to lead them into battle and kill monsters. How the hell did I get this far at all? Haaaah... All the years passing by... Already having kids who count as adults... I didn't even notice getting old. Maybe after all is done, I should step down and let Arthur take my place.

"My Sovereign," one of the aides coming up behind me said, snapping a salute. "Avalon's halftrack columns are ready to move. By the latest communication, most of our supply wagons have been ordered to form up at the second bell."

"Good," I answered, eyes still on the horizon, "Keep them in line until I give the word. No point in rushing just to bog ourselves down at the first hill. Ensure our troops lead the way and pave the path for the rest to follow. Although it is dry here, who knows what we will find?"

"Yes, Sovereign." He withdrew, leaving me alone with my thoughts while the rest of the bridge crew were doing the routine checks and coordinating the people down below.

It wasn't hard to see where my people were down below.

I watched a formation of mechs beginning to move, their thirty-eight hulking silhouettes dwarfing anything that came nearby. Some of the auxiliary army's people and their horses were still too frightened to get even close to them. I couldn't help but smile as they marched like armored monsters of our own, carrying shoulder cannons, flamethrowers, towershields, and swords or whatever else they were familiar with. My eyes lingered on my Lancelot among them, his mech colored blue like my Father's, almost mimicking him with a bone-made longsword folded up against his right arm. Of course, next to him was Jila, in a somewhat more flashy, bulkier one, painted to be crimson like blood. As for Yuri, she was hanging from under the Knight's Errand, just like my Father. All of our elite Knights would be carried by an airship, to be the first to drop into enemy lines if we meet any monsters.

The mechs were not ours alone, though. I did give Mirian ten of her own, and now her group was following the Excalibur, which was still stationary, bringing up the second wave, being the connection between my and Mirian's army.

A moment later, I watched as a group of halftracks began turning, forming columns across the land, transporting the bulk of my groundtroops. They sat not only in them, but some clung to the sides, weapons strapped across their backs, ready and able, no matter what I would throw at them. Or in this case, throwing them at the danger. After my troops had made some distance, followed by Mirian's battalions beginning to move, came the true lifeblood of this whole operation... The regular wagons, carrying supplies for the more traditional part of the army.

Yes, they would also constantly lay down steel and extend the railway, so we can have a more rapid and reliable system at our backs, but... Oh well. Not everything can be easy.

As for my airships, the Camelot herself was surrounded by the Eagle's Nest, Stormbringer, Punisher, and the Knight's Errand. Most of the shadows down below were cast by us and by Mirian's own flying ship. Three flying ships, to be exact.

"Sovereign," Kustov stepped up to me, "We are ready to follow."

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"Mhm." I nodded, blinking my eyes, "Signal the planes to get airborne and start scouting ahead. We will need them to find a place they can land; we can't have them constantly return to Markoth."

"Oleg has already issued the orders." Kustov nodded while my gaze turned towards the airfield.

Further along the city's northern edge, a squadron of Avalonian airplanes lined up, their wings shining from their polish, as their propellers began rolling as the engineers finished their final checks. And yet, for all our machines and engines, the greater body of the army still belonged to a different part of history. I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head as I looked at the sea of warriors. It was like playing a game where some of my units were upgraded to the new era, while others were still lagging behind...

There were banners of almost every possible color amongst them, like they were sneezed on by a rogue rainbow. This included the Empire's regiments under Mirian, but even more so from the groups of all the members of the Union. Their formations looked okay, a bit less uniform, but they were well armored, their soldiers clean but also untested. Most of them weren't here in the winter, so about half of the army never really fought against monsters... Maybe that's why they shouted loudly, sang marching songs, and clashed spears against shields for courage... Not that I would complain, anything goes if their morale can be kept high by it. Better to have men eager to fight than too afraid to hold a line and scatter around us. If that happens... I told everyone I would not tolerate it. I just hoped it wouldn't come to it because I am not keen on wasting their lives. Most of their roles are support-oriented anyway, like laying the railways, guarding our supply chains, and manning the forts we would leave behind. Without them, my frontline could collapse...

Well... I would still get a second wave of reinforcements the moment we meet up with the Khan and his troops. As far as our exchanges went, they were also preparing and would set out a bit later than we did, meeting our forces at the same place where we killed the massive worm monster. From there, we would go towards the east as one entity, maybe even reaching two million in numbers.

If he was precise about his numbers, there were more than two hundred thousand horsemen ready to gallop, and once again, just as many foot soldiers. Heh... an actual horde. Good thing they are with us... For a moment, I wondered if I would see two artifacts fight at the same time or not... No, it's three, because Merlin was coming with us, too. Which means, the Spear of Death is with Mirian, Toobu, the God of War's Gauntlets with the Khan, and the magical book of the supposed God Wyland is within Merlin.

"Four." A voice told me, and I flinched, turning as Sasha walked up to me.

"You can read my mind?" I asked, surprised by her sudden comment.

"I just... knew?" She answered, tilting her head, "Your face is readable."

"Sure... But... four?" I asked again, hugging her waist, pulling her closer.

"Attila has the Medallion, don't forget that."

"Oh... I did forget that..." I hummed, nodding my head.

True... Although Geth itself didn't contribute actual soldiers, they are coming with us, bringing along fifteen healing mages, which was a number that stumped me. They had that many? How? But I understood it quickly as half of them were still kids, probably still in training... Oh well. Their presence alone was a morale boost...

"Report from the field, sir," another aide approached us, handing me a slip of paper, "The Atuvian supply lines have linked with Empress Mirian's left flank. No incidents."

"Good," I said, folding it without reading further than needed. "When the planes have departed, signal the horns and let the Camelot lead the front," I told Kustov, who simply saluted, acknowledging his orders.

With that, I stepped out from the bridge and went up to the open part of the observation deck with Sasha. Luna and Mikan were already there, watching the moving 'anthill' below us. Just as I arrived, the horn of Camelot blew, making it resonate inside my guts. When the call ended, Mirian's own answered from her ship, followed by the drums on the ground, pounding and directing the army.

"No turning back now," I said, letting out a long sigh, watching it happen, and feeling the Camelot beginning to move as our planes whizzed past us, heading towards the east first.

"There wasn't any chance to turn back since the monsters broke through." Sasha offered, standing with me.

"It should work out, it always does!" Luna offered, being confident, mainly because Galahad was down there too, and she couldn't afford not to believe that, "Leon does have a knack for solving issues like this."

"I second that!" Mikan chuckled, making me smile as I hugged them all closer.

"No hugging," my radio echoed from my belt as Yuri's annoyed voice came through, making me think she was pouting in her cockpit. "Unfair."

"You wanted your own machine!" Luna giggled, sticking a tongue out, waving towards the Knight's Errand and the Princess hanging below it. "Now you have a duty~!"

"Just wait until I get my hands on you, I will–"

"Khm." I interrupted her. "You are not on an open channel, are you?" I asked, raising the communicator.

"She is." Father's voice cut in, followed by Lancelot's embarrassed mumble.

"You knew, Mom... Didn't you?"

"Of course not," Yuri answered, lying without flinching.

"Well, if we are already speaking through open channels, don't expect any big speeches from me." I sighed, continued addressing all the Avalonians, "We do our duty, that's all. Kill all the monsters and clean up our world... That's what we do. It is time that we no longer fear the winters... not even if they last longer than usual."

"Yes, My Sovereign!" answered a multitude of voices at once from my radio, before I disconnected it, smiling.

"That was still a speech." Mikan giggled, making me purse my lips.

"A short one. Anyway... Where's Merlin? I didn't see him since he boarded." I asked, looking at Sasha.

"He is down in his lab. He says he is still tweaking the modulator he came up with."

"Will it work?" Mikan asked, curious and a bit hopeful.

"I don't think even he knows!" I shrugged, turning around to lead them back into the Camelot, "I only know that he disassembled most of the main weapon and is slowly reconfiguring it. If he is telling the truth, we could probably make it work in a way that won't cause the targeted monster to self-destruct. But... I am not so sure. And I don't think I want to test it live."

"But..." Luna mumbled, looking up at me, "If the situation is bad... we need it."

"Probably..." I nodded, knowing she was right, "But first... let's focus on the now."