During the attack on Blackstone Fortress and the subsequent advance by attrition conducted by Maston, Granzon had already glimpsed the conditions under which this war would end.

Both sides had realized a fact during the war eighteen years ago: these two neighboring powerhouse nations in West Land did not have the determination to completely annihilate each other.

Even during the most chaotic period of rebellion in Milanía eighteen years ago, Maston's military prowess was defeated, let alone the present situation where there was no decisive power gap between the two countries.

For Maston, it was impossible to swallow all of Milanía's population and territory in one go.

Therefore, Maston's only goal could be to occupy a portion of border territory by utilizing attrition as a means of actual occupation.

From this perspective, that fool Brad was merely being used...no, with his intelligence, he must have already realized this point long ago, which was why he dared to boldly provoke Maston.

Thinking of his smart yet vexing son, Granzon could only smile wryly.

Why was he so unlucky? Both his son and daughter were causing him so much worry, and finding someone reliable to inherit the throne was proving to be difficult.

...Maybe he should really consider finishing this war and then go back to find a wife to try again.

"Why do I keep setting up these death flags..." Granzon couldn't help but wryly smile.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves rang out in the distance. A cavalryman rode swiftly towards Granzon, holding a fiery red flag aloft with a lance. Without even observing the proper etiquette in front of the king, he dismounted and lowered his voice.

Despite the surrounding noise, Granzon heard his words clearly.

"Your Majesty, Spear of Dawn brings urgent news: Prince Brad has left the city."

"Left the city?" Granzon immediately realized the severity of the situation. "Cavalry?"

It wasn't going as smoothly as expected. That bratty Brad actually ran out at this crucial moment.

Glancing at the report, Granzon could not find any amusement in the situation anymore, even suspecting that it was his own setting up of flags that led to this.

Nearly all the mobile forces inside the city had been deployed, without carrying much weight. It would be unbelievable to think they were just strolling outside the city. Three thousand holy knights, facing Spear of Dawn's elite troops head-on was definitely impossible. However, this number of elite cavalry was sufficient to rout multiple times their number of infantry on the plains, especially the weak logistical supply units.

With such a cavalry unit lurking in the rear, their supply line was in jeopardy. Even Spear of Dawn, with their heavy cavalry as the main force, would find it quite difficult to chase down a light cavalry unit on the plains.

If the supply line was cut, the situation of Milanía and Maston's armies would be reversed.

"Notify Spear of Dawn to withdraw the main forces from the Gusbode area, immediately protect our supply line, urge the reinforcement troops from the south to hasten deployment, ensure completion of defenses before Spear of Dawn completely withdraws, and then..."

Granzon sighed again. "Keep the reserve troops advancing east with me. After the battle, the combat units involved in this battle will retreat to Kent Mountain camp, assist Spear of Dawn in safeguarding our supply line after regrouping."

Originally, the plan was to press forward with the entire army right after breaking through the central forces of Maston. Given that they were fighting on home turf, the logistical pressure was much smaller compared to the Maston forces. But now, with this unexpected development, they could only allocate some forces for defense.

But at least the strategic direction had not changed. Even with fewer troops, they had to recapture Blackstone Fortress before the fall of the isolated city holding on the other two borders, linking the eastern defense lines which would significantly shift the balance of the war and turn the tide. They absolutely could not afford to deviate from this plan due to unforeseen circumstances.

Also, to minimize losses, they had no choice but to destroy all of the enemy's airships in one fell swoop. Granzon actually admired these new war machines, regardless of the standpoint.

Wait a minute... Granzon's gaze wandered over the wreckage of the airships floating in front of him, and for some reason, he suddenly had a subtle feeling.

These wrecks... seemed off somehow.

He distinctly remembered that the airships he and the cavalry used to burn down the grounded airships relied on Magic users using fire magic enhanced with magic crystals as incendiary bombs for maximum efficiency. The destruction of the airships under this attack should not have been so uniformly severe. At least the airships on the edge of the attack range should not have been as badly damaged—he had even planned to bring back a few less damaged airships for military research.

But now, it seemed that every airship was thoroughly destroyed, and from the remnants...

Frowning, Granzon used his sword to brush away some of the ashes on the surface.

Why were the airships on the edge of the attack range so completely destroyed? The burning traces did not seem to start from the outside but from the heat-producing furnace inside.

"Your Majesty!"

"What is it now?" Granzon felt annoyed. Why were all these things happening at once? Dealing with just his son was already enough trouble.

"The scout reports that the Maston army's movements have been discovered on both the northern and southern sides of Kent Mountain pass. It is estimated to be the main forces of the remaining Maston armies."

In an instant, a flash of insight crossed his mind, and Granzon slightly shivered.

This made sense now. The reason all the airships were completely destroyed was that the fuel originally added inside was ignited by the incendiary bombs thrown by them. These high-energy fuels burnt the airships from the inside out.

Just like Milanía, fuel was also a concern for the Maston army. They couldn't keep the airships constantly fueled and ready for flight in a heated state for long periods. They must be doing this in preparation for their forces to gather and launch an attack.

Seeing this, Granzon realized he had seized a good opportunity.

Granzon felt a chill. Both sides were secretly preparing to deliver a decisive blow to each other, just that he had managed to launch the attack before Maston completed their mobilization. Otherwise, even if it was a little later, allowing the airships in their camp to take off, Milanía might not have ended this battle swiftly.

It was hard to imagine what consequences would ensue if Maston reinforcements arrived while they were still engaged in battle.

Although the current situation was still dire, at least it hadn't reached the worst-case scenario.

"Inform the whole army to cease battlefield cleaning immediately, prepare on the spot, regroup, reinforce fortifications, have the reserve forces continue to hold Kent Mountain camp. We will have the decisive battle with the enemy's main forces here."

Lacking cavalry, the strongest reinforcements Spear of Dawn were still hundreds of miles away, and their side had just finished a surprise raid. But now that the enemy was at their doorstep, there was no room to consider retreating.

Sometimes, things just happened coincidentally, and it was impossible to strictly adhere to one's plans. Granzon had long acknowledged this reality.

The sound of horns echoed above the Maston camp, just after a brutal battle had ended, with the heavy scent of blood mixing with the rising black smoke of the unconquered flames, hinting at a sense of tragic valor.

...

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

In the skies above Maston, the slender and resilient dragon wings cut through the air leaving faint white traces. Tiran clung tightly to Aya's back, with Hazel still suspended from Aya's claw, gradually getting used to the midair suspension. As Aya entered a cruising-like speed, her flight stabilized considerably, allowing Hazel to hang at a relatively stable angle compared to the ground and swing up and down now and then, exuding an air of leisure.

"You know, Silver War Maiden, even telling you this confidential information is considered treason as I am a protector of Maston. Can't you at least consider my position a bit?" Tiran glared down below from Aya's paw where she was hanging.

Seemingly adjusting to the situation of being suspended from Aya's paw, Hazel dangling precariously chuckled, “I almost dropped a Forbidden Spell on you earlier.”

A growl rumbled in Aya's throat.

"Hmmph!" Tiran nodded vigorously in agreement.

"...But I believe His Highness Tiran is a compassionate strong being and wouldn't harm innocent civilians," Hazel quickly added.

Hey, does that count as playing the 'good guy card' from another perspective?

"I say, why don't I fly back now and cast that Forbidden Spell on them?" Aya murmured. She didn't care about indiscriminate casualties, and the thought of the Maston king being hit by the spell seemed to have no effect on her.

"Don't be ridiculous. That's not something we can do," Tiran covered her face.

As Granzon launched his attack, Maston was also preparing for their assault, mobilizing all their forces for invasion, defending the central line while striking from the flanks.

Although Maston's total fighting force in Milanía probably wasn't much larger than Milanía's, three-front warfare was still disadvantageous for Milanía.

Of course, Tiran wasn't well-versed in military matters, but if it was just that, she wouldn't be so anxious. After all, her old man was no weakling, and the forces were somewhat evenly matched. Even if there wasn't an immediate victory, they wouldn't face an immediate defeat.

But the issue lay in another matter Hazel had mentioned.

On the Maston-Glius Federation side, they currently had two Holy Rank individuals, and according to Tiran's original estimate, the other swordsman she encountered should have stayed on the western coast or, in the worst case, faced off against her and Aya in a two-on-two scenario with Granzon's main forces.

However, to Tiran's dismay, they chose to send Hazel alone to challenge her, while placing the other swordsman on the front lines against Granzon's main force.

Tiran knew well that her old man had no further means to tackle Holy Rank opponents.

After all, Holy Rank individuals were still superior existences, and just like Xiang Ling from the Eastern Continent, they played an overwhelmingly powerful role in certain battles. With Aya's speed, flying from the Maston's capital to the Kent Mountain battlefield would take several hours, and according to Hazel, the battle might have already begun.

Tiran clenched her fists tightly.

Please, don't you dare die on me, old man.