Hotam County.

Adan Castle.

Night covers the land, tents stained brown-grey by oil and dust line the riverside.

This is the camp of Leia's Northern Legion.

Though called the Northern Legion, it is essentially a mixed army of Oslar troops from the Thorn Garden along with various local feudal vassal armies and a contingent of temple knights.

This is the greatest concession the nobles can make.

At least several legions are parallel, not allowing any reporting or command levels to be bypassed.

However, the war to attack Adan Castle has not been smooth.

On the front battlefield, they cannot climb the towering walls, they cannot withstand the hail of bullets and lead shot.

Outside the front battlefield, the Holy Alliance Army inside the city shoots pamphlets daily like "Three Ways to Identify Blood Knights" and "Holy Path Savior Vision".

Plus "Thorn Garden Raid Map" and "King Jiji's Spearhead Vampire" propaganda posters.

It must be said, newspapers have greatly boosted the printing industry of every town in Thousand River Valley.

Joan paper, new ink, Joan of Arc Castle printing machines have dramatically lowered printing costs.

These propaganda materials are handed out freely.

Often, cavalrymen carry grenade launchers outside the camp, and paper is seen fluttering from the sky daily.

As for related rumors, they have long spread far and wide.

Before Leia's nobles took notice, soldiers had already used methods from the pamphlets to test these Blood Knights.

The consequences were easy to imagine.

Under multiple blows, the atmosphere within the camp has sunk into a lull.

It's not just sleep time now, even during the day the mood is incredibly dull.

In the silent night, a patrolling guard suddenly stops in his tracks.

He seems to have heard something.

Who is singing?

"A hundred Leia, a hundred Leia, you can hear from a hundred Leia away, the drifting sound of bagpipes..."

The patrolling guard stares blankly at the reeds and the distant Adan Castle, from where faint singing wafts.

This song is a tune they've never heard, more melodious than crude country ditties, simpler than fancy church music.

Yet this peculiar tune inexplicably stirs the soldiers' emotions.

"Far from home, far from home, I've been away five hundred miles, I'm now ragged, I'm insignificant..."

The song is gentle and simple, without the church's acapella choir, yet it captures most of the Leia soldiers' attention.

The guard's patrol slows, even halting.

As tent flaps are pulled back, soldiers tilt their heads, touching the Chao Character crosses on their chests.

Like devout acceptance of a priest's baptism, they close their eyes to listen to the song.

Hidden minstrels, a loudspeaker made with alchemy set before them, Miracle Priest's amplification spell boosting it.

The melancholic song echoes among the reeds, over the river, across walls, and within the camp.

"Lord, I've been away a hundred miles, two hundred miles."

"Lord, I've been away three hundred miles, four hundred miles."

"Unknowingly, I've been away five hundred Leia miles..."

Indeed, they've been away five hundred Leia miles, if not more.

For many Leia soldiers, they've been fighting since three years ago.

Though they said they could return before 1449, it dragged past mid-1449 and they haven't even secured Damp Dock.

When can they return home?

"Lord, how can I go back home like this?"

Unnoticed, tears have already streamed down the eyes of Leia soldiers.

Not just soldiers, even sergeants and knights are the same.

Lord, how can they go back home like this?

Have the crops at home been sown? Are the donkeys and horses ill? Are daughters and sisters being bullied by local thugs?

Has their son grown up? Has the wife remarried? The apple trees planted before they left, should be bearing fruit now, right?

Three years, three years, what has become of their homes?

"Mom, I want to go home." Suddenly a soldier cries out.

Like a chain reaction, cries spread one after another.

Finally, the soft sobbing turns into loud wails, many soldiers, who hadn't cried initially, start sobbing openly.

They had the faith bonus of the Chao Character Army, but this was thoroughly shattered by the Blood Knights' propaganda posters.

The Holy Alliance indeed used magic and witches, but didn't the church also use blood magic and zombies?

If so, both sides are cut from the same cloth, what meaning is there in fighting for the Celestial Kingdom?

In other words, dying in this battle, can they ascend to heaven?

Evidently, this folk song "Five Hundred Leia Miles", composed by Horn, has deeply hurt these Leia soldiers.

Thousand River Valley People fight from home to save their homeland, only feeling proud hearing this song.

But for these Leia soldiers, it's different.

Ordinary Leia soldiers have fought for three years without returning home, Thorn Garden soldiers have heard news of their homeland being raided.

The frantic launch of propaganda posters by grenade causes great impact on soldiers' morale, reaching almost a critical point.

By the next day, don't even mention urging soldiers to attack, they are unwilling to even leave the camp.

By noon the next day, Duke Omes's tent is crowded with Earl Knights from the Thorn Garden.

"Chief, this war cannot go on."

"Holy Alliance uses magic, the church uses zombies, I don't even know which side is right!"

"Soldiers want to go home, we also want to go home!"

"Victory or defeat doesn't matter, we're gaining nothing."

Faced with sorrowful and summoned low-to-mid level nobles, Duke Omes finds himself speechless.

Indeed, even if this war is won, they gain nothing; their homeland raided and at risk of being annexed by King Jiji.

If they lose the war, they still gain nothing, but King Jiji likely won't continue targeting them.

Puzilio whispers to Duke Omes, "Father, I've seen through it, Thousand River Valley is a quagmire, no one benefits from coming here."

Puzilio's words are like the last straw on the camel's back.

Omes stands, pacing behind the long table.

The heads of many nobles at the table move in sync with Omes's steps.

Occasionally, Duke Omes stops to glance at everyone, then continues pacing.

After a while, he returns to the table: "Even if I say we can't return, you'll still go back, right? So I'll agree to your wishes, but—"

The Oslar nobles, previously smiling, immediately restrain their expressions, waiting tensely.

Duke Omes sighs: "Current intense situation, how do we retreat? Will King Jiji let us retreat? Will the Holy Alliance let us retreat?"

The tent falls silent, finally, a previously ransomed Oslar noble stands.

"Chief, I volunteer to negotiate with Thousand River Valley People, our withdrawal benefits them too."

"As for King Jiji's side." Puzilio interjects, "We just won't tell them when we leave."

"Won't that be immediately exposed?" Several Earl Knights speak up, more enthusiastic than when discussing war.

"Simple, do you think we're the only ones wanting to run?" Puzilio proposes again, "Have our men control those few ironclad followers of King Jiji and take them back to Thorn Garden."

Normally, a large legion like Puzilio's, with twenty thousand troops, would have orders accompanied by supervising officials.

But previous battles, especially at Marlen Hill, inflicted heavy psychological harm on Raffel and King Jiji.

These battles relying on river transport and rapid marching, troop concentration, if scattered, greatly harm the supervising officials.

They prefer keeping the supervising officials close rather than sending them out, fearing they'd be surrounded and annihilated alongside.

So as long as negotiations proceed with the Holy Alliance

The people's sentiments, everyone wants to retreat and return home, even many knights want to go home.

Everyone's interests align, as the royal envoy, if not agreeing, what authority do you have?

After careful consideration, Duke Omes decisively decides.

"That Ginijis initially fooled me with his Blood Knights, led me to believe he had real power, but now it's clear he relied on vampires."

Duke Omes stands righteously, as if discussing an advance rather than retreat.

"Truth revealed, this isn't a righteous war, we won't participate, we... withdraw our troops!"