Chapter 235: Twenty-sixth Episode: Chapter 1-1 (2/2)

The stream flowed from the dense forest into a plain. The water surface became wider under the sunlight. There were countless yellow flowers springing under the water and a large piece of honeycomb-like frog's eggs. These dark-colored objects under the water were rather matured by now. From the individual egg, one could already see the black tadpole. Also, in this area, many flea-like flies kept hovering near the algae. Without care, they would crash into their reflections in the water or get eaten by the frog that had been waiting for them. The frogs were just like the Deiss people at the border, never getting tired of it and never learning anything.

The Steinberger had built aqueducts near the foot of the hill. The bricks used for the duct were still new and there were algae on them. Even if the Deiss would destroy the aqueduct every time they reached this place, the living things could never be destroyed.

The hill was tall. It extended around three hundred meters upwards from the edge of the forest. Looking back at the middle of the slope, the seemingly endless Blackwood was silent. Only the birds who kept hovering above the trees would sometimes chirp. Strong sunlight shone upon the greenish land. In the eyes of Steinberger, the land was the forest. It was the mother that nurtured them.

The Blackwood fortress sat at the highest point of the hill. Hundred years of war and the ”land” that seemed to have no limits gave a contrasted light effect for the fortress. At the upper part of the overhang gate, the Steinberger people ground the Deiss people's bones into powder. After mixing it with plaster, they made it into the heraldry in which the double blade and bow were winded with a vine. And so, this huge terrifying family crest outside was decorated with a silver lining.

Just the same as the huge forest behind it, the fortress was silent. At the top of the tower was a Double-blade and Bow Flag. At every opening of the fortress wall stood stern-looking soldiers.

At the aqueduct at the south of the wall that connected to the foot of the hill, the stream in the forest was sent upwards by the water mill. Then, the water was transported to the water storage tank in the fortress. This duct that transported water still had another use. When the platoon that was responsible to search for casualties returned to the fortress, a slide that could accommodate two people would be let down from the fortress in the aqueduct. Wellington held his cousin as he sat on the slide. He gripped the handle tightly as the soldiers by the fortress turned the winch and the cables pulled the slide into the fortress.

Completely different from what it seemed like from the outside, it was extremely busy in the fortress. The soldiers were running about in the base camp and all defense areas. They were holding a large number of arrows, huge rocks, and rolling woods. Every skinny-looking person would run about with objects that were larger than themselves.

From the north wall of the fortress until Deiss' border, there used to be not many hidden buildings and secret passages. However, in recent years, the construction workers of the Sukhoi family had to build sixteen cannon platforms made of bricks on the fortress wall. Now, every cannon platform had a twelve-pound cannon and up to thousand types of cannons were stored in the secret passage leading to the cannon platform. Almost everyone believed that these cannons that had covered the whole battlefield would be sufficient to deal with the Deiss' invasion.

”Then...when will Deiss come?” the commander of the fortress looked at the stunned Wellington.

The commander of the First Independent Infantry Brigade of Steinberger's Loantz Front came back to his senses. He had just settled his cousin and yet he could not grieve his cousin due to the urgent war.

”Soon!” the young commander whose beard had not been cleaned for who knows how long replied subconsciously.

”When is that?” the fortress commander was rather impatient. He could not wait how the Deiss would react in the battlefield filled with cannon fire, ”Since Prince O'Neil fought the Saijo Mountain Defense War, our old neighbor has almost forgotten about the Blackwood Fortress...”

The fortress commander complained unwillingly, ”Our cannons could only reach the formation made of woods! How good it will be if that wooden debris becomes the flesh of Deiss people?”

”They are coming!” Wellington opened the map in his hands, ”The forest is oddly quiet. The Deiss did not send their scouts at all! This only means that they are fully prepared!”

”Then what are they waiting for?” a military officer who could no longer hold it in finally got impatient.

Wellington's gaze went past the walls, the plains under the wall and the ancient battlefield that his ancestors had fought the enemy for a whole century. The northern sky darkened even the sun in the southern sky had to hold back for a little.

”They are waiting for rain! A storm!”

The fish swam upstream. They were going against the stream intensely! The water kept pushing the fish downstream, but the fish kept swimming upward stubbornly. The water resistance was endless, so the group of fish clogged the stream while some of them jumped forward thanks to their companions taking on the rushing water.

Blackwood would welcome the rare rain in the following month. The storm would throw the fish in shallow water out and the fate of the fish on the ground would not be any better than the soldiers guarding the fortress. It would a struggle, gasp for breath, twitching its body and at last die of suffocation. When the rain stopped, all living things that fed on it like ants and insects would bring its body away.

The secretive and majestic Blackwood could not cover up the survival danger that was present at any moment. Before the storm, the fishes were making their final effort. They moved forward without a care of other things! When they faced difficulties and danger, they instinctively performed the last melody of life. They went against the water flow bravely. Once they reached the upper stream that was deep and wide, survival would no longer be a dream. They would receive a chance to survive when the storm arrived.

It was so difficult to receive this string of hope. The number of fish running for their lives was huge. Their number would be reduced when they got snatched from the flying bird that was waiting by the stream. They would be swallowed by other larger fish under water. They would have to avoid rocks, rapids and the aqueduct with a large slope. When they reached the deep-water area after many difficulties, there would only be a few thousand left of them. At this time, a large pot suddenly sunk into the water. With a sweep, one-third of the remaining fish would be brought away.

A foreigner who spoke in Deiss language yelled happily, ”Mushroom with fish! Mushroom with fish...”

According to the law set by the great fairy in the forest, the fish that hid in the deep-water region would welcome the mating period after the rainy season had passed. There was not a lot of them, but these fishes could give birth to hundreds of children. These young eggs would slowly grow in the cruel winter and turn into fish in the following spring. The group of fish would become strong and once again dispersed into the forest along the stream. They would once again go on a journey and carried out their beautiful and majestic life.

So, they were also the warriors in the forest. They also owned the warrior's heart with no fear.

On the 21st day of the 8th month in Year 801 in Church calendar, it was the first day the Silburt's forerunner began the first defending war. The beacon at the top of the fortress was lit along the battlefield to the Blackwood Fortress at Haussen Province of the northwest border. Deiss Kingdom Army's divisions finally approached Titan's border.

On the 20th day, the first rain during the north's midsummer came as expected. The intense rain covered the whole space as if it wanted to completely drown the depressed-looking Blackwood.

During this night, Wellington Steinberger lied on his army bed while listening to the snoring of the men and the thunder outside of the window. He had a hard time sleeping even though he still did afterward. He dreamt that he was still awake. After the dinner, the young man esspecially took a shower and shaved his beard. He had turned into the messenger everyone was familiar with now. Wellington prepared himself well and went to grieve his cousin.

In front of the stern-looking statue of God, this numb veteran suddenly cried when he was observing his cousin's face, although Wellington only opened his mouth wide and a few drops of tears dripped from his eyes. However, he immediately covered his face with his palms. After rubbing his face strongly, he slowly let his hands go. The tears were gone. Love and hate were not as intense as they were earlier. Looking at the time, he stood up from his chair and bowed respectfully toward the God. He gave his cousin's cold face a kiss, then wore his hat and caressed his blade. Then, he strode out of the place with confident steps.