Chapter 238: Twenty-sixth Episode: Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 238: Twenty-sixth Episode: Chapter 3
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If you wish to understand the heart of ice and snow, then take a stroll along the Alps. Choose a tall mountain ridge covered with ice and snow and try to conquer it or be conquered by it.
The world on the snow-capped mountains with the icy north wind and the entire sky of penetrating cold, made it seem as if the entire world had been buried under the ice, dying. When midsummer came, the sun raged, and the massive icy surface of the snow-capped mountains would gradually soften. The accumulated snow at the peak of the mountain would continue to sink and collect below and the mountain ridge would produce a ”rumble” when it could no longer take the weight, dumping all the ice and snow downwards.
A long, long time ago, the people of the mountain always thought that this was the doing of a devil who had been punished by the Creator. The people slaughtered their cattle, placed them on the altar and used the blood of animals as a sacrifice to the unknown devil. The snow-capped mountains were not devils and avalanches were not tragedies created by the gods. However, once people entered the snow-capped mountains, they would rather believe that the devil indeed existed.
At the beginning where the foothills started to peak, it was almost a flat plain. This was the habitat for various cold-resistant animals and tall coniferous forests. The woodland of a summer's day was dense and thriving and the deep valley forest displayed darkness that stretched on endlessly and among this dense darkness, roars from the wild beasts echoed. The clear blue sky was fresh. Occasionally the mellow yet mournful cries of eagles would travel out.
Climbing up the mountain ridge, the sights that meet the eye would gradually grow sparse. Everywhere was black-brown cliffs and clusters of shrubs. Thank heavens it was summer now! As the altitude rose, the low shrubs would show disordered color bands. Certain places were a deep, bright purple while certain places were a light, apple green. There were many flowering areas – red, white, and navy-blue flowers bloomed abundantly among the shrubs and below, hyssops covered the ground. Occasionally, one would come across a shallow patch of snow that buried the grass. The flowers stood firmly in the snowy pond only trembling when it was windy, causing those who watch it be filled with awe.
So, where was the devil?
O'Neil Andrew Morisette rode on his giant black horse, standing on the vast open ground at the foothill of the snow-capped mountains.
To be exact, it was the very edge of the open ground where there was a valley right before it. There was a pathway in the valley one could use to climb directly to the mountain. It led to a ridge that was covered with snow and thick ice all year round.
Hadn't it already been mentioned that the young Prince Titan had remarried? He had married the beautiful Princess of Italia. According to the time, he should still be in the honeymoon period after marriage.
Prince Osone raised the black whip inlaid with golden thread. The direction he pointed at was the route of conquest.
”Right there?”
”Yes, my Lord, right there!”
The person who spoke was an old man with a crooked back. He was the guide that the local Italian nobles recommended to the Titan Prince. The old man kept a huge beard and fluffy, curly hair that were unique to the mountain dwellers. He knelt respectfully beside the giant horse and his eyes were trained on the important figure's boots as he spoke.
Where was there? In the Prince of Titan's opinion, the direction that the guide indicated was not much different from any of the white sections of the snow-capped mountain ridge. However, the old man said, only there, was there a relatively flat mountain ridge and not on either side of the slightly sharp dorsal fin of the fish? The entire snow-capped mountains, with a snow line that was a dozen kilometers wide, there was only one place that could be climbed? This was amazing.
”Old man Chuck, have a rest!” O'Neil Andrew Morisette again raised the little horsewhip of delicate workmanship. It was as if the old guide had received amnesty. He held his leather hat and bowed humbly with his back bent ever low. He weaved in and out of the knight's rank behind His Highness the Prince and disappeared.
”Old Chuck has weathered the snow-capped mountains for a lifetime. You have nothing to worry about!” General Murat Bedoya led his horse and stood by the commander's side.
Oscar did not answer. He assessed the snow-capped mountains calmly. The striking white and ash black of the stone-walled cliffs formed a sharp contrast. Moving his line of sight downward in the valley in front of the open ground, there were numerous cavalry soldiers resting below the gentle slopes. The horses neighed clearly. The Narcissus knights were talking and surrounded the ukulelist. The Prince of Titan noticed that all the soldiers had no weapons in their hands but wild fruits, playing cards, lunches, and a variety of indistinct items. There was someone who did not have anything in his hands – that man must have closed his eyes to rest.
Oscar laughed involuntarily. He looked at his machete resting in its sheath. Many years ago, if it was not for someone who stuffed such a thing into his hand, O'Neil Andrew Morisette surely would not be the O'Neil Andrew Morisette of today. Therefore, it was said that if the men had weapons in their hands, unknown emotions and destinies would spring up, leaving the man unable to cope and completely lost in them.
Anyway, that said, it was O'Neil Andrew Morisette who voluntarily chose a weapon. It could be seen that such a thing could not be forced, just like the snow-capped mountain in front. Some would exclaim, ”How beautiful”. After a moment of admiration, they would look away. As for O'Neil Andrew Morisette…
As what everyone had just seen, he scrutinized the magnificence of the snow-capped mountain silently and issued the order of conquering it without a second thought.
There was bound to be such a man in the world. So, he had a heart made of ice and snow.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette bid farewell to his new wife. Although he had a world of reasons to convince himself to remain in Italia and to stay by Sasha's side, he still bid farewell to the pregnant woman with great reluctance and took along his knights over the mountains, advancing toward the destination in heart.
”Actually, it is unnecessary for you to follow the Red Tigers. We can handle it,” General Murat carefully sized up his commander. His Commander was previously an ignorant young man but now, no one was more suitable than he to be the commander of the Narcissus knights.
Oscar smiled. His little whip gently made contact with his Raytheon and the giant horse slowly moved forward.
”If I don't climb the snow-capped mountains together with the Red Tigers, the knights will mock me of being a coward.”
”But they won't!”
”I will, I will think so!” Oscar averted his head stubbornly. This matter was like the farewell. He could have originally taken the carriage from the Holy City of Rome and return to the Southern Region through the national road. After all, breaking into Faran was the business of the Red Tigers and Snow Lions but he just had to clad himself in war equipment, hop onto his battle horse and eat shaved ice and drink snow water with his knights.
However, the shaved ice was really good! Thinking about this, Oscar pursed his lips. Italia was indeed a country of fine delicacies. The people of the mountains used spring water in their basement to make ice. Those who were more particular would fill the shaved ice into glass bowls. They would top it with cream, honey or chocolate icing. Slurp!
That feeling would be even more fulfilling than visiting Paris.
However, the shaved ice was too cold. The Prince of Titan's stomach was not suited for such an icy, delicious dessert. Oscar had only eaten it once. Once was enough for it to be unforgettable to him but the doctor of the Red Tigers had already issued a strict order.
He said unceremoniously, ”If Your Highness does not wish for your crotch to be frozen by your watery stools on the snow-capped mountains, please stay away from shaved ice.”
So, Oscar's life was not much fun. Even if the most gentle and beautiful woman under the heavens were to accompany him, even if his woman had already bear an heir for him, even if he fantasized the golden age of hundreds of years later, in the end, he would still be unable to obtain long-lasting pleasure from them. A moment of thrill would not be able to allow one to be completely satisfied mentally and physically. Oscar had no idea what satisfaction was like. If he had seen Faran's lands, he would call to mind that next to it was West Percy. If he had been to West Percy, he would have thought about what the Engels looked like across the strait.
The heart of a man was like ice, just like the snow-capped mountains in front. The snow-capped mountains were bound to melt but what people knew was that it would always be frozen throughout four seasons. When the tip of the iceberg collapsed with a loud rumble, people would think that this man would have changed a little but with a closer look, there was still more ice in the split opened crevasse. It had merely cracked, or one could say, caved in, and there was nothing else that it could prove.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette descended into the valley from the wide-open space and met many knights along the sides of the road.
Among them, only a handful were veterans who had followed this head of the family for wars in the north and south. When he came across a familiar face, Oscar would stop and chat with the person, talking about nothing else other than the various pasts and the snow-capped mountains in front of them. The soldiers again vowed that they and their countless comrades would conquer everything before the head of the family's eyes. Oscar was naturally very satisfied. He said that the conquest was a different matter. The head of the family only wanted to see the knights safe and sound.
***************
More and more Narcissus knights gathered around. They knelt on one knee on either side of the pathway in front of the head of the family. Oscar inspected and pointed to this and that, saying that they were all good fighters. The soldiers said Andrew Haila and that the head of the family was the good young lad.
The good men were making the final preparations before they set out. They took off their armor. This thing was not only just immensely heavy but when the temperature was low, it would make one feel as if they had fallen into an icehouse. The equipment officer of the Front had purchased cotton clothes and cheap, practical furs that protect against the cold. Every soldier received some. These furs were mainly used as leggings. It was said that at a section above the snow line, the snow was waist-high. Forget about the horses, it was difficult even for people to move.
The Narcissus knights prepared hoof pockets for the horses and mules transporting supplies and also blankets for these little ones that were here rolling with the punches. An identical situation had occurred in the north while his Highness the Prince was still studying but the veterans of that time were gone, having fallen in the military campaign of Saijo Mountain.
After a careful lunch, the Commander of the Front personally inspected the equipment at all levels of troops carefully. By the time the Red Tigers set off, it was already two something in the afternoon. The sun hung high in the sky and the weather was sweltering. In the valley, one could not feel the cold climate in the snow-capped mountains.
The group was reorganized once they had exited the valley. All the members of the Red Tiger Front assembled, not even one of them was missing. Oscar prayed in his heart that the snow-capped mountains before him would not create problems for his warriors.
As night fell, the camp on the mountainside lit up with a bonfire. The huge blaze reflected the dark snow-capped mountains. However, compared to the stars in the night sky, all lights beneath the heavens were really nothing.
There was already a slight cold breeze on the mountainside. Spending the summer nights on land would make one immensely annoyed by the cries of insects and croaks of the frogs. However, in the mountain area close to the snow line, there was only silence! So silent that it was bizarre.
In a brightly lit army tent, there was a rectangular table. The table was full of a mess as if it may fall apart any second, different to a certain extent compared to the military tent of the Marshal of the Guards, the Imperial Prince. The Red Tigers had abandoned all their wagons. Each of the thirty thousand soldiers only brought a warhorse and a pack animal. Loaded onto the pack animal was an armor, a set of war equipment plus half a month's ration. This was the full force of the raid on Faran's northern province.
Oscar sat on a small square pier and the Red Tiger generals circled him while crouching. Those who knew would think that the men were studying the tactical map while those who did not know would think that the men were defecating in a group. Oscar had really started to have diarrhea. He just had a feeling that the shaved ice was no longer something good.
”We're here!” Murat pointed to a position on the map. ”It's about four to five kilometers in a straight line distance from the ridge. However, the guide said that such a massive unit would require at least a day and night for all members to climb over the snow-capped mountains.”
”We have to spend the night in the ice and snow?”
”It seems so!” the officer looked at the officer who had voiced the question. He saw a trace of hesitation from the other's eye. Even though some words were not spoken, it did not mean that Murat overlooked or disregarded it. He knew that most of the Red Tiger knights had never left Narcissus County, with its distinct four seasons. Having these young men who missed home to climb the snow-capped mountains under the sun was a little tough to them.
”The temperature in the mountains is very low. The temperature difference between morning and night is far too great. I'm afraid that...”
”There is nothing to be afraid of!” Oscar interrupted the officer. He knew that the person was the Red Tiger's Guerrilla Commander.
”Yes, His Highness is right. There's nothing to be afraid of!” Murat nodded reassuringly. ”I know you soldiers have never had the experience of marching in and spending the night in a world of ice and snow and have never been to such a high place or seen such a thick snow and more so have never seen such precipitous cliffs, but we are the Red Tigers. All these can't stop us,” the commander of the Front said while pointing toward the tall mountain ridge looming right before the entrance of the tent.
The snow on the ridges reflected the color of the sky and the light from the campgrounds to portray a milky white, resembling mist and at the spot where the flames were blazing, it appeared bright pink. After taking in this view for a moment, the soldiers withdrew their gazes. They were worrying over nothing. As long as O'Neil Andrew Morisette took a step into the snow ground as all the officers of the Narcissus Knights, they had to follow in the footsteps of the head of the family and advance forward. There was nothing to hesitate about this at all.
”The wind on the mountain is strong and there is also no open space to set up tents,” another officer asked. He had brought forth a difficult issue. It seemed that no one knew how to spend an endless night on the freezing snow-capped mountains.
”How about lighting a fire?”
”Lighting a fire won't do!” Murat shook his head repeatedly, ”At that time, there'd be thirty thousand people on the snow-capped mountains. How many braziers must be lit? Let's not talk about the terribly heavy charcoal we'd have to carry. Our guide has already gone through it clearly with us – no noise and no lighting fire on the mountain! Having thirty thousand people warming themselves together will loosen the snow and then with a rumble…”
”Avalanche?”
”The mountain god is enraged?”
”Who cares about him! At that time, we'll all be finished!”
His Imperial Highness the Prince began to distribute his own huge cigar and the men crouched on the ground in every posture, smoking, not saying another word.
”Then what should we do?” After a good while, someone finally could not take it anymore. ”The soldiers can't sleep in the snow, they can't make a fire, can't cook anything and can't make any noise! But they must rest. The long march through the snow grounds will wear them down. If the sweat on their bodies were to freeze, it can freeze them to death…”
”That's enough!” Murat said gruffly, ”The soldiers aren't like you, they will not die if they don't make a racket.”
The officer shut up and everyone looked toward the silent prince. O'Neil Andrew Morisette was the ruler, especially now. He ruled over the fates of many people. The terrain and climate of the snow-capped mountains were ever changing. If the God of Light really protected the holy Andrews, then it would be that. However, every step on the snow-capped mountains was a crisis. If the God of Light was joking around with the knights then, forget about it.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette was caught in a dilemma. His previous considerations were after all, not quite yet mature. This ambitious commander had a wishful thinking that since the ”1-1 Snow Lions” could successfully cross The Alps, then the Red Tigers could do the same. However, the 1-1 Snow Lion, all in all, only had the strength of a single division. Moreover, they were an elite mountain force that came and went deep into the mountains and ancient forests all year round. The Red Tiger knights were naturally imposing on the plains and hills but if they climbed the snow-capped mountains and brought along warhorses and pack animals that were equivalent to double of their numbers, then things were not looking too good! If they could accomplish it smoothly, then the Red Tigers would have accomplished an impressive feat in the history of human warfare. If midway they encountered storms, avalanches, crevasses... Oscar deliberated over and over again and finally discovered the reason he went into battle with the knights – this man was accustomed to conquering but felt it beneath him to let others be put in danger for his sake.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette suddenly swept at and overturned the candleholder on the ground. The flame in the military tent wavered wildly.
”I will have to see if a snow-capped mountain can stop the Red Tigers! If we can't overturn this mountain, what qualifications do we have to compete against the elite squad in the world?”
The snow-capped mountains were majestic and mighty. The breadth of mind of the men was as vast as the skies beyond the mountains! Compete against the elite squad in the world! Just how captivating was this suggestion? The Persian million-men army was already the dust of history while the Andrews were the undefeated Fierce Tigers, unfailing Narcissus! How long could such a spirit persist after the dust had settled? What kind of journey would the Narcissus knights embark on upon losing the long-standing enemy before them?
Perhaps ”competing against the elite squad of the world” was just O'Neil Andrew Morisette stealing a concept. Perhaps the Narcissus knights did not understand that the price for such a competition is to have countless people suffer from slavery. Their country had been annihilated under the cruel oppression of the Andrews but there was always a group of men in the world that had a love for competition; a pure belief in competition. Their hearts were as pure as the snow-capped mountains and were only set upon conquering the skies before their eyes and the earth beneath their feet.
Dawn. Thick fog rose among the mountains. The knights dismantled the tents. After cooking a sumptuous breakfast, they discarded all the cooking utensils. According to the head of the family, the Fierce Tigers no longer needed these things after entering enemy territory – if they were thirsty, drink the blood of the enemy, if they were hungry, take a bite out of their enemy's flesh.
Looking at the map, the great head of the family used his finger to trace the distance. Half-jokingly, he said to the Red Tiger warriors, ”Look, beyond the snow-capped mountains will be Paris!”
”It is said that there is the most romantic city in the world...”
”It is said that the women there all wear clothes made of silk...”
A considerate paladin, General Kamille Rayen, waved his hand to silence the clamor from the soldiers. In a low voice, he said, ”Your Highness, how do you hope for Paris to be like?”
O'Neil Andrew Morisette smiled slightly. He wanted to let loose and speak his mind, to say something like ”let Paris burn”, just like what the most illustrious butcher of the Eighth Region's Second Corps, Silvio, said in Horfansted Fortress. However, he did not say anything. Anyhow, he knew that the Red Tigers could not reach Paris. What awaited the Red Tigers in Faran's borders would be the besiegement and interception from the advantaged enemies. Oscar believed that the Red Tigers would not be able to fight their way to Paris. The raid launched by the Red Tigers was just an adaptive measure intended to interfere with the enemy's rear.
In the dense fog, all sceneries had been dissolved into pale gas. There were horses neighing and commands of the knights being passed back and forth. The Red Tiger warriors were wrapped in fur gaiters and thick cotton-padded coats. They looked each other up and down and jokingly referred to each other as mountain people who had never seen the world. They had to hurry to the opposite mountain for an evening gathering.
The horn for assembling and organizing the troops rang out in succession in the dense fog. When the huge mountain issued an echo, the cavalry, which was close to four miles long, was already facing the peak of the snow-capped mountain, panting.
The messenger talked about the command in his hand repeatedly. The skin of his lips was chapped. The soldiers pricked up their ears to listen and inclined their heads to remember them. They finally knew the significance of landslides and avalanches, and finally realized that the following part of the journey would be an unforgettable one with life and death being unpredictable.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette rode on the gigantic horse and stood at the lead of the ranks. The place he stood on was precisely the boundary between the mist and mountain. The head of the horse was facing first light while its rear was misty vapor.
The young commander withdrew his gaze from the snow-capped mountains and patted his young friend's thick neck.
”Neigh…neigh!”
Following the two gentle whines, Raytheon stepped into the snow ground, a step away from the verdant pastureland. The cold that came from underground caused the muscles all over the massive horse to shiver slightly. ”Awww…it's cold, huh…”
Oscar laughed, and the man thought of his son who was yet to be born. He knew that Sasha would definitely deliver a son for him! The snow-capped mountains before him gradually blurred and Oscar appeared to have seen the old house on the outskirts of Andrew Haila. He led his knights in a victorious return. Sasha was waiting on the patio. From afar, he could already see her white skirt and the young boy running toward him.
If the snow really had a heart, if the heart of the snow was really beating, then why was it so cold? So very cold. The mountain ridge with pure white snow was scattered with the footprints of the Narcissus knights. Initially, they still talked and laughed but when the accumulated snow covered their waists, everyone was at a loss of speech.
Despite a whole division of their comrades opening the roads up ahead, their thighs that were trapped in the snow could not be pulled out. The snow on their behinds repeated an endless cycle of drying off and becoming wet! Compared to the block in the entrance, the wind was even more annoying.
The thirty thousand Red Tiger officers and men arranged themselves into a line and together with their pack animals, they stretched on for four to five miles. They climbed gradually, moving their bodies up the snow-capped mountain inch by inch. The guide said that it would get better as they went higher because the snow near the ridge was as hard as ice and at that time, they would not have to grind through the deep snow as of now.
A soldier then asked, ”As hard as ice? Then why don't we just slide down it?”
”Slide down?” the old guide scoffed, ”Sliding down may cause you to slide straight into hell, one can't say for sure! Do you still dare to slide down?”