Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Any harm to the Emperor and they might be blamed for it. He knows that since the moment Lord Silas sent him here.

He even believes that if the Emperor dies here, a full blown civil war might happen in the Human Continent that would involve almost all of the great noble houses of Human Continent. 

That is not to mention that there is still the Great Renasia forces on the Far East that probably would also join in

He thought of all this possible bad scenario. Giovanni on the other hand did not think so much. Because unlike Santiago, Giovanni is quite confident on their Emperor.

He then said

We just have to follow and make sure that if our Emperor lost the duel, we would do our best to save him. 

'Then what if we fail to save the Emperor. 

'Then we will kill the killer regardless of whether the people of this land despise our conduct or not. Then we find a way to break the barrier around this continent and go home. I also have a plan.' He said. But he did not tell what his plan is to Santiago

Like Santiago, Giovanni also recognize the danger that would pose to them if the Emperor dies in the New World. 

But like he had said, he also has his own plan if that were to happen.

Giovani however did not think that he would have to use his plan. His Emperor Arial the Dragon, Arial the Conqueror is not a weak man that could easily be killed.

There is silence for a while and then Giovani said 

'We wait. If the Emperor soldier march out that means the Emperor accepted the duel. Our liege would not deny such easy way to gain another state in such a bloodless way. One battle. If he won, he got an entire state and the loyalty of that high lord. Tell me, who would not be tempted by such benefit. High risk, high return'

'Even the entire land of Novus Gaia is not worthy to be substituted with our Emperor life' Santiago said.

'I agree with you. But it does not seem so to our liege. He heavily wanted this land. He wanted to conquer it and rule over these people. Our Imperial Highness seems to treat these people even better than his other subjugated subjects in the Human Continent. Whatever the case is, our liege wanted to rule this land and rule it wisely. Maybe like us, our liege also wanted to launder his reputation and image' 

Santiago did not say anything to this rude remark by Giovanni. 

if this was in the Human Continent and some civil officials heard such rude words, they could even charge with intention to commit treason. They know how those civil officials could turn black into white and white into black.

Santiago then just nodded. Since Giovanni had already informed the Emperor, they just have to wait to see the decision of their liege.

Santiago then also made some additional measure. He sent a letter toward the commander of the wall to not provoke the old man and give the old man respect.

As long as the old man did not break the restriction he set for himself, do not fire at him. They both sat there in the tent waiting for any movement from the castle. 

A few hours later, an army of five thousand men rides out from the castle. 

A few seconds later a messenger came to them saying that the Emperor had set out from the castle and is going to meet the old man that is blocking the south gate of the outer city of Balhae.

Giovanni smiles and Santiago could only shake his head. 

Giovanni look toward the messenger and he simply ask

'Did the Emperor forbid us from following' the messenger tries to recall if the Emperor ever give such order and after a few second, he replies to them

'The Imperial Highness did not say such a thing. The Imperial Highness simply ask me to relay the matters of his departure to milords' Giovanni nodded and then he laughed a bit

'This is the time we should make a move' he said as he gets up from his seat.

Santiago understood.

Giovanni immediately leave the tent and goes to his barrack

The sound of the horn of war echoes in the barrack area.

To some of the people of the city, they were quite shocked to hear the horn. They did not know what happened but they know something big must have happened.

First they saw their conqueror, a foreign ruler had rides out from the castle toward the outer city.

Now, there is the sound of a horn. There must be something that is happening. Some people fear that there is another enemy attack.

The news of the challenge of the duel is not yet heard by the people of the inner city and Arial did not have time to spread it out. 

The moment he heard of such a thing he organizes a small army to ride with him

It is to build his prestige against the enemies and at the same time, he is doing it out of precaution. 

Even though the person said he wanted to duel him one on one, there is always a high possibility that the person is lying and trying to lure him against a fight with an army

The city suddenly felt like there is a dark cloud above them

Then from the area of the barrack of Great General Giovanni, a cavalry corps consisted of large warhorses and all kinds of beast set out from the inner city.

There is Saranites riders among the cavalry corps of Giovanni. He himself is not sure whether the composition of his new army would be successful. 

In a way this is Giovanni ways of trying to determine and test whether the beast rider could be treated the same like normal cavalry corps.

The method of the riders of these beast is unlike the cavalry of the Human Continent.

They were closer to the Orcs method of riding a beast and the way they fight is also the same. 

To make them fought in the same way like the Imperial Army would be quite the task. And there is another problem 

And that is these beast riders did not have a codified way of fighting when they are riding their beast.

There is no tactics like the horse cavalry. Of course some tribes have their own methods.

But other tribe have some other methods. 

The one thing Giovanni had found is that the method of the Saranites that come from the land of the Thirteen Tribes is different from the tactic of the Saranites tribe that is in the Three Kingdoms.

Some fought with their spears, some fought with bows and arrows and some fought with sabers and swords.

Only some large tribe of the Saranites that truly fought like an army. 

As mostly Saranites raids the other tribes, their method is fast, swift and decisive. 

And some beast had different speed and different methods of attacking. 

There is a sabretooth tiger that could jump higher than any other sabretooth tiger and then there is sabretooth tiger that is slow but have destructive force that outstripped all the other sabretooth tiger. 

And then there is also lions and tigers that they ride. Some of them are elephant riders. 

Elephant or Hierophante as it is called in the ancient tongue, is a beast that is large and have two flap of meat as their ears.

They towered over other land beast and they could grab people and break people bones with their snout

Giovanni himself was fairly shocked when he had learned that in the Shadowlands, that there is such beast. It is mentioned in the Old records of the First Generation. 

But in the Human Continent, no one had ever seen an elephant. Some even think of it as just a fantastical story.