The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

Zaos worked day and night for four days to craft the magic rings that could restore health and even though he was pretty skilled at crafting them. He only managed to make a little more than one thousand… Still, no one could complain since it was delicate work and ordinary soldiers didn't have the skills to make them. With that in mind, the soldiers will have to use them only when it is necessary, instead of using them at all times.

Once Zaos finished his job, he left his cabin only to see a massive land covered in ice and some icebergs floating around. Their numbers were increasing, so Enrico was looking for a place to anchor the ships.

"... I am starting to miss my homeland," Aleni said while trembling all over due to the weather. "I hope Millie doesn't get a cold…"

"She should be fine…" Zaos said. "I taught her some defensive spells, and those will protect her even against the harshest of the snowstorms. Considering her massive mana pool, she can keep it active nonstop."

Zaos, Drannor, and some soldiers were used to that kind of weather, but the vast majority weren't. Putting aside fighting, even walking will be difficult against the cold weather and winds. Nevertheless… Enrico found a suitable area to anchor the ships, but only a few dozen of them could stop at a time. Considering that the ships stand out, they can't stay near the coast for too long.

Even with Zaos senses, he could only defeat enemies in a six hundred meters radius, and he only had the upper hand at night. Still, while the soldiers were disembarking, he checked the area for any signs of enemies. They had to waste another day before everyone was ready for the march…

"Zaos, Aleni, Cohnal, Melisse, and Nyana, alongside the bloody knights, will go further North in these lands," Laiex declared. "His Majesty, Drian, Drannor, and I, alongside the golden spears, will check things south of here. According to Edea, we are three hundred kilometers away from the border, so be mindful of your actions because backup won't come soon enough."

"If either group finds anything related to Milliendra, we will use the crystals," Drian added. "If we find anything worth reporting aside from the main mission, send a small group here to talk with Edea and the others."

Zaos wondered what could possibly be worth reporting to the support team when everyone was so eager to rescue Milliendra… still, after thinking for a while, he realized that it was necessary since the support team was the only ones who could send raves to all the other kingdoms and countries. Too many important people were participating in that mission, so they needed to keep reports as often as possible in order to calm down the others who were waiting for their return… If something bad happens to them, that kind of bad news could always be used to rally the troops in the other areas during the war. It was a pretty nasty way of using that kind of information, but it was normal...

In any case, the mission was going to be a lot tougher than anyone imagined since they couldn't see anything aside from mountains covered in snow, trees covered in snow, and hills covered in snow… locating themselves in that massive area while the cold was slowly eating away their bodies heat would be beyond unpleasant. To make matters worse, Zaos could see some annoying gazes coming from the bloody knights.

"All right, lead the way," Zaos said.

"You can lead, Captain," Melisse said.

"I am not your captain anymore," Zaos shrugged. "Besides, I will feel less burdened if I do my own things instead of worrying about giving orders every single instant."

While Zaos didn't use the right words, Cohnal realized that it would be better if they shared the work. Zaos was good at fighting and tracking enemies, and while he was used to leading, he couldn't do all three at the same time. Just like before, Cohnal, Melisse, and Nyana will have to support him. Aleni was with him, and she probably could keep up with him during the battles, so they knew that they didn't have to make the soldiers work too hard to keep up with him.

Nevertheless, once the first army began to march, they began to head north as well. Zaos hoped to hear some complaints once the big shots of the Sairus kingdom disappeared, but that didn't happen. 

After walking for a while, Zaos climbed the largest tree that he found and then looked around the area. He imagined that it would be easier to find the place where the demon god was killed that way… if his theory was really correct and he would be able to use his mana freely in such a spot, that would have some effects on the environment, but he didn't find anything.

"Do you see something, Zaos?" Nyana asked.

"No… but three dire wolves are coming from our ten o'clock," Zaos said.

After around thirty seconds, the dire wolves indeed appeared, and while some members of the bloody knights had seen those ten years ago, it was the first time they had seen such big and vicious ones. The wolves charged toward the army like they were a free meal… Cohnal gave the sign for a small unit of spearmen to step forward and skewer the animals, and so they did it. Still, even while the spears were piercing their throats, the animals kept lashing their claws toward the soldiers… even in death, they became that ferocious.

"What was that…" Cohnal asked, visibly surprised, just like his soldiers.

"The demon god found a way to use dark emotions as a source of power… maybe his followers are the same, and they are starting to affect the animals of the region," Zaos replied. "We will have to keep our eyes open because these creatures will be a lot more vicious."