270 Ash’s Hope
“I welcome all clan masters and young beastmen who have gathered under the wings of the clan sky wings today. It is an honor to be able to see so many talented young rising men gathered in one place, each of you a talent in your respective area.” Nero spoke in the same tone as a father praising his son, making most young men puff out their chests with pride and straighten their postures.
“Whether it’s the Black Feather Clan with its mighty warriors, the Night Wing Clan and its vast spy network, or the Fire Plume Clan and the mighty weapons they forged. All of you are the pillars that support our clan and protect us from the threat of the humans in our long war against the Tivan kingdom.” Nero looked at each of the clan masters and nodded in respect.
“Your presence is even more important these days, thanks to the information that the night wings brought.” He was silent for a second to heighten the tension and suspense among the beastmen and only spoke again when the youths were on tiptoe.
“The borders in the Tivan realm are thinner than ever, most of the church and order of that would normally be stationed in the realm have left the borders.” The youths who had never been to the battlefield didn’t understand the importance of Nero’s words, but the two clan leaders who hadn’t been informed yet widened their eyes in surprise.
Nero withheld the information and discussed the information with the leaders of the other two major clans before deciding to pass the information along to the minor clans. He took advantage of the fact that the leaders would meet to inform them personally, instead of calling for magic items and spending hours arguing.
“According to what the spies have discovered, the human kingdoms are going through a crisis and suffering a great invasion on the other side of the continent, so most of their forces are focused on the opposite side, leaving the kingdom of Tivan exposed.”
“I discussed the information with the leaders of the dragonewts and silver fangs, and we made an important decision. This is a golden opportunity to finally strike back after so long just defending ourselves and you will all have the opportunity to be part of this important mission.”
“All of you will have the chance to put your names in the history of our kingdom and bring honor to your respective families and clans. The chance to be the first to take human territories, something that hasn’t happened in decades.” Nero’s voice grew more animated the more he spoke, to the point of sounding fanatical.
Like most beastmen, he mortally hated humans, considering them an inferior species and mortal enemies because of his constant war against Tivan.
.....
“What do you say, young beastmen? Will you come with me and leave your names in history? Become the spear of our people and pierce the human borders, bringing land and resources to our kingdom and families??” Nero shouted to the beastmen, who squealed in response.
“Then it is decided. We will go to war in the near future and destroy these arrogant humans with our own hands!” Nero raised his fist in the air and all the beastmen did the same, yelling in unison.
“That’s crazy. Are we going to war as soon as we start our service in the army?” Ash muttered in shock, temporarily forgetting about the girl next to him.
“I know, I almost can’t believe this. We’ve barely joined the military and we’ll already have an opportunity like this!” The girl, on the other hand, was incredibly excited about the idea of ??going to war.
“I don’t know if we can call this an opportunity or not. Nobody here has experience with warfare and if the last test taught me one thing, it’s that most here are inexperienced and unprepared, to say the least.’ Ash spoke pessimistic, feeling uncomfortable with the carefree girl.
“Don’t be so pessimistic, Ash. It’s true that we were taken by surprise and we wouldn’t have made it without you, but the best way to learn is to practice and no amount of training will compensate for that.” The girl disagreed with Ash, but still tried to cheer him up.
“Besides, I don’t think there will be a better opportunity than this to gain experience. According to the sky wing master’s words, the human armies will be weak and we can easily win.” This time, Ash had to agree with her.
“I think you’re right, I’m just a little surprised that we’re participating in such a huge operation so soon after joining the military.” Ash replied with a forced smile to agree with her, but he still felt that it was too soon for them to fight such an important battle.
‘Am I just being pessimistic here? It’s not like we’re going to play a major role during such a crucial operation. Nero’s speech must just be a way to boost our morale, weak young men like us often work as supply troops, at least according to their father.’ Ash repeated to himself in an attempt to convince himself.
Even so, he still felt that something was wrong. His instincts were telling him it was dangerous to participate in this operation, but Ash didn’t know why. He also couldn’t refuse to participate in the operation, as the tributes served the sky wing clan and had no choice but to comply.
“All black hawk beastwomen gather here now! I will guide you to your dorms.” A beastwoman tempest eagle screeched, indicating that the newcomers’ leisure time was over.
“Well, time for talking is over. See you later, Ash.” The girl said good-bye to Ash and walked away, but the latter moved before she could pull away.
“W-wait!” Ash grabbed her wrist reflexively, but froze in the next moment. His body moved before his brain could follow and he only realized it after he was holding her wrist.
“What it was?” The girl pulled her arm back, startled by Ash’s sudden movement, and took a step back in surprise.
“Uh, how do I say this…” Ash stammered nervously as he retracted his hand awkwardly.
‘How do I say I don’t remember her name and ask after so long of conversation?’ Ash racked his brains for a way to ask her name without being seen as an asshole.
He only pretended to listen to what the beastmen who came to greet him said, thinking that he would probably never speak to any of them again. Unfortunately, the girl was between them and Ash had ignored her until he realized she hadn’t gone away and continued talking.
“You know, I ended up hearing a lot of names when you introduced yourself and I don’t remember exactly. So, you know...” Ash asked embarrassed while scratching his head in embarrassment.
“Pfft… is that why you’ve been embarrassed this whole time?” The girl burst out laughing in relief and reached out to shake his hand. “Laura. My name is Laura. Nice to meet you again, Ash.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure.” Ash shook Laura’s hand and again the beastwoman storm eagle called all the women and Laura said goodbye.
‘What a strange girl.’ Ash thought, but an unconscious smile spread across his face. Soon, another beastman called out to the black hawk men, snapping Ash out of his reverie.
“Sounds like you already made a friend, good for you.” Kilian’s voice rang in Ash’s ears, surprising him. He turned his head towards the voice, finding his father standing in the distance, looking at him with a proud smile on his face.
“Yes, although I’m not sure why she insisted on talking to me, I think I’ve made a friend. Maybe things will finally change for me around here.” Ash spoke quietly as he made his way to the dorms, certain his father would be using air magic to hear.
‘Maybe I really can make a decent living here.’ Ash really thought, feeling hopeful for the future and walking tall among the other black hawks.
The others looked uneasily at him, unsure how to react to Ash’s presence. Even the beastmen tempest eagle glared at Ash, but said nothing, having been told in advance that the black hawks would have a different boy among them.
Only after all the black hawks had gathered in front of him did the tempest eagle speak again.
“I am Sergeant Brain and the only contact you will all have with the outside world for the next few weeks.” The beastmen spoke in a stern tone, contrasting with Nero’s proud tone.
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