Chapter 228: Military Encampment

Regaleon was still trying to process all of those thoughts when strange sounds suddenly drifted into his ears.

The sounds were faint, unintelligible and distant at first. But the moment he strained his ears, he was able to recognize the peculiar rhythm and cadence within them, and that was when he understood that they were voices—human voices.

The more he focused, the clearer the words became. Without hesitation, he turned toward their source, and that was when his expression changed.

The voices weren’t coming from the landscape ahead of him; rather, they were coming from below.

In fact, it was only then that Regaleon realized he wasn’t even standing upon ordinary ground. As it turned out, he was standing on a slight rise overlooking an enormous military encampment.

The encampment was something he would have noticed had he paid any closer attention the moment he landed, but he had been too fixated and lost in his thoughts for the possibility of examining his surroundings to even cross his mind.

Now that he had finally noticed it, however, Regaleon couldn’t help but stare.

Below him stretched a sprawling garrison. No... Calling it sprawling was an understatement; instead, it was enormous.

From where he stood, Regaleon could make out the figures of hundreds of soldiers moving throughout the encampment with disciplined urgency. Their movements formed an organized rhythm, one that could only belong to a military force accustomed to prolonged warfare.

The sight immediately drew his attention; there was no disorder among them and no aimless wandering as every movement appeared deliberate, filled with purpose and a clear goal to work toward.

As Regaleon’s golden eyes swept across the garrison, he began to make out its layout with terrifying clarity.

The camp itself had been constructed with remarkable precision.

Rows of wooden palisades surrounded the perimeter, each sharpened stake driven deep into the earth and reinforced with horizontal beams.

Watchtowers stood at regular intervals along the defensive wall, their elevated platforms occupied by armed sentries who constantly scanned the surrounding wilderness.

Banners hung from the towers, their fabric bearing unfamiliar symbols that Regaleon couldn’t immediately identify.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. Even from this distance, he could tell that the camp wasn’t some temporary gathering of soldiers.

It had structure, organization, and judging from its sheer size, it had been established with the expectation that it would remain there for some time. In fact, one could infer the purpose of the garrison from how it was built and the way it was constructed.

Inside the walls, the camp was divided into designated sections.

Barracks occupied the northern portion, long wooden structures arranged in orderly rows. Several soldiers emerged from them carrying equipment, while others sat outside sharpening weapons, repairing armour, or tending to minor injuries.

Regaleon’s gaze then shifted westward where an extensive collection of supply tents occupied that section of the garrison. Crates had been stacked beneath wooden shelters, while horses were tethered to long posts nearby.

Soldiers moved back and forth carrying sacks of grain, barrels of water, bundles of arrows, and other provisions and armaments for war.

Nothing seemed to be left to chance.

Farther east was the training ground.

Regaleon could see dozens of soldiers practicing formations beneath the supervision of officers. Some thrust spears against wooden dummies, while others practiced their swordsmanship in pairs. Instructors moved among them, shouting corrections whenever a soldier’s stance or movement fell short.

A few archers stood in organized ranks, drawing their bows simultaneously before releasing volleys into distant targets.

Even with the distance separating the training grounds and Regaleon, he could still hear the sound of metal striking wood with terrifying clarity.

Clang! CLANG!! CLANG!!

The repeated impact carried across the open terrain, blending with the distant shouts of officers and the constant movement of hundreds of soldiers while filling the atmosphere with a peculiar metallic resonance that reminded the silver-haired Knight of his former House.

The more he observed the encampment, the more Regaleon’s expression gradually became serious.

He realized that this wasn’t merely a camp where soldiers happened to gather; it was a functioning military garrison and whatever force occupied it had clearly prepared itself for war.

Shifting his gaze slightly, his golden eyes narrowed on the largest structure in the entire garrison, which stood near the center.

It was a massive pavilion surrounded by several smaller tents.

Judging by its central location and imposing appearance, Regaleon surmised that it was, without a doubt, the command center of the garrison. A place where the big fries of the army are gathered to make important decisions.

Unlike the other buildings, the pavilion had been constructed from thick timber reinforced with iron brackets. Several guards stood outside its entrance, their weapons resting against their shoulders while their sharp, hawk-like eyes watched everyone and everything around them.

Even from his elevated position, Regaleon could sense the difference.

The soldiers outside the pavilion weren’t simply standing guard; they were watching, assessing and waiting. Their vigilance was unmistakable and recognizable at first glance just by the way they stood like gargoyles.

All in all, the entire camp possessed an atmosphere of controlled urgency.

No one wandered aimlessly, nor did anyone appear idle. Every soldier seemed to have a task, while every other auxiliary participant was either working or assisting.

The sheer coordination of it all was striking.

Yet besides the impressive arrangements and discipline of the garrison, Regaleon could also detect something else.

An almost palpable sense of tension hung over the camp, thick with unease.

It wasn’t something he could point to directly.

Rather, it was something he felt through the overall atmosphere—the hurried movements, the vigilant sentries, the constant training, the guarded expressions, and the sheer number of soldiers assembled in one place.

It reminded Regaleon of an army that was preparing for something... Something serious to be exact.

This particular feeling led him to one conclusion.

Perhaps this encampment had been built here because whatever Kingdom or faction these soldiers belonged to was currently at war.

As a matter of fact, Regaleon was almost certain that was the case and there wasn’t a smidgen of doubt in his mind...