After passing through Chasum fortress, the Lusitanian stronghold that the Parsian army faced next was the fortress of Saint Emmanuel. The name of this fortress came from the first Lusitanian nobleman who converted to Yaldabaothism. It was originally an abandoned fortress of Pars, so the Lusitanian army converted it for themselves.

The lord of the fortress was Count Baracacion. He had previously been the director of the royal library in Lusitania. Now, he was nearly sixty years old. The front part of his head was bald, and the back part was covered in white hair, but somehow his beard was still black. He summoned the knights to the main hall of the fortress.

“His Highness the King’s Brother has given us orders. O faithful subjects of Lusitania, O pious people of the god Yaldabaoth! Listen with all your heart!”

Count Baracacion announced solemnly, and the knights knelt down, their armor and swords ringing with sound. Dozens of torches stuck in the walls wavered with flames.

The order given by His Royal Highness Guiscard, the king’s brother, was different from the situation at Chasum. He told the soldiers to fight the pagans, to hold the army in check, to buy time and to deplete the enemy’s strength. Guiscard also told the defenders of Saint Emmanuel that Ecbatana’s own army would be prepared to go to support them as early as possible, so it was important to hold out until that time. But, frankly speaking, Count Baracacion did not expect a rescue. He had already realized that they were just a small piece of a huge military strategy.

“There may have been some dispute in the royal capital, Archbishop Bodin left the city, the Temple Knights fled to Maryam, and all these rumors have reached us.”

Count Baracacion looked around at the crowd.

“But, even if these rumors are true, we don’t need to mind them. We, as Lusitanians and followers of Yaldabaoth, just need to fight and not disgrace ourselves. Gentlemen, do not forget. We are fighting for the righteous god and sweeping the pagan demons from the earth!”

“O God! Please protect us!”

The cavalrymen bowed their heads together.

After the assembly was over, Count Baracacion, who was walking out of the hall towards his room, was called by a trainee knight at the bottom of the corridor.

“Count, please wait a moment.”

“Oh, is that you? What is it?”

The voice that called out to the Count was childish and eager. This man was small in size. When he heard the request to be on the front line when fighting with the Parsian army, the Count shook his head gently.

“I understand your feelings, but your grandfather gave you to me to take care of. Instead of rushing into the war, you should take care of yourself for now and wait for a later opportunity!”

“I can’t believe you would say that. I left my homeland to come here solely for the purpose of fighting in the war. In the past, whether it was against Maryam or Pars, you always put me too far from the battle for some reason. This time, no matter what, I must deal a blow to the pagans of Pars, otherwise I will never be able to do so.”

“But, Etoile....”

“Even if the Count won’t let me join the battle, I will still go. If I have offended you with these words, I hope you will forgive me. Please understand how eager I am to have the opportunity to fight against the infidels.”

Count Baracacion looked at the trainee knight named Etoile with a heavy expression and thoughtful eyes.

“It seems that it is useless for me to try to stop you.”

The old man said with a sigh. The one who listened was far happier than the one who spoke.

“So, Count, you promise?”

“No. But don’t act so rashly! If you make a mistake, I will have no way to face your grandfather.”

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry for taking up your time.”

The knight-in-training kept nodding his head, shrinking his body and running away as if he was bouncing off the stone flore. The Count shook his head and muttered.

“Once you’ve fought in a real battle, you’ll know that war is nothing but misery. But you have to come back alive to understand it!”

There were several people in the Parsian camp who had won their first battle, but still did not look happy, and even more so for those in the first formation.

For Zaravant and Isfan, their first battle was extremely humiliating. When they fell into the trap of the Lusitanian army and lost, it was Tus who had saved them, and the enemy general’s head was cut off by Daryun. Zaravant and Isfan turned out to be mere annoyances. With regret, they could only sigh at their own uselessness.

“We must avenge our shame in the next battle.”

Having made up their minds, Isfan and Zaravant led the first formation once again. Side by side with them, and already very dignified, Tus was not particularly reserved nor boastful. With a mild expression, he steered his horse forward.

“Although you can’t see it, the loss has taught you a lesson! Sometimes you must suffer to learn.”

Hearing the mocking words of the general, the “Mardan fu Mardan” Daryun laughed.

“It’s better than losing once and giving up. If they didn’t accomplish what we needed, Chasum fortress wouldn’t have been rendered powerless in just one day.”

These words were true. Because Isfan and Zaravant were defeated, the Lusitanian army took advantage of the victory, and as a result, the strange strategies that Narsus had set up fell into place one by one.

“It’s not possible to win every time! We want to minimize the amount of bloodshed before we reach the gates of the capital, but the Lusitanian army’s goal is probably the opposite of ours.”

“This continental highway has always been covered with corpses, horses, blood and sweat!”

On the 20th of May, the army of Pars took up its position in the fields of Shahristan and held a hunting festival over the vast area of land.

Not only for Pars, large-scale hunting has always been an important training method for warfare. Training horsemanship and bowmanship were important. The Shahristan wilderness was one of the five major hunting grounds in Pars, where lions, leopards and other prey were abundant, about five farsang (about 25 km) from east to west and four farsang (about 20 km) from north to south, with grasslands, forests and marshes, with treacherous terrain and sharp turns, it is a place where the Parsian soldiers could enjoy hunting.

This hunting festival was a ritual before the battle and a demonstration to the Lusitanian army hiding in the near-by fortress of Saint Emmanuel. It is not only to tell the people of Pars that the day of regaining the throne is near, but also to offer the game to the gods and pray for their protection.

Everyone, including Arslan, ran through the wilderness in small groups of one or two hundred riders, showcasing their archery skills and dealing with nature in the Parsian way. Arslan, however, did not want to shoot at rabbits and deer.

Even the wise and resourceful Narsus could not know all things, not to mention unexpected events. He did not know that about a thousand Lusitanian horsemen had come out of the fortress of Saint Emmanuel and approached the wilderness of Shahristan.

This group met up with the Crown Prince of Pars and two hundred horsemen in the south of Shahristan.

For the Lusitanians, hunting was also an important ritual, but this time the hunt had a great importance. First, they were out to hunt deer and bison in order to prepare for battle and store food. They were also to investigate the movement of the approaching Parsian army. They deliberately made a detour in order to avoid facing the army advancing on the road, but they faced them nonetheless.

It was not clear which side was more surprised, the Parsians or the Lusitanians. Both sides were stunned for a short moment. Then, the hostility on both sides boiled over, and the swords were unsheathed. The sun’s rays were cast on the ground, and countless flashes of light filled the sky.

The sound of blades rang out, and from that moment, the beasts were put out of mind, and the hunt between man began in the fields.