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193. Engagement – Mentor

When the army that departed from Abrival Castle arrived at the battlefield, spring had arrived, wiping out the wintry scent. Leo looked around the newly constructed camp with a sense of unfamiliarity.

The soldiers smell young. Their armor is clean, and the weapons they carry have yet to see blood. They fussed over the injured who were brought in.

This is the scene of a wartime barracks at the beginning of the war.

Both sides’ generals are merely engaging in light skirmishes before intensive combat, yet the soldiers acted as if they were thrown into a chaotic melee. Some waited impatiently for their turn with arrogance, while others were nervously fidgeting in fear.

It’s amusing to see their swirling emotions. Before two months pass, they’ll either be corpses or become numb to blood and death. They’ll turn into the cold, rigid chess pieces favored by the generals.

It was a sight made possible by arriving at the battlefield a week early.

So far, Leo had always arrived a month after the war had begun, but preparations for departure from Abrival Castle allowed for this early arrival.

Not joining the troops departing from the capital played a significant role as well.

It felt awkward to wait, so they just made their way to the battlefield on their own. I was curious to see how the know-it-all Hundred-man Commander would react to me, now that I’ve become a knight, but I missed out on that little joy.

At that moment, a knight who had been touring the camp with Leo called for the Thousand-man Commander. A sturdy soldier saluted with precise movements.

Typically, someone in the position of a Thousand-man Commander would be treated similarly to a knight, but this soldier was actually a Hundred-man Commander.

The position of Thousand-man Commander had been temporarily bestowed upon him to lead soldiers during the march, hence the knight treated him with deference.

“We are going to report to the Commander-in-Chief. You should wait a moment and then find the quartermaster. He’ll give you instructions.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Five knights, including Leo, headed towards the Commander-in-Chief’s tent. Leo waved to the squires gathered in the distance, signaling that he would return.

Lena responded with a salute.

Eventually, they found themselves in front of the Commander-in-Chief’s quarters. Upon entering the tent supported by four tall pillars, the Senior Knight greeted,

“It’s been a while, Count.”

and presented his report.

“I’ve brought soldiers from Abrival Castle. Three hundred warriors of the Ainar Tribe, nine hundred core soldiers, eighteen squires, and five knights. There are no sorcerers or priests. The Cross Church has… Yes, it seems we are not the only ones. As for the soldiers, most of the warriors are axe-wielders. Their equipment isn’t bad, and there are a fair number of warriors—113 in total—who claim to be skilled at archery. We haven’t tested if they can be recruited as archers. The gender ratio is about 80:20, as there are many women among the warriors of the Ainar tribe, which skews that statistic. We brought ninety horses, eight of which are suitable for combat, and seventeen are swift. They would be good for distributing to the messengers. We have brought a total of thirty-six units of supplies, with twenty-seven of those being food. One ton of sugar and salt each, thirty-two tons of radimu, twenty tons of potatoes, and jerky…”

The Senior Knight continued his report. The Commander-in-Chief interjected questions like, “What types of medical supplies do we have?” and “What is the training level of the soldiers?” before finally smiling contentedly.

“Good. It’s a pity we couldn’t bring more alcohol, but thank you for bringing so many weapons and tobacco. It must have been a tight schedule, and you did well.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, why are there only five knights? Did one desert?”

Hahaha! At the Commander-in-Chief’s joke, everyone in the tent gave a customary chuckle.

“No, no. One more has joined us. Here, Leo Dexter. He was appointed a temporary knight from Abrival Castle, and as you know, he’s the son of the famous Noel Dexter.”

“Noel Dexter?”

He looked puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, he exclaimed, “Ah! Noel!” which clearly indicated he had not been in Barnau during the civil war. Noel Dexter was a celebrity only in the capital.

The Commander-in-Chief greeted warmly.

Despite his lack of interest, it seemed that the achievement of meeting the “Royal Blood,” Prince Anolf de Klaus was triggering positive responses, as he was quick to praise Leo for his youth.

The Senior Knight also lauded how Leo had helped bring in a good amount of supplies.

After a round of pleasantries, the Senior Knight asked,

“How should we distribute the soldiers we brought? The ones from Abrival Castle can be deployed immediately. However, the warriors have not yet been organized.”

“It’s fine not to organize them just yet. As it happens, we were just drafting the warriors separately; this works out well. Quartermaster, incorporate the soldiers from Abrival Castle and the squires into the main army. Let the warriors be sent to the nearby hills for hunting. It would be good if they could also collect some herbs.”

The Commander-in-Chief said lazily as he leaned back in his chair.

“We’ve only just begun; we need to feed them well first. Even the most cowardly soldier will feel like fighting when they’re full.”

He was an experienced general. Having served as a general during the Nine-Day War over a decade ago, he knew how to avoid pushing soldiers into dire circumstances.

It is fundamental for a general. Instead of relying on the names of kings and kingdoms to boost soldier morale, a general should be able to draw out voluntary motivation.

In any case, the Senior Knight who had come to report had no further business with the Commander-in-Chief. Since the transfer of the soldiers was complete, he saluted and said he would now go find the Knight Commander.

At that moment, Leo interjected.

“Excuse me, Commander-in-Chief, but I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“May I exclude my squire from the organization?”

The Commander-in-Chief looked confused as if he didn’t understand the request. So Leo added an explanation.

“I would like to bring my squire with me.”

“What do you mean? Bring him? Where?”

After saying this much, the Commander-in-Chief seemed to finally comprehend, furrowing his brow.

“Well, it’s not something I’m involved in. You handle it as you wish. But you’ll need to get the Knight Commander’s permission.”

“Thank you.”

Leo bowed and exited. However, the expressions of the knights who came out with him were strange. They seemed to want to say something to Leo but hesitated.

“Arrogant.” ─ Perhaps this was what they wanted to say?

The request Leo had just made was not just arrogant; it was outright audacious.

In a knights’ order, knights are assigned a mentor. This means they are to learn the basics through senior knights, and also that the mentor and squire form the fundamental unit sent into battle.

Yet how could a mere temporary knight try to break that convention? Normally, that would be out of the question.

However, contrary to the Commander-in-Chief’s frown, the knights were aware of Leo’s abilities. Despite his young age, his swordsmanship was unfathomable. As a fellow man, it stung their pride, and he was overflowing with vigor.

[ Achievement: Monster Hunt – ‘3’, a small amount of mana now resides in your body. ]

[ Achievement: Expert – Leo’s physique strengthens. ]

Adding to that, he bore the talent to imbue his body with mana…

Leo’s body exuded more power than what those muscles should produce, and the knights could not admonish him for his arrogance. Realizing the stark gap between them, they clenched their teeth.

Well, it’s just as well. I had no intention to be the mentor of such a monster, and he can just rise through the ranks.

It’s a blow to their pride, but it’s not just a matter of a day or two. Though they were royal knights who wouldn’t easily get outmatched in swordsmanship, those affiliated with the knight order are individuals who gathered from all around the kingdom, leading to inevitable disparities in their skills.

The hierarchy could be discerned merely by looking at which knight belonged to which knight order.

Excluding the Aisel Kingdom, known as the Magic Kingdom, all other kingdoms have organized three knight orders. They are labeled as the First, Second, and Third Knight Orders, with differentiation made; knights from the First Knight Order tended to be superior.

This was because those who performed well in the admission tests were sent to the First Knight Order. For example, a record young knight like Noel Dexter would almost certainly be placed in the First Knight Order.

Thus, individuals who achieved rapidly would first be selected from the First and Second Knight Orders, leading to the truth that knights in the Third Knight Order were somewhat lacking in skill.

However, that is the general understanding. There have always been exceptions.

A prime example would be…

Baron Arpen Albasete, the Swordmaster famed in the Austin Kingdom, was from the Third Knight Order.

He became a knight after placing well in the Maunin-Letii Tournament, yet he was of barbaric origin and had not taken the admission test, which is why he ended up in the Third Knight Order.

At first glance, one might assume a remarkable individual was wrongfully placed, but at that time, his skill was not all that great. He was merely a warrior who stubbornly wielded an axe, nothing more, nothing less.

Nevertheless, he underwent astonishing growth. While it is rather typical for knights to not switch orders, he jumped from the Third Knight Order to the Second, and shortly before the civil war broke out, he even claimed the position of Knight Commander, breaking the norm that nobles scarcely attain that rank.

By the end of the civil war, he had become a Swordmaster. He became the first barbarian to rise to the rank of nobility.

Of course, Baron Albasete’s case is quite an extreme example. However, many knights have started from the Third Knight Order and reached remarkable heights.

Now, the Third Knight Commander of the Austin Kingdom, Jensen Bailei, who Leo and the four knights visited, was among them.

The knight, a middle-aged man whose uniform was pristine from being well-fed, scrutinized Leo closely.

“Son of Noel Dexter?”

Following the report from the Senior Knight came the introduction of the temporary knight Leo. Jensen stood up and extended his hand for a shake.

“I’ve seen you a few times when you were young; has so much time really passed? It’s good to see you. You resemble your mother more. How is your mother doing? Your father hasn’t mentioned me?”

His face was marked with many scars. Although he had received long-term treatment, his skin hadn’t been mangled, but the color was different.

His oval face hardly registered at all in view of all the different colors blotching it, and the most severe scar stretched from the right cheekbone all the way down the bridge of his nose—a wide mark that made it a wonder he was alive.

Never did Leo expect to meet someone from his past. Stunned, he hesitated to respond.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” He could have answered easily.

But since he didn’t really know the nature of the relationship with his father, and after having gotten blindsided by people too many times, fear gripped him—‘What if I say something here and make a big mistake?’

In situations like this, avoiding answering is usually the best course of action.

Leo lowered his head in silence, and Jensen gently shook the hand he held. Perhaps interpreting his silence differently, he muttered, “Ah, so you’re still angry with me.”

With no words to add, Leo changed the subject. He asked whether he could operate independently without a mentor, bringing along his squire.

“Why?”

“My squire is my fiancée.”

Leo simply said this and shut his mouth. He had a lot he wanted to explain, but he left it to their imagination.

In return, the previously friendly gaze of the Commander-in-Chief turned icy.

“I see. Well, if that’s what you want, I suppose I must honor that.”

He seemed to be quite displeased, as Jensen sneered. His facial scars twisted as he collected his thoughts and spoke in a reproachful manner.

“However! I must say it’s rather arrogant. This is a battlefield, not a place for playing tag with your fiancée. Will you still be stubborn?”

“Yes.”

“…Then you’ll have to prove it with your skill.”

Creak.

Jensen Bailei drew his sword. He took out a rectangular two-handed sword and declared,

“Let’s see just how formidable a swordsman you’ve become. Don’t take it personally; I’m doing this for your own good…!”

– Vwoom!

Jensen’s sword descended, releasing a unique slicing force. Moments later, Leo became the one to mentor.