Episode 87
“Ha!”
Doo doo doo doo.
Faba Park.
I ran my horse as hard as I could and picked up the crossbow, but the bolts fired in succession missed the target and ended up stuck in the ground.
“Ah…”
A regretful sigh flowed from the mouth of Northern, a new recruit who had only been training as a soldier for a year.
However, his situation was at least better than that of his peers around him.
Pabababak.
The Bolts are stuck in the wrong place, so much so that it’s embarrassing to even say it’s disappointing.
Some guys even couldn’t even let go of the reins properly because their butts were still sore from shaking on the saddle.
In fact, it was normal.
With only one year of training, it was difficult to shoot a bow while riding a horse and hit the target accurately, even if it was a crossbow rather than a longbow.
However, Northern’s eyes were focused on some classmates who could easily pull off such ridiculous tasks rather than on the ‘normal’ classmates.
“run!”
“Shoot!”
Nine times out of ten, not only shooting from the front, but even arrows fired backwards while letting go of the reins hit the target.
‘Knight Apprentice.’
These people are recognized for their talent and are excluded from security duties and only receive training.
However, I knew that most of the training they received was physical strength and sword and spear skills training.
He was confident that the other soldiers, inspired by the overwhelming victory in the previous battle, had at least spent as much time on crossbow training as they did.
But despite this, there were about 300 people who showed excellent results.
Even during the battle with Sylvan, more than half of them couldn’t do that.
I could only explain it as a clear difference in talent.
‘Guys like that will become knights.’
Including the instructors from the mercenary corps who were originally with the Archduke, about half of the existing senior soldiers, and their knight trainees, there are now over 900 crossbow horsemen.
Excluding the Knights, they were the strongest force in McLane’s army at the moment.
There was no one in McLane who did not know the story that the Archduke saved his family in crisis with only 300 crossbow cavalry.
Therefore, being recognized as a crossbow cavalryman in McLane was virtually the same as being recognized as one of the most elite.
Moreover, it wasn’t just about fame.
After previous battles, the pay of crossbowmen was officially set at more than twice that of regular soldiers.
so that.
‘I tried so hard…’
Northern lowered his head, unable to overcome the overwhelming frustration.
Over the past year, I have fully realized that I have no talent as a knight.
Even if a monster like Victor, who became a knight in an instant, was excluded, he could see in his eyes that the skills of those who were already classified as knight trainees were improving day by day.
So I lowered my goal to join the crossbow cavalry, but even that failed.
I felt so pathetic.
If he fails again this time, it will be even more difficult in the next selection, when even Sylvan soldiers can apply.
I heard that many of the soldiers there were cavalrymen.
‘I have to feed my family.’
It had already been three months since my father had been sick.
My mother, who had a fifth younger brother in her womb, was having a hard time going out to work in the fields as the end of the month was approaching.
I gritted my teeth, but tears flowed helplessly.
“It’s embarrassing…”
As he was hurriedly wiping away his tears, a loud voice suddenly sounded and caught his attention.
“Stop! You, you, you! Also, select all the soldiers with similar performance to those three and make up to 1,000 people. Let them focus on horseback riding and crossbow training, excluding spear and sword skills for a while!”
The fingertips of the Grand Duke, who had been observing from afar, were directed to several places.
If I wasn’t mistaken, I definitely took this picture one of them.
“Me?”
“Yes. I think so.”
The instructor next to him sighed and patted his butt.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Northern cheered.
“Is this war again?…”
The already worn-out mercenary-turned-instructor stiffened as he smelled the thick scent of blood again from the Archduke’s instructions.
* * *
“What about the knights from Sylvan?”
“I have completely integrated into the knighthood. I have seen senior knights receive mithril swords, and they are even taught the iron blood sword. Their morale is also high.”
“I see. Are there any other problems?”
“There are no problems and good things happen.”
A faint smile appeared on the lips of Knight Commander Heinkel, who was reporting to Logan.
“Good things?”
“Thanks to Princess Eileen’s participation in training, other knights are being stimulated.”
“okay?”
“Well, it’s just that I can’t lose to a woman yet.”
Logan chuckled at the unexpected positive effect.
“That’s good. Then, the number of knights is about…”
“There are 152 people in total, including me.”
“Good.”
Logan turned his head in the other direction, leaving Heinkel’s confident expression behind.
“One thousand crossbow cavalry and one hundred and fifty knights. How much will it cost to maintain horses and weapons?”
“Even two multiples of that aren’t enough yet.”
Dwayne, who was listening next to him, was also full of confidence like Heinkel.
However, Logan’s reaction was a little different from before.
“It’s only twice as much…”
“Only?! There are close to 3,000 horses in the estate right now. Moreover, more are coming in all the time, so the amount of money it costs just to manage the ranch…” “
Oh, that’s nonsense. “There will be more money in the future anyway.”
“…You’re acting anxious again. Why on earth are you doing this? Are you really preparing for war?!”
“So what do you think I’m doing now?”
“….”
Logan’s overly proud attitude left Dwayne speechless for a moment, but fortunately, there was someone who could express his feelings.
“It was Confucius who said that we must increase our strength in order to defeat Bipros! It is still far from enough. Even if we hit Ferretta, Bipros will not stay still…!”
“know.”
“…If you know that, what are you talking about now?”
“But there are times when you have to do something even if you know it’s lacking. Those times…”
The pale-faced young archduke uttered words as if admonishing him.
“For us, it’s now.”
However, the two retainers were unable to ask any further questions to Logan, who had a strangely serious face.
Is it because the atmosphere suddenly became too heavy?
Logan looked back at them and raised the corner of his mouth.
“But don’t worry too much. I have a plan. Don’t you trust me?”
At that confident remark, the two retainers could only nod helplessly.
‘If there was no war, there would be nothing to worry about in the first place.’
Because I could never express my true feelings out loud.
“Now then, let’s check the other side as well.”
Logan moved passionately, perhaps knowing their complicated feelings.
All right. All right.
The sound of horse hooves cheerfully ringing across the fields.
Several horsemen riding with lances in hand.
Although it was not a knight, its force was quite fierce.
Soon, the ends of the blunt lances lined up were swung at the soldiers holding shields as big as their own bodies.
Wow!
“Big!”
“Oops!”
As many of the shield soldiers were unable to withstand the impact and fell to the ground, Kai, who was watching them next to Logan, screamed loudly.
“Don’t come to your senses! Even on the battlefield, you’ll be lying down waiting to be killed!”
Kai’s shouting, which brought him to his senses, continued.
“What are you going to do if you hit the lance head-on? I told you to hit the target just before you hit it!!”
If it were as easy as it sounds, anyone would be a master of shield art.
Moreover, it was difficult for even Logan to imagine that such a maneuver would be possible while holding a shield that large.
“Wouldn’t the shield be a bit heavy?”
“When I was young, I used a shield that was twice as heavy as that to slash a knight’s lance. That’s why I got the nickname the knight-killing mercenary. Compared to that, that’s it. Tsk. Henry! You can’t get up quickly!”
…No, I thought it might be possible with this monster.
“If I keep training, I think the kids’ joints will go out.”
“It’s just a sprain, and it gets better with acupuncture.”
Where does that monster live?
As Logan was staring at Kai in bewilderment, he saw the soldiers who had fallen get up really quickly and take their stance again.
‘I’m not a force user, so the shock shouldn’t be a joke, right?’
Kai grinned at Logan’s surprised expression.
“They are so dull that they can’t even fire a crossbow properly, but I only chose the ones who are strong enough. I am training them with a mixture of potions and herbs without any aftereffects. Once completed, as you said, they will be able to block at least one knight’s charge. .”
I wondered if it could be explained by something like a ganja or an herb, but Logan didn’t bother to argue.
“If you can do that, it’s enough. What about training other soldiers?”
“We doubled the horseback training time for crossbow horsemen and the shooting training time for regular soldiers. We also ordered knight trainees to increase their training as crossbow horsemen for now. Do you see?”
“of course.”
Doo doo doo doo.
An image of horsemen galloping as a group.
About a hundred horsemen lined up and rode in a straight line, raising their crossbows in unison.
and.
“Shoot!”
Pabababak.
As soon as the command is given, the bolts fly straight into the iron tree 400 meters away.
There were not a few missed attacks.
In a field a little away from the crossbow cavalry training ground, fully armed soldiers holding crossbows were running eagerly between awkwardly created obstacles.
The moment the instructor gave the command, dozens of soldiers who were running around a certain course turned in an instant and fired their crossbows without hesitation.
Faba Park.
The ratio of arrows hitting the target made of large straw dolls was very impressive.
Soldiers who were not included in either training center were practicing holding a strong string similar to that of a crossbow and constantly pulling back.
Training and waiting rest. And strength training.
Each branch was divided into four groups and trained thoroughly.
Currently, all troops in McLane’s territory, except for the senior soldiers who were responsible for maintaining security in the three castles and towns, were undergoing this type of training.
After the battle with Sylvan, the training that had been implemented before Logan went up to the capital was now fully established.
Logan patted Kai’s shoulder and walked out of the training ground.
This time it was my turn to meet my father.
* * *
“New training?”
“yes.”
“…You know that our knights are currently undergoing very difficult training compared to other knights, right?”
“of course.”
“But you’re going to add more training?”
“If you listen, you will understand.”
Logan told Padric the plan he had prepared and the conversation was short.
“Wow. It might be useful.”
With that one word, another training course for the McLane Knights, which was already hellish, was added.
“evil!”
Slope is perpendicular. Height 20m.
A knight who was climbing between rock walls and jumping up a cliff was hit on the helmet with a wooden sword just before he reached the top of the cliff.
The moment when a knight wearing heavy armor loses consciousness and falls from a height of 20 meters.
Padric, a top-class knight who was observing the training below, easily caught the falling knight.
Wow.
“Tsk. Keron is defeated. He is excluded.”
“Keueuung. Female excluded.”
Although he was clearly shocked, the driver staggered back.
He then approached and sat down with his colleagues, who were sitting down in a dazed state, with a similar expression on their faces.
It was a truly near-death experience, something not easy to do even as a knight.
So it was not unreasonable to be mesmerized.
“Ahh!”
“Oops again!”
With another scream, this time Heinkel accepted a knight with a slightly more difficult expression than his master.
The knight also lay on the ground with a dazed expression, as if his entire body had lost all strength.
“Who did this crazy training…”
“Shh. Who would it be, the Archduke?”
“Grand Duke, this dog….”
Wiggles.
It wasn’t a very pleasant experience to be able to hear even the slightest whisper.
However, my father, who clapped his hands as soon as he first heard of this training plan, clearly looked satisfied.
“It’s solid siege training. Plus, it’s training on the defensive side. Other than it being a little dangerous, everything is good!”
little? A little?
At that ridiculously lively sentiment, all the knights waiting for an instant stared at the back of their master’s head with murderous eyes.
Of course, as soon as the person in question turned around, he lowered his eyes.
“Everyone, don’t pay attention! Start again from the front row! If you fail, your monthly salary will be deducted by 10 gold. If you succeed, you will get a raise. Hanson, if you keep doing this, there will be no monthly salary this month!”
Even the knights who had been disappointed by the news of a pay cut looked up at the cliff again.
But when I looked up again, the cliff was still terrible.
Most of them were rank knights, and even those swinging wooden swords on the cliff were commander-level, or intermediate-level knights.
‘How on earth can I succeed at this?’
In a situation where I had no choice but to grind my teeth, I was only sighing in frustration.
“Uh huh?!”
“Quite…”
“Huh…?”
Among the knights, a knight with an unusually small body was seen climbing up the cliff as if flying, quickly approaching the top of the cliff.
“It’s fast, but….”
“Well, it probably won’t work.”
Most of the knights watching that scene still thought it would fail.
No matter how you think about it, this was a fight where the ascendant was at a huge disadvantage.
It was a training that could only be possible if the person going up had at least one move or had a lot of them.
And since that challenger was clearly not an intermediate knight yet, the result was as obvious as hell.
However, regardless of whether it was successful or not, there were some who were happy to see the challenger itself.
“…It’s definitely pretty good.”
“Oh, are you admitting it now?”
“He has that kind of tenacity, a great sense of swordsmanship, and he’s young. How could I not admit it? The possibilities are endless.”
“Thank goodness.”
Logan smiled sincerely at his father’s words.
If my father acknowledged it, it was no different from saying that most of the knights of the McLane Knights also recognized Eilen.
It progressed much faster than I expected.
That’s why he was able to laugh and appreciate Eilen’s challenge.
Until just before the results come out.
“Kyaak kyaak!”
The moment he approached the knight trying to climb up the cliff, a spit flew out of his helmet.
Kelly, an intermediate knight with a distorted expression, lowered his head instead of swinging his sword.
And in that gap, Eilen, a small human spirit hanging on the cliff, swung an iron sword aiming for Kelly’s crotch.
Paaaaang!
The moment it is hit, it is a terrifying sound that is not only at the level of cutting off descendants, but also threatening to end one’s life.
The moment when Kelly, feeling scared, takes a step back.
Eilen quickly took over the spot and then raised his sword and aimed it at him.
“Ahh! Success!”
Although she was cheering, most of those watching just opened their mouths in shock.
“…Didn’t you say you were the count’s princess?”
“Yes… maybe…”
It was a ridiculous method, but success was success.
The problem was that the knights who challenged him later also began to follow Eilen’s methods.
Eventually, the training started to become literally ‘dirty’ and intense.
The training planner who was watching the scene had no choice but to hold his head.
Eilen went beyond simply adapting nicely to the Knights, and was corrupting them.
