While the duck was delivering the secret message in the air, Roddy, who was dressed in a plain gray robe, was sitting in front of the campfire in the camp, listening to the bragging of the heroes around him.
"His sword was heavy, and when I blocked it for the second time, my wrist was numb from the impact. But this guy had no other advantages other than his strength. Heh, he lost his balance on the spot, and I split his head open with my axe! "
"Woah …"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk …"
Gasps could be heard, and the burly man who told his story was full of pride.
After following Milnor's troops for two days, the "Sacred Army" that Roddy was part of had just reached the edge of Bergen's territory. According to the route that the "Viper Cross" had planned, they would take a detour to the north, then attack from the northeast corner of Eiffta.
This was the attack route that Milnor had announced to his troops. He said that this was the only way to collect enough food and catch the defenders of Eiffta off guard. Of course, Roddy scoffed at this. This was because on the second day that he joined the team as a "fallen noble", he had eavesdropped on the conversations of a few core members at night and determined that the real target of the "Viper's Kiss" was actually the "Holy Cathedral"'s "Viper's Kiss" scepter!
The "Viper Cross"'s tactics were relatively hidden. It had never mentioned any target to the public, and even said that it was to attack Eiffta and be loyal to the Cullen Royal Family when it was recruiting the "Holy Cathedral".
But in reality, the "Viper Cross"'s operation was led by three powerful elders. Each of them was in charge of a troop, and each troop was controlled and managed by three to five bishops. There were about two thousand soldiers who were under the banner of the "Viper Cross", and they were considered to be the "Loyal Church Armed Forces" on the surface. At the same time, Roddy also learned from their conversation that there was an elite force hidden in the dark … but he did not know how many people there were in this so-called "elite force".
The remaining seven thousand people were the "Sacred Army" that Roddy was currently in. This army was made up entirely of hired knights and squires, and there were all sorts of people mixed among them. Although they were knights recruited by the "Viper Cross", Roddy realized that when these bishops announced to the outside world, they all referred to the "Holy Army" as "the warriors who fought for His Majesty Charles II".
The purpose of this publicity was simple, it was to cover up the fact that "Viper Cross" was the main force of this team. This method sounded very childish, but in reality, it was very effective in this era where communication was not developed. Why would the knights who were recruited care about what the bishops said? They didn't care who they were loyal to, they were only loyal to the commission.
During the two days of travel, no one came to preach or preach, so no one in the team thought that they were fighting for the Viper Cross. From their conversations, everyone believed that their destination was Efta, and no other possibility had crossed their minds.
"Hey, you're called … Raphael, right? Come up and try it out! Judging by your appearance, I don't think you've been on the battlefield before. Don't pee your pants when we really fight! "
There was a lack of entertainment in this era, so a group of hot-blooded mercenaries naturally had to compete with each other. Roddy had been keeping a low profile like a passerby for the past few days, but he really could not avoid interacting with anyone. So now that he was dragged out by a few people in the camp to compete, it was something that he could not avoid.
"Knight Zach, I can't compete with you in terms of skills, but I can still spar with Parv and the others."
Roddy used an alias, and waved his hand fearfully. Such flattery naturally made the burly man called Zach proud, but he did not plan to let Roddy go. He grabbed his arm and pulled him up: "Come, let's spar. Three moves, don't overdo it."
"I … Okay."
Timidly and hesitantly agreeing, Roddy took out a short sword that he had stolen from someone else, and clumsily got into a fighting stance.
No one here used a wooden sword, because it would be laughed at as a "child's toy". After Roddy pretended to use too much strength, he realized that Zach was indeed skilled. He easily blocked two strong attacks, and Roddy could not even counterattack before he was slapped away by the long sword in his hand.
"No more fighting, no more fighting. Knight Zach, you're like a mountain, I can't even dodge …"
Roddy waved his hand and begged for mercy, showing a weak expression.
"Hahaha, you're too weak. If you go on the battlefield, it's better for you to stay at the back and pick up some scraps."
"I think so too. If we really go on the battlefield, we probably won't be able to hit anyone …"
A burst of laughter came from the campfire. Roddy's performance was almost at the bottom of their camp. And because of Zach's tall stature and strength, he seemed to be the leader of the group. Similar situations happened in every camp. Wherever there were people, there was a hierarchy, and in the entire "Holy Army", Roddy was obviously regarded as a marginal figure with no combat value.
Or rather … cannon fodder.
After the duel, Roddy was a little embarrassed. When he returned to the campfire and sat down, a few of the knights beside him saw that he was so weak and spoke with contempt. Roddy still greeted them with a smile, looking like a yes-man. But while they were chatting, there were sounds of crying and movement coming from afar. Roddy raised his eyebrows and pretended to not understand. He grabbed the hilt of his sword tightly and said nervously, "What's going on? Is it an enemy attack? "
"Enemy attack? Hahaha … "
The knights around him laughed. Zach gulped down a mouthful of ale and mocked, "Look at you, you're probably not even 20 years old. It's normal that you don't understand. Hey, you haven't slept with a woman yet, right? If you really want to experience it, let's go to the village tomorrow and get a few to try? "
How could Roddy not know what that sound was … On the surface, Milnor's troops and the "Viper Cross" had strict military discipline, but the "Holy Army" did not have any organization to speak of. There were many people who killed, burned, and looted in order to make a living.
The sounds from afar were the struggling sounds of the women in the village being bullied by the knights. No one followed the rules of the knights here, and there was no one above to suppress them. Naturally, the people below were happy to "enjoy." This kind of situation did not only appear in the miscellaneous armies. In fact, most armies would have similar situations after they went out to battle. No matter who the leader was, they would basically turn a blind eye to it.
Even in the so-called "civilized era" that Roddy lived in, there were also records of armies wreaking havoc everywhere, not to mention the dark and primitive Kingdom of Karen.
Knight Zach was very talkative. From the topic at hand, he quickly talked about the women he had slept with. His dirty jokes naturally attracted a group of audience. Roddy's heart was cold, but he showed a hungry and curious look on his face. He swallowed his saliva from time to time, which made everyone laugh at his behavior …
He was completely a novice who had not even been to the battlefield. In terms of combat power, perhaps a few strong squires were stronger than him.
Obviously, no one would think that this young man in front of them would have any connection with Efta.
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