It was August, the midsummer season. The scorching summer wind blew through the field, tormenting the army that was advancing on the field.
The soldiers' clothes were soon soaked in sweat, and the armor of the knights and squires were also burning hot. The army had to stop and rest every now and then.
Ryan also stopped. He had psionic energy protecting his body, so he didn't feel the heat.
Looking up at the scorching sun in the sky, the ranger knight Olivier wiped his sweat and said, "My baron, isn't the weather too hot?"
"Not used to fighting in this kind of weather? Olivier? " Laing stretched out his hand, indicating that he did not need the squires to help him. The baron had been leading the horse all the time. He was wearing psionic power armor that weighed dozens of kilograms. In comparison, Hex and Olivier were more troublesome. They needed the help of the squires to get on and off the horse. Even with the help of the squires, it took a lot of effort to put on the armor.
"It's okay. As knights, we have to overcome all kinds of weather. This is not a problem for me." The young knight with a beard and a determined look in his eyes smiled optimistically. "What's the big deal about this?"
Olivier was optimistic and had a drive that did not admit defeat. Laing liked this young man, so he patted the ranger knight's shoulder and said, "Do your best. I look forward to your performance!"
"Of course, my baron." Olivier took out a water bag and gulped it down. There was a river nearby, so the soldiers did not have to worry about water.
The soldiers also stopped to rest. They all went to the nearby river to get water. The scene looked a little chaotic, but Hex immediately ordered them to get water in batches and arranged for people to stand guard.
The quality of the recruits was not high, but they were not as bad as many veterans. Especially when Laing, as a knight of the Holy Grail, stood in front of everyone. The morale of the recruits was very high.
Again, the existence of a knight of the Holy Grail could greatly improve the morale of the serfs and their combat ability.
Laing's army was resting. On the road in the distance, smoke and dust were everywhere. A large number of troops came from afar.
On the high flag, a pure white pegasus was spreading its wings and about to fly.
It was the Duke of Winford's army.
Marquis Connelly Ascot was riding a pure-blooded elven warhorse. He was wearing a full set of plate armor and a beautiful kite helmet. He was holding the reins. Riding beside him was Duke Winford's daughter, Suria Kumani Aintree. This valiant female knight was also wearing a set of enchanted silver plate armor. There were many beautiful patterns on the armor. It was both decorative and practical.
Behind them were dozens of knights, followed by hundreds of squires, sergeants, and rangers. Finally, there was a black mass of infantry.
The Winford Dukedom had sent nearly two thousand soldiers this time.
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Ascot, Miss Suria." Laing stood in front of his horse and greeted them.
"Good afternoon! Sir Laing. " The female knight's eyes lit up when she saw Laing and the family crest of the Holy Grail in his book. She waved at Laing. Marquis Connelly stroked his goatee and said, "Your Excellency Laing, you're early."
"Of course I'm early. It's not good to keep everyone waiting." Laing said sincerely.
The two armies joined forces and headed to Valémi's camp.
Valémi's camp was a few hundred kilometers away from their starting point. They would go around Chalon Forest and go north through Bordro Duchy. Then they would arrive at Valémi's camp in the north of Bastogne Duchy. This camp was at the edge of Arden Forest and was the last line of defense against the Orcs.
The Knight's army would gather here and march to Jursen's Castle in Arden Forest. That was the Brittany's first line of defense in Arden Forest and the largest stronghold in the forest.
Sulia took out a coat of arms from her body. This was the proof that Duke Winford had given her. She would lead this army to Valemi's camp.
Most of Winford's knights knew Leon, and they gave him a warm welcome. Many of them had even gone with Leon to exterminate bandits, so it didn't take Leon too long to take command. The entire army was reorganized, and they marched along the road to Valémi's camp. This process would take about six or seven days.
That night, they camped in a village in Bordro Duchy.
After dinner, the temperature outside gradually dropped. Brittany was located in the middle of the Old World. The climate was comfortable and pleasant. Even in the hottest summer, the temperature was only high during the day and relatively cool at night.
After dinner, Laing and his two knights went for a walk in the wilderness.
Normally, the wilderness was a dangerous place. But for Laing, the wilderness was a place to take a walk.
"Hex?"
"My baron?"
"You've seen Winford's army. What do you think?" Laing looked at the darkening sky and asked Hex, who was good at training.
"They are well-trained and fierce. I can see the burning desire to fight in their eyes. This situation is relatively rare among infantrymen." Hex followed behind Ryan, and said in a deep voice while holding the longsword at his waist.
"Is it because of the baron's appearance?" Olivier was on the other side of Laing. "The appearance of the Grail knights always excites the soldiers."
"Maybe, but it's not just that," Hex retorted. The ranger knight was wearing a black cross helmet, chain mail, and breastplate. He shook his head and said, "The appearance of the baron will indeed make the infantrymen excited, but these infantrymen will not be so fierce … Have you heard of the Vanford Fugitives?"
"The Winford's Fugitives?" Olivier was introduced by Grand Duke Schultz of Marienburg. He didn't know much about this. "Interesting. There are actually fugitives as the name of an infantry regiment."
"The Winford's Fugitives are famous in the south of this country. It all started with a story." Laing finally spoke. He told a story from the past.
More than ten years ago, the Grand Necromancer Heinrich Kaimler and the Grand Duke of Winford had an epic battle. In this fierce battle, François successfully turned the tide of the battle against the undead with the help of the knights' quick maneuvers and group charges. They defeated the undead army and drove them out of the Kingdom of Brittany.
However, something disgraceful happened on the battlefield. Some knights fled in fear of the undead's fierce attack, which led to the collapse of one of the frontlines. A large number of infantry were defeated because of this, which almost led to the failure of the battle.
The serfs broke down and fled in all directions. Many serfs wanted to escape back to their homes, but they were afraid of the Duke's judgment. In the end, most of the serfs decided to go to the Duke's castle and beg for mercy.
They were lucky. François decided to be magnanimous and forgive the serfs' sins. He personally gave the infantry the name "Fugitives," which represented the shame of their desertion. Then, he let them continue to serve.
Because of this, the infantry fought especially hard in order to repay the Duke's mercy. They were not afraid of death and became a very fierce force.
This time, Duke Winford actually sent this unit to protect his daughter's safety.
"Fighting with them should be good for our training." Hex nodded. His face was still dry and expressionless. This knight had a lot to bear.
"It's like this. Our soldiers lack training." Laing and the two knights walked together for a while. The sky gradually darkened. Some monsters appeared in the field. Some water ghosts climbed out of the river, but when they saw the Grail knights strolling around, they quickly dived back into the water.
These monsters bullied the weak and feared the strong even more than humans.
"By the way, Hex, you used to be a knight of the Duke of Le-Angoulan. You must know more about Marquis Angoulan, right?" Laing asked Hex.
"Of course I know." Hex nodded. He breathed in the fresh night air and said to Leon and the others, "Marquis Uncy is a relative of the current Knight King, King Richard. He is 27 years old this year. To be specific, he is the grandson of King Richard's brother. That is to say, Marquis Uncy is the son of King Richard's brother's daughter. With King Richard's support, Marquis Uncy was given the title of marquis."
"What is Marquis Angoulan's title?" Laing asked.
"Marquis Glasgow. His Majesty created a new title for his grandnephew. Ironically, this marquis only has 20 knights and 300 soldiers to protect his territory. He never stays in Glasgow Castle. Instead, he spends all his time in Culona, enjoying a good life." Hex continued, "Marquis Angoulan has participated in many chivalric wars, but this is the first time he has commanded so many troops as a commander."
A relative of the king, so young that he never personally ruled his territory? Laing frowned. He then asked, "Is there any other news about this marquis?"
"Rumor has it that the marquis thinks he's a very good general and commander, not a knight who charges on the battlefield. Rumor has it that he did an excellent job at the Culona Knight Academy's tactical simulation." "Marquis Angoulan likes to participate in all kinds of banquets. In addition, it is said that Marquis Angoulan has always been a loyal admirer of Marchioness Suria, but it is said that he is pursuing many women at the same time."
"Then, is there a conclusion to this matter?" Ryan thought that this was interesting.
"I am not too sure about this. Perhaps you should ask Marchioness Suria." Hex looked up.
Under the dusky sky, two female knights were taking a stroll in the wilderness, surrounded by many wandering knights.
In addition to Marchioness Suria, who had a delicate face and a tall figure, another heroic-looking female knight was standing beside her. She had beautiful purple eyes and was also wearing a full set of knight's armor. She was shorter than Suria, and her blonde hair was tied up high behind her head. A longsword hung at her waist.
Laing recognized her. Her name was Sylvia, Suria's personal maid. She came from a family of knights and was also an excellent female knight. Many young knights were pursuing her, but this female knight had made up her mind to serve Marchioness Suria for the rest of her life.
The two female knights became a beautiful scenery in the wild at night.
The knights-errant tried to strike up a conversation with her, and the Marquess responded to them one by one. However, she did not seem to be in a good mood. She was tired of the knights-errant's old ways of chatting and boasting. She had enough of those overly arrogant knights-errant stories.
"What a coincidence, Marchioness Suria is also out for a walk?" Olivier laughed. "My baron, you see, the marchioness' walk has caused a frenzy of wandering knights. Everyone wants to be her escort."
"But if I go, I'll become the center of attention again. All the wandering knights want to duel with me." Laing rolled his eyes and quickly turned to leave.
It was too late. A young wandering knight had already blocked Laing's way. "Sir Laing Macado, the Knight of the Holy Grail, I, Chretien of Vanford! I challenge you! "
"I don't have time now …" Laing said impatiently.
"No! Sir Laing, you have time! You have time for a walk, but you don't have time to accept my challenge? I think I'm qualified to challenge you! "The wandering knight thought to himself. It was rare to find such a good opportunity. How could he miss it?
There was no shame in losing. It was normal for him to lose to Sir Laing. He was the champion of the ladies' tournament.
And … what if they were evenly matched or won?
"Olivier." Laing calmly called his wandering knight, Olivier, over. "Defeat my knight first, then I'll consider whether to accept your challenge."
"Hum, you're Chretien? I'll be your opponent! "Olivier stood in front of Laing and said to Chretien.
"Okay … Okay." This was not what the young wandering knight wanted, but there was indeed a rule in the knight's virtue. The knights under the Lord could accept the challenge in place of their superiors for the sake of honor.
So, in the crowd's eyes, a duel began. The two men each mounted their horses, raised their wooden spears, and began to fight. This kind of spear would break with a touch. It was a special weapon for duels between knights.
The summer night began to be lively. The knights and serfs each shouted and joined the crowd.
Laing also wanted to see how good his knight was in actual combat. The Knight of the Holy Grail stood in place with his hands crossed in front of his chest. He did not say a word. In the dark night and the torches, his blue eyes stared at the two men on their horses, thinking about a lot of things.
A fragrant wind came from beside him. It was the fresh fragrance of jasmine. When he smelled it, Laing knew who it was. "Miss Suria?"
"Good evening, Sir Laing." The female knight walked to his side and smiled at him in the night wind.
"Good evening, Miss Suria, Miss Sylvia." Laing nodded and shrugged. "Too many people challenged me. I decided to let Olivier accept the challenge on my behalf."
"I've seen Sir Laing's strength with my own eyes. There's really no need to waste time on this kind of thing. They're just eyeing your honor and reputation." Suria smiled gently. "Everyone wants to be the champion of the ladies' tournament."
Laing thought to himself that this duke's daughter really knew about this kind of thing.
Right, right. Laing directly asked, "I heard that the Knight's War General, Marquis Anci, once pursued Miss Suria?"
"Sir Laing, you even know about this kind of thing?" The female knight was a little surprised, but she soon calmed down and nodded slowly. "Yes, Marquis Anci not only pursued me passionately, but also proposed an engagement to my father."
"And the result?"
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