As the sky slowly cleared, Robson Camp began to bustle with activity.
Bo Yang had never felt more like a soldier than he did today.
Bo Yang had been at Sunset Fortress for several months, spending all that time training in one of his relative's units.
That relative's squad of peasants had completely shattered all of Bo Yang's fantasies about military life. In his eyes, this wasn't serving at all—at least, not the kind of service he had imagined.
In the past, his understanding of military life had come almost entirely from minstrels. According to their tales, this was supposed to be a battlefield of iron and blood, a cradle for heroes.
But reality had taught him that for the noble lords, military service was little more than bringing their servants along to enjoy life in a new location...
It wasn't until he arrived at Robson's camp today that his fantasies were, to some extent, finally fulfilled.
If nothing else, the sight this morning of row after row of men marching out of their tents in perfect unison and assembling in the center of the training ground as soon as the time came had left him somewhat shaken.
Robson had no idea what was on Bo Yang's mind, not that he would care if he knew.
After all, when looking at all his peers, the sad truth was that his army was indeed among the most elite.
Right now, Robson was intently focused on instructing Bo Yang in the Knight Eight Skills.
The system panel was constantly flashing with +1, +1...
Even Bo Yang himself could feel that his rate of progress was far faster than ever before.
Just as the two were training with great intensity, the neighing of several horses shattered the solemn atmosphere of the practice session.
A line of carriages drove into the camp, directed by a knight on a tall steed.
The knight seemed exceptionally familiar with Robson's camp.
"Hey! Robson!" Knight Ed finished directing the carriages, swung himself off his horse, and walked over to Robson's side.
"Your soldiers and supplies have arrived. My father also had me bring some cavalry to follow you," Knight Ed said.
Robson glanced at Knight Ed, his eyes showing a hint of disdain.
"Huh? What's with that look? I, Ed, am a renowned knight in the kingdom." Ed noticed and was quite displeased.
'He's famous, all right. I just wonder what kind of fame it is...' Robson grumbled inwardly.
"Of course, I certainly welcome a warrior from the Deriman Family," Robson said with a smile.
"Does that mean you're under my command now?" Robson said.
'Why would the Count send Ed here?' Robson couldn't figure it out. 'To covet my army? No, the Earl Clan wouldn't stoop to that.'
'Could it be that the Count actually thinks Ed can learn something from me?'
As he thought about this, Robson's feelings grew complicated.
"Soldier Ed, reporting for duty?" Ed said with a grin.
"In that case, welcome, Ed," Robson said.
After saying that, Robson quickly opened his Mount & Blade panel and, sure enough, he saw Ed's profile there.
"[Ed Deriman (2nd Rank Bronze Knight): Talent: Low-Tier Knight
Skills: No skills detected for this hero]"
'Yep, that fits my stereotype of Ed perfectly.'
It was quite strange. As far as Robson knew, Ed's father was a Golden Knight and his mother was a Magic Master, which was also equivalent to the Gold rank.
Two parents, one strong in magic and the other in martial arts, ended up producing a useless son with a low-tier knight talent...
Although bloodline inheritance wasn't a major factor in this world—most relied on family resources—a case like Knight Ed, where two Gold-rank parents produced a son who couldn't even reach Silver, was rare.
"And these are?" Robson asked, looking at the nearly one hundred knights following behind Ed.
"My father said he trusts you, so he had me hand these new cavalrymen over to you for training. What do you think? Bet you've never trained cavalry in your life, have you?" Ed nudged Robson with his elbow and grinned smugly.
Robson, however, gave the cavalry a complicated look, then turned his gaze back to Ed...
"Oh, right. Father also told me to give you a bow." Saying this, Ed pulled out a green longbow from behind his back and handed it to Robson.
Robson took the longbow. Its carvings were exquisite and beautiful, and it emanated a faint magical aura.
It was actually a Silver Magic Weapon? In a world with magic, there were naturally corresponding magic weapons, and they were a rarity.
To forge a magic weapon, one first needed a blacksmith who could wield magic, which eliminated the vast majority of people. Perhaps only the Dwarves of the Ashen Kingdom and the Southern Elves had blacksmiths capable of creating magic weapons on a large scale.
Of course, "large scale" was a relative term.
"I heard this bow was used by a Southern Elf tribal Elder before his death," Ed continued to explain.
Robson stroked the bow, but his heart felt heavy.
He could understand why Count Offman would send him a bow, but what was the meaning of sending cavalry?
'You can't make use of cavalry inside a fortress... '
'It seems Count Offman isn't optimistic about Sunset Fortress's future either.'
Robson fell silent, understanding Count Offman's intentions.
As one of the two legion commanders of Sunset Fortress, Count Offman would have to live or die with the fortress. The Frank Kingdom's military law was extremely strict regarding desertion; at the previous battle for Vanguard Fortress, a Count and a Viscount had both died in service to the nation.
Those cavalrymen were probably meant to be Robson's lifeline.
Everyone has their own selfish motives. The only thing that puzzled Robson was why Count Offman had chosen him.
Robson couldn't figure out the reason, but he gladly accepted Count Offman's gifts. After all, Lord Robson himself had no intention of defending Sunset Fortress to the death.
Thirty years ago, the Beastmen had fought their way all the way to the Royal Capital. This Sunset Fortress was most likely indefensible. Robson had only been transmigrated for a few months; he had no desire to be a sacrificial offering for the kingdom.
All that remained were some simple ceremonies: promoting Robson to Knight, announcing his fiefdom, and so on...
From this day forward, he, Robson, could be considered a true noble lord.
"Have all this equipment moved to the rear. From now on, the soldiers will have three meals a day, with meat for lunch," Robson ordered his adjutant, Ais.
"Yes, sir," Ais trotted over and began directing the carriages.
In Sunset Fortress, every camp had its own kitchen. This was mainly because during the undead plague of the past, an Undead Wizard had poisoned the food, turning an entire fortress into a living hell.
Ever since then, the armies on the continent had more or less improved their methods of food handling.
After giving these orders, Robson opened his cavalry panel to inspect his newest troops.
"[Host: Robson Odogin (5th Rank Silver Knight 222/1000 (Knight))]"
"[Heroes: Bo Yang Gaojiasuo (2nd Rank Bronze Knight)
Ed Deriman (2nd Rank Bronze Knight)]"
"[Skills: Perfect Knight Eight Skills (1000/1000)
Skilled: Burning Blood (0/100)
Beginner. Deriman's Improved Knight Eight Skills (0/1000)
Beginner. Deriman's Inherited Bow Skill (0/1000)]"
"[Soldiers: Tier Three: 61 Frank Infantry (910/1000)
Tier Four: 160 Frank Skilled Infantry (140/2000)
Tier Four: 179 Frank Skilled Shooter (130/2000)
Tier One: 500 Frankish Peasants (0/100)
Tier Two: 110 Frank Knight Recruits (0/500)]"
"[Morale: 50/100]"
"[Unit Cap: 2000]"
'Good grief, they're all just a bunch of random grunts...'
Robson was speechless for a moment. He couldn't tell if he had perhaps performed a little too well, leading Count Offman to have an excessive amount of faith in his abilities.