If Henry were to doubt Philip's abilities because the soldiers were afraid to fight, it would be a completely undeserved blow.
"It's alright, Philip, don't be nervous. Soldiers, you don't need to be nervous either. Half-Beastmen just look different from us. They die when they are killed."
"Look at the land beneath our feet! It was once the farmland of sheepmen and the pastures of Centaurs, but now, it belongs to us!"
Hearing Henry's words, the soldiers' taut nerves gradually relaxed.
Philip looked at Henry gratefully. 'The lord really isn't one of those corrupt nobles who can't judge a person's worth.'
'I'm so grateful!'
Henry stood in the center of the crowd and announced, "On the battlefield, killing a Half-Beastman of any race will earn you a reward of at least one Dinar! Capturing one is worth two Dinars, and there's no upper limit!"
[Morale boosted, commanding soldiers, experience +55]
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone grew excited. 'At least one Dinar? My God, aren't I going to get rich?'
As for whether they could survive on the battlefield, they put that thought aside for now. At least they could have a good dream tonight!
"Philip, we're moving out tomorrow. Don't bother unloading anything else. Go and prepare."
"As you command, my lord."
Night fell. Around the campfires, soldiers sat together, discussing the upcoming battle.
"They say Half-Beastmen are ferocious, that they eat people! Can we really win?" a soldier asked worriedly.
"Who knows? But if I can kill a few Half-Beastmen, I'll have made a fortune."
'If I could earn a dozen or so Dinars, I could buy some chickens and ducks, rent a plot of land in the lord's village... wouldn't that be a nice little life?'
Another soldier chimed in, "Heh heh, I hear Half-Beastman heads are worth a lot. You can sell them to merchants.
I heard them say that thirty or forty years ago, during the last pioneering war, the heads of those big, strong Half-Beastmen were made into some kind of art pieces. The old noble families paid a fortune for them."
"Even if they're valuable, it's got nothing to do with you. That money goes to the lord, not to you."
In the firelight, the soldiers' faces showed a variety of expressions, their minds racing with all sorts of thoughts.
"If you ask me, and you call yourselves warriors... look at that group of peasant slaves. The lord trained them for a month, and now they dare to kill robbers and Bandits. They aren't even afraid of going to the battlefield."
"Alright, alright, let's all get some sleep. To think we've stooped to comparing ourselves with peasant slaves. How embarrassing."
The soldiers dispersed to go rest, leaving behind the lonely, burning campfire.
"Claude, was it sent out?"
"My lord, I sent it with haste. They are taking it very seriously."
"Good. You should get some rest too. We're on the road again tomorrow."
Claude sighed. Ever since Henry graduated, he was either on the road or preparing to march. It was exhausting.
Henry drank his wheat beverage and lay down comfortably in bed to sleep. He was just waiting to put an arrow through a Minotaur's head!
'Minotaurs... an irreconcilable foe!'
「The next morning, just as the sun was rising.」
Glen had sent men early to receive the supply rations. The other three woke up at dawn to assemble their troops, gathering together to prepare to march.
"Boman, are those the troops of Baron Nurulan and Baron Sura?"
Boman observed for a moment and said, "That's right, it's their armies. Both of those Barons have traditional nomadic territories, with plenty of shepherd slaves. Put them on a horse, and they become Cavalry."
It's not surprising they got a spot in the hunt. After all, their armies are fast."
It would be a lie to say there was no envy, but as for how strong they were, that was debatable. They were all Light Cavalry, good enough for scaring off bandits.
Boman suddenly turned to Henry, annoyed, and pointed at the New Recruit Team. "These are the 'new recruits' you were talking about? Aren't these infantrymen? You even lied to me."
"The salary I'm paying them is that of new recruits."
"Ah? Oh, alright then."
Soon, Glen's unit, having received their supply rations, joined the other three. They consolidated into one force, forming a massive train of wagons.
If they encountered Centaurs in the wild, these wagons could also serve as a protective wall.
"By the Count's order, I am the commander, and Knight Henry is my second-in-command. Henry, let's depart now."
Henry naturally agreed, saying, "You're the commander. You call the shots."
'Glen brought more men anyway. When the time comes, his men will be the first to die.'
Boman held out his fist towards the others. "How about this? Since the three of us were all once ranked first at the Royal Capital Knight Academy, let's call ourselves the Three Champions of the Royal Capital Knight Academy! How about it?"
Fass: Huh?
Glen pushed Boman's fist away and said, "Alright, you two, stop bickering. Send the order down the line. We're moving out!"
Fass: Wait, how was I arguing? Am I invisible? Do I not even exist?
With the command given, the entire column instantly moved out, heading into the unknown grasslands.
The five-hundred-man army crossed stretch after stretch of grassland. They marched for three or four days without seeing a single sign of a Half-Beastman, though they did find a few forests and small hills not marked on the map.
The army of the four nobles swept through like a plague of locusts. The edible fruits, mushrooms, and wild vegetables in these forests were picked clean, and even the wild chickens and rabbits could not escape.
When you're on the road, you can never have too much food.
The army continued its march, delving deeper and deeper into unknown territory. It had been a full twenty-three days since they left Autongard before they finally discovered a trace of Half-Beastmen.
"My lord, the Scouts discovered a valley in the distance. A group of Half-Beastmen are in it."
"How many?"
"The Scouts' rough estimate is over two hundred. There are a dozen or so Centaurs, three Minotaurs, and the rest are Gnolls and Kobolds."
Glen nodded, then corrected him, "In the army, you use rank."
"Yes, Commander."
Glen dismissed the officer, then turned to Henry and asked, "Second-in-command, what do you think?"
"What's there to discuss? We fight. It's a guaranteed win." Henry eagerly took down his heavy bow.
The long march hadn't dulled his desire for battle; on the contrary, it had made him even more restless. He felt an urge to cut something down.
Glen nodded and gave the order, "Advance another three hundred meters, then halt the wagons. Cavalry, switch to your warhorses and armor up. Everyone, prepare for battle."
The atmosphere in the army instantly turned serious. The time to fight for their lives had arrived!
Soon, a Scout ran back to report the distance. The wagon train halted. Henry and the other three nobles donned their armor and brandished their weapons, while the soldiers began to form up under the command of their respective officers.
In war, formation is paramount. A steady formation is a meat grinder on the battlefield.
Lose the formation, lose everything.
"Henry, you won the last hunt. Let's see who gets a higher kill count this time."
Henry ignored the chattering Boman and instead checked his triple-layered heavy armor, Knight's Shield, heavy bow, Armor-Piercing Arrows, long-handled Yanyue Saber, One-Handed Double-Bladed Battleaxe, and Two-Handed Greatsword.
'This time, I'm going to level up! I'm going to earn Overlord Training points!'