Blood tax

Chapter 441 Say no, but the body is quite honest~
Desai Dalt, born in Neopolis Island, is the second son of a low-ranking knight family with a modest family background.Like his commander and many comrades in arms, he studied at the Junior Non-commissioned Officer Academy at the age of 12, joined the battle at the age of 15, and is now the second-level squadron leader of the Storm Squadron.He has always had a question that he has not figured out——

In the past, the people of Verona were governed by a lord who owed his allegiance to the Duke of Verona, who was long ago a vassal of Bayeran.Now, the Duke is still the Duke, managed with the help of Bayeran, why do the residents of Verona insist on fighting?

In the spring and summer of 1444, the results of the rebels against Bayeran were devastating, and they were defeated in almost every battle.The good and bad veterans and bandit troops who fought against Bayeran at the beginning were wiped out in batches, and the recruits from farmers and herdsmen became the main force of the rebel army.

As the autumn approached, the attention of the counts of La Mole and Chalon turned to Odessa for a while, and the importance of the Verona rebellion gradually took a backseat.

Verona's occupying army is still strong-it has four legions and corresponding auxiliary legions, and areas such as Odessa and Sevasto, which face the clan alliance, have only deployed five regular legions each.However, the quality of the Verona garrison continued to diminish.The weakening, at least in Desai's view, has grown over time, with the morale and quality of the rebels appearing to have grown and resistance to intensify.

Desai was on mission at Verona from the end of 1444. In early January 1445, the Dark Lord returned from the spirit world, and it seems that he came to Verona with his minions.Since then, the Senate has once again placed Verona at the forefront.

In short, the Battlefield of Verona is a struggle between light and darkness, where good and evil are victorious.According to the resolution of the wise Senate, Bayeran's army will focus on attacking Verona and the southern provinces in the first few months of 1445. It is said that the troops of the Dark Lord and the Kingslayer are hidden in these two areas .

By early March, Desai had already participated in several battles against the rebels.The knights of Byelan and his allies are clad in gold and steel, forming a magnificent picture.In the spring light of March, the cavalry and infantry spread out on the hillside along the river in endless formations, shining with enthusiasm and fearlessness.

However, these enthusiasms are thrown into the water like a stubborn stone, causing ripples to dissipate.Those futile marches entangled with rebel guerrillas were nothing short of torture.

Every day, the endless formation of the regular army appeared on the horizon, and the astute rebels even dared to provoke at the edge of the nearby woods.When Desai and the cavalry struck out and captured some of the men, the rebel band suddenly disappeared, leaving only birch and pine forests on the horizon.

And an hour later, when the regular army's horses were feeding, the attack began again.The gray figure of the rebel reappeared, repeated the same trick, and disappeared in the same way.In this way, the gorgeous and heroic cavalry was severely exhausted in exhaustion.

There is no end to this battle.Desai's once youthful face began to become sharp and sharp.This August, he will complete two years of service in the front-line combat unit.His attacks became more and more decisive, as fast as a sharp sword, and many of the rebel rangers who kept harassing the army had become heads hanging by his saddle.

However, what he didn't understand was why Bayeran, who had cavalry, infantry and artillery, couldn't completely wipe out the rebels in Verona?

After the Senate issued an order to strengthen the offensive, Bayeran's army began to go deep into the valleys and swamps, and life became even more difficult.The heavy cavalry's luxurious and ostentatious armor and mighty lances added to the burden on the horses. They can indeed shake the mountains in face-to-face battles, but they also ignore the key details that determine the combat effectiveness of the cavalry.

Compared with the endless harassment, the more troublesome thing is the supply.Although Bayeran has plenty of supplies transported by sea to the Old Town, it is another matter to transport them to the front line from the road where rebels pop up from time to time.When weapons, food, and horse fodder were barely sufficient, Desai began to experience the embarrassment that the squadron leader said to him, "I can't even find a toothbrush".

All were poorly fed and extremely tired.

The sense of duty has all but disappeared in the military.The army divided into several attacking groups was not full, and the livestock were starving.Due to the difficulty of supply transportation, many soldiers were forced to harvest the grain by themselves, and even plucked grass from the huts to feed the horses. As a result, a large number of horses fell ill due to eating unclean feed.Add to this the mismanagement and dreadful burdens and marches, and the number of livestock in the army dwindled every day.

Soon, Desai became a foot cavalry.As a member of an elite unit, he is sent around like a firefighter to support friendly forces in trouble.Once, he acted with other teams, lost all his war horses and pack horses, and was trapped in the wilderness with no way to move.They managed to find a farmhouse, and found only mother and daughter at home, with some potatoes and mushrooms.

The noble officer leading the team asked Desai to leave and go to the hill to watch.There, he heard a shrill cry.After a while, he found that the peasant woman started cooking.

Most of the officers and soldiers in Byerland couldn't cook, not even baked bread.They ordered the peasant women to prepare the food.When the potatoes were cooked, the officer let his mother eat a little out of caution.The peasant woman did so.The officer asked the peasant woman to feed her baby.Under the gesture of the woman, the child also gobbled it up.The relieved soldiers immediately shared the potatoes one by one.Since even eating the potatoes from the peasant woman's family was not enough, everyone didn't even leave some for Desai who was on guard outside.

When the hungry, green-eyed Desai returned to the farmhouse, before he could get angry, he saw the officers and soldiers all fell to the ground and convulsed.They vomited, first the food and then the yellow water.Soon the whole squad, the peasant woman and her child died in agony.

Other places are not much better.

Bayeran's army was attacked all over Verona.If the locals catch soldiers who are alone, they will hang them upside down on the fire for barbecue.A straggling officer was captured by the villagers and thrown directly into a cauldron for cooking. By the time Baiyalan Army Tu Quancun found him, the officer had already been boiled into the shape of a shrimp.

Desai's bright eyes have lost their brilliance and focus, only when some officers-level prisoners are captured and need to be interrogated for information, Desai's eyes will shine brightly.For those useless miscellaneous soldiers, he would break their necks and throw them into the ditch.

He is like a walking corpse pulled by a black thread.Once Lansarda met him and didn't recognize him.

The frightened novice nun hurriedly wrote a letter to the captain who was said to have become the Hand of God far behind.

Soon, an order from Homenworth recalled Desai.The squadron leader who hadn't seen him for a long time recommended him to take the spring entrance exam of the world's best magic academy. If he passed, he could enter in the fall.

……

Homewarts is nothing like the Frontline.

The elegant oak and walnut are inlaid on the ground and walls of the castle with a history of hundreds of thousands of years, smooth like a mirror.Carpets are ubiquitous and softer than pillows, and expensive brass and metal pipes deliver heat and clean water to every corner of the castle.

A few steps away, Yingyingyanyan's spring spirit made Desai feel awkward.He stood upright in the corridor of the entrance, and when he was waiting for the commander to summon him, he saw those girls holding textbooks and wearing spring school skirts, so beautiful that they were not a species of him at all.When the girls passed by, they also glanced at him standing in the corridor and murmured in low voices, thinking that the dirty blood on the breastplate was some kind of impressionist painting.

Hmph, woman... The second-level team leader hummed in his heart.

"Mr. Level 15 Captain, Sir Ravenel Knight is in the reception room. I can see you in [-] minutes." A short brownie pointed to a chair for him, and brought him a glass of ice water with honey in it. Peach juice, and even half a cherry.

Ah, my peaches, my beloved peaches... Desai took a good sniff of this charming smell for a while, thank you Brownie.

He had heard the captain talk about the war in the East.At that time, he was just an unskilled recruit, and the bloody battle and harsh environment in the east really shocked him.It is said that the captain, and many famous Shutorals are not used to it after returning from the front line to the rear. Life in Homenworth makes them feel rusty.Desai couldn't understand this kind of thing at first.

"Now I understand~" Desai gave a heartfelt admiration after drinking the refreshing drink in one gulp.Living in such a good place, who wants to think of the terrible front and the potatoes in the mud...

It's time to meet.

Commander of the Storm Squadron, Griffith de Ravenel [-]nd Assault Squadron Leader is now [-]st Strike Squadron Leader.He participated in a mysterious ceremony and obtained unimaginable gains. Now he is the agent of a mysterious existence and is gathering his own power.

It was said that he and several other great men were about to experience a miracle, a real, "miracle."

Homenworth even gave him a separate office so that he could better serve the gods.Desai walked through the spotless hallway and up the long staircase.The bright window on the left can see the sea, and the faint sound of the waves and the cleanliness and comfort relax Desai's long-term high-tension heart.

Maybe I can ask the captain what he thinks of the battle in Verona, will he give me a chance to witness the miracle?If it is a real miracle, it must be able to save mankind from such a sad fate and war!
Desai thought as he walked.He put his hand on his saber, tried not to slip on the pleasing steps, and maintained the decency of a soldier.When he turned a corner and walked towards the last flight of steps, the light suddenly dimmed.

The expensive curtains were originally drawn on the window sill, but somehow they hung down, blocking the warm spring light.

Desai subconsciously shuddered, and his fighting instinct made him immediately put on a defensive posture.He pressed his saber with his right hand, touched the grenade at his waist with his left hand, stood on the fourth and fifth steps, and looked up.

There is a girl standing there.

She is about fifteen or sixteen years old, with light blonde shoulder-length hair, tied into small braids on both sides, and tied with a green heart-shaped ribbon.Her pupils are a rare red, moving and mysterious, which immediately touched Desai's spirituality.

The girl was wearing a blue and white dress, a style rarely seen in royal collars, and the skirt was a few centimeters above her knees.

She stood there with her arms folded, looking sideways at the armored cavalry on the steps, her red eyes were full of elusive coldness.

"Go back, lost lamb, don't let darkness engulf you." She said coldly.

"Who are you?" Desai asked.

There are many powerful beings in Homenworth, behind which are unspeakable mysteries.The girl in front of him deepened Desai's impression.

He even hesitated irresistibly from the bottom of his heart.When human beings face the unknown, they will instinctively want to retreat like this.

"The Crimson Blade has been liberated, and the horn of destruction is sounded."

The girl stared at Desai with a cold expression that was almost pity:

"To torture your soul—

"Go forward? Step into the endless maze.

"Back off? Follow the lead of fear."

Desai was at a loss, but the soldier's instinct allowed him to step up a step without hesitation, and said loudly:

"I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm here to see Captain Griffith. This is my mission. This is my action. I won't back down. Even swords and fires can't stop me, huh!?"

Desai, who was about to step on the sixth step, was surprised to find that instead of moving forward, he retreated back to the fourth step.

"Oh? Say no, but your body is quite honest~" The girl chuckled condescendingly, "You are afraid."

What's this?What's the situation?
Desai was startled, and he immediately stepped forward again.

There was a flash of an unusual, unspeakable perception.

Desai looked down, and he actually retreated to the third step.

It is an Extraordinary, this is an Extraordinary ability!Desai drew out his saber, full of fighting spirit.

This must be some kind of extraordinary ability to control stairs!
(End of this chapter)