Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 185 Investigation
"Look, the gatekeeper who has been sleeping for a thousand years has awakened!"

Robin raised his Dragon Slaying Spear high, pointing it toward the heavens. The dragon's breath emanating from the spear tip collided with the thunder in the sky. "The truth that the royal family fears most." He turned to look at Feng Ling, who had a solemn expression on her face. "It's up to us to reveal it to the public."

The woman in black had long since disappeared into the black mist, leaving only her final whisper echoing through the valley: "Beware of those bearing the dragon's blood emblem."

"Where are we going next?" Feng Ling asked.

"Let's go home. Do you want to come with us?" Robin said, put the Dragon Slayer Spear on his shoulder, and left without looking back.

Feng Ling hurried to follow.

Robin had just returned to the Viscount's territory. When he placed the blood-stained account book on the oak table, Viscount Wilk's fingers trembled slightly.

The fragrance of redbud flowers wafted in from the window. It should have been a pleasant early summer afternoon, but the atmosphere in the house was so solemn that it was suffocating.

In the tranquility of the Viscount's territory, the soft sound of bees hitting the glass windows seemed particularly clear at this moment.

My father flipped through the account book silently. The parchment containing the Hawke family's mithril smuggling records smelled of rust, and the last page was still stuck with fragments of astral crystals. These evidences seemed to be silently accusing something.

"Rest." The Viscountess gently stroked the Dragon Slayer in Robin's hand, her eyes filled with heartache and worry. "At least for this month, take a good rest and relax."

There was a barely perceptible tremor in her voice. This son's excellence was beyond imagination.

They also heard the news that the Bauhinia Organization and the Knights Guild had joined forces, but they didn't expect that their son could snatch food from the mouths of both parties.

Feng Ling watched all this quietly without saying a word from beginning to end.

His eyes swept over the newly built fortifications at the edge of the territory. Under the supervision of the knights, the farmers were mechanically digging trenches. The sound of shovels hitting the soil was dull and depressing.

The sunset glow at the horizon was unusually red, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.

"Robin!" Feng Ling spoke without turning around, her voice cold and alert. "The defense line started three days ahead of schedule. The royal spies appeared at the North Watchtower this morning."

Viscount Wilk slammed his account book shut, shaking the candlesticks on the table. "They moved too quickly!" He stood up and paced back and forth, the hem of his robe sweeping the ground. "Duke Hawke made a move, and the Grand Dukes of the East and South could no longer hold back and sent their troops. The Emperor even ordered the nobles of the North to attack the West. The entire kingdom was in complete chaos."

Robin clenched his fists and sighed helplessly, "We just need to do our own thing. Father, please let me train all the troops in your territory. I promise to train a fighting force before the northern army arrives."

Viscount Wilk agreed without any hesitation.

"I'm just worried that you're working too hard."

Robin shook his head and returned to his room with Wind Chime.

The sound of a horn tore through the morning mist in the Viscount's territory. Robin stood on the makeshift parade ground, the Dragon Slaying Spear leaning against his side, its gilded lines flowing in the sunlight.

Thousands of militiamen and guards formed a square formation, their farm tools and longswords intertwined. Some swallowed nervously, others furtively polished their rusted shields. "Put down your hoes and hunting bows!" Robin's voice pierced the mist. "From today on, you are warriors!" He drew his Tang sword, its cold gleam grazing the young militiamen in the front row. "See that scarecrow over there? Three days from now, you must shoot it in the throat from a hundred paces!"

Feng Ling floated over on the suspended dark blue runes, and the magic threads wrapped around her fingertips intertwined in the air to form a tactical sand table.

"According to modern infantry drills, we need to divide the troops into three echelons: reconnaissance, assault, and support." She waved her wand lightly, and a flame symbol rose on the sand table. "But we lack basic firearms, so we can only use improved magic crossbows as a substitute."

Viscount Wilk approached, leaning on a silver cane. His stern face flickered in the light and shadow of the sand table. "The western defense line has three natural trenches, but the supply reserves are only enough to last for half a month." He pointed to a red dot on the edge of the sand table. "The coalition of northern nobles has blocked all trade routes in the west. Our food supply is insufficient."

"From today on, all farmlands will be planted with fast-growing crops." Robin interrupted his father and glanced at the soldiers who were carrying crossbows. "Let the blacksmith shop work day and night to cast all the scrap iron into triangular arrowheads." He suddenly turned around and found his mother standing at the edge of the parade ground, followed by the wizard apprentices she had trained over the years.

As dusk fell, the sound of orderly footsteps could be heard on the training ground.

Robin personally demonstrated modern drill training. The soldiers changed formations to the beat of drums. In the raised dust, the ancient leather armor and the newly made canvas protective gear complemented each other.

As the last rays of sunset sank into the horizon, Feng Ling's pupils suddenly contracted, and the crystal ball on the top of the wand burst into a dazzling light: "Magical fluctuations are appearing in the southeast direction, arriving in three hours!"

Robin gripped the Dragon Slayer Spear tightly, and the dragon scale pattern on the spear suddenly illuminated. "Pass my order, all soldiers, to level one combat readiness." He looked at the dark clouds approaching over the horizon, remembering the black-clad woman's warning, and whispered, "It seems the royal family's probing is coming sooner than expected."

Bonfires were lit at the four corners of the parade ground, casting shadows of the soldiers swaying on the walls.

Robin stood at the highest point, watching Feng Ling setting up magic traps on the battlefield. The flashing runes were like stars in the night sky.

He was very confused. He was obviously just an insignificant little character, so why did the royal family keep targeting him? What went wrong?

Just as his thoughts were churning, billowing smoke and dust rose from the distant horizon.

The team had already arrived five hundred meters outside the Viscount's territory. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the knights' shiny armor, reflecting a dazzling light.

The leading officer, Mad, gripped the reins and glanced over the newly erected wooden wall. A scornful smile played on his lips. "Such a crude city, we can break through it with just two charges."

Mad led a 500-man elite knight scout unit. The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the neatly-formed phalanx was like a torrent of steel.

They were dressed in heavy armor, holding spears, and the royal emblems on their shields fluttered in the wind.

Following Mad's command, the knights in the front row raised their shields one after another, forming an indestructible shield wall, while the knights in the back drew their bows and arrows, shooting towards the wall like raindrops.

"Charge! We will rest in this viscounty tonight and scout the next area tomorrow."

There is a reason why Mad is so confident. He is a legendary knight himself. Among this team of 500 knights, there are 50 grand knights and the rest are formal knights. There is not even a knight apprentice. With such combat power, it is more than enough to break through a viscounty without walls.

(End of this chapter)