Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

When the fire died down and the cavalrymen had gone far away, the people who crawled out of the cellar were faced only with charred ruins, the corpses of their people, and fields trampled beyond recognition by horses' hooves.

With nowhere else to turn, Raymond's parents took the family land deeds and sought refuge with the church in the central earldom, hoping to find a way to survive under the church's protection.

Later, Raymond's parents had Raymond Weil at the church. A few years later, the Federation completely liberated the Earldom of the Central through a decisive victory known as the Battle of the Central, taking over this strategically important territory.

It can be said that from the human rights revolution to the establishment of the republic and then to the first half of the Thirty Years' War, the objectives of all parties were actually centered around the land of the Central Earldom.

Thanks to his parents' teachings, his exceptional mathematical talent, and the church's curriculum, Raymond Weil, at a young age, was already able to serve as the priest's secretary, helping with numerical tasks.

Later, young Raymond, unwilling to spend his life in the church, or rather, unwilling for his parents to be church tenants for life, learned by chance that the Federal Army Academy was recruiting, offering free tuition, the opportunity to become an officer, and a stipend.

He then took his meager funds and traveled south from the center to Herbert in the province of Fleus, where he successfully entered the military academy.

To be honest, Raymond's ability to successfully get into military academy without any connections or resources speaks volumes about his exceptional skills.

Getting back to the main point, the whistle for morning exercises has completely stopped.

On the playground, students from all disciplines had lined up, and the instructors' commands and the sound of their synchronized footsteps carried on the wind.

Nozer and Lucas stood in the infantry squad, waiting for instructions for morning exercises.

Just as Norze was looking around, his eyes suddenly met those of Andrew Hart. He noticed that Andrew's eyes were also bloodshot, as if he had just stayed up all night.

Andrew quickly looked away, staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.

Just as Noze was wondering, a huge sound, imbued with magic, echoed across the playground.

"All teams, get ready for the light 2km run!"

Two kilometers isn't actually that much, but given Nozer's current mental state... well, that's not necessarily true.

"If you really can't hold on any longer, just grab my clothes, and I'll take you away."

Lucas whispered in his ear.

Noze twitched the corner of his mouth, wondering if he had been underestimated.

The formation quickly began to run, their military boots clattering heavily and uniformly on the paved road.

Shouts, panting, and slogans mingled together, sweeping across the entire playground.

Noze gritted his teeth and followed the group, adjusting his breathing rhythm as Lucas had instructed, taking two steps in and two steps out, trying to keep his center of gravity stable.

Although it was a bit strenuous, two kilometers isn't far, and this wasn't a timed test. Although the process wasn't great, Norze managed to finish the run.

Although I was drenched in sweat and my legs were weak from running, at least I didn't embarrass myself too much, right?

As the dismissal whistle blew, the instructor announced that this damn morning exercise was over.

"I told you you couldn't stay up all night, but you wouldn't listen."

Lucas handed over the water bottle and patted Nozer on the back. "Eat more later, or you'll fall asleep during Brandon's tactics class this morning."

"Wouldn't it be easier to fall asleep if you ate a lot? Besides, who can resist sleeping during Brandon's tactics lessons?"

Raymond arrived at some unknown time and looked almost exactly like Lucas, showing no signs of discomfort.

Noze rested for a while before following the flow of people toward the cafeteria.

The military academy's canteen is always the noisiest place on campus, but also the most comfortable.

The aroma of bread, combined with the oily fragrance of fried sausage and the steaming heat of hot soup, wafts over, instantly dispelling the fatigue of morning exercises.

The three of them got their own food: hard rye bread, two crispy fried sausages, and a bowl of steaming soup. They found a corner to sit down and started eating and chatting.

Lucas took a big bite of half a fried sausage, his mouth dripping with oil, and asked Nozer indistinctly, "Seriously, what's the magic behind your notebook that keeps you up all night?"

"It's all about human anatomy, much more detailed than the textbooks for hygiene and battlefield first aid."

Noze broke off a piece of dark bread and soaked it in the thick soup. "I'd only ever seen it roughly in battlefield first aid textbooks before. You don't realize how troublesome it is until you actually memorize it."

"Then you can't stay up all night."

Raymond took a sip of the thick soup to catch his breath, his tone full of concern, "You've already made yourself this tired since you just started learning. You'll have a lot more to make up for in the future. Good health is the foundation of everything."

"I understand, I understand... I swear, I will never do it again."

Feeling his friends' concern, Norze smiled, his gaze sweeping across the corner of the cafeteria. He paused for a moment, then looked away and lowered his voice, "Speaking of which, I saw Andrew Hart when we gathered this morning. The bloodshot eyes under his eyes were even more pronounced than mine, even though I've been up all night. I reckon he's been up all night too."

Lucas looked up at the words, glanced at the corner following his gaze, and sighed as he looked away, his chewing slowing down. "That's normal. That guy never stops fighting."

He put down his bread and poked at the sausage on his plate with his fork. "I heard, I heard, that Norzer and the others had previewed the content of their magic class a long time ago."

"In swordsmanship class, he arrived at the training ground an hour earlier than us every day to practice the basics. Even for the most tedious tactical theories, his notes were more complete than the instructor's lesson plans... He didn't relax at all during breaks. If you ask me, it was like he was being chased by a dog, not resting for even a minute."

Lucas paused, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions, "Honestly, sometimes I feel a little sorry for him."

"Andrew Hart? I know him."

Raymond suddenly chimed in, a look of surprise on his face, "We've heard from the artillery department that there's a magic student from the province of Kut in the infantry department who works like a madman, and he's always at the top of his class in every assessment every semester."

"I thought he was a big, burly guy when I heard his name. I didn't even recognize him when I bumped into him in the teaching building last time. Later I found out it was him. He's completely different from what I imagined."

"My hometown, Sente Province, isn't far from Kut Province. Most of the Kut people I've met before, whether they were farmers or soldiers, had large frames and bulging muscles. His appearance is indeed rare."

"But to be honest, the Kurt people seem to have a silent yet tenacious spirit, and they are also hardworking and diligent."

Noze paused, his fingers holding the bread. Remembering Lucas's casual mention of "traitor" yesterday, he finally asked, "Speaking of which, Luke mentioned something to me yesterday, saying that everyone privately calls the Kurt 'traitors.' What's the story behind that? I've looked through a lot of military academy textbooks, and they mention this part of history very little."

The atmosphere at the table instantly quieted down after those words were spoken.