Chapter 141: The War of Flowers (2)
At first, I was worried about logistics when I heard that we were suddenly going into battle without much preparation. But surprisingly, the kingdom's supply system was well-structured.
For starters, roads were well-paved, ensuring a fast march speed when riding horses. The safety was incomparable to trekking through rugged mountain paths we usually trained on. Supplies were arranged by notifying the estates along the route in advance, allowing us to receive food and water at designated points.
"I thought anything would be fine as long as it wasn't junk food..."
But then they brought out bread with sawdust mixed in, and I was left speechless.
Even the soldiers delivering our supplies avoided making eye contact with us, probably worried we might nitpick and cause trouble. They bent halfway over as they handed us food, bringing only a handful of fruit and relatively fresh water. Judging by this, it didn't seem like they were intentionally trying to mistreat us with this lousy food...
'Is the commander here skimming off the top?'
The senior knight leading us, with a cold and calculating expression, was meticulously recording everything. When we returned to the capital, the commander and supply officer responsible for this mess would likely face at least three demotions.
"Sigh."
In the end, we had to gnaw on moldy jerky again. I had to be grateful that knights had mana circuits, which made our stomachs robust enough to handle most toxins, including mold.
On the flip side, having such sturdy stomachs meant we were stuck eating this subpar jerky because we didn't "need" anything better.
"Blaming this on the long period of peace feels like an excuse. The supply base is recorded as accommodating 1,000 personnel, but there are only 100 soldiers assigned here in the records. Yet in reality..."
Most of them were either children or old men.
There were no young, healthy men in sight. From the state of things, I could guess where they were.
'They're probably farming in the surrounding areas.'
If this weren't an emergency deployment, they would have mustered a group of showy soldiers just for appearances. But because of our unusually rapid marching speed, we arrived earlier than the scheduled notification time, leaving them no chance to respond.
"By the way, senior, I have something personal to discuss."
"It must be urgent?"
The senior knight glared at me as if he'd chase me off if it wasn't. I confidently brought up my concern, knowing it was important.
"If orders come from Seyra, the guardian dragon, what should I do? I assume the reason I was given quarters at the Magic Knight Division was that I'd primarily be stationed in the capital."
"For now, she'll contact me first. Unless it's an extremely urgent matter, she'll wait. If it's truly critical, she'll send me a separate message, and we'll decide on your location and circumstances at that point."
Since this deployment couldn't have gone unnoticed by the kingdom's guardian dragon (given that the emergency mobilization wasn't directly authorized by the royal family), it was fair to interpret her lack of direct instructions as tacit approval to participate in this War of Flowers.
"Also, when will my pay come in? The bonus from the last mission."
"...Don't ask me. I handle your duties for the Magic Knight Division, not your secret assignments. Direct that question to your immediate superior."
'Who's my immediate superior anyway?'
It's not Ballor, is it? Ballor's the commander of the Royal Guard, which is more like an independent knightly order, the "Kingdom's Best Blade." So does that mean I have to directly request it from the guardian dragon herself?
"Understood."
I needed to sort out my position clearly.
Traitors are always busier than others, though there's the perk of double pay...
'No, double isn't enough.'
Resolving to amass enough wealth to support at least 100 families, just in case something went wrong in the future, I returned to my seat.
"Are you a knight too, mister?"
"Of course, I'm a knight!"
"You look more like some thug. That guy over there looks more like a prince."
When I got back to the dining area, Dane and Jake were chatting with a kid around ten years old who was helping deliver food. Jake burst into laughter at the comment, while Dane scowled as hard as he could.
"Pffft!"
Levin, overhearing this, laughed so hard he nearly dropped his sawdust bread.
"There's a bit of royal blood in me, but I'm no prince."
"Who's a thug?!"
"Eek! Was he an ogre?!"
"How dare you call me an ogre!!"
I smacked the back of Dane's head with a piece of moldy jerky when he genuinely got mad at the kid. Then I sat down.
"Why are you getting mad at a kid? It's your big frame and scary face that's the problem."
"Ugh, no one around here is helpful!"
"And kid, you should watch your mouth too."
"Yeah, that's right!"
Dane thought I was taking his side and nodded in agreement, but that wasn't what I was getting at.
"That's a racist comment against other species. You know how pretty ogres can be? There's this half-ogre woman I know, and you'd be stunned by how gorgeous she is."
"Really? Then what does that guy look like?"
"Like shit."
"Pffft!!"
Jake burst into laughter, rolling on the ground, while Levin shook uncontrollably, unable to contain his amusement.
Dane finally lost it and smacked me on the head with his gauntleted hand. To be fair, I did kind of deserve it this time.
"Meal time ends in 20 minutes. Get ready to move out!"
"Yessir~"
Unlike the disciplined responses during training drills, everyone now answered lazily.
Well, that's how it always is—things start strict and loosen up over time.
Everyone was chewing through their sawdust bread, chatting, or answering the curious questions of young soldiers. So no one was in a hurry to leave.
"I want to be a knight too! But don't you have to be born with noble blood to become one?"
"My family are common farmers."
"We were shepherds before we settled down."
Come to think of it, Dane did mention his family were nomads. Not that it mattered much, aside from his rugged looks.
"That guy over there's a noble. A bourgeois brat."
"Yeah, looking all princely!"
Jake got picked on again for no reason.
"Look, he's not even eating the sawdust bread."
"His palate's too refined! Probably snacks on mermaid eggs when no one's looking!"
"Just call him a noble brat, a real noble brat."
"I'm eating! I'm just a slow eater, that's all! And Levin, don't act like you're not from a noble family too!"
While Jake grumbled, chewing on his sawdust bread, the boy stared at Dane and me with a shocked expression, as if he had never considered the possibility.
"Really? You guys were commoners like me?"
"Yep. There hasn't been a status requirement for eligibility since... what, 30 years ago?"
It seemed like this was already common knowledge near the capital, but it hadn't spread to the provinces. Out in the provinces, people usually aimed to join the local knight orders, so changes to the Magic Knight Division didn't gain much attention.
'There is still a difference between noble-born and commoner knights, but it's not to the extent that commoners are outright excluded.'
The Royal Guard was basically a collection of noble offspring, while the Magic Knight Division, which had a mix of quirky nobles like Jake and commoners like me, was a different story.
In the past, the Magic Knight Division had also been full of noble knights, but back then, the Royal Guard only recruited around 10 members per cycle, even when wartime casualties increased the intake to 50. Now, they were recruiting close to 200 members, so nobles naturally gravitated toward the Royal Guard instead.
"Sigh... Don't become knights, kids."
"Why not? Isn't it a good thing?"
At the innocent boy's enthusiastic question, Dane, Levin, Jake, and I all shook our heads in unison.
"You just don't want the good stuff for yourselves! I'll be a knight when I grow up too!"
"I'm telling you, it's not worth it... Look at this guy's face. He used to look like a cute little bear cub when he joined. Now look at that mug—does that even look human anymore?"
Dane slammed his gauntleted hand onto my head in response.
Clang!
"Ow! That actually hurts!"
---
"Captain! Reporting results!"
"Let's hear it."
"In this morning's battle, 27 of our troops were injured, with one in serious condition. Most will recover by tomorrow with some minor healing potions. As for the seriously injured one..."
"Ah, yes. I'm well aware of that one—I dealt with it myself."
The soldiers defending the border were no match for them.
When knight-level combatants didn't appear as individuals but in groups, the defenders stood no chance. The attackers had superior numbers, strength, and tactics, leaving the defenders unable to hold their ground.
Initially, the defenders seemed to have the upper hand, but once their formation broke, they were beaten so thoroughly that their force of 300 men could only retreat in disarray. Meanwhile, the attackers suffered only 26 minor injuries, achieving a decisive victory.
The sole seriously injured individual was the result of the captain intervening when one of her soldiers, driven by lust during the chaos, tried to drag a prisoner into a secluded area. When the soldier refused her direct order to release the prisoner, she personally disciplined him, resulting in his injury.
"The spoils of war?"
"Thirty-eight prisoners. The rest managed to escape in the chaos."
"Any soldier caught your eye? Exclude the lunatic who wants to screw any male she sees."
"None, Captain."
"Then keep them as prisoners. Make sure the hungry soldiers don't touch them."
"Understood. I'll send them to the rear unit."
The attackers were using tactics they had learned from the kingdom's knight orders.
This War of Flowers was, of course, a war to capture men. However, if the soldiers were allowed to lose control and start indulging themselves here and now, it would weaken their fighting power.
No matter how savage a force may be, discipline and unit cohesion are essential for effective combat. That's why, despite the circumstances, they were taking measures to prevent indiscriminate looting and crimes.
"Haah..."
But it wasn't easy.
Even relatively rational human soldiers could lose control when intoxicated by the madness of war. And most of her troops were hybrids with orc blood.
Pureblood orcs now lived far beyond the eastern regions, but the traits of orc blood—exceptional physical abilities paired with vulnerability to temptation and violence—made maintaining control inherently challenging.
One of the reasons orcs, despite their raw strength, had lost their competition with humans for dominance over the continent was their inability to organize large, strategic forces. This difficulty in control weighed heavily on her.
"What's the kingdom's response?"
"The official knight orders are not moving. If the capital deploys a knight order..."
"It would be the Royal Guard. But the king would never send those hostages to the eastern front."
The captain sneered, and the officer delivering the report smirked as well.
"Exactly."
"That means, at best, they'd deploy the Magic Knight Division, which only has three senior knights left."
"Yes."
"Either way, they won't be able to stop us. Stick to the plan. If we execute it perfectly, we can defeat whoever they send."
"Understood!"
"Also, warn our allied forces not to act prematurely. Tell them to strictly follow my orders. If they have any complaints, they're welcome to challenge me personally."
She declared firmly, knowing she would face endless ch allenges in the future. But this was the only way to keep her troops—wild by nature—under control.