Openly Slacking

Hudson felt a mix of excitement and apprehension on his first outing to rob someone. His intuition told him that any convoy still heading towards Dadir City at this hour wouldn't be carrying any treasures.

Limited by their troop numbers, the allied forces couldn't completely surround the enemy. However, they wouldn't let them move freely either, effectively working with their lives on the line.

Despite his doubts, Hudson still had to participate in the robbery. Based on his life experience, Hudson knew very well that nothing in this world was more terrifying than being "poor."

Although he had profited greatly from this war, most of it was in the form of difficult-to-liquidate supplies. Hudson's cash reserves remained pitifully low.

If his plan to acquire territory failed, becoming a wandering knight would be one thing. But if his plan succeeded, his current financial situation wouldn't be enough to support the reconstruction of a territory.

Both White and Leighton counties had been devastated. Hudson didn't believe his granted fief would be unscathed. A lord without money was like a phoenix with its feathers plucked – worse than a chicken.

Just look at Knight Chers. A shut-in obsessed with magic, he'd been forced by circumstances to become the captain of a robbery squad.

"Steward, there's an army blocking the road ahead. It seems we've been discovered by the enemy. Should we continue heading to Dadir City?"

Looking ahead, the middle-aged steward leading the group said coldly, "Allen, how many times have I told you not to call me Steward? We're with the Skull Society now, you have to call me Holy Son!"

"Yes, Steward... no... Holy Son!"

The young man replied flusteredly.

Clearly, he was still a bit unaccustomed to the sudden change in address.

Rolling his eyes, the middle-aged man never held any hope for his muddled subordinate.

"Alright, pass down the order to prepare for battle. A mob that can't even form a proper line dares to come out and learn how to rob? We'll teach them a lesson."

The middle-aged man commanded calmly, as if he had already forgiven Allen's earlier mistake and couldn't be bothered to mention it again.

However, from the fearful expressions of his subordinates, it was clear that the middle-aged man wasn't that magnanimous. He didn't pursue the matter because he never bothered with the dead.

At this critical juncture, escorting the convoy into Dadir City was clearly a mission with a nine-tenths chance of death. Everyone in the convoy was an unfortunate soul who had been chosen.

The story dated back two months. After the Skull Society successfully rebelled and amassed great wealth, they placed a large order with them.

They initially didn't want to accept it, as sending people to escort them could easily provide leverage against them. However, the Skull Society offered too much.

For the sake of profit, the Holy See quickly gathered the supplies and even dispatched experts to capture a young Earth Bear from the Monster Mountain Range.

Of course, the Holy See's eagerness wasn't just because the Skull Society paid a hefty price. The most crucial reason was their desire to stir up major trouble.

In the Holy See's view, the bigger the chaos caused by the Skull Society, the better. Ideally, it would summon the Lord of Skeletons and inflict heavy damage on the Alpha Kingdom.

If they could ravage the continent, that would be even more perfect. Only when the situation became uncontrollable would everyone realize the importance of the Holy See.

"Charge!"

Following Knight Chers' order, the elites of the Fifth Army charged directly at the convoy. Hudson, armed with a bow and arrows, naturally fell to the very back of the formation.

"Eight hundred against five hundred, the advantage is ours!"

Seeing this, Hudson felt greatly reassured. What surprised him, however, was that despite the overwhelming enemy force, the opponents weren't panicked at all. Instead, they launched a head-on counter-charge.

What made Hudson even more speechless was that the enemy was entirely composed of armored cavalry, their equipment even slightly better than that of the Fifth Army's elites. For a moment, he even doubted if he had targeted the wrong group for robbery.

It wasn't strange for the Rebel Army, which had ravaged the two counties, to have five hundred warhorses. However, gathering five hundred well-trained cavalrymen would be difficult.

If they truly had five hundred elite cavalrymen, why hadn't they used them when intercepting the grain convoy earlier, and instead appeared with this mysterious convoy?

Hudson wasn't the only one hesitating. Knight Chers, who was charging at the front, also noticed something was wrong. To avoid unnecessary friendly fire, he quickly reined in his horse and asked, "Who are you people? Why are you heading to Dadir at this time..."

Before he could finish the word "City," the opposing side had already thrown a javelin at him. There was no need for confirmation; these were the enemy.

Fortunately, Chers was experienced. While speaking, he hadn't let his guard down and deflected the incoming javelin with his sword.

His dashing posture made Hudson's eyes light up. However, using a knight sword was the privilege of high-ranking knights. For a novice knight like him, it was best to stick to a knight lance if he wanted to survive longer.

An inch longer, an inch stronger.

On the battlefield, practicality always came first. Although the sword was the king of weapons, it depended on who was using it.

After dodging a round of surprise attacks, the entire Fifth Army became enraged. To be attacked with less knightly honor than them was simply outrageous!

"Kill, kill..."

The two armies soon clashed. Although the Fifth Army had more soldiers, they couldn't withstand the fact that the enemy was entirely cavalry, and they were quickly put at a disadvantage.

The enemy were all elites!

After coming to this conclusion, Hudson couldn't afford to slack off anymore. He immediately drew his bow and began picking off targets.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Seven enemy cavalrymen fell in response. His spectacular performance of taking down one person with each arrow instantly made Hudson the most dazzling figure on the battlefield.

The enemy did have archers, but with the two armies now mixed in combat, any stray shot could cause friendly fire. Ordinary archers had no room to display their skills.

In fact, Hudson's performance was also significantly affected. Unlike when he commanded serf soldiers, these allies were nobles. Causing friendly fire would lead to serious trouble, and he needed absolute certainty before taking a shot.

"Enemy sharpshooters, everyone be careful. Allen, take your men and eliminate that guy!"

Just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, Hudson's arrow flew towards him, but it was deflected by a sword.

As expected, it wasn't easy to ambush a strong opponent. In the extraordinary world, ordinary arrows, unless deployed in large numbers, were unlikely to cause substantial damage to masters.

As the enemy split their forces to attack him, Hudson didn't hold back, immediately responding with arrows. He decided to take down whoever was moving the fastest.

In moments, another dozen cavalrymen fell, yet their distance from Hudson had only closed by a few dozen meters.

This wasn't because Hudson's archery was so divine that he could kill enemies rapidly; it was mainly because his allies were blocking the front, stubbornly holding back the enemy's advance.

At this moment, Hudson suddenly realized that chivalry wasn't so bad. At least on the battlefield, his allies were truly fighting with all their might.

To ensure his allies' efforts weren't in vain, Hudson diligently searched for targets on the battlefield, ready to loose an arrow the moment an opportunity arose.