Knight Squire

Having gained a preliminary understanding of the continent's history, Hudson could only marvel at how unbelievable it was. One thought filled his mind—chaos.

"A small war every three years, a major war every ten." It was as though the entire world had been born for war.

Wars frequently broke out not only between nations, but also among noble lords within the same kingdom. From the moment they were born, war accompanied nobles throughout their lives.

The reasons wars erupted were equally bizarre. There was nothing people could not do, only things no one had thought of. A hive of honey or a wild beast could become the spark that ignited a war.

If not for the existence of supernatural power, Hudson would have suspected he had returned to the Middle Ages. Aside from the additional nonhuman races, the Aslant Continent was practically a replica of medieval Europe.

Perhaps due to the cost, the material went into detail only on matters related to the Coslo Family, while everything else was merely glossed over, leaving Hudson deeply disappointed.

The most troublesome part was that all of it was old information, completely out of touch with the current situation. If he wanted to understand the outside world, he would probably have to ask Baron Redman.

But as a counterfeit, Hudson could not avoid him fast enough. Why would he deliver himself to the man's doorstep?

Unable to find the answers he wanted, Hudson returned to his residence full of doubts, only to suddenly discover that the Monster Core on his person had turned into powder.

"Did the Baroness fool me with a fake?"

The thought had barely arisen before Hudson dismissed it. He had personally inspected it when it was delivered; such dense magic power could not be faked.

Besides, there had been too little time to arrange such a convincing substitution. Hudson did not believe the Baroness had a mage standing by at all times.

Focusing his mind, Hudson vaguely sensed that a Compass had appeared in his head, with a four-character inscription faintly engraved upon it.

His cheat seemed to have finally arrived. Unfortunately, Hudson's knowledge was limited, and he did not recognize the four ancient Chinese characters on it at all.

Of course, even if he had recognized them, it would have been useless. No matter how simple the operating instructions were, they could not possibly consist of only four characters.

Unable to figure out how to use it, Hudson was not upset. Whether it worked or not, having it was better than having nothing. The Compass had activated only after absorbing magic power, and that was a starting point.

Perhaps feeding it a few more Magic Cores would reveal how to use the Compass. But the moment Hudson recalled the exorbitant price of Magic Cores, his mood immediately soured.

Sure enough, he simply was not destined to get rich. He had struggled through life buried in debt in his previous life, and after transmigrating, he was still doomed to be poor. He had only just made a small fortune, and now he was about to spit it all back out.

Magic Cores were not easy to obtain either. He would have to go to a major city. In remote Iron Wheel Town, only the baron's estate and Pastor Quinn probably had any in their collections.

If Hudson had been a mage or an alchemist, he might still have had hope of freeloading off his cheap father. But he was a knight, so his profession did not match.

There was no rushing this sort of thing. Before he understood the situation, cautious Hudson would not take risks.

Early in the morning, just as a red glow rose on the horizon, the town square was already packed with people.

Knights did not exist alone; they needed squires to assist them. Armor, weapons, and horses all needed someone to look after them, after all. The esteemed knightly lords could hardly bring themselves to do such work personally.

Hudson was no exception. Today was his turn to select squires, and the youths gathered in the square had all come to try their luck.

Though they were only Knight Squires, they were still far beyond the reach of ordinary subjects.

Taking this step qualified them to receive military training. If they performed meritoriously on the battlefield, they could even receive rewards.

The battlefield was certainly dangerous, but the problem was that if they did not become Knight Squires, they would still have to go to war.

For small and mid-sized nobles who could not afford a Standing Army, conscripting serfs into battle was commonplace.

No matter what, the odds of surviving at a leader's side were higher than those of an ordinary soldier below.

"Hudson, choose them according to your own method."

Baron Redman spoke expressionlessly.

Close coordination was needed on the battlefield, so naturally, the closer the squire, the better. Hudson was familiar with the spirited youths before him, and there were quite a few among them who had been close to him.

But they had been close to the original owner, not the current Hudson. With only the vague memories in his mind, he could not even tell who was who.

"Those who wish to become Knight Squires, run ten laps around town. You must finish before the sand in the hourglass runs out."

Hudson said with a smile.

Yet to the youths, that smile looked especially terrifying.

Seeing that only half the sand remained in the hourglass, everyone hurriedly began running, terrified of falling behind.

It did not matter if they could not outrun the enemy, so long as they could outrun their comrades. In Hudson's view, war in the noble world was also a matter of "the last one standing wins."

In this era of severely rigid class divisions, soaring to prominence in a single leap was almost impossible. For a minor noble like him with no inheritance rights, the best approach was to endure.

He could wait for the heirs ahead of him to die, wait for relatives to leave no descendants, or marry into a noble family with few heirs. Any of those was far easier than earning a fief through military merit.

After all, every piece of land already had an owner. Unless some outside force shattered the existing order, major opportunities were unlikely to appear.

There was one spot for every radish. Without unclaimed fiefs appearing, no new landed nobles would be born. Even if one earned merit, one would only become an honorary noble.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The hourglass soon ran out, and the youths vying to become Knight Squires returned to the square one after another. Some were relieved, while others hung their heads in dejection. One family rejoiced while a hundred grieved.

Just as Hudson was about to announce the results, Baron Redman suddenly said, "Thirty-one arrived on time in total. Begin the second round."

Hudson instantly understood what was going on. Too many had passed. Iron Wheel Town certainly did not lack people, but the problem was that he currently lacked a source of income.

By convention, after several months of adjustment and training, he would have to go out and make his own living.

In Hudson's view, the more unpaid Knight Squires, the better. But Baron Redman clearly did not think Hudson could afford to support them.

Traditional knights lived by war, and life was difficult without an estate. But Hudson was different. Without the burden of noble honor, if pushed too far, he could even pose as a bandit and rob merchant caravans.

With a sharp sword in his hand and plans in his heart, how could he possibly starve?

His arm could not twist a thigh. Since he still had to rely on Baron Redman to live, Hudson said helplessly, "Next, you will compete in martial skill. The ten strongest will be selected."

Having said that, he ignored Baron Redman's ugly expression. Ten was already his final bottom line; there could not be any fewer.

More people did not necessarily mean greater strength, but fewer people would certainly put him at a disadvantage. Starting a venture in the age of cold weapons, the larger his core team, the better.