Pirate Attack

"If I may be so bold, in a duchy blessed by the Holy Light, how could any demonic creatures possibly survive?"

William Adena, as the cheap brother-in-law of the uniquely positioned young lord, sat at the first small table to the left of the main seat.

Compared to the other heavy cavalry present, his strength was indeed number one, a fact that was absolutely beyond doubt.

Fueled by a bit of alcohol and his understanding of Ergons, he directly raised his doubts without any hints, showing keen insight.

Normally, this role would be filled by Adamson, but in front of the priest sent by the Holy See, he seemed somewhat lacking.

Pastor Ramses Bolton didn't suspect anything, merely expressing similar confusion: "Logically speaking, the Holy Light has illuminated this place for hundreds of years, so normally, monsters shouldn't appear."

"Alright, since this is a welcome banquet, let's not discuss these serious matters for now. Let Pastor Ramses Bolton properly experience our local customs and traditions."

Changing the subject, Ergons raised his cup to toast, and everyone followed suit.

The day after a night of feasting, when Pastor Ramses Bolton awoke, Adamson had already led the cavalry and light infantry to establish the church in the chosen location.

There were no tall trees near Tervain Village, and the usable beams were brought along with Pastor Ramses Bolton.

The heavy cavalry, who had gone out to "tame" the wild horses, coincidentally returned to the manor. This group of "wild horses" was fitted with ropes and driven to pull the beams and pillars.

Ergons Tevalin and Pastor Ramses Bolton watched these strong young men build the house together; it looked so harmonious and leisurely.

However, such leisure was always an illusion. For a border village like this, even without a specific mission, it would be difficult to feel at ease. For how long?

Pastor Ramses Bolton looked at the soldiers working diligently and said with some emotion, "Do you know, Sir, hundreds of years ago, there was no distinction between knights and priests. Back then, there were only priests and believers guided by priests. Knights participating in battles had to prepare their own armor and provisions. Generally, a qualified knight had four things. Do you know what they were?"

Strictly speaking, this was also a test. Fortunately, Ergons Tevalin had been trained by Old Adam on the spot.

"A cross, a silver short sword, holy water, and a longsword!"

"Yes, back then, the cross was worn on the chest to distinguish each other, the silver short sword was used to fight demons, holy water was used for mass and to expel evil, and the longsword protected the faith."

After hearing Pastor Ramses Bolton's words, Ergons Tevalin naturally seized the opportunity. "Then when can we be equipped with pure silver short swords and holy water?"

Pastor Ramses Bolton, who was a bit prone to showing off, froze instantly when asked this.

Unfortunately, he didn't understand Ergons well enough, because the next sentence he asked was: "I didn't intend for the knights I'm training to become a combat force, but today we caught a group of wild horses.

They are all warriors willing to fight for the Holy Light, but now we're finding it difficult to afford the cost of raising horses. Can the church help resolve this?"

Pastor Ramses Bolton, around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, was still a bit thin-skinned!

Although Pastor Alphons had introduced him before leaving, this knight who could keep the Baroness by his side for so long was definitely thick-skinned.

But she never expected him to be this thick-skinned? You're raising your own soldiers, and you dare to ask me for money?

The Holy Light Church always received donations from ordinary believers; why would they have to pay money now?

As the two were chatting, the sound of hurried horse hooves rapidly approached from outside the manor.

Ergons had already seen this figure rushing on the map. The name on the map was "Scout," and from its troop type, it was a cavalryman from Tevalinburg.

Such scouts were rarely dispatched. Firstly, training such a cavalryman was expensive, and secondly, scouts were very hard on horses.

A single urgent order could run a horse to death.

This cavalryman, clearly from Tevalinburg, was not stopped and rode directly in front of them before dismounting.

"By Baron's Order, Swedish pirates have landed along the Giovanni River and are raiding. The knights of the seven villages under the Baron's jurisdiction should lead at least 12 men to respond and assemble."

Old Adam, who was watching his son work, suddenly looked panicked. He clearly remembered that a little over a month ago, during a similar assembly, the noble he had served his entire life never returned.

The figure looking at the parchment order, tall and wearing the same armor with the same insignia, seemed to have the young lord and the old noble overlap.

The Old Lord (young lord) also began to give instructions: "Uncle Adam (Uncle Adam), you stay and guard the house. I trust you with the village affairs. The rest of you..."

"Can I not go?"

Even though tears blurred his vision, he could only think it in his heart; he couldn't say it aloud.

For the first time, Old Adam felt a deep-seated aversion and hatred for the so-called conscription system.

"Uncle Adam, Uncle Adam, what's wrong?"

Old Adam wiped away his tears and smiled at the concerned young lord before him: "Young lord, leave the house to me. Don't worry, I'm still waiting for Adamson to give me a big fat grandson. I'll definitely take good care of the house."

He agreed readily, but for some reason, the young lord's gaze suddenly became a bit strange.

The young lord was also bewildered. Had he just jinxed it?

Thinking carefully, Old Adam's strength was already very high when he first appeared, so he hadn't been quantified by him.

Coupled with his tearful jinx, Ergons felt a bit flustered!

He couldn't bother with anything else and directly opened Old Adam's attribute panel, using a Level 2 Cheat Command on him.

Old Adam's attributes were already high, so an increase of a thousand experience points was not enough for him to level up.

However, it did quantify him as a "Vassal of Divine Favor," allowing him to see Old Adam no matter where he was.

If anything happened, he could also quickly reinforce him. It was just two Level 2 Cheat Commands: Press CTRL+V to instantly find your troops, and hold CTRL+X to go to any location (instantaneous movement).

And the true attributes of this old man, who always seemed frail and only displayed the qualities of a veteran soldier at critical moments, were finally revealed to him.

Adam Joshua Rilanka

Profession: Teva Archer

Age: 57

Level: 32

Health: 50

Experience: 457826

Experience needed to level up: 533410

Attributes:

Strength: 23

Agility: 11

Intelligence: 9

Charisma: 9

Skills:

Power Strike: 1

Iron Bones: 2

Power Draw: 1

Mounted Archery: 3

Weapon Proficiency:

One-Handed: 140

Two-Handed: 120

Polearm: 130

Archery: 0

Crossbow: 400

These should be the remaining attributes of Old Adam after his aging, but he is still very powerful.

Normally, he shouldn't have anything to worry about. This manor has thick wooden walls and two sergeants, eighteen light infantry, and eleven heavy cavalry. A force of less than 200 men generally cannot breach it.

Old Adam insisted on having both William and Adamson, two powerful combatants, accompany Ergons. This leaves him with only ten heavy cavalry to lead.

Pastor Alphons, for some unknown reason, also decided to join the expedition.

He should have stayed in the village to watch his church being built brick by brick, but he insisted on justifying his decision.

"The Crusaders of old and the Knightly Orders evolved from the medical relief organizations under the Holy Light Church, established by priests. As a priest, I should naturally follow the glory of my predecessors."