Harvest

"It's over, it's over, everything is over..."

The quartermaster slumped in the carriage, watching the chaos before him and the fleeing routed soldiers streaming past them. In his daze, he latched onto the Viscount like a drowning man to a straw.

"Let's return to camp. I'll have the auxiliaries and laborers set up the tents securely. We have a palisade wall and caltrops outside. As long as we get back, we can strategize slowly, and then..."

The Viscount, unable to shake off the hand gripping his cloak, waved his longsword and thrust it into the quartermaster's babbling mouth. The action was practiced, but the cold blade pierced his throat, extinguishing the quartermaster's fervent hope with a gush of blood.

"If you like it, it's yours."

The Viscount threw off his fur cloak, covering the quartermaster's corpse. He then shouted to the surrounding guards.

"Retreat! Quickly, back to the field command tent!"

With a nimbleness completely at odds with his build, he leaped onto the horse pulling the carriage. Looking back, he severed the leather straps connecting to the carriage with his sword, then plunged the blade into the horse's flank. The startled horse immediately bolted.

At the main gate of the manor, the debris from the shattered gate, battered by the siege ram, was cleared to create a gap about a person wide. Led by Old Adam, seven heavy cavalrymen, clad in heavy armor with their horses also armored, charged out to rendezvous with the main force.

Old Adam and the seven surviving heavy cavalrymen watched their young master's return with excitement. All their unspoken words dissolved into action.

They formed a protective circle around the tip of the wedge formation, surrounding their young master and serving as the arrowhead of the entire formation.

All the knights were excited. This excitement didn't just come from the killing; efficient movement could stimulate the release of dopamine, bringing pleasure.

The knights chased the fleeing soldiers, almost laughing. As their longswords severed enemy heads, their lances shattered enemy spines, and their maces crushed enemies, helmets and all, a joyful atmosphere invigorated every cell.

The cavalry's relentless pursuit caused the fleeing soldiers to scatter further, but the vast majority of the infantry and archers, led by their minor leaders and lords, charged towards the siege camp below the hillside.

Countless chaotic soldiers trampled the winter wheat seedlings, which had only recently been sown, with some even scrambling and crawling, destroying large patches.

"All my crops, wasted! These murderers will all be buried in my fields, fertilizing my land!"

Old Adam's muttering sent a chill down the spines of the knights, who were already close together in their tight formation.

For the first time, these knights, who usually did not engage in production, understood an old farmer's attachment to the land and crops. They experienced the simple yet terrifying resentment of the poor farmers.

The knights had not yet reached the camp when the fastest group of archers had already charged into the camp area. The sudden shouts of killing startled the demoralized and lost soldiers, causing them to panic even more.

The remaining hundred or so infantrymen, who had been lying in wait in the camp area, ambushed them. Under their volleys, no one could get within 15 paces of the camp's palisade wall.

Some of the faster runners saw the ambushing soldiers killing and tried to slow down or turn back. Some hesitated and wavered, but those behind them, running faster, crashed into them.

The cavalry swept in, and these routed soldiers couldn't even withstand a single charge.

They had come with two to three hundred men, but only a few dozen scattered remnants remained. However, they were all put to the sword under the pursuit of these discriminatory auxiliary soldiers.

As the sounds of slaughter gradually faded, the midday sun shone upon the joyful faces of every victor.

The Baron stood before the Swedish Viscount's large camp, examining the Swedish Viscount's silver curved saber banner. "Put it away. This is the best trophy I've received this year."

He tossed the banner to a attendant and, seeing that the auxiliaries had already completed the inventory of all provisions and weaponry, he stood on a high platform to address the crowd.

"Today is the day we bathe in the Holy Light and achieve victory once again!

We are heroic like demigods in epics, and we are bold like legendary warriors fighting evil!

We have repelled the invading enemy, protected the people and the land, and we fight for justice, unafraid of hardship or sacrifice!"

The Baron's words, though somewhat awkward, had a strange infectious power. Everyone roared their approval, raising their weapons with each pause in his speech.

"Today we have won, so the spoils of war should naturally be divided equally between me and my subordinates. By rank, I am your liege lord. But on the battlefield, we are brothers, relying on each other.

Cheers! To our great victory today!

Bravo! To our heroic deeds!"

Hearing that there would be spoils to divide, everyone was genuinely happy. The Baron's charisma and authority seemed to have been elevated once again at this moment.

Ergons was also delighted because he had leveled up twice in this battle. All his surviving subordinates had accumulated enough experience to level up, waiting for him to assign the points.

Of course, it was also because when he first entered this camp, he had already picked up the most valuable spoils and stored them in his inventory. He had allocated the attribute points from these two levels to Intelligence and all four skill points to Item Management.

Each point in Item Management could increase the carrying capacity by 6 slots. Four points meant 24 slots.

Adding the 12 slots that were already empty, after the System cleaned up the spoils of war following this victory, he had selected another 36 items based on their quality, and only then did the Baron begin distributing things to them.

As for money, that was another matter entirely. Money, regardless of the amount, was just a number and didn't occupy inventory slots, which led to the current situation.

"However, you must expedite the pursuit of the fleeing Swedish Viscount, as we haven't found where he hid his money. This damned pirate wouldn't have gone without money; he must have hidden it somewhere! But I suspect only he knows where."

The Baron spoke with conviction, and everyone believed him. After all, leading such a complex combined force into battle, daily pay and provisions had to be allocated properly.

Therefore, it was impossible to go to war without carrying money; this was common sense that everyone knew.

Ergons was eager to return to the village to check his haul, so he used the excuse of hosting a banquet to reward the army and returned to Tervain Village.

As for the distributed spoils, he didn't haggle, trusting his "dear brother."

Everyone praised his magnanimity, and some nobles who didn't know him well before began to truly appreciate him because of this battle fought side-by-side.

Ergons directly withdrew all his soldiers back to the manor's main keep, where he completed their upgrades.

Only seventeen of his Northern Legion soldiers survived. This time, all of them were upgraded to Sergeants and equipped with sleeveless plate armor with black cotton padding, flat-topped helmets with chain coifs, plate boots or greaves, and plate gauntlets or scale gauntlets.

Their weaponry consisted solely of "Can Opener" military hoes, spears, and thick kite shields.

Including the seven heavy cavalrymen who survived in the castle, his heavy cavalry force was upgraded to 22 Knights. William, along with Old Adam and two veteran Sergeants from the Northern Legion, who had also completed cross-class upgrades, upgraded themselves.

This brought the number of knights under his command back to 22.

Priest Ramses Bolton and his attendant Conner Brennan were also promoted to Battle Priest and Field Priest respectively, and the two of them, just like the soldiers of the Northern Legion, completely became his vassals.

These men, having been tested by war, became Ergons Tervain's initial core team.

Of course, the reason Priest Ramses Bolton, an atheist, was completely convinced was because Ergons Tervain spoke with him privately.

In the room, Ergons directly revealed his true form and explained to Priest Ramses Bolton the logic behind becoming a vessel for the Holy Light's descent and the price to be paid.

"If you become the vessel through which the Holy Light walks the world, then you and this body of yours will return to the embrace of the Holy Light, do you understand? By becoming the vessel of the Holy Light, you can leave a legend in this world. Isn't that enough?"

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.