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"My lord, this is the latest version of our knight's equipment."

Little Tru's face was flushed as he eagerly introduced it to Derek.

This was a standard suit of Knight Armor, even more refined than the one given to Baron Ferrera.

The smiths had improved in skill and increased in number, and the result was superior craftsmanship.

Though it was not the kind of heavy plate armor, both the Warhorse and the knight were almost entirely encased in steel.

The joints were wrapped in cowhide as well, balancing defense with flexibility.

At the same time, the Warhorse was fitted with a layer of Chainmail, making it difficult for ordinary blades to harm it.

"The full set of knight's equipment costs more than twenty Gold Coins. It requires one Master Smith and seven or eight blacksmiths working together, and they can produce roughly one set every half month.

"At present, we can only spare two teams, so production is a little low."

"Put it on me and let me try it."

With the help of his squires, Derek put on the pieces one by one. Even with his current physique, he felt a trace of pressure.

As he walked, the Chainmail at the joints clattered, but it was not unpleasantly noisy.

He tried moving around a few times, then drew his Knight's Sword and gave it a swing.

It was still fairly flexible, though some combat techniques would certainly be restricted.

However, the enhanced defense allowed one to disregard danger, making it even more intimidating.

"With an Elite Knight's physique, it can be worn around the clock. Aside from blunt-force injuries caused by heavy weapons, ordinary light weapons will struggle to inflict effective damage."

After evaluating it, Derek found it well worth the price.

Compared to the more costly heavy armor, a single piece would likely cost over twenty Gold Coins, while a full set would probably exceed forty Gold Coins.

Moreover, there was no immediate need for it, and few people could bear its burden in battle.

Derek removed the armor and was very satisfied with Little Tru's recent work.

"Design a set of equipment for Heavy Infantry as well. Keep the weight at this level."

Though they were called Heavy Infantry, they were really just wearing Leather Armor reinforced with iron armor. But in this era, that was already an unprecedentedly extravagant standard.

Derek intended to forge an elite spearhead that could play a major role on the battlefield.

He assigned Little Tru and the others another series of tasks, stockpiled some weapons, and acquired resources through trade with the outside world.

He then went to inspect the Warhorses, the horses gathered through various channels.

Most of those they purchased were inferior-quality Nags, while ordinary-quality Riding Horses were scarce.

Warhorses might be difficult to find, but inferior-quality Nags were plentiful.

The Northern Lands themselves had some capacity for producing Warhorses, and there were many retired horses left among the common folk.

This matter was handled entirely by loyal confidants. Otherwise, if someone discovered the secret, it would be a major problem.

Derek even checked the Panel every day to ensure nothing went wrong.

Since he had made preparations and plans this time, Derek had chosen Northern Horses as the breed for his Warhorses. They had good endurance, could bear heavy loads, had decent speed, and were good at sprinting.

They were somewhat well-known. Even if inferior-quality Northern Horses were upgraded in quality, those traits would not change.

They were now raising more than a hundred horses, with around ten leaving the stable each month to be sold as Fine Quality Warhorses.

Some were kept back as well, in preparation for breeding even better Warhorses.

This number was already the limit of what their manpower could handle.

Putting aside whether they could care for more, a larger number would also be easier to expose.

For a horse, even with better feed, monthly rations cost three Silver Coins. The yearly cost would be at least two Gold Coins.

Yet a Nag could only sell for three to five Gold Coins at most, leaving very little profit and carrying risks as well.

Of course, by cutting back on feed and replacing more of it with pasture grass, the cost could be reduced to one-third.

For people of the Northern Lands, there was still some profit in it.

But for Derek, cost was secondary. He could afford far greater numbers, but he could not guarantee their safety.

Thus, he could only leave regretfully.

This made him even more eager to obtain a territory entirely under his own control, preferably somewhere the kingdom's power was weakest.

The Barbarians perfectly fulfilled every requirement.

Derek gathered his strength, preparing to give the Barbarians a hard blow.

Finally, he went to another Estate.

By now, it had completely become a training ground.

Baron Ferrera had kept his word. Not only had he sent half the family's army, but most of the Cavalry and the knights supported by the family were here as well.

Led in Marco's stead by his eldest brother, they sweated profusely under the training of Derek's Knight Squires.

Furthermore, aside from these standing regular troops, a batch of Militia was added every week.

The outstanding ones were incorporated into the army, while those eliminated were sent back to farm.

After several months, the Baron had assembled an army of more than three hundred men.

Even without Derek's help, they could train an army with respectable combat strength.

And armies like this were being trained by nobles large and small throughout the Northern Lands. Even the children of some middle-class families and merchants were training.

News of the war seemed to have spread without a sound. Every person in the Northern Lands was making preparations.

Derek watched for a while and casually checked the Panel.

Most of the family's army appeared on the Panel, clearly having accepted the command of Derek's subordinates.

Several of the knights had reached levels five or six, which was fairly good.

The family's soldiers, who trained year-round, were at similar levels, while some rapidly improving recruits had even reached levels three or four.

That was only because Derek had held back. Otherwise, they would have progressed even faster.

It was precisely because of this that Derek discovered a small secret of the Panel.

Accumulated experience points would be reduced when advancing in level. He had once considered exploiting this, such as saving a hundred experience points and using them after reaching a higher level.

That hope had now been completely shattered.

His eldest brother Marco was training diligently as well. Derek found that he was actually fairly capable, not as poor as he had imagined.

After allocating plenty of points to his elder brother, Derek waited until Marco had finished training before approaching him.

"Derek, how long have you been here?"

Marco accepted the towel handed over by a squire and wiped the sweat from his face.

Here, he could not be bothered with noble etiquette. He simply did whatever felt most comfortable.

"I just arrived as well. Elder Brother, you seem to have improved greatly. I'm sure Father will be astonished when he sees you."

"Your training really is impressive. Honestly, where did you find these men of yours? Their level seems even better than the family knights'."

Of course. These were all fierce men on the verge of advancing to the elite level. How could knights supported by a rural noble compare?

"What do you mean, their level is impressive? It's entirely because they train harder. Look at my squires—their training load is even heavier than yours. If you persist for a few years, Elder Brother, you won't be any worse."

Derek changed the subject, and Marco found it quite reasonable.

From what he had observed, the soldiers under Third Brother truly trained at an exceptionally high intensity.

The two let the subject pass.

Marco suddenly revealed some news. "I heard the King has already issued a mobilization order. After the spring plowing, the south and central regions have begun forming legions and are preparing to march north."