Worthy of a Chiliarch

The Northern Province Second Legion held a military review the next day.

Many merchants and children of minor nobles had yet to realize the problem and waited eagerly for the count to appear.

Although the Northern Province Second Legion was a temporary formation, judging by the current situation, it probably would not be disbanded anytime soon.

Securing an officer's position here would at least last for a while. With luck, it might even become permanent.

For low-ranking nobles and merchants' children without connections, this was a path to the heavens.

However, the children of a small number of military merit nobles already knew that the competition had begun the moment they entered the camp.

Military noble factions like the Baron Ferrera Family numbered no more than seven or eight, yet they occupied one-fifth to one-third of the legion's strength.

The rest consisted of nobles of various ranks and the children of some middle-class families.

Knightly nobles and ordinary baronial families found it difficult to learn the ins and outs of such matters.

When Derek was assigned a position near the front, he knew his plan had succeeded.

At the very center stood Count Perella's private troops.

To the left were military nobles like the Ferrera Family.

On the right, Derek stood first, followed by one or two other military nobles.

As for everyone else, they could only stand farther back.

Derek knew he could not enjoy the glory of the Ferrera Family. That would be inherited by his elder brother Marco.

But he was not worried. After all his planning, he could not possibly do worse than his elder brother.

Sure enough, Count Perella delivered an inspiring speech, promising promotions in title after the war.

Then he began reviewing the troops.

It was simple. A quick look around was enough to gain a general impression of their quality.

The military nobles of the Northern Lands maintained fairly strong family armaments.

Families like the Ferrera Family normally had only one or two hundred men, but they had many militia members who rotated through training, and their standards were not poor.

Once assembled, they formed a passable army. If they truly fought for their lives, gathering over a thousand men would not be a problem.

The men Marco had brought had undergone two months of intensive training. They looked noticeably better than the troops around them.

Count Perella silently took note of this.

When he reached his private troops, he slowed his pace. Though he knew them very well, he still had to put on a show. They were the foundation of his control over the legion.

Then came Derek.

At a glance, the difference was obvious.

They looked even more elite than his own private troops, and their equipment was first-rate as well.

Equipment aside, raising so many elite soldiers was no easy task.

Look at the merchant children and even the private troops of some minor nobles—forming a proper line was difficult enough for them.

Count Perez believed the Register's records and even felt they had understated the matter.

He even turned to the people beside him and asked, "Did Derek come from my Knight Order?"

What he really meant was: How had we let such an outstanding man slip away?

Someone immediately gave a brief account of Derek's circumstances. These bureaucrats were not to be underestimated. The moment they saw Derek's position, they had already investigated him thoroughly.

"What a pity!"

Count Perella felt regretful. If he had the chance, he would certainly try to recruit Derek again.

But for now, as one of his own soldiers, the stronger Derek was, the better.

And having come from the Perez Knight Order was also a point of shared connection.

The count walked closer and suddenly said, "Knight Derek, I heard you completed knight training with outstanding results. Could you let me see what you can do?"

Derek froze for a moment, then was overjoyed.

Count Perella had singled him out. This was an opportunity.

He keenly sensed the meaning behind the count's words. If he performed well, a very good position might be waiting for him.

"Yes. I shall obey your will, Legion Commander."

Derek immediately stepped forward and saluted with a clenched fist across his chest.

How should he show off his skills?

Derek immediately thought of a good idea.

"Armor up!"

For the military review, the knights were already fully armed.

Compared to the others, Derek's elite knights were all Physical Fitness monsters. They could wear this kind of medium full-body armor all day.

In his experience, soldiers who reached the elite level were one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand.

Across the entire Northern Province, level five or six knights could be considered good, level seven or eight excellent. Elite-level knights were probably limited to those fairly renowned Titled Knights.

Yet under his command... there was a whole group of them.

So putting on armor was more of a signal.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, the knights swiftly swung themselves onto their horses.

They had initially thought the armor was merely for show, worn to make an appearance during the review. After standing around for so long, the strain should have been considerable.

Yet judging by their movements, they seemed completely unaffected.

Count Perez had merely intended to let Derek show off a little. He had not expected him to suddenly assemble his knights.

Seeing his guards nervously block his path, the count pushed aside the wall of men. "Move aside. Knight Derek came from our Knight Order. There's no need to worry."

Those words moved people, if only for a moment. Count Perella truly knew how to win hearts.

Derek also mounted his horse and lightly rode to the front of the knights.

Clop, clop!

The brown warhorse stamped in place, its powerful muscles displaying its strength.

This was a warhorse that had advanced to the excellent level.

"Charge!"

The transition from stillness to motion displayed the warhorse's explosive power, as well as the knights' control.

"Throw spears!"

As Derek's short spear struck the ground, a flurry of short spears whistled down, landing densely within a half-meter space.

They even completed three successive volleys. The warhorses galloped back and forth without a single deviation.

By the time the stunned crowd came to its senses, the knights had already reformed their ranks.

"Level spears! Attack!"

Next came scattered skirmishing, pursuit from the rear, and all manner of formation changes.

The two knight squads displayed an extremely high level of skill. It was simply the pinnacle.

Some people who had been brimming with confidence were struck hard all at once.

"Is this what true military nobles are like? How are we supposed to compete with that?"

Count Perella felt the same way.

He knew the knights under his command could not achieve this level. Every one of these knights was worthy of being called a Titled Knight.

"How were they trained? Can any of you do this?"

The knights under the count awkwardly shook their heads. A few individual knights might possess such skill, but leading their subordinates to do it together was another matter entirely.

When Derek returned to his original position, they dismounted in unison.

Every knight still looked as though he had plenty of strength to spare.

"Splendid! Absolutely splendid! I thought I was watching His Majesty the King's Guardian Knights."

After praising them, the count suddenly asked, "Knight Derek, are you married?"

"Uh?"

Derek looked utterly bewildered. I thought you were here to praise me. I never expected you to play matchmaker.

Count Perella had spoken those words on impulse, but immediately realized he had misspoken.

He hurriedly changed the subject. "With that display, you are more than worthy of being a Chiliarch."