A Grand Gesture

Being made a Chiliarch was certainly high praise.

A Chiliarch might not sound like much, but it was already a mid-to-high-ranking military officer.

The entire provisional Northern Province Second Legion could have no more than ten Chiliarchs.

Aside from the officers under the Counts, some Barons who personally took the field inevitably had to be given positions, and there were even officers from nearby cities. These people basically occupied the Legion's Chiliarch posts.

Only after that came nobles of military merit like Marco, who were personally strong as well and generally served somewhere between Centurion and Pentakosiarch.

In his excitement, the Count had practically promised him a Chiliarch's post. It could be called an exceptional promotion.

This might bring some trouble, but for Derek, the benefits outweighed the trouble.

Even Count Perez himself felt that he had misspoken after calming down.

Derek's knights had simply performed too astonishingly.

Count Perez hurried away, and the inspection came to a temporary end.

The final reorganization was about to begin.

Count Perella held a final discussion with several confidants. To be honest, he was hesitating as well.

"Giving a Chiliarch's post to an Honorary Knight is excessive. He is not even qualified to serve as a Pentakosiarch, or people will talk."

The military had its rules, and nobles enjoyed preferential treatment.

But someone from an Honorary Knight background could at most become a Decurion.

Even in a provisional Legion, considering the soldiers Derek had brought, he should only be given a Centurion's title and allowed to lead an oversized personal force.

If they wanted to be harsh, they could even give him the rank of Banner Captain, and he would have nowhere to argue.

Of course, if you had the ability and military achievements, even a commoner could rise to become a Centurion or Chiliarch.

It was just that the Kingdom generally would not begrudge a Centurion the title of Honorary Knight.

So naturally, some people opposed it.

Count Perella was hesitant. He felt that making Derek a Pentakosiarch would not be excessive.

"I think there is nothing wrong with giving him additional manpower and attaching a Chiliarch's title to his name. It could even boost morale.

"We are about to fight the Barbarians. If we do not let them see the benefits, I fear morale will be low when the time comes."

Others thought it was no big deal. Spending a fortune to buy a fine horse's bones—if Count Perez was a little more generous and everyone saw hope, it would instead be a good thing.

After all, if you performed outstandingly, the Count would certainly reward you on the Kingdom's behalf.

With opinions divided, someone naturally tried to smooth things over. "Then give him the rank of Pentakosiarch and fill out his unit."

This seemed more in line with Count Perella's wishes.

But before the Count made his decision, Cesar suddenly spoke. "Count, Knight Derek came from our Knight Order, and the Second Legion is only a provisional Legion for now."

Count Perella immediately understood Cesar's implication. The Northern Province Second Legion had been temporarily assembled by the Governor, and its future prospects were still uncertain.

Most likely, it would be reorganized after driving off the Barbarians and then directly committed to the war against them.

When that happened, there would be another reshuffling.

So the weight of a Chiliarch's position might not be so great after all.

But if the provisional Legion became permanent, its officers would not simply be discarded. It was normal for them to be retained at reduced rank.

That was another considerable advantage.

And Derek came from the Perella Knight Order, carrying the mark of the Count's faction from birth.

Even if he was relatively independent, that connection could not be erased.

Whether the Count later competed for the position of commander of the permanent Legion or simply wanted to invest and deepen their relationship, it was necessary.

In any case, this was only a provisional Legion, and he was being generous with the King's resources.

Using the Kingdom's resources to do himself a favor—when would he normally get such an opportunity?

Even Count Perella had only so many political resources. Normally, recommending even one Chiliarch was extremely difficult. It was only possible because of these special circumstances.

What was wrong with selling this temporary political resource, one that came with restrictions, to Derek?

Count Perella figured it out. Ignoring Cesar's motives, he directly signed the appointment document.

"Tell that boy to work hard and not embarrass me.

"I'm giving him the title of Chiliarch. Supplement his force with soldiers and farmers until it reaches a thousand men. He can figure out the rest himself."

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure he knows of the Count's generosity," Cesar replied.

The Count had spent political resources, so naturally Derek had to know. Otherwise, would it not all have been for nothing?

Of course, only Derek's background and his friendship with Cesar had earned him this opportunity.

Otherwise, these temporary political resources could have benefited someone else. Why did it have to be Derek?

Next, Count Perez swiftly decided the army's composition and completed the final preparations.

Cesar personally brought the appointment document to Derek's door.

"Knight Derek, the Count has given you special consideration and exceptionally promoted you to the tenth Chiliarch of the provisional Northern Province Second Legion. You will receive five hundred additional soldiers and three hundred farmers. As for the rest... that is up to you."

Cesar handed the appointment document to Derek with a smile. As he congratulated him, he casually told him about the debate at the Count's residence.

"Luckily, you came from our Knight Order. Otherwise, there would have been even more opposition, and this opportunity would not have fallen to you.

"Work hard. Once we drive back the Barbarians, the war will certainly continue, and the Second Legion will definitely become a permanent formation.

"You are guaranteed a Pentakosiarch's post. If you perform outstandingly, you might even retain your current position."

This was precisely what Derek did not understand very well.

Cesar had seen more and knew some of the military's rules.

Moreover, if the Barbarians had not suddenly invaded, then when the army was formally established, Derek might only have become a Centurion—and that would have been out of consideration for the more than two hundred men under his command.

Low rank, high authority—such situations were not uncommon.

So in a sense, he had to thank the Barbarians for this.

Derek naturally understood what Cesar meant. The man had indeed spoken on his behalf.

Perhaps it had only been a casual word of advice to him, but for Derek, it had changed his fate.

Seeking repayment for a favor was perfectly normal.

Derek liked friends who were so straightforward. As long as they were willing to speak up for him and bring him benefits, he was willing to repay them.

He was even more generous than Cesar. He went straight to the stable and led out one of his only three Superior Warhorses.

Northern Lands Warhorse

Quality: Superior (5/100)

Experience Pool: 0/100

A Superior Northern Lands Warhorse with excellent endurance and carrying capacity, and good explosive power and speed.

It was a Superior Warhorse capable of carrying heavy armor, a scarce resource that could not be bought on the market at all.

"Brother Cesar, I won't say much more. Thank you for your help.

"I don't have much to show my gratitude, so this Warhorse is for you."

Derek called him brother without hesitation, and his gift was even more lavish.

What kind of concept was that?

It was basically the equivalent of directly giving someone a luxury car worth several million.

Even though Cesar served under Count Perez, he would have needed several years of salary without spending a penny to afford one, and he would not even have had a way to buy it.

He was instantly stunned.