Area of Responsibility

That night, Derek met many old friends.

The arrival of the Perella Knight Order meant the war was about to begin.

Inside Count Perez's command tent, the Second Legion's senior officers had gathered.

A huge map of the Northern Province hung in the center, marked in detail with every mountain range and every village.

Derek saw Knight Croy. They nodded to each other, and the latter looked somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting to see him here.

"Gentlemen, Ironwall City lies ahead. According to our scouts, the Barbarian army has already passed Ironwall City. We will encounter them soon."

Count Perez's words immediately tightened the atmosphere.

"How is Ironwall City holding up?"

Someone could not help asking. Whether Ironwall City stood or fell concerned the fate of the Second Legion.

If it had fallen, they would be in serious trouble.

"Our Governor has held Ironwall City. There will be no problem in the short term."

Count Perez gave them a definite answer, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he swept his gaze around the tent before speaking solemnly. "Two missions. The Second Legion has only two missions.

First, drive out the Barbarians.

Second, avenge Chris Jefferies.

The Jefferies Family has offered a reward. Whoever avenges the Count will be granted a baron's fief."

As another Count of the Northern Province, Count Jefferies had died at the hands of the Barbarians this time.

It had been truly unlucky. The Count had been completely unprepared when the Barbarian army launched a surprise attack and beheaded him.

The entire operation had gone remarkably smoothly. The Barbarians seemed to have known his location beforehand.

Everyone understood that there had to be a traitor.

But rooting out the traitor was not the Second Legion's task. Avenging the Count was.

The moment Count Perella finished speaking, everyone's breathing grew heavier.

What an enormous temptation.

How many landed barons were there in the entire Northern Province? Certainly no more than twenty.

Whoever obtained that fief would be laying the foundation for a new family.

Not to mention the other benefits, such as fame and military merit.

When a count fell, everyone feasted.

The only question was who would be lucky enough to claim it.

Count Perella was very satisfied with the surge in morale. To be honest, this mission was difficult, because the murderer of the Count was the commander of the entire Barbarian army.

If anyone could accomplish that vengeance, even a baron's fief would seem stingy. The King would certainly not be sparing with his rewards.

But Count Perella had achieved his goal, and he seized the chance to begin assigning duties.

"The Knight Order will remain with me and prepare to face the Barbarians' main force.

The First Chiliarch Unit...

The Tenth Chiliarch Unit... clear this area.

Within ten days, I want to see the Barbarians driven north of Ironwall City. Whoever fails... will be removed.

In addition, the messengers of every chiliarch unit are to report twice daily. I want to know your positions. Be ready to converge at any time."

Count Perella divided the territory into areas and distributed the assignments directly.

He also retained part of the reserves, ready to provide support at any time.

If the Barbarians made any unusual moves, he could respond calmly and launch a decisive battle.

Step by step, they would first drive the Barbarians out of the lands south of Ironwall City and relieve the pressure.

Derek accepted his orders at once. Compared to the others, the Tenth Chiliarch Unit had fewer men and was assigned a smaller area, one that was not even a key region.

It was merely an area containing one town and seven or eight villages, with several knight manors scattered among the Kingdom's territories.

However, the local situation was still unclear. If most of the area had not yet fallen, the task would be easier.

When the meeting ended, he deliberately slowed his pace. Sure enough, Knight Cloya quickly caught up with him.

"Derek, you've been appointed Chiliarch?"

Knight Cloya was genuinely shocked. He had thought Derek was no ordinary man, but he had not expected him to rise so quickly.

"Uncle Cloya, I was lucky. I happened to catch the opportunity."

Derek remained humble. He knew this was not the time to be pleased with himself.

Knight Cloya reached out and patted him on the shoulder, clearly delighted. "Well done. If you need help, come find me anytime.

Take this chance to earn more military merit. Try to keep your position as Chiliarch. It will benefit you in the future.

Mm... and be careful."

They exchanged a few simple words before parting ways.

With a major battle imminent, there was no time for idle chatter.

When Derek returned to camp, the first thing he did was send Simon ahead with a troop of Cavalry.

They would soon be leaving the main army. With no one to scout for them, they would have to rely on themselves for everything.

A chiliarch unit was already a complete military formation, capable of independently handling ordinary missions. It was also a tremendous test for its commander.

Fortunately, Derek had trained a number of capable assistants, so he did not yet feel much difficulty.

Derek left the main army and hurried to the area under his command.

The situation was better than expected. The forces that had wandered into this area were already small Barbarian detachments.

The only town remained safe. It had merely been hit by the Barbarians once at the beginning, and a number of Militia had died.

The surrounding villages had also resisted fiercely. Though the Barbarians had killed some people and looted some grain and valuables, they had not achieved much.

Of course, they had to thank the King's call to arms. The Northern Province had been preparing for war throughout this period.

Militia were training everywhere. They could not possibly stand against the main Barbarian army, but they could resist small detachments to some extent.

Derek set up camp directly outside the town, declining the local garrison commander's invitation.

He had not come here to hide inside. The town might be safe if he did, but he would not be far from losing his position.

Count Perella's intentions were obvious: divide the regions, advance layer by layer, and steadily lift the siege of Ironwall City.

If he truly holed up here and did nothing, he would be courting death.

Simon soon returned and brought the latest news.

"Chiliarch, there are roughly four or five Barbarian detachments in our area of responsibility, fewer than two hundred men in total.

They have attacked several villages and are currently roaming about."

The Cavalry Simon had led were exceptionally elite. They had even tracked the Barbarians' trail and narrowed down their approximate range.

Derek quickly reached a conclusion. "The Barbarians' purpose is likely only looting and harassment. Once they learn that we have arrived, they will probably withdraw immediately.

Ready the Cavalry. We will move first.

Adrian, take temporary command. Lead the elite hundred-man unit on a forced march."

Derek boldly judged that the Barbarian detachments might flee.

Even if he was wrong, the Knights, who could come and go freely, would not be in danger. At worst, it would be a wasted trip.