Reunion (Part 1)

March 19th. The sun shone brightly, and under the nourishing touch of spring, countless grasses and trees began to sprout fresh buds. Tree after tree, patch after patch, cluster after cluster, lush and verdant, pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the spirit.

On a broad dirt road, a group of people suddenly emerged from the far end that morning, advancing at an unhurried pace. There were roughly a hundred of them. Most rode horses, while a small number traveled on foot. To accommodate the walkers, the entire group did not move very quickly.

Judging from their equipment, this was quite a well-equipped force, not some makeshift band of adventurers. Their relatively uniform clothing and orderly formation made that clear. There were only a dozen or so walkers, yet they were hardly any slower than the riders. Though unarmored, they possessed sturdier physiques. They all wore adventurer attire, with bulging waists and various weapons strapped across their backs.

The mounted cavalry numbered around a hundred, making up the majority of the group. They wore leather armor, held firm reins in their hands, and their upright bodies rose and fell rhythmically with their horses' strides, displaying the bearing expected of riders.

From these details alone, this had once been a well-trained force.

Only once. The slightly disorderly formation still exposed the fact that they had begun to decline from their former peak. If no suitable turning point appeared to change this force's fate, then within two years, the people in this group would surely have their remaining backbone ground away.

"Strange. Why would they hire an outsider to command us? Could anyone really be more suited to command than Knight Bikade, who knows us inside out and is both brave and valiant?"

"Ah, you're still new, so you don't know the