Ola's rough palm closed around Veylin's hand. A sharp crack of knuckles made Veylin's face twitch awkwardly.
"Deal!" Ola grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his smile filled with the relief of a burden lifted.
Extorting people and idling away his life-that was no way for a knight to live.
Before, he had had no choice. From today onward, it was time to live differently!
The next morning, a strange atmosphere hung over the ridges between Newborn Town's fields.
Thirty Shatterrock Knights wore crude leather armor and carried battleaxes, their eyes blazing with eagerness for battle.
Behind them, however, thirty Garrison soldiers had far better equipment, yet most were so nervous that their palms were sweating.
Barrett stood on high ground, his remaining right eye narrowed slightly, scrutiny and confusion in his gaze. To him, Ola's orders were sheer nonsense.
"Five to a group: two knights and three Garrison soldiers. Form ten defensive circles around the watchtowers at the edges of the fields."
Ola's booming voice echoed through the morning mist.
"The Garrison soldiers will keep watch and drive the beasts back. The knights will kill them! If an enemy you can't handle appears, sound the horn. I'll bring the remaining ten knights to support you immediately!"
Split their finest knights into small groups? Barrett snorted inwardly.
That was no different from breaking a longsword into a dozen pieces-a cardinal sin on the battlefield.
This approach would squander the advantage of a knightly charge and exhaust their stamina through endless scattered skirmishes.
Even more surprising, Ola himself had not taken the lead. Instead, he stood at the center of the entire expanse of fields like a coordinator.
Meanwhile, atop a watchtower on Newborn Town's walls, Veylin held a brass telescope and calmly observed the battle.
"He's being reckless! The