The Nurses' Corps

Of course, to justify the ongoing "withdrawals" from the Formless Mother that sustained these two area-wide Great Runes, and to handle certain unavoidable requirements for "bloodshed" in battle (the Formless Mother did have a taste for it, after all), Horace Loux also needed a "front."

Thus, the "Blood Sorcerer Order" came into being.

Publicly, they bore a very upright and necessary title-"battlefield healers."

They consisted primarily of the rescued Numen witches.

Their main duty was indeed to use various means to treat wounded warriors.

Of course, no one would tell the wounded warriors that the women were healing them with their enemies' blood.

Their wounds were healed, anyway. Never mind how.

Horace Loux's core requirements for them were: save lives efficiently and control side effects.

As for the source of energy for their so-called "special research," and the occasional need to process enemy prisoners to "obtain medical supplies" (draw blood)...

You saw nothing and knew nothing.

The Formless Mother's power was cleverly concealed beneath medical treatment, both satisfying that Outer God's desire for "bloodshed" and giving Horace Loux a stable pretext for drawing energy.

Of course, in private, Horace Loux often quipped that this "medical team," consisting mainly of blonde, blue-eyed witch ladies with stunning figures, was a "nurses' corps"-after all, a pleasing sight helped the wounded recover, too. That was how he persuaded himself.

In his plans, the future Inquisitor Knight Order would primarily undertake defensive, control, and escort duties, relying on powerful survivability and the discipline imparted by their virtues to become a solid shield for the tribe and even its alliance with Caria.

The burden of dealing damage could be left to the sorcerers he gradually trained, along with the tribe's traditionally excellent hunters and archers.

With the "nurses' corps" providing strong logistical support, he was indeed moving toward his ideal army: "undefeated in battle, with no casualties."

As for serving as the "police of the Lands Between" to maintain order, that was all a matter for later.

For now, the real priorities were to establish a firm foothold, consolidate his gains, quietly develop his territory, and meet the "expectations" of both Caria and the Academy.

On the Eastern Tableland, construction of the new camp was in full swing under the guidance of Carian artisans.

On the training ground, the first selected group of young tribesmen had already begun basic knight training under Horace Loux and several veteran warriors who had been among the first to accept the Great Runes, dimly sensing the strange constraints and power fed back to them by the enveloping forces called "virtue" and "non-killing."

Horace Loux stood atop the newly built, rudimentary watchtower, watching it all, his mind somewhat more at ease.

A special legion built through Great Rune bugs was taking shape, the withdrawal channel through that living ATM was stable, and I had established a mutually beneficial relationship with the local power, Caria, while getting to screw over the Academy on the side...

Not a bad start, it seemed.

Next came waiting for the Academy's "fish" to take the bait, and making the most of the time to learn True Magic.

He was full of anticipation for Carian True Magic, especially the parts that might relate to the "moon."

The days passed in an orderly bustle.

The camp on the Eastern Tableland gradually shed its rough, makeshift air and began to take on the outlines of a settlement.

Under the guidance of Carian artisans, sturdy timber-and-stone longhouses replaced hide tents, while neatly planned roads separated the residential area, training ground, workshops, and rudimentary farmland.

Without those stubbornly traditional veteran warriors holding them back, the remaining tribespeople proved quite receptive to the various technologies and cultural practices Caria taught them.

Horace Loux himself did not sit idle, either.

He hungrily absorbed the knowledge of True Magic that Caria made available to him.

Though Rellana was extremely reluctant, her sister Rennala's orders and the "bigger picture" left her with no choice but to take on the duty of instructing him.

Thus, in a secluded spot beside the lake, the following scene could often be seen: a lady knight in casual silver-and-blue clothing, her pretty face cold, explaining things in the most emotionless tone possible.

Her student opposite her, the towering barbarian chief, wore a calm expression and occasionally asked questions.

As someone who had encountered the moon, Horace Loux had no lack of talent for True Magic.

His "teacher," however, clearly did not enjoy the process.

Every lesson was like an excruciating assignment for Rellana, her face all but saying, "Hurry up and learn this, then get out of my sight."

Even though the two sides now counted as allies, her gaze toward Horace Loux still held a mixture of lingering humiliation and anger, resentment, and a trace of frustration at being forced to cooperate.

She was constantly looking for opportunities to "get revenge," even if it only meant deliberately speaking faster during her explanations, hoping to see him embarrass himself.

Unfortunately, Horace Loux either grasped the key points intuitively or simply asked questions, forcing her to explain in greater detail and only leaving her even more irritated.

Meanwhile, the nascent Inquisitor Knight Order began to display potential that turned heads.

Under the continuous influence of the area-wide Great Runes [Observe Knightly Virtues] and [Never Kill], the first fifty young tribesmen selected underwent a transformation that could only be called complete.

Their discipline reached an astonishing level.

Forming ranks, marching, turning-their movements were uniform, silent, and efficient. Beyond a warrior's resolve, their eyes held a distinctive gleam cultivated by concepts such as "honor" and "justice."

They voluntarily helped build the camp and cared for the old and weak, treating one another and their fellow tribespeople with humility and courtesy, utterly unlike the competitive, combative ways of the tribe's warriors in the past.

On the training ground, their performance secretly shocked the several sorcerers and knights sent by Caria even more.

The "knightly abilities" strengthened by [Observe Knightly Virtues] manifested in every aspect.

Their strength and stamina increased significantly, enough to sustain long training sessions in the composite heavy armor that Carian artisans had helped make.

They mastered shields and spears at an extraordinary pace. After only a few drills, their simple "shield wall" formation already looked convincing, advancing and retreating in good order.

Particularly impressive were the heavy shield-bearers chosen as "personal guards."

Holding tower shields nearly as tall as a person and armored from head to toe, they stood like a mobile wall of steel.

Ordinary arrows and javelins could scarcely budge them, while True Magic bombardment left only scorch marks on their shields.

The more numerous "shield spearmen," meanwhile, held medium-sized kite shields in one hand and extended fine-iron spears in the other, forming a tight battle line.

Their tactics were simple and effective: shields provided cover while spears darted through the gaps like venomous snakes. With seamless coordination and a steady advance, they were the very picture of the exceptionally solid, meta-defining "shield-poke build."

The Carian instructors privately discussed how this style of fighting, relying purely on discipline, defense, and advancing formations, lacked the agility and explosive power of the Glintstone Knights but would likely be extremely difficult to handle in a head-on engagement, especially when True Magic bombardment proved ineffective against them.

Horace Loux had originally also planned to equip the knights with greatbows, hoping to replicate the kind of living sniper cannon exemplified by Ogha of the "Redmane Knights."

Unfortunately, the tribe lacked qualified bowyers, and Caria was better at True Magic equipment than traditional bows and arrows. With no immediate solution to the technical problem, it could only wait until later.

This left him somewhat regretful. His dream of living, self-propelled artillery was shelved for the time being.

Glintstone Craftsman's Cookbook: [A cookbook written by a glintstone craftsman who served the True Magic Academy. It contained techniques for "Imitation True Magic."]

Reference, Redmane Set: The knights burned away the crest on the left breastplate, swearing to remain in Caelid to suppress the rot, unable to return to their homeland.

The Redmane Knights were probably all Carians, brought to Caelid by Radahn to fight.