Military Camp (Please Bookmark and Vote!!!!!)

After Knight Captain Dean died and Claire appointed Hant as the new captain, Hant seemed much more spirited. Even his work became far more efficient.

"Good morning, Captain!"

"Good morning, Captain!"

Hant could not help but smile knowingly, repeatedly nodding to the knights beside him in acknowledgment. Being Knight Captain really did feel great! He suddenly felt ten years younger!

Hant waved back. "Good morning."

As he greeted his subordinates, Hant inadvertently caught sight of a dark shape at the edge of his vision. It was the head of the former Knight Captain, Dean, hanging above the entrance to the military camp.

Just that brief glimpse instantly ruined Hant's mood. Although he and Dean had never gotten along, seeing that head hanging there always made him feel uncomfortable, as though he would be next.

Whenever he saw it, Hant wanted to smash the head to pieces so it would stop bothering him every day.

Just then, Hant's attention was drawn by the knights' chatter.

"Did you hear about what happened yesterday?"

"You mean that game called Russian Roulette that the Viscount played with those nobles? I heard one of them was so scared he pissed himself."

"Hahahaha! How embarrassing. He did not even dare try with a one-in-six chance! If it were me, I'd definitely give it a shot!"

The knights served the lord, so they had little connection to the local nobles. Naturally, they mocked them without restraint.

"The Viscount is here!" someone suddenly shouted.

When Hant looked toward the entrance, he saw a carriage from the Baronial Manor parked outside. It was the carriage the Viscount had ridden before, and Hant remembered it vividly.

Hant immediately hurried over and dropped to one knee before the carriage.

"Lord Viscount, welcome to inspect our Knight Squad!"

Claire leaped down from the carriage and waved for him to rise.

Hant quickly moved closer. "Lord Viscount, if you had informed me in advance, I guarantee we would have prepared a grand welcoming ceremony for your arrival."

"I decided to come on a whim. There's no need to be nervous."

Claire entered the military camp first. Of the more than fifty knights stationed there, only a little over ten were present. No one knew where the rest had gone.

Hant's heart tightened, and he immediately said, "Lord Viscount! Give me five minutes, and I'll have those brats assembled here!"

Claire waved a hand. "Go ahead. I have plenty of time."

Hant's eyelid twitched. Before the former Knight Captain Dean died, the Viscount seemed to have said the exact same thing.

He rushed into the camp in a panic and instructed the dozen or so knights present to ride out and find the knights staying at home, dragging them back.

In an instant, the entire military camp erupted into chaotic activity.

Claire leaned against a flagpole, calmly watching the disorderly camp, her thoughts unreadable.

Thirteen minutes passed before all fifty-four knights finally assembled. Most of them were improperly dressed, and some had even rushed over in their sleepwear.

As captain, Hant was deeply ashamed. He had promised the Viscount five minutes, yet it had taken thirteen. Looking at those sloppily dressed brats, he wanted nothing more than to stab them to death with a spear.

Still, no matter how unwilling he was, Hant stepped forward. "Lord Viscount, your fifty-four knights have assembled!"

Claire rubbed his nose. "Have them introduce themselves. I still don't know all of them."

Hant inwardly relaxed. It seemed the Viscount did not intend to hold him accountable. He immediately shouted first, "Knight Captain Hant! Bronze Peak Knight!"

"Knight Mark! Apprentice Knight!"

"Knight Byron! Strength... has not learned Battle Aura!"

"..."

The fifty-four knights called out their names and strength one after another. Claire's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He glanced at Hant beside him and said softly, "You're the Knight Captain. Summarize it."

Hant looked at his men and forced himself to speak. "You have fifty-four knights in total. One is a Bronze Knight, three are Apprentice Knights, and the remaining fifty have not learned any Battle Aura!"

Even Regan, who had accompanied Claire, could no longer bear to watch. He loudly rebuked them, "You are knights of the viscount's territory, yet you cannot even cultivate Battle Aura or reach the level of Apprentice Knight. What right do you have to call yourselves knights?!"

Hant could only lower his head in shame. This was truly disgraceful. He had no grounds to argue back. In any other viscount's territory, every knight had at least reached Bronze Knight, yet fifty of theirs had failed to learn Battle Aura.

Claire waved his hand, and Regan immediately handed him a booklet. Claire had spent the entire previous night compiling it from military management methods from his past life. He had been something of a military enthusiast in his previous life and knew quite a bit in this area. Otherwise, he would not have been able to describe so many details about the Colt Revolver during the trade.

Facing the fifty-odd knights, Claire shouted, "I'm giving you three more days. Anyone who fails to advance to Apprentice Knight within three days will automatically leave the Knight Squad!"

He then slapped the compiled booklet against Hant's chest and said softly, "Starting today, train them according to the methods written inside."

The knights below all widened their eyes. This was simply making things difficult for them! Their knightly titles had been inherited from their fathers. They had never needed to cultivate Battle Aura at all. Now he wanted them to train? Was he not asking for their lives?

Before they could speak, Claire added, "Regan!"

"Here! Young Master, please give your orders!"

"Post a notice recruiting knights. Some people shouldn't think that this place cannot function without them!"

"Yes!" Regan answered loudly, his expression excited. Here, he felt as though he had become a knight himself. His voice unconsciously grew louder, and he straightened his chest.

His youthful dream had been to become a knight under the previous Viscount. However, the previous Viscount had been obsessed with women and had never intended to establish a Knight Squad, so Regan became the Griffin Family's butler instead.

Claire patted Knight Captain Hant on the shoulder. "Do you know what to do?"

Hant's pupils contracted as he suddenly looked at Claire, wanting to find some answer on his face. He truly did not know what to do.

"I'm leaving. I'll come back in three days. By then, I hope there will be a few more Apprentice Knights among you."

Claire boarded the carriage, which headed toward the Baronial Manor. Hant continued staring blankly at its retreating back, unable to understand the meaning behind Claire's words.

"Captain! What is that book he gave you?" The other knights crowded around him as well.

Only then did Hant come back to his senses. He hurriedly opened the booklet in his hand and showed it to everyone.

Less than two minutes later, everyone frowned. "No way, do we really have to train like this? Won't that work us to death?"

"Yeah! Even my father's generation did not train this intensely!"

"My grandfather's generation might have. You should know that my grandfather was a Bronze Rank knight too!"

"Whose grandfather wasn't a Bronze Rank knight? Otherwise, how could they have become knights here?"

"My grandfather was even Silver Rank, yet now I've still fallen into decay with the lot of you."

"Stop thinking about that. Think about how to advance to Apprentice Knight first."

Everyone scratched their heads. "There are only three days. I haven't cultivated Battle Aura in ages. Three days is nowhere near enough. I think the Viscount just wants to eliminate all of us."

"Impossible. There are so many of us. If he eliminates us, where will he find new knights?"

"Didn't he say so? He'll post a notice."

"Tch. Our ancestors were all knights. Do the other people in Nafu City have better conditions than us? They can barely afford to eat, and you expect them to train?"

"So you're not training?"

"Nope. Let's go have some fun later."

"Awesome!"

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