Torches were lit around the castle's small parade ground, casting a red and blue hue on the castle at night. The red flames and blue skylight, plus the rough texture of the rocks, added a bit of solemnity to the world.
Li Jia, Shi Hao and Du Mei stood on a wooden platform half a person's height in front of the parade ground. Beside them were Viscount Ruiz Bedingani, the old knight Alfonso and the mysterious female knight Sir Arias wearing a mask.
Li Jia's heart was beating fast, not only because today was the day to go to war, but also because just this afternoon he learned his first magic, Wind Blade, from Sir Arias.
It was extremely monotonous and boring to feel the power of elements in meditation. However, patience has always been Li Jia's strength. He followed the guidance of Sir Arias, calmed his consciousness, and slowly released the hidden power in his heart, and finally combined them with the wind.
This is an indescribable strange feeling, as if his mind has merged into the world around him, and he has controlled part of this world in his hands. Although he needs half a minute to prepare a wind blade that can cut a pencil, it is enough to make any boy who has ever had a fantasy dream excited. Although he has not yet concentrated his mind, he can release magic, which makes him a magic apprentice.
Li Jia didn't even pay too much attention to what Viscount Ruiz was saying. He was meditating when he closed his eyes, and when he opened his eyes, he looked at the female knight eagerly and timidly. He couldn't explain what kind of feeling he had towards the female knight... If Serinda was a lily in a dream, then the female knight was a rose in front of him.
Roses have thorns, which makes people afraid. But at least, the idea of getting more magic knowledge from her always lingered in his mind. Occasionally, he would even have such an idea: Can I use a wind blade to lift her mask
Li Jia felt that he was hit, and then he came back to his senses. People around him were looking at him, Shi Hao looked puzzled, and Du Mei said in a strange way: "Li Jia, the Viscount was just talking to you."
"Ah? Sorry... Lord Ruiz, I was worried about the movements of the bandits and lost my focus." Li Jia said awkwardly.
"It's okay, Mr. Messenger. I just want to tell you that most of my warriors have arrived and we can gather them here now." Viscount Ruiz said calmly.
Li Jia's face flushed a little, and he couldn't help but glance at the female knight. She also looked at him like everyone else, but her expression was completely obscured by the damn mask, so Li Jia couldn't guess what she was thinking. Li Jia wondered anxiously whether he had made a fool of himself in front of her, which made his face even hotter.
Knight Alfonso rang a bell on the wooden platform, and soon the door of a podium in the castle was opened with a bang. Noisy sounds came from inside, and the originally quiet parade ground at night suddenly became a bustling square. One after another, figures walked out of the door. They were all vassals and warriors of the knight, wearing different clothes and helmets, holding various weapons. Some wore plate armor and were surrounded by people; some wore leather armor and were in groups of four or five; some were dressed in cloth, looking a little shabby.
Shi Hao looked at these people swaggering to the front of the stage, and his eyebrows wrinkled involuntarily: "Li Jia, look at what they gave us. This is not an army, but a mob. Look at the man holding the pitchfork."
Li Jia also noticed that there were clearly a few guys wearing simple cloth shirts, holding farm tools in their hands, with thin bodies and dull eyes. They could not be called warriors at all. He whispered, "They are probably farmers from nearby. I heard that when feudal lords go to war, they always use farmers as cannon fodder. I'm afraid Viscount Ruiz has found these people just to make up the numbers."
More than 40 people came out one after another and stood in front of the stage. Viscount Ruiz nodded to them and said, "Dear warriors of Phoenix Territory, everyone knows that the greedy horse thieves have recently invaded the Black Mountain area. Several villages in Phoenix Territory have suffered, including the territories of some of you. These horse thieves are powerful and have gained the benefits of looting. They will not retreat on their own. Therefore, I gathered everyone here to find a way to drive them away."
The people below did not show any excitement, as if everyone knew the purpose of the gathering. Instead, the peasant in plain clothes that Li Jia was looking at came forward with a pitchfork in his hand, and said with one hand on his chest: "My lord, Fernando Adelaida salutes you. Where your sword points is the direction I will move forward."
The man's age was clearly visible on his face, with dark skin and gray hair on his temples. He looked like a man who had worked hard for many years. Although he looked embarrassed, he spoke clearly and forcefully, not at all like the ordinary farmers Li Jia had seen before. When the others saw a farmer standing up to speak for everyone, apart from a few ambiguous chuckles, no one cared.
"Baron Fernando, I am comforted by your loyalty," Viscount Ruiz responded.
Baron? Li Jia was surprised. How could this man, dressed in such a shabby way, look like a baron? Sir Arias seemed to see Li Jia's confusion. She explained softly beside Li Jia, "Don't be surprised. Baron Fernando is a genuine hereditary noble. His territory was originally one of the best among the vassals of the Viscount. But in the last war against the Empire, all his territories were occupied and all his family members were killed. He was the only one who fought his way out and then escaped from the territory in disguise. It can be said that except for the title of nobility, he has nothing now."
"Then won't the Viscount and other nobles help him?" Li Jia asked.
"Baron Fernando was a very stubborn man. He used the money given by others and his last savings to hire people to assassinate imperial officials on the border. I heard that he sold his ancestral armor and sword. After spending all the money, he could only ask the Viscount to rent a piece of land and do farm work himself. Those farmers you saw were mostly the landless knights under the baron."
This guy is a persistent guy, but there seems to be something wrong with his way of doing things, Li Jia thought to himself. Viscount Ruiz said some encouraging words to Baron Fernando, and finally ordered: "Alfonso, take Baron Fernando and his knights to my arsenal. Each of them can choose a good weapon and a full set of armor. Our warriors cannot fight like poor farmers."
"Sir, you are so generous!" Fernando said this, but he and the other poor knights beside him looked a little hesitant. After hesitating for a long time, he finally seemed to have made up his mind and bowed to thank the Viscount.
"Go. You are all warriors who have shown up in the battle against the empire. My weapons and armor deserve a good home and shouldn't be covered in dust like this." Viscount Ruiz waved his hand with satisfaction, and several people, led by Alfonso, walked towards the castle.
"What's this viscount trying to do?" Shi Hao asked in confusion, "Isn't it natural to give weapons to his own soldiers?"
Li Jia didn't quite understand either, so he asked the same question to Sir Arias.
"Do you know the value of a full suit of armor and a good pair of weapons?" Sir Arias asked Li Jia.
Li Jia shook his head. He knew that he came from an industrialized society and it was difficult for him to understand the value of these things in the handicraft era.
"If Baron Fernando continues to farm until he dies, he still won't be able to afford the weapons and armor that the Viscount wants to give him... If the harvest is always good, he may be able to save up enough to give a helmet to his son when he grows old." Ignoring the shocked looks of Li Jia and others, the knight continued, "Although Baron Fernando is a vassal of the Viscount, he still has a lot of freedom. He has a certain obligation to serve the Viscount every year, but that's all. But now that he has accepted such a gift, he is selling his life to the Viscount."
Li Jia finally understood why the others looked at the Baron with envy and sympathy, but even though they were all holding worn-out weapons, no one jumped out to ask the Viscount to give them the same equipment.
While Li Jia and his companions were still sighing over the expensive armor, the young man wearing the most gorgeous armor and surrounded by seven or eight servants spoke up: "Sir, I heard that the famous leaders such as the "King of Bandits" Kadis, "Blue Wolf" Mais, and "Steel Claw" Kerry are here. There are more than a thousand bandits gathered here. It will be difficult to defeat them with just us. You have only gathered us, so you should tell us clearly what your plan is."
The man spoke in a plain tone, but the look he gave the Viscount was somewhat aggressive.
"This is Sir Tor Botero, the eldest son of Baron Emilio Botero, who has been knighted. The Botero family has marriages with some of the great nobles in the kingdom, so they have never been considered obedient. I'm afraid that Sir Tor would come here this time because he has other ideas," Sir Arias said to Li Jia.
Sir Ruiz did not react to Sir Thor's small provocation, but replied calmly: "I believe everyone knows that the horse thieves are going after a group of foreign magicians. We are not the main force in the decisive battle. What you need to do is to assist the magicians to defeat the horse thieves and drive them out of our territory. Instead of fighting the horse thieves head-on and dying."
He pointed at Li Jia and the others and said, "There are magician messengers here. They will follow you. In addition, my lord, Count Carlos, has also sent a female knight from his family to help us. She will lead your team to fight against the horse thieves."
"A woman leads us? Are you kidding?" Thor asked loudly.
"Watch your language." Viscount Ruiz said dissatisfiedly, "Thor, since you have responded to my call, you should follow my arrangements. This is the duty of a knight."
Thor complained without hesitation: "My lord, warriors can only be led by stronger warriors. Women are women. So what if they wear masks? Can they scare the enemy to death? Women should go home and feed their children."