Byrne, outside the city of Crimson Castle.

It is a very small military camp located just outside the city of Crimson Blood, converted from an abandoned watchtower.

After the tenth generation, Byrne was dismembered due to the loss of the title of Duke by the House of Turin, and the Turin family, unable to support a large army of knights, resembles abandoned watchtowers and knight fortresses, which abound in the suburbs and wilderness of Byrne.

The only well that supplied the entire tower with water for their daily use, protected only by a fence and a ditch around it, a three-story tower with two floors leaking rain, and a broken fireplace could cause a fire at any time, and the bottom floor of the watchtower was a bedroom, and the only open space was both a playground and a canteen.

It is such a dilapidated and shabby ruin of a watchtower, and no one would have imagined that it is actually the exclusive military camp of the "Duke of Byrne's Guard".

Of course, at the moment, this guard is just a hundred people with a nice name, but in fact there are only ninety-six people.

Unlike the Turin Wizard Academy, which looks like an "orphanage", it is impossible for an army to hide in the city, not even in the palace - there are more eyeliner in such a place than flies in the city.

The only way to do this is to drive them out into the wilderness and rebuild the abandoned towers and fortresses, just like the rest of the armies preparing for war.

Ninety-six soldiers of the Guards, dressed in tatters and dirty from head to toe, were gathered in four rows in the sun-drenched clearing, looking more like refugees than soldiers.

Directly opposite, standing was the captain of their group of "refugees", a gray-eyed boy who was a head shorter than the shortest soldier, the same ragged clothes, the only difference being the two short swords behind his back.

Lusen, hunched up, tilted his head and glanced around, checking everyone's eyes, and beside him were twenty neatly arranged wooden boxes.

"Today is a big day for our army!" The gray-eyed young man said in a deep voice: "Five months have passed since its establishment, and from 390 people to 96 people, we finally have a formal establishment and our own military camp. ”

"To celebrate, the Duke has specially asked me to bring you weapons and equipment to be delivered to each of you!"

Looking at the faces in the crowd that began to become excited, Lu Sien, who hooked the corners of his mouth, also kicked open the first wooden box with a "snap!".

A brand new long sword was stuck in the dirt in front of his feet.

"You Baien people love to use knight swords, and today I will give you a better one - the hand half sword forged by the dwarves of Silver Helmet Mountain, the pattern steel that has been tempered for thousands of years, and the blade of the sword is mixed with Mithril, and it is considered humbling to say that sharpening iron is like clay!"

"It's easier to split the armor of the Sakran than to tear a piece of paper, and not even a drop of blood will be left on it after a battle!"

As the words fell, the gray-eyed boy kicked open another wooden box, and there was a small iron rod covered with patterns in his hand.

"You used Sackland's military ignition on the battlefield of Boi, and this is its modification, called 'Unstable Ignition Agent'... Why is it called that? because it can be blown up not only when lit, but also when thrown;

Even if you don't have time to throw it, you want to die with the enemy, and you can blow it up as if you broke it!"

"The flaws are as unstable as the name suggests, and what I have in my hands is still an improvement of the improvements... Our Lord Duke gave it the name 'Alchemy Bomb'.

Just one can blow a heavily armed knight to pieces!"

The crowd was still silent, but Lusen could already feel the excited and greedy eyes behind him.

"And your armor, do you know the guards of the mountains and rocks of the West? They don't wear knight's armor, but leather armor sewn from troll skin, and the armor for you is troll skin with chain mail, which is light;

The bottom lining is made of fine chain mail, and the woven iron ring hole is smaller than the pinhole, and the cross bow cannot be shot through thirty steps!"

"These are just the basics, including but not limited to daggers, crossbows, hidden blades, and alchemical potions...... Whatever you can think of, you can have whatever you want. Lusen shouted:

"In addition to these, tomorrow there will be a wizard advisor who will bring someone to teach you all kinds of basics and distribute exclusive wands - all weapons and equipment are tailor-made for you, even real guards don't have this treatment!"

"All of these were saved and allocated to us by the Duke from the accounts of the construction in the city of Red Blood Castle. Right now... Who dares to stand up and tell me that he deserves to wear this garment?"

"Who dares to stand up with his chest patted and tell me that he deserves this?"

One by one, the soldiers who were stared at by the cold gaze of the gray-eyed boy, and who were still excited by the new weapons and armor, immediately regained their shame.

"You all came back alive from the battlefield of the Great Green Sea, and each of you carried at least three robes on your back, and tell me, what we did was not considered a qualified guard?!"

"Not counting ——!!!!"

A uniform shout.

"I also know that I am ashamed - a dignified guard, but I am protected by the people I protect, and I am very ashamed!" Roaring with thunder, Lusan raised his head:

"Such good equipment, you soldiers are also worthy of it! I stayed in the fortress of Broken Mountain, where the soldiers had to fight werewolves and monsters in the ice and snow, what did they take? Iron swords that break in a battle and shields that rot when claws by werewolves. ”

"Do you know why the legions of the Broken Mountain Fortress have the heaviest armor? not only to protect the soldiers, but also to prevent them from running away when they see the enemy;

"Tell me, what's the use of raising a guard like ours - a cheerleader who wastes food alive and wastes land when he dies, goes to the battlefield to watch and make a special trip to cheer for the Duke?!"

"Not ——!!!!"

"Dumb, louder, I can't hear ——!"

"We are not ——!!!!"

In the hoarse shouting, there was also a cry.

"And what are you?!" turned sharply, vicious Rusen like a little ruffian.

"We are the Duke of Loren's guard——!!!!"

The guards roared in unison again.

"I tell you, no! not anymore!" Lusen waved his hand violently, "Our duke is the one who can end a war on his own, and he doesn't need ninety-six cheerleaders clapping around!"

"From today onwards, our name is the Witcher——!"

"Not the knights of Byrne, not the axemen of Arles, not the guerrillas of Ellemont, not the archers of Lothair, not the hussars of Boi, not the scum of Ebolden... It's not the shield wall of Sackland!"

"The Duke doesn't want a uniform army, it's a hunter who can hunt the enemy alone!"

"Our enemies... No, it's prey! It's no longer bandits, rebels, centaurs, or dwarves, it's something more terrifying—yes, like the one you encountered on the battlefield of Boi. ”

"We must be able to fight on the flats, in the trenches, in the hills, in the dense forests, in the grasslands, on the mountaintops, in the deserts, in the sea, on the ice fields that can freeze the living into death, hunting our enemies!"

"We hunt them like an old hunter hunts rabbits and wolves; we want to surround them, we want to ravage, we want to pursue, we want to fight alone! we want to attack! Ambush! We must use every last resort at all costs!"

"Even if you have only sharp teeth left, you have to bite them to death!"

The gray-eyed boy with hoarse voice only felt that his throat was smoking, and he finally smiled with satisfaction as he looked at these warriors whose expressions were completely different from the beginning.

Fanatical emotions can inflate soldiers for a while, bloody shame can make them find the courage to strive for progress and sacrifice, the "atmosphere" in the army can unite them and have centripetal force, and a strong and fierce goal can give them the motivation to persevere.

Make them proud, let them find "things" worth sacrificing, and make their eyes the same......

The Genius Banner Leader of Broken Boundary Mountain understands these things very well.

More importantly, they are veterans of the battlefield, veterans who have been beaten from the 390-odd people at the time of the founding of the army, and they will pass on this "strong and fierce" momentum through new recruits, so that it will become a certain tradition of this army.

That's why Luce En would rather "raise the bar" with Dalton Kander than give them up.

Train a group of geniuses from scratch, and he will too; but these people will not have this kind of temperament, they will not have the slightest gratitude, they will only regard it as if they have obtained it through their strength, and they should be; they will have a sense of alienation from the duke and their captain, and form their own small circle, with their three, six, nine, and so on.

So Lusen resolutely refused.

"This afternoon, the Duke's wizarding advisor, Lord Dalton Khand, will be here for your final trial. ”

After a pause, the gray-eyed boy slowed down his tone: "According to him, the success rate is only one in fifty;

In other words, at worst, only one or two of you in the ninety-six may pass the trial and survive. ”

The soldiers of the guard fell silent.

"I'm not kidding you, it's all true, so people who don't want to take that risk... In the afternoon, you can put down your things and quietly leave alone. Raising his head, Lu Sien looked at them calmly: "The Duke will give you the compensation you deserve according to your original military position." ”

"We, just like you're dead. ”

There was no sound in the crowd, and Luceen's menacing gaze did not look like "as if he was killed".

"As for those who stay and survive. Lusen raised his voice: "The Duke will stand where I stand at dawn tomorrow, inspecting his new legion... Our legion!"

The quiet queue was changed in an instant.

Even without looking into their eyes, Lusen could feel the violently beating and fiery hearts.

"What the Duke wants to tell you is that your allegiance is not just to Byrne, not even to him. Pursing his lips, Lusen let out a long sigh, "You are fighting for the entire Empire, and even for every living person within the Empire. ”

"Why... Don't talk nonsense, you've all seen it on the battlefield!"

"Now because of a letter, the Church of the Holy Cross, the Heavenly Dome... Even all the nobles and lords are eager to strangle the duke, why... You don't need me to explain more, you know it in your hearts!"

"That 'thing' we encountered on the battlefield could never have appeared out of nowhere overnight, these fat old men must have known about it for a long time, but they got their heads up, closed their eyes, plugged their ears, and pretended not to know!"

"Because if all the truth is revealed, this seems to be prosperous, and the empire where they can indulge in pleasure and fight to the death is simply a paper house that will be set on fire at any time!"

Lusen took a deep breath, with a hint of indignation, and his eyes became more and more burning: "The prosperity and peace they used to disguise have been exposed, and they have to turn their heads to face the big trouble that pretends not to exist, and they have to do something immediately to make up for it......"

"So they hate the Duke to death, and they wish to find a reason to strangle the wicked man who woke them up now. ”

"Therefore I tell you, that you must know not only what you are fighting for, but also for whom you are fighting, and that you will be able to save Byrne and the Empire, and who will be worthy of your allegiance... There is only one ——! too."

"Lord of Byrne, Loren Turin——!!!!"

The thunderous scream, but there was no tragedy and crying, and more vicious momentum.

That's what it sounds like!

Looking at the pair of vicious eyes, the grinning Lu Sien stuck his waist, swaggered and "snap!", and kicked open a box:

"Everyone, whoever it is, come forward and get your gear!"

"Obey ——!!!!"

The guards scrambled in agreement, and swooped down on the wooden crate like hungry beasts as they passed past the gray-eyed boy.

Looking at these elated warriors, unaware that they were about to face a life-and-death decision, the smile on Lusen's face gradually faded, leaving only a sigh.

I hope that by then, I will see 96 veterans who are smiling at me.

"Are you worried?"

The voice from the cold voice sent a chill down Luceen's spine, and he turned sharply, and the expressionless Dalton Candle stood behind him.

"Wizard and wizard advisor, you... When did you come?"

"When......" Dalton raised his eyebrows and glanced at the sun above his head:

"It's always there. ”

Always ...... The gray-eyed boy with the corners of his mouth twitching almost choked to death by his own saliva.

I didn't even react at all.

"What's the problem?"

A plain sentence, but it was full of sarcasm in Lusen's ears.

"No, no. ”

"No... Great, then don't waste any more time. Dalton Kander looked up and looked at the ninety-six subjects that were still standing there, completely oblivious to his ninety-six subjects:

"Then let's start, I'm in a hurry. ”