Byron had planned to recruit some soldiers from the nearby village of Swadia, but there were no suitable candidates.

Farmers and idlers in the village?

Their fighting power is really not complimentary. When no one is around, or when time is not tight, you can recruit a group of trainees.

But now at this critical juncture, let's forget it.

They simply won't last long on the battlefield, and they will be completely defeated when they reach one point of defeat.

Byron needed trained soldiers and mercenaries, and after he sorted out the mercenary units hired by the kingdom, he suddenly found that there were no large-scale mercenary units in the south of the kingdom for him to hire.

Byron sent Kenrad down a few villages, walked around the town a few more times, and hired a total of ten mercenaries and retired veterans, which was not much better than not recruiting soldiers. As for the local militia units and the young men who were trained, they were obliged to serve the nobility, so even if they wanted to join Byron's army, Byron could not recruit them. If a nobleman uses this as an excuse to extort a sum, it will be more than worth the loss.

After changing the newly recruited men into light infantry armor and weapons, Byron led his troops to the southern border engagement zone again.

Because of the tight schedule and the large number of wounded, Jamila stayed with dozens of wounded and hired the town's herbalist to dispense medicine, leaving five women in the camp to take care of them.

Byron thought that she could let her women learn certain medical techniques from Jamila, such as dressing wounds and administering medicine to the wounded correctly. This will allow him to raise a nursing force of his own, thus easing the burden on James and Jamila.

Excluding the wounded troops who remained, Byron's men still numbered 500 men, and they were still a force to be reckoned with.

After two days on the road, Byron was again in front of the sprawling Swadia camp.

This time it was much easier for Byron to come in, and the soldiers on guard knew the name of the Peony mercenaries and knew that they were mercenaries hired by the kingdom. In addition, Byron showed the letter from Earl Graynward, so the two sergeants in charge of the guard opened the door very politely and let Byron and them in.

As he had done on previous occasions, Byron led his troops to the area divided for the mercenaries, and then took Fatis and Aren to the Swadia camp.

Byron expressed his intention to the guards, and they informed him of it.

Soon, the guards opened the curtain for Byron, and the respectfulness of his attitude even surprised Byron. Anyway, everyone is a hoplite with an aristocratic background, and there is no need to be polite to him, the mercenary captain.

Byron entered the tent with some confusion and some trepidation. The other party values him too much, which is not necessarily a good thing for him. If he is killed by the sharp edge, who can he talk to? At that time, it is estimated that no one will avenge themselves, and if they die, they will die in vain.

The first thing Byron saw when he entered was Earl Claes, followed by Earl Grayward and Earl William, the eldest son of Earl Claes. Nearby sat Count Grax, lord of Suno, and Count Dilynard, lord of Uxhall. Count Claes sat in the middle, his eyes fixed on him.

"What, a change of marshal?"

Byron did not see King Haraus in the camp, but the main lords involved in the war were there, so he did not dare to be rude, and saluted each count.

"Byron, I am very satisfied with the excellent performance of your soldiers in the fight for the kingdom."

As soon as Byron had finished saluting, Count Claes opened his mouth, his voice loud and with a strong sense of oppression.

"You've won the prize, my lord, we just did what we had to do."

Byron bent down, and he wondered even more about whether his previous suspicions were valid. However, it is strange that he had not received any news related to the change of marshal before.

"Byron, as a soldier and commander, you did a great job. Count Claes thinks that Le is already qualified to assume the honor of nobility, and I hope you will consider it carefully. ”

Earl Greyward also looked at Byron, and a smile appeared on his kind countenance. And the eyes of the other counts also moved back and forth between Count Claes and Byron, as if waiting for something.

"Von Byron, Peony Mercenary, would you like to join the arms of the Kingdom of Svadia and become a glorious knight under me?"

Count Claes stood up and stared at Byron with serious eyes.

A feeling of excitement suddenly rose in Byron's heart, but after thinking about it, he suppressed the joy. 、

It is naturally a good thing to have a backer, and the title of knight can also improve his status, so that he will not have to be inferior in front of those knights all the time in the future, and there are many things.

However, Byron was also suspicious of his own freedom, after all, the most important thing for these lords was to his troops. If you get an empty name and lose your autonomy, then the knight is boring. And if he is loyal to Count Claes, he may not have the opportunity to become a lord under the king in the future.

However, Count Claes seems to have taken this into account, so he added a few words.

"And I can assure you that as long as you are loyal to the kingdom of Swadia and to His Majesty the King and me, your troops will remain under your command, and your mercenary team will still be able to accept work that does not endanger Svadia. And you can also get what the knight deserves, what he deserves. What do you think? Byron, do you accept it? ”

"Of course, all in the name of His Majesty King Haraus."

Byron understood the meaning of Count Claes's words, although he became a knight under Count Claes, but he was always carrying the king. Obviously, it was both the Count's idea and the king's support to solicit him. It's just that because recruiting mercenaries directly from the king would cause the nobles who were at odds with King Haraus to be jealous, Count Claes recruited him instead.

Byron saw the sword at the earl's waist, which he had seen on the king's body before.

He breathed a sigh of relief, got down on one knee, put his right hand on his chest, and saluted Count Claes solemnly.

"With great pleasure, noble lord. My sword is wielded for you, for the rightful king of Swadia. ”

Count Claes nodded in satisfaction, but he still had some doubts about the "legitimate king" in Byron's mouth. After all, in addition to King Haraus, who sat on the throne, there was another woman in Calradia who also claimed the right to inherit the throne of Svadia.

However, there was nothing wrong with Byron's words, so Count Claes did not dwell on this, walked straight to Byron's side, and under the gaze of all the earls and lords, he drew the sword at his waist and pointed it on Byron's shoulder.