For most of the civilians at the bottom of the world of Rigal, the concepts of cavalry, knights, and noble lords are often indistinguishable.

When you meet a person riding a horse and wearing full-body plate armor, you subconsciously think that this is a knight, which is a common impression. Even on the East Coast, where plate armor is relatively cheap and has a higher penetration rate, similar things are happening one after another.

It's rare for a mercenary to actually wear a full set of plate armor, as we've mentioned before. But that's only on a broader scale, some of the top war mercenary regiments are just as well equipped as the knights of the country, and they do arm themselves as much as they can afford them.

But wearing full-body armor doesn't mean that you can become a knight.

Mercenaries in full-body armor are still mercenaries, and even though they are high-ranking mercenaries, they do not have the qualifications of knights.

The same goes for cavalry. In some dukedoms of Suomir and in the standing army system of the Padrosi Empire, cavalry and knights coexisted. The relationship between the two is somewhat ambiguous and complex, but if you know a few key points, you can still distinguish between the two.

First of all, knight is a title. It is a way of life and a code of thumb to follow. Cavalry, on the other hand, is a type of troops.

All knights are cavalry, but not all cavalry are knights.

The concept of this class actually did not exist on the East Coast in the past.

The concept of a knightly class originated from the knightly nation of Sivalier on the west coast, which did not have a standing army like the Empire, and thus emphasized the heroism of martial arts, with noble knights leading the way.

Through maritime trade and international exchanges, this ethos spread to the societies of the East Coast under the common desire for heroes among all mankind. And over the course of a few hundred years, it grew and became an indispensable social class.

Suomir and Padrosi distinguish between the two by means of wealth and status—a tradition that extends from the ancient Lamanid Empire to the present day: the cavalry units of the standing army were equipped and horses by the kingdom or imperial military headquarters, and those who were able to carry a full set of plate armor and a good war horse were eligible to become knights.

Naturally, the custom-made plate armor is much better than the mass-produced type in all aspects. And considering the cost of large-scale installation, compared to the Padrossi Empire, most of the cavalry in the territory of the Suomir Kingdom, which was not very wealthy, was only equipped with light helmets, cuirass, small shoulder armor and some limbs.

Knights are naturally heavy cavalry, and most of those who become knights have the financial resources to afford excellent horses and a set of full-body armor. This natural filter binds knighthood to high society – it would be a mischief to equate knighthood with lords and nobles.

As we mentioned earlier, a knighthood is a title, not a title of nobility. Although the vast majority of knights were of noble origin, only a few were commoner knights who were granted qualifications for meritorious service. But the bloodline is not the same as the title of nobility.

A knight is closely associated with religion, and when promoted from squire to knighthood, he is expected to receive a symbolic shield and sword from the hands of local religious officials. And vowed not to violate the expectations of the gods and the lord.

The relationship between a knighthood and a title of nobility is somewhat similar to the relationship between a knight and a cavalryman. A noble title, even the lowest, baron, means that there is at least one barony, a lord. In contrast, although many knights were wealthy nobles, they were often second or third sons who were not eligible to inherit from the outside world, serving the lord, the royal family, and the church.

Knights receiving titles are similar to boys' coming-of-age ceremonies in countries where knightly culture is popular on the east and west coasts, and it is not uncommon for Suomir female knights and even female knights to have a high status among women. A baron or even a duke was also a knight, but was generally honored by their noble class. Addressing a duke as a knight, depending on the person's preference, can be both offensive and complimentary.

- In any case, the Grand Master of the Dragon Winged Knights, Menice, is the pinnacle of the royal family's direct force, but he is only a knight, and this is why.

He was not of low origin, and was the son of a marquis family in Suomir. But he was the third son, and he had no right to inherit the title and territory of the marquis.

And the knighthood is only a baron, which belongs to the benefits of the Grand Master. It is a lifelong knighthood that is only given after promotion, and the royal family rewards the loyal Dragonwing Knights. Menisdor's fiefdom was a manor near Heinzwörm and more of a home than a territory. He couldn't make a profit by running his own realm like any other baron, and the manor, and the knighthood, were more honorable than practical.

And not hereditary.

If Menisdor's son wanted to become Grand Master, he had to start with the lowest squire. There may be some convenience, but whether the son can truly succeed his father depends on whether the regiment, the archbishop, and Her Majesty the Queen agree.

The team kept moving.

As we mentioned earlier, knighthood is a way of life, a code of conduct.

In its birthplace, West Valier and Avenella, many of the so-called chivalry is not as pure as the East Coast because of the chaotic political situation on the West Coast.

The chivalric code, which is closely associated with religion, is considered almost sacrosanct in the region of Aurora, where the faith is most devout.

Both men and women, the members of the Dragonwing Knights are extremely particular about their every move. You can easily feel it when you're surrounded by these people - if this is a group of Sivalier knights, then they must have started discussing and chatting at this time. In contrast, the Dragonwing Knights are extremely quiet, they move as one, and the number of them is already more than 70, but the movement they make is smaller than that of 10 West Coast Knights.

Under the command of Grand Master Weimar Menisdo Dragonwing, the team quietly dispersed.

Four groups of 6 people combined for a total of 24 people scattered to the left, right, front, and left and right. At the same time, the central array is also divided into three parts, the forward, the main line and the defender. The knights on the flanks faintly formed a fan-shaped early warning mechanism with the forwards sent by the central array in the path, preventing anyone from sneaking too close.

This is a textbook-like precise and secure formation.

The flanked team of six consisted of two ranged men and four spearmen, one of whom also carried a horn for early warning.

Wearing full-body armor and light helmets, they are not easy to kill instantly, and even with a winch crossbow that can pierce plate armor, you need to know that a crash is not the same as a kill. A light crossbow can kill a person without armor, and when armored, a fatal serious injury becomes a flesh scrape.

It is not an exaggeration to say that in the adventures of our aristocratic lady who was so fond of Parnilla, the heroic characters who continue to fight with arrows are depicted. In fact, this situation is only due to the fact that the armor effectively blocks the arrows, so that although they have amazing visual effects, they are actually only suffering a few flesh wounds.

The winch crossbow, the heaviest of the ranged weapons for individual soldiers, also requires several rounds to kill a knight. And in the event of an attack, they will inevitably immediately find a way to notify their allies.

With one hand on the reins, the other resting their spears on their shoulder armor, the Dragonwing Knights were at the forefront, cruising at speed.

They carefully swept the ground around them, and it was not easy for even a few people to hide in the empty Suomir forest. On the forest surface of the woods, where there are no shrubs, you can see far away at a glance.

The clenched spear rests on the shoulder, and can be quickly mounted on the mounted rifle mount to attack if necessary.

The spears they carried this time were only about two and a half meters. Compared with the general riding gun, the minimum length is 3-4 meters, which is extremely light.

The thick cavalry lance was a heavy weapon, partly due to the impact required to face the enemy's heavy cavalry, and on the other hand, the longer length was intended to hit the enemy at a longer distance.

A light spear of two and a half meters can be hit by the long-pole weapons of enemy infantry if not careful, while a longer lance allows knights to kill their opponents before they can get within striking range.

However, the heavy and long lance required a squire or carriage to carry it, and it was only passed at the moment of the charge. In this situation, where mobility and the long period of being carried by the knight himself were taken into account, it naturally turned into a weapon that was not very applicable.

The heavily armed heavy cavalry, which led more than half a ton of men and horses, charged up, and the lethality was extremely amazing.

Paired with the barrel of a heavy hardwood battle lance and the hardened tip, even the hard steel armor that the dwarven craftsmen are proud of can be pierced and even knocked away by the power of the iron hoof trampling and the knight's charge.

It is no exaggeration to describe that a heavily charged knight is the ultimate power that a single human soldier can control.

The Dragonwing Knights are proud. Although they are very polite, you can feel the hidden arrogance of these people in every aspect of the journey together.

They were confident in their training and the coordination of their allies, in their swords and spears, and in the fine armor they were wearing.

The only one who can kill a knight with a single blow is the other knight.

Although they have never experienced any real battles, under the rich experience of the Laman knight instructors, this Dragonwing Knights who have been cultivated at no cost are difficult to find fault with their actions, even those who know knights and military affairs very well.

The word "well-trained" fits right for them.

After the expulsion of the Great Swordsman, it was difficult to exclude those experienced veterans who had a problematic position, although it was not the work of the Dragon Wing Grand Master Menice himself, but the brain drain caused by it was a foregone conclusion.

Lacking the veterans of the war in Suomir, they spent a lot of money to hire the noble knight instructors of the Lamanites for guidance. It is inevitable that this will cause dissatisfaction in the country.

Standardized cavalry tactical training, various platoons, equipment and job combinations. The Lamanites have been summing up effective methods of warfare for a long time, and this method has been conveyed to these dragonwing knights by their instructors, and it can be seen that they are unreserved.

Menisdo's command methods, as well as his military acumen, are as standard as textbooks.

This is the right thing that the Lamanites have done for a long time.

From beginning to end their actions were impeccable, a standard cavalry early warning marching array.

Even our Luoan girl looked extremely impressed.

The only one who frowns is our Sage Man.

It's so quiet—

He didn't think that the great swordsmen would easily admit that they really planned to make peace, but in this case, they were almost close to the meeting place, and they still didn't see anything.

After a brief thought, Henry explained the matter to Menisdo.

"Didn't you say that you don't stand anywhere?" Grand Master Longyi's reaction to this was a bit sarcastic, and our Sage Master didn't save face, he shrugged his shoulders, and then replied directly, "I'm afraid of death. ”

This made Menisdo cry and laugh. He had seen countless warriors, knights, and mercenaries, many of whom were determined to fight to the death for the sake of their own face. And this guy is good, he directly admitted his timidity.

"Oh, cowardly mercenary, but in my opinion, there's nothing to worry about, is it?" Lieutenant Sieg took over from the front, his words full of confidence: "The cavalry tactics of the Lamanites have been tested in battle. Not to mention unparalleled in the world, at least it has an overwhelming advantage in the face of those Assi who are still obsessed with foot combat. ”

He said this with confidence, but our Sage still didn't buy it. He just shrugged his shoulders again, and then began to look around and be more vigilant.

In all fairness, Seeger's statement is not wrong.

But there's an old saying that says it well:

"The most common mistake made by the victor of the last war. ”

"It's about bringing the experience of this war to the next. ”

The shape of warfare had changed a few short months ago, and some new weapons had begun to enter the battlefield. They are still a long way from full maturity, but in some special applications, they also have innovative advantages that were not possible with weapons of the past.

Basking in the illusion of invincibility brought on by the paralysis of peace and powerful armor, the Dragonwing Knights were slow to respond. Don't say it's them, even the Padrossi Empire doesn't pay enough attention to it.

Maybe it was because of the extra few days of delay that they lost their patience, or maybe they were prepared for it in the first place. All in all, 5 minutes after this conversation.

The lakeside town at the meeting place officially came into view, and from a distance, you could see a whole row of great swordsmen dressed as mercenaries standing at the entrance-

Menisdor and Sieg's brows furrowed, and Her Majesty quickly straightened her clothes to make sure she was proper—

"Something is wrong. The next second after the Grand Master said this—

Her Majesty's expectations.

Failed.

"How do they have magicians?!!"

"Order, Your Excellency. The Great Swordsman, who watched the group coming from afar, wearing a ponytail and wearing a red Brigun floor armor, raised his hand silently.

"Deton!" The staff's amplified gem glowed brightly.

The earth-shattering roar of "Bang Bang !!" sounded at the feet of the knights on the left and right flanks.

It drowned out the screams and roars of the men and horses.