In a crusader camp.

Drem was holding his shield and painting it, while the attendants were leading a group of foals who had not yet adapted to chewing and saddles, training their riding skills in the clearing.

Their masters have always been indifferent to these little things.

"Clever boy, you didn't leave your shield to those stupid servants, it couldn't have been wiser, their craft is terrible - the shield is a knight's façade, and you have to take it with you wherever you go."

The tall, burly knight, dressed in a thin linen shirt, smiled and handed over a wine glass.

"Thanks, Epreit."

Dram smiled and took the glass and drank the beer inside.

The heavy cavalry company had special servants, and even cavalrymen who did not have squires or knighthoods could be taken care of, but as Ephrit said, their skills were quite average.

Because those who are a little more clever have been accepted as squires by the knights.

The vast majority of the rest are a bunch of stupid, clumsy, and cowards who are afraid to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy head-on.

Knight Eprit casually asked, "By the way, Camel Boy, are you going to Bishop Uldin's tonight?" ”

Drem nodded: "Yes, although there are no more wounded, but Bishop Ulding teaches us herbology - I thought it would be difficult, well, actually very difficult, but last night when Bishop Ulding asked me to take the stage, I was able to concoct the Tri-Clover Elixir, which is the purple ointment we usually use to treat bruises." ”

Ephrit gave a thumbs up: "Well done, camel boy." ”

"Take this."

The bearded knight threw out a heavy money bag.

"What is this?"

"Donation to the Order of Redemption."

Drem was surprised.

Like most of the knights of the era, he was drunk, rude, violent, and foul-mouthed, and he was the most unstable factor in the stability of the place.

Especially those bankrupt knights.

The reason why the monarchs of Europe responded so eagerly to the crusade was not lacking in the dark idea of sending these militants into the holy war as soon as possible.

"Didn't you want to donate this money to the church?"

The bearded knight smiled and said, "Ha, it is more reliable to donate to the Order of Redemption than to find a random church and pay for indulgences—I always feel that that fluttering ticket is difficult to bear the sins I have committed." ”

After laughing, he couldn't help but say with some envy: "If it weren't for my hands being better at killing, I might have chosen to go to the Redemption Order to learn some knowledge after training." ”

Dreem couldn't help but look sideways.

He felt like he was going to get to know this first friend he had made since coming to the Heavy Cavalry Company.

Edget was a little embarrassed by Dreem's eyes, and bluntly changed the subject: "Don't look at me like that, man, you have to study hard, maybe the next time I go to war, I have to count on you to save my life." ”

"Okay."

Dreem smiled softly.

He hadn't realized how much he had changed since he joined the Order of Redemption, Uldin, Ulm, the two of them were the benchmarks in Drem's eyes, telling him that after gaining fame, wealth, and status, he could choose another path.

This may be the true way of knighthood.

"Drem, I'm leaving."

This was the first time that Epyrit had called him by his first name, and it had always been a code name like Camel Boy.

"Where are you going?"

"Hey, we're heavy cavalry, where else can we go? To the battlefield, of course! In the Sinai Corridor, the hussars are already fighting the heretics for water, and it may not be long before you recruits will have to come to their aid. ”

Trem was slightly stunned, stood up, and drew a cross in front of him: "May God bless you, stay away from bad weather, sandstorms, stray arrows, poisonous insects, and may you kill more heretics and be saved." ”

Ephrit smiled and drew a cross on his chest: "I hope we can meet again soon—if I die in battle, I don't say that." ”

In a mansion in Gaza City.

Lothar picked up the communication.

Hans on the other side was a little hoarse: "I'm sorry, my lord, we arrived too late, only holding four small water points, and the enemy is still fighting over and over again, trying to destroy them. ”

"Those Bedouin nomads are indeed hypocritical, and if it weren't for Miss Cellinina's lead, I'm afraid that an entire group of hussars would have died in the enemy's trap."

Lothar frowned.

Four water sources may sound like a lot, but 30,000 crusaders will easily turn these water sources into barren land like locusts crossing the border.

During the time when the Crusaders were stationed outside Gaza City, Gaza City was already a little overwhelmed.

Every day there were civilians who came to complain, either because the knights had trampled on their land, or because the poor crusaders had stolen the crops from their fields, and they were caught and said that it was a tribute to the crusaders.

Only four water points were captured, which meant that his army had to stay in Gaza for a while longer, waiting for more water tanks, provisions, and convoys to arrive.

However, although the mood was not good, Lothar did not show it, and it was clear from the exhaustion in Hans's tone that he definitely didn't even have the time to close his eyes and get a good night's sleep these days, and he had done his best.

"Relax, Hans, our generous Cardinal Sebastian is calling on the convents and churches to provide for us, and the Jewish merchants who have inflated prices have been punished a lot, even if they lose these water sources."

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I couldn't complete your mission."

Hans's tone was full of guilt, and when he actually entered the Sinai Peninsula, he realized that the climate here was so harsh - if there was a sandstorm, the army would get lost, and no matter how strong they were, they would have to die here.

"It's okay Hans, I'm not trying to comfort you, but this little trouble is just a pebble on the road for your adults, and I can kick it away with just one foot."

Hans hurriedly said: "My lord, you must not underestimate the danger of the desert march, the enemy has destroyed everything that can be called road signs along the way, unless we have been marching along the coast and abandoning all the oases and water sources, even local guides may not be able to find the location of the oasis." ”

Lothar didn't have a good air:

"I know the seriousness of the matter, Hans, you're right, I was just reassuring you, it's a terrible thing, okay!"

Click, he hung up.

"Finished talking?"

"Hmm."

"It's a pity, I'm not a water mage, otherwise I might be able to do you a favor in this matter - by the way, there are actually desalination circle blueprints in the Imperial Library, but the spell casting materials are all extinct, and you have to find a replacement again."

"Forget it, it's too long, I can't afford to put it off."

With the spell casting materials, the cost of this desalination circle is not much lower, and it is okay to meet personal needs, if you want to maintain an army, it is better to count on another "seed of the tree of life" to turn the entire Sinai Peninsula into an oasis.

Lothar asked, "By the way, your war in Sicily is going well, right?" ”

Anna on the other side hesitated: "Originally, it was going well, but the tyrant of Sicily invited an extremely powerful witch out of nowhere and destroyed the siege weapon we were building. ”

"So you're going out of the mountain?"

To deal with the caster, one can only count on the caster.

Mana Gold is said to be restrained on the caster, but the stronger the caster, the weaker the restraint effect.

"Originally, it was like this, but later, she came to me in person and claimed that we, the spell casters, should not be beaten to the head for the sake of worldly interests—in fact, I think she was probably scared by you."

Lothar was a little surprised: "Scared by me? ”

"Salman, Mudrygui, Shermail."

"They are all well-known spellcasters in the Levant, and as a result, one was seriously injured and fled far away, vowing never to participate in the world again, one was killed by you on the spot, and the other, although he escaped by luck, his fire dragon that became famous and could almost be said to be his own arm was killed by you, and that is the Karelian fire dragon, even among the higher dragons."

"You probably don't know how famous you are in the transcendent world right now."

Lothar couldn't help but laugh, "I really don't know. ”

"Anyway, it's big. Little did I know that one day you would be able to use your prestige to scare off a powerful spellcaster that I find a little tricky. ”

Anna's voice was a little emotional.

In her dealings with Lothar, she is by no means unselfish and desireless.

But she didn't expect the rewards to unfold in this way, and she didn't expect Lothar to become a powerful transcendent who could be equal to her, if not better, so quickly.

That's too fast for a wizard who lives so long that studying a potion recipe can take years.

"Haha, I'm honored to help you."

"But Lothar, don't you think this woman has a point? If a spellcaster with a long life is truly involved in the war, even the most elite soldiers will be cut down like straw. If all of our casters were hidden behind the scenes, it might be the best choice. ”

Lothar frowned: "Indeed, but such regulations are not binding at all. ”

Anna laughed heartily from the other side.

"Yes, so, Lothar, if one day, you become the monarch of all of Western Europe, how about we join forces to make this rule?"

Lothar said helplessly: "I'm just a little marquis now, but I can't think of what you said so far." ”

"Less than a year ago, you weren't even a knight."

Anna said lightly: "And now, you are ready to claim a crown full of gold for yourself, who knows that one day, you will take your army to kill back to Western Europe by boat?" ”

"If that day were true, would you be on my side?"

Lothar asked with a smile.

"Yes, then it's up to you what you can offer—not for me, but for our Majesty the Empress, after all, she is the one who holds the power of the Empire, and I am only an insignificant court advisor."

Lothar quipped, "Well, it's good if what you say is true." ”

The voices on the other side paused for a moment.

Anna spoke again, "Lothar, promise me one thing, okay?" ”

"You say."

"In the future, even if we can't be our own people, at least don't be enemies."

Lothar smiled and said, "Haven't we always been our own people?" I almost forgot, as the general of the military district of Limassol, I should have saluted the honorable purple-clothed princess first. ”

There was silence for a moment on the other side, and then Anna's satisfied laughter rang out: "Yes, we have always been our own people. ”

The two exchanged two more words before hanging up the communication.

The smile on Lothar's face faded.

He rubbed his eyebrows, in the future, he is afraid that he will really return to the European continent and seek an emperor's crown, after all, in Christendom, crowns are everywhere, but there is only one crown, which is the imperial crown.

Who knows if that day, they will go to the opposite side.

However, it is too early to think about this.

The title of King of Egypt lies there, waiting for him to take it himself, and once he succeeds, he will probably have to devote himself to farming for a long time to come.

(End of chapter)