Chapter 223 - 5: Departure
Chapter 223: Chapter 5: Departure
Just as Robson had predicted, what he’d done in his tent that morning caused a huge stir throughout the camp.
That night, several versions of the story began to circulate, each more exaggerated than the last.
Fortunately, no matter the version, he, Lord Robson, was always portrayed in a positive light.
Robson made a few inquiries about the rumors before assigning men to monitor them.
Instead, Robson was now more focused on studying the Magical Beast Meat that the Extraordinary Soldiers had eaten the previous night.
Apart from being exceptionally rich in energy, the Magical Beast Meat didn’t seem to be any different from normal meat.
Robson had previously studied the process of becoming Extraordinary. It involved practicing a Cultivation Technique to a certain level, at which point an external force would help break through the mortal bottleneck.
This external force was the Magic Potion. To put it simply, a Magic Potion was highly purified energy, with specific potions corresponding to different elements.
These Magic Potions were the first key to unlocking one’s potential, the starting point on the path to becoming Extraordinary.
The first wisp of energy from the Magic Potion acted as a catalyst, unlocking a person’s biological potential and allowing a mere mortal to ascend into the realm of the Extraordinary.
’Connecting this with my own Mount & Blade panel,’ Robson mused, ’the soldiers probably need to accumulate enough experience. Reaching a certain level of experience is likely equivalent to practicing the Cultivation Technique to a certain stage.’
’And the Magical Beast Meat is acting as a substitute for the Magic Potion.’
Unfortunately, the Demon Bull from last night was extremely rare in the Frank Kingdom. Moreover, its meat hadn’t been enough to help all the Tier Six Soldiers advance.
Of the five Tier Six Soldiers under Robson who had reached the peak of their tier, only two managed to advance. The others, no matter how much Magical Beast Meat they consumed, were unable to condense the misty aura.
’I’ve concluded it probably comes down to individual constitution,’ Robson judged. ’It’s still best to use a Magic Potion as a catalyst. After all, that’s the professional method, used for thousands of years throughout the world without issue.’
Of course, this was all just his personal speculation. He would need more evidence to confirm it in the future.
....
After settling matters at the camp, Robson received his orders: retreat to the Royal City.
The King had specifically instructed Robson to bring his army along. The original plan was for Prince Noah to lead them for his own triumphal return, allowing him to display his might, but something had clearly changed.
’I guess they might have the army march again when Prince Noah returns to the Royal Capital... or perhaps they’ll simply use another noble’s army for the procession.’
’Like the other nobles on the Western Front. After all, for an occasion that brings such glory, inviting others means everyone shares in the prestige. It’s something they could boast about for the rest of their lives.’
’This is a perfect opportunity to win allies. Prince Noah needs a chance like this to display his generosity and repair his public image.’
’As for the issue of bringing an outside army into the capital...’
’Putting aside the fact that such things rarely happened in a society structured around nobility, in any normal kingdom, an act of rebellion would be met with an attack from all sides.’
’The entire Royal Capital is garrisoned by the Royal Guard Knight Order, a force of over a thousand men. There are countless resident Extraordinary nobles, and a ten-thousand-strong elite legion stands guard.’
’Besides, the order was only to bring the army *to* the Royal Capital, not *into* the Royal City with men fully armed and armored.’
The nobles from Qimo Fortress didn’t follow Robson this time. They were, after all, nobles assigned to the front lines. Robson and Valentino could withdraw to the rear only because they had a royal edict from the King.
The Battle of Thermopylae was merely a minor episode in the grand scheme of the war; the fighting on the Western Front was far from over.
Though Robson wanted to take everything with him, even considering using his money to buy out the soldiers at Qimo Fortress, he knew it was futile. No one was a fool; they all understood the value of a battle-hardened army on the front lines.
In the end, all Robson could take was his previous equipment, nearly three thousand soldiers, and seven units of Magic Crystal Cannons.
The Magic Crystal Cannons were what Robson coveted most, but they were strictly government property. There was no way to embezzle them.
When he had appropriated the armor back at Sunset Fortress, he could still make some excuses—after all, you could plausibly claim armor was captured on the battlefield. But Magic Crystal Cannons were a different story.
Moreover, with major battles looming on the Western Front, everyone had witnessed the power of the Magic Crystal Cannons and wouldn’t give them up easily.
In truth, if not for the deal Robson had made with Prince Noah earlier, he wouldn’t have even been able to keep the iron armor for his first regiment, let alone the hundred-plus sets of heavy cavalry armor for his cavalry team.
Robson didn’t press his luck for the things he truly couldn’t take.
In reality, his haul was already substantial. Including captured spoils, he had nearly four hundred sets of Heavy Infantry armor and one hundred fifty sets of Heavy Cavalry armor.
After a day of rest, the soldiers whose injuries could be treated instantly with Divine Water had almost all returned to their units.
The first regiment numbered nearly 500 soldiers, with every single man at Tier Five or higher, and 97% having reached Tier Six.
The second regiment, with nearly 700 men, had a 91% rate of Tier Three soldiers or higher. The third regiment, with around 800 men, had a 90% rate. The fourth regiment, nearly 700 strong, had a 70% rate.
Although the other regiments lacked iron armor, they had captured a huge amount of leather armor from the Beastmen—more than enough to equip these troops.
「The next morning」
Robson had his army assembled and everything packed.
Prince Noah and Earl Wei Man, accompanied by a host of nobles from the Western Front, stood at the city gate early in the morning to see Robson off.
"I won’t waste words. I wish you a safe journey, Count. We shall meet again in the Royal Capital.
By then, I imagine we will be able to see the dawn of victory," Prince Noah said with a smile.
Prince Noah’s words sounded reluctant to part, but in truth, he had no desire to make Robson stay.
’It can’t be helped. Robson’s army is powerful, yes, but its appetite for Gold Coins is ferocious!’
In just a dozen days or so, Prince Noah had spent no less than twenty thousand Gold Coins on Robson!
Twenty thousand Gold Coins! To put that in perspective, that was the entire annual cash flow of a Southern Viscount Family—not the profit, but the total amount of money that passed through their books.
In any case, the Gold Coins Prince Noah had saved over the past few decades had been completely cleaned out by Robson.
Of course, the benefits he received were also self-evident.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Prince Noah’s claim to the future throne was now all but guaranteed.
"In that case, Your Highness, please take care," Robson replied.
Prince Noah had already decided to head for Marquis Oscillate’s territory. He likely intended to re-establish his authority among the armies of the Western Front and, at the very least, wash away his prior disgrace.
They didn’t speak for long. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they considered their farewells said. However, several of the southern Viscounts and Barons entrusted Robson with letters to be delivered back home.
’The fighting on the front lines is difficult, but not so dire that a Viscount can’t send a letter home,’ Robson knew. ’This is a gesture of goodwill. If I deliver these letters personally to each clan, I will surely gain their support, which will be immensely helpful for my future pioneering endeavors.’
’It is a form of indirect assistance—and investment.’
After the farewells, the entire army departed from Thermopylae in a grand procession.
Robson had his first, second, third, and fourth regiments transport the spoils of war. Most of the loot consisted of Beastmen leather armor and other such items. Within the Noble Alliance Army, spoils of war were considered private property. Even if Robson didn’t use the armor to equip his own soldiers, he could sell it for a handsome sum.
Robson had no intention of reorganizing his regiments for now. He knew that more men would surely be joining his army in the future.