Chapter 295 - 227: First Battle at Kalia Town

"The Debei family is the oldest in the Eastern Territory. We’ve been around for at least four or five hundred years! Even the Duke of the East is courteous to us. So why are we showing so much respect to a bunch of Barbarians from the Northern Lands? Father’s really getting old!"

In a clearing, the elite Knights of the Skinning Clan were resting.

A brown-haired young man was in the woods, slashing wildly with his sword to vent his frustration.

Red Debei’s face was filled with indignation. As the sole heir to the Skinning Clan, no one knew better than him just how powerful his family was.

As the oldest family in the Eastern Territory, they had accumulated immense strength over countless years. Their soldiers were incredibly powerful; they had two thousand Armored Cavalry alone, and the rest of their troops were enough to form three Infantry Corps.

Their total number of soldiers was nearly thirty thousand.

That was precisely why he couldn’t understand why Earl Polhaidon, his own father, had just been so deferential to a young man who was even younger than him.

’We’re supposed to be the undisputed masters here.’

"Who’s there?"

He suddenly felt eyes on him. Turning his head, he saw a young man who bore a strong resemblance to him leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, watching.

"My dear older brother, on that, I share your sentiment." The newcomer smiled faintly, uncrossing his arms and walking over.

"Father has grown old. A few stinking blokes from the Northern Lands are enough to scare him like a newborn beaver, desperate to find its mother for protection."

"Personally, I think if you were to inherit the earldom, you would surely lead the family to even greater prosperity."

"Hmph. Bodun He Wen, I know what you’re thinking." Red stared at the young man before him, who shared his bloodline. "You’re just an illegitimate son. You don’t even have the family name, and your mother was nothing but a lowly miller’s wife. It’s not your place to discuss who inherits the earldom."

"And unless I die, the earldom will never fall into the hands of a bastard!"

"Know your place, or I won’t hesitate to skin you alive myself!"

Red shoved past him with his shoulder, snorted coldly, and walked toward the camp.

"Bastard..." Bodun brushed off his shoulder, the smile gone from his face as he silently watched Red’s retreating back.

...

The geography of the Mislin Land was peculiar. The first half was relatively flat woodland, filled mostly with straight-trunked birch trees. But as they followed the dirt road built by the Skinning Clan—wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side—deeper into the woods, a turbulent river nearly fifty feet wide blocked their path.

The current was too swift for it to freeze over; otherwise, it would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.

However, an ancient, weather-beaten Stone Bridge connected the two banks, allowing the Vanguard Corps to cross.

"This Stone Bridge is older than the Debei family itself. I really don’t know how it’s remained so sturdy to this day."

Count Andao sat on a small camp stool, toasting a slice of rye bread over a fire on a straight twig he had casually snapped off.

Getting thirty thousand men across the bridge was not something that could be done in a short time, so the leaders set up a bonfire in a clearing near the bridge and started a small meeting.

"Who knows? Maybe it was built by a Mage skilled in the Earth Element. With powerful Magic Power reinforcing it, it might have been spared from the ravages of time."

Levi was watching a column of cavalry cross the Stone Bridge. They were soldiers belonging to that old fellow, Andao.

Every man wore fine Cavalry Armor, and the warhorses beneath them were plump and well-fed, clearly well-cared-for. The Knights were disciplined, crossing the Stone Bridge three abreast at a steady, unhurried pace. There were about two thousand of them in total.

His subsequent infantry, however, were much less impressive. Most wore Chain Armor underneath a layer of Leather Armor, making them only slightly better than Militia.

They couldn’t compare at all to the Heavy Armored Infantry Corps of the Thorn Corps.

’Still, it makes sense. Maintaining two thousand elite cavalry is no simple matter. The cost of feeding both men and mounts is more difficult than supplying a legion of ten thousand men.’

’This Count clearly understands the principle that it’s better to excel at one thing than to be average at everything, so he’s poured most of his resources into his cavalry.’

’No wonder he’s confident about handling the scouting mission. The quality of this cavalry truly is first-rate.’

"Old An, your cavalry is impressive. In terms of both equipment and discipline, they’re on par with the standards of a first-rate Debei Cavalry Corps."

Seeing that the Count’s bread was just about done, Levi snatched it with lightning speed, stuffed it into his mouth in two bites, and began chewing loudly. He even offered a fair critique: "It’s a little burnt, but I guess it’s edible."

"You’re a Lion Hunter Knight, for crying out loud. You’ve got the fame, you’ve got the status, and yet you still have to snatch a piece of bread." Count Andao sighed helplessly as he stared at the empty twig in his hand.

"If those noble ladies in Bailiu City knew their ’prince charming’ was the kind of person who’d even snatch a piece of bread, I wonder how many dreams would be shattered."

"What belongs to others is always the best," the Lord said with a shameless look, spouting contradictory nonsense. "Besides, only what you’ve eaten is truly yours."

Count Andao shook his head and started toasting another piece. "In order to maintain this so-called ’first-rate’ Cavalry Corps, I’ve nearly had to go begging."

"I’m so poor!"

"Damn it, you’re crying poor to me? Your fief is in Debei territory, for crying out loud. It’s rolling in money, you have no trouble making a profit. I’ve got a whole army of big eaters who consume an astronomical amount every day, and High Cliff Castle is out in the sticks. I, your Lord, can’t even find a serf to exploit!"