The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“Complete the mission, and be rewarded with a Tomato Elf Bug.”

“Mission: The territory lacks the protection of knights and is always on the brink of danger. The four Retainer Knights are useless, but more seeds await discovery. Seafood has brought nutrition, please select suitable youths for knight training. Reward: an unhatched Magical Beast Egg.”

The serpent script formed by smoke slowly dispersed.

Liszt came back to his senses, the mission in Tomato Hamlet was easily completed. In fact, all the Smoke Missions were not difficult, it was just a process of taking advantage of the situation.

“An unhatched Magical Beast Egg, huh? That would mean they’re giving me another flying magical beast,” Liszt glanced at Douson, who lay sprawled at his feet panting like a dog to cool off, and suddenly envisioned a grand scene.

Leading Dahuang with the left hand, brandishing the skies with the right.

The old me indulges in the wild ways of youth.

Without a big yellow dog or an eagle, he had even more ferocious magical beasts. Douson, the Fierce Earth Dog, had been trained to react on command, launching into attacks, biting, sitting, lying down, jumping, and climbing at a mere gesture from Liszt. Training Douson was easier than a dog, for it was smarter.

But Douson, the Fierce Earth Dog, had yet to successfully cast the magic it could master—Rock Spike.

“I know how to train dogs but not eagles. I wonder if this soon-to-be pet magical beast bird will be smart and easy to train. If it can’t be tamed, I’ll have no choice but to roast it.” As he mused, Liszt couldn’t help but stretch out his tongue and lick his lips involuntarily.

Chicken rearing in Fresh Flower Town was rare, mostly for laying eggs, and even getting a chicken to eat was not easy, let alone more elusive ducks and geese.

Now, he truly “yearned deeply for a taste of bird”.

In Thorn Ridge, game was plentiful, and Marcus was an excellent archer, easily shooting down a few birds. However, he, too proud and aspiring to be a noble, wouldn’t degrade himself to a hunter’s level with ease.

For nobles, hunting was a pastime; for him, it was demeaning his status.

For Liszt, this was a bizarre concept, but for someone like Marcus, it was his life’s pursuit. So, Liszt felt it was inappropriate to casually command Marcus to hunt birds just to appease his own cravings.

“Originally, I hadn’t planned on forming a Knight Squad so soon; there are too few freemen, hardly enough superior seedlings. But since the mission is issued, let’s do it. Boys aged between ten and sixteen in the town, there should be a few hundred of them. Select twelve, and form a small team for now.”

A Knight Squad comprises twelve members: one Captain, one Deputy, and ten knights.

Large nobles establish their own Knight Academies, selecting children from a young age to train, eliminating batches until the qualified remain to become their landlords’ Retainer Knights and join the Knight Order. Marcus was such a knight, sent to the Knight Academy at a very young age by his father.

Sons of barons and Honored Knights also train at the Knight Academy, including Liszt, who had attended it.

Without such foundations, Fresh Flower Town could only pick a few healthy youths and awkwardly form a not-quite-right Knight Squad for training. A skilled woman cannot cook without rice, and Liszt had no other choice but to make do and complete the Smoke Mission for now.

“My Lord, you wish to select new Retainer Knights and form a Knight Squad?” Thomas, having learned of Liszt’s intent at the evening banquet, became immediately excited.

“With the abundance of food in Fresh Flower Town, we don’t need to be cautious. The Patrol Team is unreliable; they are but ordinary people. Karl and the others have yet to produce any Dou Qi, so I need new strength to secure Fresh Flower Town’s safety… Winter is only half a year away.”

As Liszt spoke, he blinked, “Actually, I will inevitably make a move on Thorn Ridge; they are an obstacle to the development of Fresh Flower Town. Teacher Marcus, I need you to oversee the selection and training of the Knight Squad.” The Earl had not set boundaries for the town, so he naturally had the option to annex Thorn Ridge.

Thomas immediately performed a knightly salute, saying earnestly, “Please rest assured, Lord Landlord, Marcus will surely select suitable Knight Cadets and properly train them!”

“I will have Teacher Goltai fully cooperate with you to train them excellently, Teacher Marcus.”

“As you wish, my lord!”

As Marcus left the castle with his head held high and chest out, his manner was that of a seasoned Earth Knight, without reservation. Since arriving in Fresh Flower Town, he had always been sulking, as the only things he could do every day, aside from protecting Liszt, were drilling the four Retainer Knights, including Karl.

He had witnessed Liszt’s wisdom and luck and understood Liszt’s spirit and ambition. He decided to serve and lay in wait for the opportunity to establish merits and make achievements.

Having also seen the “wealth of the sea” that Liszt spoke of, his belief grew even stronger.

Nevertheless, he had always been somewhat awkward, unsure of the role he could play in the little town. At the very least, for a few years, Liszt would not enter the battlefield— without knights, what use was there to go to battle? He was eager to clear Thorn Ridge, but as a single Earth Knight, he knew it was impossible.

It was quite a regret, akin to “having no way to serve one’s country.”

Now, the opportunity had finally arrived. Liszt had decided to form a Knight Squad, taking the first step towards establishing merits and making his mark. Marcus could hardly wait to pick out the most suitable Retainer Knights, train them into a fighting force, and clear out Thorn Ridge. He wanted to be ready for battle when the Grand Duchy started the next war.

That night, he obtained the census list of Fresh Flower Town’s inhabitants from Goltai.

He picked out all the boys between the ages of ten and sixteen and the next day sent the four Retainer Knights to bring these boys from their homes.

The sun scorched the earth as two hundred and thirty-three boys of varying heights and builds stood tall, seriously and earnestly.

Their eyes were filled with longing, nervousness, worry, fear, and aspiration, for they all had been informed that the Lord Landlord was preparing to select Retainer Knights.

They all understood the meaning of being a Retainer Knight, and even if they didn’t, their parents and neighbors would tell them what it entailed.

There were two types of Retainer Knights.

One kind, like Karl Ironhammer and Rom Barrel, primarily served as “Retainers,” with a serf’s status, sold to the nobles, whose main tasks were to accompany the nobles on travels and, when on the battlefield, to carry the equipment, do laundry, cook, and so on.

The other kind was like Marcus, whose main role was to “fight” as a Retainer Knight. They were usually freemen and their main task was combat.

Many sons of minor nobles also went to other nobles’ lands to serve as Retainer Knights, learning the combat skills of a knight and the etiquette of the nobility. After completing their training, they would either return home to inherit their titles or go to the battlefield to establish merits and achievements.

Essentially,

Retainer Knights were the nobility’s reserves, a preliminary qualification.

Even serfs, once chosen as Retainer Knights and having made meritorious deeds, would have their freeman status restored, and if they earned further merits, they could even be granted noble titles.

Even without many merits to their name, following the nobles meant not worrying about food and drink, and they could save money to help support their families.

Therefore,

All the youths stood straight, each trying to present themselves in the best light, hoping to be chosen as a Retainer Knight—they all understood that this was an opportunity to change their fate, perhaps the only one they would get in their lifetime.

Mounted on a dun horse, Marcus looked at each young boy and could vaguely see his own past self. Many years ago, hadn’t he too gone through such a selection, picked by the Knight Captain of an Earl. Of course, at that time, he had already studied for two years at the Knight Academy.

The foundation of these boys before him was zero.