Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 519 - 298: The Flames of War Have Been Lit
In the Crusader Camp.
Derum was holding his shield, applying paint onto it, while the attendants were leading a group of young colts that had yet to adapt to bits and saddles, training their riding skills in the open ground.
Their masters rarely bothered with such trivial matters.
"Smart lad, not handing your shield to those stupid military servants for handling is wise indeed, their craftsmanship is awful — a shield is the facade of a knight, always to be carried wherever they go."
A tall and robust knight, wearing a thin linen shirt, smiled as he handed over a wine cup.
"Thank you, Eupert."
Derum smiled and took the wine cup, downing the beer inside in one go.
In the heavy cavalry battalion, there are dedicated military servants, even if there are no attendants or those without a knight’s title among the cavalry, they can still receive the necessary care, but as Eupert said, their craftsmanship is quite mediocre.
Since the slightly smarter ones have all been taken as attendants by the lords knights.
The rest, the vast majority, are a bunch of foolish, taciturn, and clumsy youths.
Knight Eupert casually asked, "By the way, Camel Boy, are you going to Bishop Urding tonight again?"
Derum nodded, "Yes, although there are no more wounded, Bishop Urding will be teaching us herbalism—I originally thought it would be difficult, well, it is difficult, but last night when Bishop Urding asked me to present, I surprisingly managed to concoct a clover potion."
Eupert gave a thumbs-up, "Well done, Camel Boy."
"Take this."
The bearded knight tossed over a hefty money bag.
"What’s this?"
"A donation for the Redemption Order."
Derum was very surprised.
Like most knights from Europe during this era, Eupert was a heavy drinker, crude, violent, foul-mouthed, they were the most unstable elements of local peace for this era.
Especially those bankrupt knights.
"Weren’t you planning on donating this money to the Church?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
The bearded knight smiled, "Ha, donating to the Redemption Order is more reliable than casually finding a church to buy an indulgence certificate—I feel like that flimsy slip of paper could hardly bear the sins I’ve committed."
After laughing, he couldn’t help but express some envy, "If my hands were not more skilled at killing, I might also choose to learn something from the Redemption Order after training."
Derum couldn’t help but take a sidelong glance.
He felt he had to reevaluate his very first friend after joining the heavy cavalry battalion.
Eupert, seeing Derum look at him like this, felt somewhat awkward and changed the topic stiffly, "Don’t look at me like that, mate, you’d better study well, maybe next time on the battlefield, I’ll have to count on you to save my life."
"Alright."
Derum smiled gently.
He hadn’t yet realized how much he had changed since joining the Redemption Order, Urding and Ulm, these two were the benchmarks in Derum’s eyes, showing him another path that could be chosen after gaining fame, fortune, and status.
"Derum, I’m about to leave."
This was the first time Eupert had called his name, usually, it was a moniker like Camel Boy.
"Where to?"
"Hey, where else can we heavy cavalry go? Of course, to the battlefield! In the Sinai Corridor, the winged cavalry are already vying with heretics over water sources, soon enough you rookies will have to be sent over as reinforcements too."
Derum was slightly stunned, stood up, and crossed himself in front of him, "May God bless you, shield you from bad weather, sandstorms, stray arrows, and poisonous insects, and may you also be able to kill more heretics and achieve redemption."
Eupert laughed and crossed himself on the chest, "Let’s hope we can reunite soon—if I die on the battlefield, then consider I never said that."
...
In a mansion inside Gaza City.
Losa picked up the communication.
On the other side, Hans’ voice was somewhat hoarse, "Sorry, sir, we still arrived too late, we’ve only secured four small-scale water sources, and the enemy keeps contesting them, trying to destroy them."
"Those Bedouin nomads truly feigned allegiance. If it weren’t for Miss Chelina leading the team, an entire squad of winged cavalry might have perished in the enemy’s traps."
Losa frowned.
Four water sources, it sounded like quite a few, but the thirty thousand Crusaders, much like a swarm of locusts, would easily turn these water sources into desolate land.
During the time the Crusaders stationed outside Gaza City, the city was already struggling.
Every day, civilians came to file complaints, either because the lords knights trampled on their land or because impoverished Crusaders had stolen their crops from the fields, claiming that they were offerings owed to the Crusaders when caught.
Only capturing four water sources meant his army would have to remain in Gaza for longer, waiting for more water storage barrels, supplies, and convoy arrivals.
However, though he was in a bad mood, Losa didn’t show it, it was evident from the fatigue in Hans’ tone that he absolutely hadn’t had a proper chance to close his eyes and get some rest these past few days.
"Keep your heart at ease, Hans, our generous Cardinal Sebastian is rallying various monasteries and churches to provide us with supplies, many profiteering Jewish merchants have also been sanctioned, so even if these water sources are lost, it’s not much of an issue."
"I’m sorry, sir, I couldn’t complete your task."
Hans’ tone was filled with remorse, truly entering the Sinai Peninsula, he realized how harsh the climate was—if a sandstorm kicked up and the army got lost, no matter how strong their individual combat abilities were, they’d surely perish here.
"It’s okay, Hans. I’m not trying to comfort you, but for your master, this small trouble is just a pebble on the road. I only need to give it a swift kick to send it flying."
Hans quickly replied: "Master, you must not underestimate the dangers of desert marching. The enemy has destroyed all the landmarks along the way. Unless we march along the coast, giving up all oasis and water sources, even the local guides may not find the oasis."
Losa felt helpless about this.
"I know the seriousness, Hans. You’re right; I was just trying to comfort you earlier. This matter is indeed very troublesome. Alright!"
Swoosh, he hung up the communication.
"Finished talking?"
"Yes."
"It’s a pity I’m not a Water Mage. Otherwise, I might have been able to lend you a hand in this matter—by the way, the Empire Library actually has blueprints for a seawater desalination magic array, but the casting materials are extinct, and you’ll need to find substitutes."
"Forget it, it’s been too long, and I can’t afford the delay."
Involving casting materials, the cost of this seawater desalination magic array won’t be cheap. It’s alright for personal use, but to sustain an army, it would be better to hope for extracting another "Tree of Life seedling" and turning the whole Sinai Peninsula into an oasis.
Losa asked: "So, how’s the war in Sicily going?"
Anna hesitated: "It was going smoothly at first, but the tyrant in Sicily somehow summoned a remarkably powerful witch who destroyed the siege weapon we were constructing."
"So you’re coming out to deal with it?"
To counter a caster, you need another caster.
Though Demon-Blocking Gold is said to restrain casters, the stronger the caster, the weaker the restraining effect.
"That was the plan, but later she personally approached me, insisting that we casters shouldn’t be fighting over worldly benefits—honestly, I think she was probably frightened by you."
Losa was a bit surprised: "Frightened by me?"
"Salman, Mudeliji, Shemir."
"They are all renowned casters in the Levant Region. One was severely injured and escaped, vowing never to involve himself in worldly affairs again; another was killed by you on the spot, and the last one, although lucky enough to escape, lost his famous Fire Dragon, which almost felt like part of his own arm. That was the Karelian Fire Dragon, ranked among the top even in the high-grade dragon species."
"You probably have no idea how vast your renown is in the Extraordinary World now."
Losa chuckled: "I really don’t understand."
"Anyway, it’s considerable. I didn’t expect that one day I could rely on your fame to frighten away a powerful caster who I found somewhat troublesome."
Anna’s voice carried a touch of emotion.
In her interaction with Losa, she definitely had her own interests rather than being completely selfless.
But she didn’t expect the payoff to unfold in this way, nor did she expect Losa to become such a strong extraordinary being, equal to her, even surpassing her in such a short time.
For a wizard with a long life, who might spent years researching a single magic potion recipe, it really was incredibly swift.
"Haha, I’m honored to have helped you."
"However, Losa, don’t you find what this woman said quite reasonable? Casters with long lives, if truly involved in warfare, even elite soldiers will be mown down like straw. If all casters had stayed behind the scenes, perhaps that would be the best choice."
Losa furrowed his brow: "Indeed, but such regulations hold no binding force."
Anna’s bright laughter came through.
"Yes, so, Losa, suppose one day you become the Monarch of all Western Europe, shall we join forces to establish this rule?"
Losa said helplessly: "I’m just a small Marquis right now; I can’t think as far ahead as you."
"Less than a year ago, you weren’t even a Knight."
Anna floated: "And now you’re already preparing to seize a crown full of gold. Who knows someday you might lead your army to sail back to Western Europe."
"If that day comes, will you stand by my side?"
Losa asked with a smile.
"I might, but it depends on what terms you can offer—not for me, but for Her Majesty the Empress, because she is the one with the imperial authority, and I’m just a mere court advisor."
Losa teased: "Alright, let’s take everything you said as truth then."
There was a brief pause in the voice from the other side.
Anna spoke again: "Losa, promise me one thing, will you?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"In the future, even if we can’t become allies, at least let’s not be enemies."
Losa said with a smile: "Haven’t we always been allies? Almost forgot, as the Military Zone General of Limassol, I should first salute the esteemed violet-robed Eldest Princess."
The two exchanged further pleasantries before ending the communication.
The smile on Losa’s face gradually faded away.
He rubbed his brow, thinking about the future when he might truly return to Europe to seek the emperor’s crown. After all, the emperor title is universally recognized in the Western World, and it’s held by the Empire’s Emperor alone.
Who knows if they might end up opposing each other someday.
However, it’s too early to think about all this now.
The King’s title of Egypt is right there, waiting for him to claim it personally. Once he fails, for quite a long time, he might have to focus on farming and development.
