Having studied cold weapons in the past, Phield had a decent understanding of bows and arrows.

As for whether any of it would truly be practical, that would have to be proven through real use.

Phield lightly tapped his finger against the desk and thought to himself, "In the future, could firearm bullets also be enchanted?"

"Rosalia is stationed in Starnight City now. Ashina normally stays in Windrise Town and also has to patrol the various controlled regions. The others all have work to do too. At this rate, the combat strength I can freely mobilize is becoming insufficient again."

Phield awkwardly realized that although he had many Divine Chosen under his command, as his territory expanded, the mobile forces he could freely dispatch had actually decreased.

It was just like the population in his territory. During meals, it felt like there were too many people. But when it came time to work, there suddenly never seemed to be enough.

"Tisiana, you’re going to be very busy for quite a while." A gentle smile appeared on Phield’s face as he blew dry the ink on the paper. "I’m going all out to search every resource point in the territory, especially construction materials. I’ll need you to protect the operations."

"Leave it to your big sister." Tisiana laughed proudly.

"I’m heading to the military camp first. I’ve designated June 1st as Victory Day to celebrate reclaiming Starnight City. Even though June 1st already passed several days ago, I still owe the soldiers a celebration."

Coincidentally, the day they reclaimed Starnight City happened to fall during Children’s Day from his previous world.

"Once the celebration is over, it’ll be farming, farming, and more farming."

The next day, at the Windrise Town military camp.

The place was filled with tents, wooden walls, and wooden chevaux-de-frise.

Unlike usual, aside from the soldiers on patrol, the rest of the troops were not training.

Plenty of clothes were hanging throughout the camp, yet nothing looked messy. The clothes were arranged neatly, and even the blankets on the beds were folded into perfect square blocks.

Although some people couldn’t understand why the lord demanded such standards, this sense of order made them strangely fond of it.

Of course, the most important point was that as long as they followed the lord’s requirements, their待遇 was the best in all of Nightfall Domain. That filled them with immense pride.

The camp was especially lively today, filled with cheers everywhere. The soldiers came from all corners of the Empire, and there were even wolf beastmen among them.

Some people danced strange dances, others sang horribly off-key songs, while some simply sat around spacing out. Everyone celebrated their victory in their own way.

Phield hadn’t arranged any special activities. He had merely led everyone to pay respects at the graves of the fallen, then opened all the ale and olive wine while slaughtering sheep and pigs to reward the army.

Ironically, that was the best reward possible.

"Ben, it’s a rare banquet. Stop keeping that stiff face and let’s move already!"

Sam twisted his barrel-like waist while singing an awful folk song from the northern mountains. His fierce-looking face appeared especially ridiculous at the moment.

"Why bother being polite with each other?" Ben raised the large wooden mug on the table and lightly knocked it against the surface before speaking in his deep voice. "We’re family anyway. Don’t forget, I used to be one of the lord’s guards too."

All the officers of Nightfall Domain’s First Army had been selected from the guards, ensuring extremely reliable loyalty.

That tradition had continued all this time. Whenever Phield wanted to promote a soldier, he would first transfer them into the guard unit for observation.

The two spoke in unison.

"We would die for Baron Phield. We would die for Nightfall Domain."

"Gulp gulp gulp!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Whew! This is incredible! Barley ale... damn it, how can something this wonderful even exist in the world?"

Wiping the foam from the corner of his mouth, Sam burst into laughter and directly grabbed an entire chunk of black pork from the tray before stuffing it into his mouth.

The rich flavor of meat completely filled his mouth. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of bitter saltiness. He felt so happy he nearly cried.

Ben’s table manners were much more refined, but his mouth was still glistening with oil as he chewed.

"I never imagined pork could taste this good. No boar stench, not bitter either. Damn me, this is paradise."

Phield knew pork only tasted terrible because it hadn’t been castrated.

The pigs raised in Nightfall Domain, aside from the breeding stock, were all eunuchs.

Add a sprinkle of fine salt that ordinary people could never hope to touch, and to Sam, it was already the pinnacle of cuisine.

"Exactly. I couldn’t agree more. When I first came here, I thought this place was hell. I even considered escaping or ending myself. Looking back now, I was just too negative." One of the soldiers named Newte put down his wine cup and spoke softly. "I want to ask the lord to bring my family to Nightfall Domain too. They’re still working as serfs in Whirlwind Ridge."

"Aren’t you afraid they’ll die in a ghoul’s jaws?"

"Hah. I’d rather live two days in heaven and then get bitten to death than rot away in a dark hell forever." Newte spoke meaningfully. "Honestly, I’m already prepared to die here at any time. It’s worth it. At least Lord Phield would pull the weeds from my gravestone."

"Do you have enough money to redeem your family? If not, borrow from me."

Sam patted his chest proudly. He had sewn his coins into the inside of his clothes.

"It’s enough... I already asked the lord to advance me three months of wages. I only need to redeem my wife, daughter, and mother. The only thing I’m worried about is..." He sighed softly. "Forget it. Let’s not talk about that today."

"What are you worried about?" Sam scratched his head in confusion. Before he could continue asking, he noticed Phield approaching and immediately excitedly grabbed Newte. "Quick, let’s go greet the lord."

Dressed in a proper black noble robe without any excessive decoration, Phield attended the army’s celebration.

"My lord, Sam offers you his highest respect. Victory everlasting!"

"My lord, Newte offers you his highest respect. Victory everlasting!"

The two immediately stepped forward with their hands over their chests, visibly excited.

"Victory everlasting, warriors." Phield smiled and returned the salute.

The surrounding soldiers and squad leaders looked toward him with either reverence or outright worship, constantly offering their respects. In nearly every battle, Phield had fought shoulder to shoulder alongside them. He had even personally shielded soldiers at times.

To them, that alone was already unbelievable. Outside of Nightfall Domain, such a thing simply could not happen.

There had been no rehearsals. Phield knew their feelings were genuine. That passionate respect came straight from the heart.

"Baron Phield, where are we attacking next? Why hasn’t the guard unit been deployed yet? My hands are itching so badly I can barely stand it!" Sam looked eager beyond belief. "Please transfer me into the First Army!"

"The brothers of the First Army are fully rested too. We can enter another battle at any moment." Even the usually quiet Ben couldn’t help but speak up.

"I’ll arrange the details tomorrow. The first mission is for you to secure the surrounding resource points and protect the slaves while they establish small fortresses. The second mission is to help me search for ore."

"Yes, my lord! We are willing to give our lives!"