6 Chapter 6

The next day.

"So, who is next?" Hilda shouted from the top of her lungs. However, there was only silence in response.

It was an open training ground just beside the barrack allotted to the emerald troop. It was winter, and two thousand soldiers stood there, shivering.

Even though it snowed last night, the sky was clear. The sun shone down on Hilda, who stood virtually naked on the stage in the middle of the ground.

Knights would frequently wear these lower garments during practice. It is ineffective in keeping people warm. It could only serve one purpose, and that is not to restrict any movement. She even had the dress altered to fall just above her knees.

Her upper garment was far more indecent. It wasn't even close to being called a garment. It was a long fabric that was securely wrapped around her breasts to keep them from moving around.

The cold was making her bare shoulder a little red. She couldn't care less about it. Extending her hand, wrapped in white cloth, she helped the man stand up.

"So there is none brave enough to challenge a 15-year-old boy. If you don't want to die on the battlefield, then you should just go home and drink your mother's milk."

"Perhaps drinking a bit more milk might make you a little stronger. Even those women who only perform on the bed are stronger than you."

The man with the bloodied nose, whom she had just beaten, didn't dare to stay on the stage after hearing her and swiftly climbed off. He'd made the same error as the other five persons who had accepted the imperial prince's challenge.

"It looks like the imperial prince has a lot of experience wrestling them in the bed." One the man, close to the stage, couldn't help but taunt her back.

Hilda found the man was standing beside another woman, and she knew her. It was Dame Lydia Armstrong. However, Hilda knew her for another reason.

She was one of those expressionless girls who had attended her bride selection ball as one of the candidates.

"Come here," Hilda called, and the man walked up to the stage with confidence. Unlike the six she had thrashed before, this man brought a wooden sword with him.

"Our commander-in-chief wouldn't say that the weapons aren't allowed, right? After all, you won't send us to fight without any weapon, would you?"

His knight friends broke into laughter. Yet Dame Lydia Armstrong remained expressionless.

Little did he know, Hilda was already immune to these types of trash talks. And as long as she was in the ring, nothing could break her concentration.

However, the man didn't stop there. Soon, a light blue aura, with a tinge of green, covered his wooden sword.

"Oh! Commander-in-chief, I have forgotten to tell you that I am a knight. You won't send us to fight, telling us not to use our aura, would you?"

Hilda simply motioned for him to come. As a result, he attacked like a knight, with all his might and erratic swings.

Hilda simply smirked as a massive amount of dark green aura escaped her body. Unlike the man's greenish-blue aura, Hilda's rich green aura shone brightly even in the sun.

In the empire, the aura is the symbol of strength. And those who can wield it can become a knight. Becoming a knight means that they won't have to be hungry anymore.

Every ten-year-old child would be put to the test by the empire. If the child possesses the ability but has yet to manifest it, they will become a squire and learn the ways of the knight. These squires were called 'colorless' knights.

They would be the beginner knight when they first manifested aura. It would have a violet tinge to it. The more they would practice, the stronger they would become, and their aura would change.

Violet or indigo aura signified beginner knight, while the intermediate knight would have a blue or green aura. The advanced knight has a yellow or orange aura.

And there were only three people in the whole empire who had the red aura of a Master knight. And one of them is the current emperor, Eric Sunborne.

And it wasn't just a show. With each upgrade of the shade of aura, the attributes would be enhanced by 30-50%. That is why the empires' knights were so respected by all the surrounding kingdoms.

[Annonbee's word: Keep in mind that the knights' strength is based on the rainbow's order. VIBGOUR.]

Even though they were both intermediate knights, Hilda's dark green aura was far more formidable than the man's. And Hilda's strength, which had been tripled by her dark green aura, caused the wooden sword to crumble as soon as her right fist touched it.

Hilda didn't stop there. She dragged her left fist, shortened the gap between them, and gave an uppercut. Due to her strength, the knight's legs left the ground for a moment before he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

If it would have been like any other fight, then it would have been over by now. But the man had made one mistake he shouldn't have.

Lying on the ground, he was trying to understand what had happened to him. But before he could do it, Hilda had already put her knee on his chest as she continued to shower punches on her face.

"I did not forbid you from using your weapon or aura. Nonetheless, you have lost." Although the white cloth wrapped around her knuckle was stained with blood, she continued to punch.

Her face was devoid of any trace of rage. Unexpectedly, she was smiling even when she was punching. Blood, snot, and tears had made a mess on his face by the time he could say, "I give up."

"How come you're saying that to me? Do you believe the enemy will listen if I tell them not to kill you?"

*Bang* *Bang*

Hilda wasn't using her aura anymore, yet each of her punches was falling with loud thuds. They were very loud in the field, which was blanketed by the pin-drop silence.

"Commander, you should stop." Lydia came close to the stage as she urged Hilda to stop.

Hilda looked at her, smiled, and punched again. Lydia wasn't expecting it, but before she could say anything, another punch fell, then another. Hilda continued to do it while smiling at Lydia.

By the time she came to a halt, the man had long since passed out. Hilda jumped off the stage and punched Lydia in the face. Lydia wasn't expecting it in the first place. None of the soldiers were.

Hilda didn't care about them and simply yelled, "Resign if you became a general solely because you are noble or have served in the army for a longer period of time."

Hilda added, staring at the girl who was holding her swollen cheek, "If you are concerned about the safety of your subordinates, intervene before they do something stupid. In my army, a soldier's mistake is the commander's mistake."

Grabbing her cheek, Lydia stared at Hilda for a moment before adding, "I want to challenge you to a knight's duel."

Before anyone could realize dark green had enveloped Hilda's legs, she burst into speed, appearing in front of Lydia. The only person who responded fast enough was Lydia herself.

*Bang*

However, before she could protect her body from Hilda's attack with her green aura, a punch landed on her solar plexus. Next moment she fell to her knees.

"You are not worthy enough to have a duel with me." Hilda didn't even look at her and returned to the stage.

"Do you think the enemy will be fighting by your rule?"

"NO," Hilda answered her question for the soldiers.

"Do you think the enemy will spare you just because you have surrendered?" Again, Hilda replied, "No. If they had done that, those soldiers who had gone before you wouldn't have been sold as slaves."

"You have all day to decide if you want to leave the army. All you need to do is to submit your registration."

Hilda gave a deliberate pause, just to increase the tension. "But if you are here after sundown, you have to obey every word I would say. The only time you can disobey is when you die. Do you understand that?"

There was only silence. Frowning, Hilda shouted louder, "Do you understand that?"

"Yes, commander." It was weak, but there were responses.

Realizing her dark green aura, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Do you understand that?"

And the entire crowd shouted in unison, "Yes, commander."

"Good. Now, get out of here. And all the centurions and the general will meet me at my office after ten minutes."

"Yes, commander."

Hilda wasted no more time and returned to the office. Wolfy was already waiting for her in the office with a warm coat and hot tea.

As she settled down in warm comfort, Wolfy asked, "Wasn't beating down the knight's general too much?"

"Have you read the 'Kings?' It was written by a scribe named Machiavelli. He had never fought in the war directly, but he was always with the army led by the third emperor."

"Forced to make a choice, it is much better to be feared than loved. This is because men, by nature, are "ungrateful, fickle, dissembling, anxious to flee danger, and covetous of gain." In times of remote danger, they are willing to take risks for their prince, but if the danger is real, they turn against their kings."

"That is what he wrote in it." Hilda sighed, "they don't teach these manuscripts to the prince because he wasn't a general or soldier."

"But if you ask me, he was the right person, as he was the person who was present in all those wars, who could calmly analyze the situation."

"She was a noble. From the report, I heard she was the only general who had willingly joined the army."

"If she had willingly joined my army knowing that we are going to fight a losing war, then she has ulterior motives. I don't care as long as she doesn't hinder my operation."

"But, what if she leaves?"

"We have been fighting the barbarians for centuries. And if those barbarians hadn't figured out how to avoid the knights by now, the empire would have massacred them all. Nonetheless, they survived."

"Having knights does not guarantee survival. If the number was big enough to overwhelm them, then we might have a chance. But the Looking at the situation, I feel having 500 or 1000 wouldn't make much of a difference."

"However, having them will undoubtedly aid us in keeping the barbarians at bay. That is why I asked Fiona to send some assistance."

"Oh! Marchioness Ashgard had written to you."

"100 knights, 200 squires, and 100 shield bearers. It is certainly more than I had expected."

"Didn't you request 500 knights?"

"Did you think that it was possible?" Hilda shook her head, adding, "the emperor had married off his lover-sister just to control the Ashgard knights. Do you really think even after 20 years the emperor would let anyone control the army?"

"Then?"

"And then what? It means that the emperor is willing to lend me these many resources. Why do you think the army had 100 shield-bearers? If Fiona had been astute enough to realize that I lacked a shield-bearer, she would not have been played by the emperor for so long."

"Then the emperor is on your side?"

"My side?" Hilda smirked. "It means I hadn't lost my worth to him. By the way, did you send the letter about the bride's identity to the court?"

"Yes." Wolfy nodded, filling the cup with another round of hot tea. "It was as you said, somebody in the court was urging you to get married, and the court had decided on the day after tomorrow."

"Right after the day, they will hand me the authority. Good. So, have you checked the mansion gifted by the first prince?"

"I had sent Aizen to check it. You can move in as soon as you want. But, do you really need to get out of the palace?"

"It's better. I would be freer. Replace all the servants and maids with the people of the tribes."

"Okay." Wolfy nodded.

"My lords, the general, and the centurions had come." The knight standing outside the door had reported. Following the confirmation, 20 centurions and two generals entered the room.

As soon as they came, Hilda ordered, "Take a scroll from the table." And they did so. But as they read through it, their faces darkened.

Hilda simply took a crystal ball and placed it on the table, asking, "Do you know what it is?"

"Attribute reader!?"

"Yes." Hilda nodded and put her hand on it. And a blue screen appeared above it.

[Strength: 81

Constitution: 87

Defense: 77

Dexterity: 95

Aura: Green

Grade: Intermediate Knight]

Hilda ignored their surprise, adding, "By the end of this month, every soldier should have over 50 in every attribute. Every centurion should have attributes beyond 60."

"However, the imperial army's average attributes have a lower limit of 30, while the essential attributes should be 40. An archer should have a dexterity score of 40 or higher, as well as other attributes of 30 or higher."

"Do you think I don't know?" One word from Hilda and the centurion didn't dare to look into her eyes. "If you have a problem with that, then you can leave to join other troops."

"My lord, it will be hard to increase the defense attributes of an archer or dexterity attributes of a shield bearer."

"Only if the archer has dexterity over 70 and [Advance archery] skill, he can be exempted. The detail is in the scroll. Despite that, everyone must complete the training. "

"Running 50 laps around the ground while carrying weight, how will it help us knights? We ride horses, so we don't need to carry weight." After checking the scroll, one of the knight centurions asked.

"Barbarians can take down horses with their bare hands. What are you going to do after your horse is killed? Ask them to wait till you can get another horse?"

The silence returned to the office again.

"Ten days. I will return to the barracks after ten days. On that day, we will do a test."

"Test?" Lydia asked the question.

"To survive against a barbarian for ten minutes without any weapon."

A shiver went down their spine when they heard it. But nobody dared to protest. After a few moments, the vice commander-in-chief asked, "My lord, what about the soldiers who want to leave the army?"

"We are short on resources. So, just sell them as slaves."