On this day, the sky began to lighten, but the morning sun had not yet risen. In the distance, the rooster crowed in Micco village.
Sir Horst had already arrived early at the training grounds and began his morning exercises with his team.
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
First, each person swung their longsword a hundred times, and the sound of shouting echoed across the training grounds.
After that, Sir Horst arranged for everyone to spar, using real swords. Those who got injured were to seek treatment from the healer, Lim.
This caused Lim quite a headache, as people came to his medical room every day for treatment.
In the castle study, George heard the familiar sound of training and knew that Sir Horst was once again conducting his morning exercises.
In the first few days, George had thought Horst was just pretending, after all, he had said he was there to help George with training the troops.
To his surprise, George's soldiers hadn't been trained yet, while Horst had made significant progress and had been at it for a full month.
George stood by the window, watching the figures below, vigorously training. He wondered what Horst's true intentions were.
Especially when Horst visited him a few days ago, his gaze seemed to carry something different.
George shook his head. It was better not to provoke conflict at the moment.
His own strength was no match for Horst's, and a month ago, after the significant loss of his forces, George now only had slightly more troops than Horst.
As George weighed the differences between himself and Horst, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," George said, knowing who it was.
Marcus and Catherine entered the study.
The impatient Catherine bowed quickly and asked, "My lord, what exactly is Horst doing? He's been staying in our territory for a month."
George frowned and sighed, "This is one of the reasons I called you here."
"I thought we could live in peace for a while, but it seems I was mistaken."
Marcus, thinking it over, speculated, "My lord, with the forces he has now, could he be planning to seize Eagle's Nest Fortress?"
"Indeed, it's possible," George nodded in agreement. "Marcus, arrange for a stronger defense of the castle."
"Yes, my lord."
After giving Marcus the orders, George turned to Catherine and asked, "How is the recruitment of new soldiers and the distribution of death benefits?"
"My lord, I've already gone to Micco village and recruited 23 villagers who are willing to join the army. They all meet the age range you specified, 20 to 35."
"Also, the death benefits have all been distributed to the families of the fallen soldiers."
Upon hearing Catherine's report, George smiled with satisfaction. "Good."
This would help make up for the loss of soldiers who had died in battle, although training the new recruits would take some time.
After thinking for a moment, Marcus spoke up again, "My lord, should we still hold the banquet tonight as planned?"
Just as George was about to answer, the door to the study suddenly opened.
Horst entered without informing George or anyone else beforehand.
"What's going on? Are you in a meeting? I hope I'm not disturbing you," Horst asked with an apologetic tone.
George smiled and said, "No disturbance at all, Horst. We were just discussing the plans for tonight's banquet. Do you have any suggestions?"
Horst shook his head. "I don't have any suggestions. George, you can decide for yourselves. I'll come find you later."
With that, Horst left the room, leaving George and the others stunned.
After regaining their composure, Catherine angrily said, "This guy, he doesn't show any respect for the lord at all. He just walks in and out as he pleases."
Marcus agreed, "Indeed, my lord. He's trying to undermine your authority in front of us."
George thought for a moment and said, "If it's just these small actions, it's fine, but I fear he's planning something bigger. Marcus, Catherine, we need to stay vigilant during the banquet tonight."
"Yes, my lord."
With that, their meeting broke up, and Marcus and Catherine went to the barracks to train the new recruits, while George went to the training grounds for his morning practice.
Later that afternoon, George sat at his desk in the study, reviewing important documents concerning his territory.
During his time in the medical room, George had relied on his butler, Jess, to handle the paperwork. Today, he was finally able to review them personally.
Suddenly, the door to the study opened again.
Horst entered without warning, seemingly with something to say.
It seemed he was still maintaining his slightly careless persona.
Since the other party wanted to make a scene, George couldn't back down either.
With a slightly helpless look, George rubbed his forehead and said, "Horst, do you behave this way when you visit Count Manvidar too?"
Horst was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, our young George is showing some emotion now," Horst said, bowing to him. "Please forgive my rudeness, Lord George."
"No... that's not what I meant... oh..." George quickly waved his hand, feeling somewhat helpless.
Then, George asked, "So, what brings you here today, Uncle?"
Horst stopped laughing and sought George's opinion. "George, I came today because I see your injuries have healed, and I'd like to request permission to train soldiers."
"Oh, that's what this is about. If you want to train the new recruits, I have no problem with it. We can start tomorrow. I'll inform Catherine."
Horst nodded in satisfaction. "Good, the sooner we start training, the better. Tomorrow, I'll bring the new recruits along with my squad for the exercises."
Having finished the discussion, Horst walked out of the study, completely ignoring George's previous complaints.
After Horst left, George remained in the study, feeling uneasy.
He wondered what Horst's true purpose was. Was he planning to take control of the military? George needed to warn Catherine.
...
That night, at Eagle's Nest Fortress.
To celebrate the successful defeat of the Goblin Tribe, George held a banquet in his territory, inviting all the soldiers and nobles to attend.
Butler Jess had divided the banquet venue into two sections: soldiers gathered in the reception hall to eat, while nobles and supernatural beings stayed in the dining room.
Soldiers arrived one by one from outside the castle, some humming a tune happily, while others chatted with their comrades.
Soon, the banquet began, and the reception hall was filled with soldiers. They raised their glasses and boasted about past events.
At this moment, George, accompanied by Catherine and Marcus, entered the center of the reception hall.
George cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Welcome, everyone, to tonight's feast."
"Let us raise our glasses to celebrate our victory over the goblins."
"Cheers!!" the soldiers cheered.
"To our fallen brothers, let us raise our glasses."
"Cheers!!" Many soldiers, moved by the moment, had red eyes.
After downing a glass of red wine, George continued, "Enjoy tonight's feast, everyone."
With that, he left the reception hall with Catherine and Marcus.