The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 250

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 250

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The plan for Prince Elision and Lillieta to disguise themselves as a noble couple who had suffered an accident and approach the lord of the gateway city could not begin immediately.

They needed to scout the current atmosphere of the gateway city and the lord’s temperament, prepare noble-like goods and disguise the Guards as servants, decide how to actually proceed with negotiations, and even prepare contingency plans in case negotiations failed.

First, a few would depart to investigate the city and its lord, while the rest would remain at camp until their return, making careful preparations.

After hastily departing from the Whispering Cave, they had continued their forced march through the Black Forest and White Mountains without proper rest, so the people needed time to recuperate.

Those few days of respite that arose.

‘It’s a chance to test the moon bones on Gid.’

While traveling, Lillieta had worked on classifying and combining the moon bones based on the characteristics the artificial spirit had told her, but she hadn’t actually tried using them on Gideon.

They needed the Black Dragon’s presence to keep monsters at bay, and she was worried something might go wrong or an unexpected situation might arise.

‘But now we’ve completely left the Black Forest behind, and we’re almost through the White Mountains. Plus, we’ll be resting here for several days, so now would be the right time.’

Rita briefly looked down at the Black Dragon who had remained small and clung to her shoulder ever since they left the Black Forest. The small dragon had fallen asleep during the boring meeting and hadn’t woken up despite her walking, still clinging with his tail wrapped around her.

This appearance was cute and lovable too, but she still wanted to see him whole.

If the moon bones worked according to her and the artificial spirit’s plan, she might be able to see him soon, even if only for a short time. Rita’s steps toward the tent became hurried.

A muscular middle-aged woman with reddish-brown hair blocked her path.

“Knight, do you have a moment?”

It was Hilda, the Captain of the Self-Defense Force from the cave village. Originally the captain of the Holy Empire’s Northern Knight Order, she had turned her back on the Empire after giving birth to a disabled child.

“Yes, what is it?”

She wasn’t someone who would speak frivolously, so Rita stopped immediately. Just as the Captain of the Self-Defense Force was about to speak with a tense expression.

“Knight, excuse me, but… hmm.”

This time an old knight with a large scar on his face appeared. Edric, Captain of the Guard of the Shadea royal family. Having appeared from behind Rita, he belatedly noticed the Captain of the Self-Defense Force standing in front of her and trailed off.

The Captain of the Self-Defense Force chuckled upon seeing the Captain of the Guard.

“Well, it seems you’ve come for a similar purpose as mine, Captain of the Guard.”

“…”

The Captain of the Guard pressed his lips together with an uncomfortable expression. The Captain of the Self-Defense Force shrugged and turned to Rita.

“Since I was here first, I’ll speak first. Knight, could you evaluate the state of our Self-Defense Force? By sparring with us or watching our training, something like that.”

“…Evaluation, you say? Me?”

Rita asked back in puzzlement.

This wasn’t the Ash-covered Era when her reputation as the Magic Bullet of Beacon was renowned and Command Center directly requested her to train recruits, and these people only knew Lillieta as the partner of a Black Dragon who used strange techniques, so she hadn’t expected such a request.

Having strong personal combat ability and training groups were quite different fields.

However, after hearing the Captain of the Self-Defense Force’s subsequent explanation, she could understand the reason.

“Knight, you stopped an Inquisition Unit of over 600 men together with the Black Dragon, but essentially single-handedly. You must have witnessed and analyzed their combat capabilities and fighting methods in that process. Just like when you faced the Gremlins of the Poisonous Mushroom Swamp alone.”

“Ah.”

“We may have to fight the Empire’s Inquisitors again in the future. No, it will certainly happen. We can’t just helplessly wait for you to save us each time. We don’t want to lose members meaninglessly like that night either…”

Despite her calm voice, the Captain of the Self-Defense Force’s clenched fists were tense with strength.

When they faced monsters in the Black Forest, the Self-Defense Force had three casualties.

It might not seem like a large number, but for the modest size of the Self-Defense Force, it was a very significant loss. In the small society of the cave village, they were neighbors who always saw each other face to face, comrades who were like family.

“So we’d like you, Knight, who has already faced Inquisitors before, to take a look at whether the Self-Defense Force is prepared to face them and what our shortcomings are.”

Rita faced the Captain of the Self-Defense Force’s resolute expression and felt somewhat impressed inwardly.

For someone of that age who had been a knight captain in the Holy Empire to ask an outsider much younger than herself, who had never shown any particular achievements in command or training, to evaluate the soldiers she had trained wouldn’t be easy.

No matter how much she was regarded as a special existence in this situation, no matter that she had experience directly clashing with and defeating an Inquisition Unit, it was the same.

That’s how desperate she was.

And there was one more person in this place who was just as desperate as the Captain of the Self-Defense Force.

“…I also came to make a similar request as the Captain of the Self-Defense Force, Knight.”

The old knight sighed and continued speaking.

“I’d like you to tell us how the Guard’s armament and combat capabilities compare to the Inquisition Unit you directly witnessed. Based on the information you provide, we’d like to make some improvements during our rest period to show Prince a better performance.”

The Captain of the Guard bowed his head.

“We also… don’t want to experience a situation like that night again. A nation’s Guard, Shadea’s honors chosen as knights among knights, shouldn’t have to depend only on you, Knight. Please.”

Rita opened her mouth then closed it.

Honestly, from her perspective, both the Self-Defense Force and the Guard had many inadequacies. Not in terms of individual combat prowess that couldn’t be quickly improved, but in terms of organization, training methods, and battle formations.

‘It’s a bit unfair to compare them to the Last Line of Defense units from the distant future who fought battles constantly for an entire year… but the fact that they’re lacking is true.’

When she saw them form up at the Poisonous Mushroom Swamp, she thought they were surprisingly stable, but that was just a formation of six people and the most basic of basics. They lacked the know-how to manage combat groups that were closer to armies composed of many people.

‘No, they probably don’t really lack the know-how. Someone who was a nation’s Captain of the Guard or someone who was the captain of an Empire knight order couldn’t lack experience commanding large units. The problem lies elsewhere.’

The Self-Defense Force and Guard weren’t integrated. The command systems operated separately, and they had little experience in joint combat. That was the fundamental problem.

Of course, compared to the armies of the Ash-covered Era in the distant future, the organization and systems of the Self-Defense Force and Guard of 821, which was merely medieval, were bound to be inadequate, so there were quite a few problems in terms of organization too.

‘It would be rude for me as an outsider to interfere, and I didn’t have the leisure to interfere, so I haven’t gotten involved until now.’

If the Captain of the Self-Defense Force and Captain of the Guard came first to make the request, the story was different. She had justification to interfere, and coincidentally they had decided to rest for several days, so she had the time too.

Lillieta also didn’t want a situation like that night in the Black Forest to happen again.

She would do her best to help with the journey, but she and the Black Dragon couldn’t do everything. She hoped that even after she disappeared, even after the Black Dragon left, these people would survive strongly and safely nurture the seed of Kairam, the thousand-year empire.

‘Because these people are our ancestors.’

If she was going to evaluate them anyway, she should do it properly.

After quickly organizing her thoughts, she spoke.

“Tomorrow morning, could you gather both the Self-Defense Force and the Guard? I’ll examine them together.”

“Together with the Guard…?”

“Do we really need to be with the Self-Defense Force…”

The Captain of the Self-Defense Force and Captain of the Guard reflexively made displeased expressions. Rita asked back matter-of-factly.

“Will you fight the Inquisition Unit separately, with the Guard and Self-Defense Force apart?”

“Ah, no! That’s not it!”

“…I apologize, Knight.”

The Captain of the Self-Defense Force flinched and denied it, while the Captain of the Guard apologized with a deep sigh. Rita drove the point home completely.

“I’ll grant all your requests, so tomorrow after breakfast, gather all members of the Self-Defense Force and all members of the Guard at the open field below the valley and prepare for mock combat.”

“Mock combat, you mean…”

“You don’t have separate wooden weapons, I suppose. Wrap cloth or leather around sword and spear blades to dull them. Also, have all the Mages and Priests attend as well.”

“Even the Mages and Priests?”

“They’re not under our command, Knight.”

The Captain of the Self-Defense Force and Captain of the Guard showed reluctance. Rita replied curtly.

“What you asked me was to confirm whether you can fight an Inquisition Unit and check your capabilities, wasn’t it? Are Mages and Priests not part of your fighting force?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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