Chapter 35: An Ambiguous Introduction
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Kant maintained a serious expression.
As he rode on his warhorse, his hand, which was holding the Intimidation banner, was wet enough to stain it.
It was sweat.
He was sweating because the Desert Bandits he had sent out to scout the place were returning one after another.
One of them was missing.
A missing Desert Bandit was not a good sign.
That meant the missing member was possibly dead.
It was bad news.
The intelligence gathered by the Desert Bandits sounded even more heart-wrenching.
The infantry units gathered and standing in their formations in the street began to murmur among themselves.
They were somewhat shaken.
"Calm down."
Kant's voice was suddenly heard.
His eagle-like gaze swept across the forces who had begun to look shaken. He raised his voice and yelled, "Only cowards flee in the middle of a battle. Swadians do not fear!"
The news regarding the 50 retainer knights spread throughout the oasis.
After hearing the news, the troops by Kant's side started to turn pale.
They were not mere NPC data. They were living people.
They were capable of fear.
They were capable of excitement.
They were capable of being high-spirited in battle.
They were also capable of cowering in fear.
It was especially so given they had discovered they were about to face 50 fully armed heavy cavalry units.
The shock was so severe that their legs began to give.
They quickly realized just how terrifying facing a heavy cavalry was.
After all, the Kingdom of Swadia's military might lied within their heavy cavalry units.
A heavy cavalry that crashed left and right, smiting down their enemies on the battlefield, had been the very tool the Kingdom of Swadia relied on to reign supreme. They also served as the key to keeping enemy nations afraid and not daring enough to intrude their borders without careful consideration.
Low-level troop classes like them were like cannon fodder before 50 heavy cavalry units.
That fact remained true even if they were armed with polearms like spears and long scythes.
There was one thing worth noting.
Even the Kingdom of Rhodoks, which had a military force armed with shields and spears and had defeated forces of the Kingdom of Swadia several times in the mountains, dared not step foot on the flatlands to take on fully armed Swadian cavalry units.
The 50 Swadian Knights would have been able to easily skewer a 200-strong infantry force.
If not for the polearms, not even 500 infantry units would have been able to stop the knights in their tracks. The infantry units were likely to end up becoming dead bodies on the flatlands.
Worse still, the 165 infantry units serving Kant were low-level troop classes.
The mere mention of 50 Swadian Knights was more than enough to break through their psyche.
Even if those 50 were the most common of cavalry units, such as a light cavalry unit like the Desert Bandits, they would have been able to easily crush them all if they used the right tactics, let alone 50 Swadian Knights.
Kant knew that as well.
He was frowning when he asked, "Are they from the Dukedom of Leo?"
One of the scouting Desert Bandits replied, "Indeed."
The Nahrin Desert was right beside the Dukedom of Leo.
Kant's expression remained stern as he took a deep breath. His eyes seemed rather murky.
His mind filled with several bad scenarios.
Kant unconsciously gritted his teeth, recalling to his rather awkward status back in the dukedom. I have chosen a place like this to be my fief, yet those people still refuse to let go of me.
Some of the nobles back in the dukedom would have liked it very much to see the youngest son of the duke dead.
"What should we do, My Lord?"
The Swadian troops all looked at Kant. Their eyes were filled with dread.
The knights were different from the Jackalans.
The Jackalans were just a ferocious primitive race with little intelligence to speak of.
The troops were able to clash head-on with them without any problems.
The 50 knights seemed a small number, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.
All of them were fully armed.
They were all well-trained.
They were equipped with the best equipment money could buy.
They consisted of a terrifying force capable of easily crushing Drondheim.
They...
Are unable to even resist!
"Bear in mind, there are no cowards among Swadians."
Kant's heavy, severe voice resounded in the ears of all within earshot.
He knew that anyone could easily panic in this type of situation. For him, a lord of the Kingdom of Swadia, a status given to him by that world, panic was not an emotion he could afford to give into.
He had to stabilize the morale of his forces.
"Recruits and peasants, blockade the ends of the street."
Kant held the Intimidation banner high. The banner, which had a golden lion emblazoned on a red background, billowed in the wind.
His arrangements were quickly relayed. "All militia members are in charge of sniping the enemy from the rooftops with hunting crossbows!"
"Understood!"
After hearing Kant's orders, the troops instantly responded loudly.
While all of them still looked shaken, their morale was somewhat restored as Kant gave his orders and made arrangements.
When he was building Drondheim, the way the buildings were lined coincidentally formed a street. The cluster of tightly packed buildings formed a fortress-like layout, making it rather easy to defend.
At the very least, they did not need to fight the knights head-on on the flatlands outside.
He was done with his arrangements.
Both ends of the street were packed with infantry units throughout the entire 32-foot-wide street.
The Swadian Recruits were placed at the forefront with their two 3-foot-long spears extended outward. The Swadian Peasants served as reinforcements right behind them with their long scythes. They were assembled in a crude phalanx formation.
The militia members were standing by on the rooftops at the side with their hunting crossbows.
Not only were they capable of shooting, which would have messed up the enemy's offensive formations, but they also were able to leap below to help maintain the line of defense if things went south on the street.
With the Continent of Caradia being constantly at war, infantry units were more than familiar with battles.
Everything was ready.
Even the people from the Reyvadin trade caravan, who were all currently based at the grocery store, showed up.
The leader of the trade caravan, who wore mail armor and was armed with a flanged mace, brought six of the escorts and the 12 sentries with him. He stood right behind Kant. They were all standing by waiting for orders.
They planned to help with the defense.
"Lord Kant, the Reyvadinian trade caravan is willing to participate in this battle. We await your orders."
The leader spoke in a forthcoming manner.
Kant nodded and smiled before saying, "Thank you."
Although the escorts and sentries of the trade caravan consisted only of first- and second-level troop classes, at the very least, they were still a fighting force. It was best if they were able to help out with defense at such dire times.
Given the situation, Kant was not in a position to be picky.
Time passed.
The sun was setting.
The light of dusk was struggling to stay around.
Stars began to appear in the darkening sky.
It is quite a familiar scene.
Kant narrowed his gaze, recalling what happened eight days prior.
That was the hour when he used Rowan and the knights to destroy the Jackalan Tribe that had taken over the Oasis Lookout.
That was an exhilarating battle.
However, the situation was now reversed.
He had become the one defending the Oasis Lookout at such an hour. He was now in the role of those pathetic beings waiting for the other party to strike.
This feels sh*tty.
Kant clenched his fist.
He waited quietly for their last stand to come. Instead, Kant heard the Swadian Militia shouting from the watchtower.
He looked up at the top of the watchtower and asked with a frown, "What did you see?"
"M-My Lord."
The militia member showed his head and pointed southward, saying, "They are here!"
The forces at the ends of the street were slightly shaken. It was apparent that all of them understood that the enemy force was going to soon be at their door.
"The enemy force" referred to those 50 knights.
Yet, all of the troops sported an unbefitting calm on their faces. Even the Swadian Peasants looked calm. Their eyes were filled with resolve to fight until the last man was standing, just to protect their homes.
If they failed, they completely lost the right to live.
A dialog box from the system appeared on Kant's retina.
[Ding... Side Quest assigned]
[Side Quest: Form an alliance]
[Reward: Rain of Arrows (500 Vaegir Marksmen) x 3 waves]
[Introduction: The darkening sky is bringing danger with it. It is fortunate that an elite force is coming. You could choose to ally with them and make it through this predicament.]
It was a Side Quest.
Kant quickly read the introduction. His expression immediately stiffened.
Form an alliance? He was somewhat puzzled.
At the same time, he was feeling both doubt and shock.
The system's introduction of the quest was rather ambiguous, but he saw a looming danger in it at the same time.
It was a warning from the system.
The darkening sky is bringing danger with it... Kant read the line to himself.
He again read the next line. An elite force is coming...
Choose to ally...
Those were the keywords, and they made Kant's heart race.
He suddenly seemed to have realized something.
At the same time, a noise was heard at one end of the street. It was the sound of a horse hurriedly galloping toward them. There seemed to be someone returning.
Kant turned to look in that direction.
It was the Desert Bandit who had been missing.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone