How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

10.

The healer’s house was bustling with patients, as expected.

Fortunately, perhaps due to her long experience, Haila’s hands were quite swift regardless of her age, and soon it was Rohan and his companions’ turn.

“Ouch, you’ve been quite beaten up.”

Having quickly identified the nature of the wounds, Haila brought three jars containing unknown herbs and began applying them in order on the swollen face.

“Are there many patients these days? It seems like there are more people than before…”

“Well, these days, there’s no time to rest. There are so many patients. Especially people like this one who come in beaten up.”

“Do people… die?”

“Actually, cases severe enough to cause death are rare… but they have increased compared to before.”

The patient, who had been listening about death with closed eyes, flinched.

“You’re not going to die! Don’t worry!”

Even if it were Rohan himself who was on the verge of death, it seemed unlikely that he would apply the ointment so generously that his face would be unrecognizable.

Although they seemed like nothing more than herbs mashed together, the effects were quite good, as the man’s expression became much calmer.

Seeing the man in a bad state, they handed a few coins to the healer before leaving.

“Kyle, it seems like our suspicions are correct, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it seems like the scoundrels are increasing.”

Despite life for ordinary citizens worsening compared to before the war, it was incomprehensible how a decrease in guards led to a sudden rise in crime.

‘It’s an uncivilized place, but…’

How could it be compared to South Korea where almost every citizen receives a higher education?

In fact, even in Korea, with numerous social issues, it seemed that education alone couldn’t completely solve the problems.

“It’s still okay… but if the numbers increase, it could be troublesome.”

Although the Isel guards were of a high standard due to regular training, if ruffians gathered and formed an organization, it would be impossible to suppress them with just patrol personnel.

Perhaps even Rohan himself wouldn’t be able to handle double-digit numbers unless it was a narrow alley.

“There’s no solution. First of all, the personnel are lacking…”

Frustrated by the harsh reality, Kyle let out a deep sigh.

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by a mere guard.

Increasing patrol personnel would lead to a lack of rest time, and maintaining condition meant a decrease in patrol personnel.

Rohan, being young and energetic, was different, but other guards over thirty already felt the physical strain.

Despite the frustrating situation, time continued to pass, and the situation deteriorated slowly but steadily.

With the Viscount gone to the battlefield as a lord, there was no master, and with a shortage of guards, the castle’s security couldn’t possibly remain intact.

It had been two months since the troops left.

These days, it was rare for a day to pass without a violent crime occurring.

‘No, in a town with only a few thousand people, how can there be murders and assaults happening almost every day?’

The guard prison was nearing capacity, and it seemed that more people were starting to look down on the guards than before.

The only consolation was that one could steadily increase their skill proficiency.

Around the time when most residents, including Rohan, were wondering when the soldiers would return, bad news arrived at the castle.

“My lord’s orders. We need to conscript more soldiers.”

“It’s winter now. Are we to continue the war?”

“Whether it’s winter or not, it seems that both sides are only increasing their military forces.”

“Huh, I never thought the war would escalate like this from the beginning…”

Fortunately, it wasn’t news of defeat, but rather the flames of war seemed to be burning more fiercely as time passed.

Naturally, there were casualties, with about 20% of the expeditionary force reported dead or injured.

The dark expressions on the faces of the departed were only natural.

Although they were not the owners of the land, the Tohos had lived and rooted in this land for over a hundred years.

It was not in their interest for the state of the land to deteriorate.

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Moreover, conscripting people was directly related to their power and authority.

They had no choice but to be sensitive.

“Still… there’s no other way, right?”

“Let’s fill half of the remaining guard force with conscripts.”

“Half? Isn’t that too many? The security seems to have worsened compared to before.”

“These are residents who aren’t going to war; they must endure, don’t you think?”

“That’s true.”

“Then let’s have half of the guard force and about 100 conscripts. As for knights… designate them as low-ranking knights. We should at least leave one knight in the castle.”

“Agreed. Let’s proceed that way. Send the messengers tomorrow, and dispatch the troops as soon as they are ready.”

After the decision of the council, Izell fell into confusion once again.

“What? You’re going to further reduce the number of guards?”

Carthum, who was temporarily in charge of the guard, responded with surprise in his voice.

Of course, guards were essentially soldiers, with a much greater emphasis on military duties than police.

But given the current difficulty in maintaining security, cutting away half of the guards naturally led to an increase in volume in his voice.

Perhaps understanding Carthum’s sentiments, there was no anger in the voices of the subordinates below.

But an order was an order.

Including temporary squad leaders, about half of the guard force was once again called away.

There were only fifteen guards left.

They were so busy protecting themselves that maintaining security was out of the question.

The last knight remaining in the castle, Kelun, who had promised to patrol every day, was the only source of comfort.

A fully armed knight had the combat power to take on dozens of ruffians.

A weapon in human form.

If such a being revealed themselves in the castle every day, even if they were outnumbered, the rural ruffians would eventually have to retreat.

And this time, Rohan was also included in the call.

‘The time has finally come.’

It was the first thought that came to Rohan’s mind upon hearing the news.

The rumor that the war would prolong had already spread in Izell Castle a long time ago.

Even without rumors, it was not unusual for the Yeongji War to be drawn out for more than a month.

It was only natural to prepare for the possibility of heading to the battlefield.

A variety of food more abundant than before, sturdy and excellent boots, armor repaired with money, and specially ordered backpacks were all neatly arranged in the corner of the lodging.

Nevertheless, Rohan’s expression was far from pleasant because the most important skill, proficiency, had yet to reach 100%.

‘If only there were a little more time…’

With combat breathing techniques in the 90s and swordsmanship in the 80s, if there had been a bit more time, he could have acquired new skills and joined the battlefield, which was deeply regrettable.

But even this was his best effort.

Without missing a single day, he spent the whole day wandering around the castle and swinging his weapon for hours.

It was a training regime that pushed him to his physical and mental limits, so although he felt regretful, he had no remorse.

The deployment was a week away.

It was a time to recruit soldiers and allocate time for training with low-quality weapons.

‘I must improve my proficiency somehow before that.’

Although he was uncertain about swordsmanship, combat breathing was already over 90%.

If he continued to exhaust himself for the entire week, there was a possibility of achieving 100% proficiency.

The atmosphere in Ezel Castle was close to the worst, but regardless, it was busier than ever before.

The number of people in the training grounds kept increasing by the day, but Rohan could only sigh as he watched them move around.

Intellectual abilities are developed through learning, yet the majority of people in this world, especially peasants, cannot even read.

They had no interest in learning unless it was related to their occupation.

Moreover, being involuntarily dragged to the battlefield, even if the instructors shouted, there was no enthusiasm for training.

Eventually, an impatient instructor had to defeat the most rebellious recruit to some extent before there was any improvement in their movements.

It was truly a pitiful and frustrating sight.

If only they had managed to evade the conscription by hiding well, it seemed as though no one thought that putting more effort into wielding a weapon, even a little, could increase their chances of survival.

Rohan trained diligently, not only the conscripted soldiers but even the other guards, yet even after a week had passed, he still hadn’t reached 100% proficiency.

‘98%… Still, with this much, I should be able to reach 100% somehow and fight.’

It was a feasible thought considering that the breathing techniques could be applied simply to marching.

The problem was that the Yeongji War was not happening too far away.

Regardless of Rohan’s concerns, just as the conscripted soldiers were slipping away, Ezel’s second troops set out from the village.

Since Kyle stayed at the castle this time as well, Rohan grabbed a guard he recognized and asked, “Eli.”

“Oh, Rohan, what’s up?”

“How long do you think it will take to get there?”

“Hmm… Maybe a week at most? If there’s no fighting with other groups of soldiers.”

“That’s all it takes?”

“It’s the neighboring Yeongji, right? I grabbed them loosely because the numbers were high.”

“But… aren’t you scared, Eli?”

“Of what? War?”

As Rohan nodded, Eli smiled and replied, “I’ve already participated in the Yeongji War three times. Scary, but not that scary. Still, if you’ve been a soldier your whole life, you can’t avoid it, right? I have no choice now, and my children are all grown up.”

In that moment, Rohan realized he had similar thoughts before.

Ironically, if he had affectionate parents and a loving family, it would have been difficult to steel himself to become a soldier.

Still, I couldn’t help but think about the war lightly.

Pushing away distractions, I focused on the combat breathing technique as I moved forward.

This was not only for training but also because it made marching easier in itself.

Carrying a heavy load, just walking rapidly depleted my stamina, but this breathing technique significantly reduced such stamina consumption.

Of course, breathing was just breathing, so it couldn’t prevent blisters on the soles of my feet or calluses falling off.

Even so, from the perspective of other soldiers, it felt like having the stamina of a knight.

Regardless of the battlefield situation, the road to Viscount Prell was smooth.

Despite being vigilant against attacks from demons or the Duskel family’s camp, there was no sign of any suspicious movements, contrary to concerns.

Eli’s words were correct.

Despite not moving very fast due to cautiousness, I was able to reach Viscount Prell in just six days after leaving Izell.

Thanks to the smooth journey, there was an expectation that the battle might not be as intense as anticipated, but as the Viscount’s castle came into view, that expectation vanished like a lie.

Viscount Prell’s castle was a plain castle surrounded by plains, and there were traces of battle on the outskirts of the town, indicating a fairly intense fight.

Not long ago, the fields that were used for farming were now filled with tents, each bearing the emblems of various nobles, including the Duskel family.

“Hmm…”

Even at a glance, Rou, the knight of Izell, frowned at the situation turning against them.

Although their defenses were overwhelmingly superior to the siege, the enemy forces were much larger than expected.

“Duskel, Cardion, Asran, Tural, Basor, Kyra… they all participated…”

Almost all territories located in the southwestern part of the kingdom had united.

On the other hand, the flags hanging inside the castle belonged to only four noble families.

It was natural to be outnumbered in terms of troops.

While the influence of a castle was significant in a soldier-to-soldier fight, being a plain castle and with a difference in the number of knights, it was uncertain that the side with the superior defenses would win.