The next day, Chris returned with a joyful expression, seemingly having had a great time the previous night. Rody charged at him, but Stanley and the others held him back tightly, fearing that Rody might kill Chris. That morning, Rody had been poisoning his dagger and preparing a charcoal fire to heat the iron red-hot; his appearance was not that of someone conducting an execution, but rather of someone who wanted to devour another person, so everyone desperately held Rody back.
“What’s going on?” Chris asked in astonishment, “Didn’t everyone have a great time last night?”
“Great time... but not for Rody!” Jesse firmly grasped Rody's arm and quickly signaled Chris to step back to avoid Rody biting him.
“I heard our boss had to endure a whole night of Elven Moon Festivals, and of course, the Virgin's Hymn and the Maiden's Prayer,” Stanley said with infinite sympathy.
“Tragic, it’s truly inhumane!” Everyone sighed in unison. No one could imagine what they would do in such a situation. Perhaps they would choose to end their own lives.
“What does that have to do with me?” Chris seemed not to realize that he was the root cause of the trouble.
“Chris, you had a good time at Miss Bicé’s, didn’t you?” Rody suddenly smiled, a smile that sent shivers down everyone's spines. Usually, such a smile was followed by something utterly terrifying and gruesome.
“Not bad, she’s always been very passionate!” Chris nodded proudly, then probed, “What’s the matter? Didn’t Morin serve you well? I specially found a hot girl to take care of your virginity... Are you trying to tell me your first time was a failure? Oh, dear Rody, I feel so sorry for you! But you shouldn’t be too angry, many people fail their first time. Just learn from the experience. Rody, we all believe in you, you will surely succeed!”
“I’m going to kill you!” Rody struggled fiercely while others hurriedly grabbed him, dragging him into the tent.
“Chris, are you really clueless, or just pretending? The person who came to our tent last night was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, not yet fully developed, not the hot woman you described! You know, lolis and mature ladies are different; the former needs bedtime fairy tales, while the latter needs no words, just the skill to undress her. If a hot woman had come last night, do you think Captain Rody would be so furious this morning?” Jesse whispered, “A little girl came?”
“A little girl?” Chris asked in surprise, “What’s her name?”
“Dora!” Stanley nodded.
“Her?” Chris’s face changed immediately upon hearing this, then he asked anxiously, “What did she do?”
"We don't know what happened at night, but we guess our boss had a tough night," Stanley shook his head and sighed. "When we came back, we saw her busily scurrying around while our boss looked like he was about to murder someone. That little girl was very polite, but it was terrifying. We watched her dress our boss, fold blankets, wash his face, hands, and feet, launder towels and clothes, pour milk, peel fruit, toast bread and spread butter. Oh, and she even went outside to pick some vegetables to make breakfast for our boss, saying it's healthier to eat more. In the end, she sang the Song of Luck before reluctantly leaving."
"When she left, all of us breathed a sigh of relief. Before that, everyone was holding their breath and heartbeat, fearing she might turn her attention to us, and have us washing clothes, making breakfast, or singing!" Jesse said, still shaken. "Even as a bystander, I fully understand Captain Rody's pain."
"If she did that to me, I'd kill myself!" Lopeck, who was usually fearless, was also frightened.
"I get it now," Chris burst into laughter upon hearing this.
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Everyone was puzzled by Chris's reaction, but he refused to explain, enjoying the joke alone. He eventually stopped laughing, only to remember something and burst into laughter again. In short, he laughed continuously all morning.
Everyone else was frustrated watching someone laugh like that, feeling quite awkward.
Although everyone's curiosity was nearly overwhelming, Chris still did not reveal the reason for his laughter. As members of the second and third squads came to say goodbye, Chris was still laughing non-stop, while Rody had to be tied up, lest he actually devour Chris alive. The slight sadness of parting with comrades was dissipated by Chris's laughter that morning.
However, when Instructor Wood came in the afternoon with a stern face, accompanied by a general, Chris immediately stopped laughing, and everyone gasped.
"Hello, I am General Lotte, who specifically requested your transfer to the army. I am also the second brother of your squad leader Rody. Maybe some of you know me!" Lotte, clad in holy armor and sword, entered the tent surrounded by several silver-armored guards, smiling, "Although I am Rody’s brother, as a general, I won’t show favoritism! Dying on the battlefield is the glory of every child under the God of Light. Even if my brother dies in battle, I will not hesitate to send him out, rather than let him remain in the camp as a shameful deserter! Of course, as you all know, Rody is not that kind of person. He is a believer in God, the bravest warrior, and a brother I am proud of!"
"The first squadron of the Iron Blood Cavalry Camp will be transferred to serve in the logistics department of the ninth brigade of the Holy Knights," Instructor Wood announced, his face dark.
"Yes," Rody responded loudly, not even glancing at Lotte.
“In the army, you must absolutely obey the orders of your superiors. Remember, you are forever members of the Iron Blood Knight Camp! Good luck!” Instructor Wood seemed to glance at Rody before leaving. He obviously understood what General Lotte's intention was in requesting Rody's logistics team. General Kunting had strongly opposed it earlier, but military orders are absolute, and now they had to be executed unconditionally.
“Sergeant Rody, I am now going to issue an order,” Lotte said sternly once Wood had left.
“At your command!” Rody, along with his team, stood in formation, standing straight and disciplined like soldiers.
“Due to small-scale conflicts erupting on the front lines, our soldiers, who are the bravest, have voluntarily requested to go to the front lines. I am proud and honored by their bravery. But one thing I cannot allow is for such brave soldiers to fight on an empty stomach. Even if they are to gloriously sacrifice themselves for the God King of Light tomorrow, today we must ensure they are well-fed. We can bear the sight of thousands of soldiers dying in battle, but we cannot bear to see a single soldier starve to death!” Lotte commanded with righteous fervor, “Therefore, I order you to abandon all weapons and armor and carry as much food as possible to our soldiers on the front lines! Do you understand?”
“...” Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, realizing it was practically a suicide mission. If they abandoned all weapons and armor, wouldn't that be the same as placing their necks under the axe of the orc soldiers?
“Report, General, I have something to say,” Jesse raised his hand.
“Speak,” Lotte glanced at Rody, but Rody showed no emotion or reaction.
“If the General orders us to abandon our weapons and armor, won’t we lose our ability to defend ourselves? In case we encounter orc soldiers, it would be difficult to ensure the safe delivery of food to the soldiers on the front lines,” Jesse carefully stated, wary of giving Lotte any pretext to accuse him of insubordination. He knew that if Rody spoke up, it would likely make matters worse, as he was the leader of the entire squad. Thus, as a squad leader, it was his responsibility to raise this concern.
"We will arrange the most reasonable marching route; you won't possibly encounter the enemy. Moreover, our air escort team is more than capable of ensuring your safety!" Lot snorted and said, "Soldiers, does anyone else among you have any questions?"
"Those who defy military orders will be judged as deserters and beheaded for all to see!" Among the guards, a leader drew his silver sword and shouted loudly.
"Yes, sir!" Despite the oppressive bullying, now was not the time to turn against them. Maybe Lot was just looking for an excuse to cause trouble; we can't let his cunning plan succeed. Rody led everyone to stand at attention with a 'snap' and loudly responded.
"Haven't you all eaten? Louder!" The leader bellowed with borrowed authority.
"Yes, General!" Everyone, enraged, let out their loudest roar.
"Everyone, don't be nervous. We are all soldiers of the Justice Alliance. As long as you strictly obey the military orders, everyone will be honored as warriors of light, and ultimate victory will surely be ours." Lot laughed heartily and said, "Before everyone disperses, I want to have a few words with my brother, that is, Sergeant Rody. My dear brother, Rody, seeing you become a squad leader makes me truly happy from the bottom of my heart. In my heart, I have always hoped to see you transform from a nobody into a talent, and now, you have successfully proven this. You won't know how happy I am. Rody, we are brothers, not born of the same mother, but I have always treated you as a brother! My dear brother, what do I want to say to you? If you can achieve military merits, I will definitely ask Father to revoke his oath of cutting off relations with you, and you will surely re-enter the glorious Rhine family! I believe in you!"
"Thank you for your trust, General." Everyone heard Rody's response, feeling a chilling coldness hidden between his teeth.
"Do well, my dear brother, no, my logistics sergeant!" Lot laughed heartily and led the crowd away.
"Ugh, I feel like vomiting!" Stanley immediately clutched his chest in distress as soon as he left.
"Seeing such a hypocrite, I really want to beat him up hard, smash his nose into his butt!" Lopeck, the boldest, clenched his fists.
"You're no match for him." Rody coldly snorted.
"Boss, things look bad. That guy is intentionally sending us to our deaths, what do we do now?" Stanley said anxiously, "Think of something quick!"
"There will be a way." A cold smile flashed across Rody's face as he said, "He has been wanting to kill me since I was a few years old, but to this day, I am still alive and well. Before it was just me, but now we are a hundred. What are you worried about? If you're scared and want to leave the team, I will approve your transfer request immediately!"
"Of course, we'll follow you!" Chris laughed, "Because you are much more pleasing to the eye than that hypocrite... Everyone, help, it seems our stingy captain's anger hasn't subsided yet!"