Although the Ninth Squadron of the Holy Knights is named a squadron, its organization differs from that of a regular army, comprising a force of five thousand regular troops. Moreover, it's not even the largest unit. The First and Second Squadrons and the elite Holy Cross Knights Special Operations Team each exceed ten thousand members, and both the Pope's Holy Ritual Guard and the Saintess's Prayer Guard also number over five thousand.
Upon arriving at the logistics department of the Ninth Squadron, Rody and his group found it to be a massive organization. The logistics department, serving the knights of the Ninth Squadron, consisted of nearly ten thousand personnel. Each knight had their own dedicated groom and one or two attendants, and some even had slaves and female slaves to serve them. The logistics department encompassed everything: food, equipment, horses, tents, carts, siege equipment, marching kitchenware, clothing, bedding, and so on.
They were responsible for all aspects of daily life, including short-distance communication and the work of scouts responsible for messaging and reconnaissance.
In a word, the knights were not here to fight, but rather to enjoy a leisurely outing! They didn't have to do anything; everything was taken care of for them.
Even their beloved horses were fed beans and oats, and some even drank milk and fruit juice, enjoying better eating and drinking conditions than Rody and his fellow new recruits! Not only were they not issued any equipment, but they also didn’t even get a donkey. The hundred of them were simply given an order to follow behind the logistics grain transport's ancient camel beasts, responsible for escorting food to the front lines.
Most of Rody's group were elites from various countries, with many possessing a small storage ring to carry their weapons.
As for armor, Rody and Chris's storage rings were packed full, but some items like shields and other auxiliary equipment didn’t fit, so they had to be abandoned. Helmets were worn personally. Therefore, outwardly, these hundred men looked quite strange, dressed in ordinary clothes used during training, wearing combat helmets, with uniform hard-soled boots, but without weapons or armor, following behind the squadron with bare hands, looking even poorer than the most destitute militia.
With a grand gesture from Lot, Rody and his hundred men set off on the road, following behind the several hundred militiamen who comprised the logistics soldiers.
The ancient camel beasts moved slowly, especially since they were laden with heavy food, reducing their speed significantly, yet they were still much faster than the average walking speed of a person. Rody and his group, lacking mounts, had to jog to keep up, which led Stanley and the others to curse incessantly, as in their home countries they had never experienced such treatment, like following behind the dust of donkey-riding militiamen.
Arriving at the land of evil, Rody noticed that the perimeter had drastically changed, with the construction of huge fortresses and camps.
The teleportation arrays flickered continuously, with dignitaries from various countries appearing and disappearing. Of course, Rody and his fellow logistics soldiers couldn't expect such treatment. Moreover, the teleportation arrays couldn't transport hundreds of people at once, only a few at a time. After delivering their supplies to one of the newly established camps and following the camp's orders, they headed deeper into the evil forest. Along the way, the militiamen in front of Rody's group kept changing, but these hundred escort soldiers walked hundreds of kilometers without much rest.
If we hadn't undergone the strictest training, we would have collapsed from exhaustion by now.
This is a deliberate hardship imposed by Lot, known to all.
In the evil forest, a huge road has been constructed, winding and extending deeply into the unknown. After completing their task at the fifth station in the land of evil, Rody and his team received a new escort mission to transport urgently needed food to the vanguard army 300 kilometers away.
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To prevent the militiamen from dispersing and fleeing, the fifth station, the Shield Camp, also dispatched fifty griffin riders for escort.
The Shield Camp at the fifth station was the end of the road, the path ahead not yet excavated by the engineers. Because of their protest, the Shield Camp issued each of them a wooden spear, though sharpening the spearhead was a task for Rody and his team. According to the commander of the Shield Camp: "You are all very safe, our air force will protect you. The chances of stepping on a snake on the road are far greater than encountering orc soldiers. General Lot has already asked the priests to pray for you, and the God of Light will surely watch over you from the heavens."
"Those guys in the sky, I bet they'll be the first to run if anything happens!" Stanley snorted.
"Don't worry, if there are indeed enemy ambushes, they will be the first to be attacked, not us!" Rody said with a faint smile.
"Why? I don't understand!" Stanley couldn't figure it out. Were the orcs really that foolish? To attack the flying griffin riders instead of the unarmed grain escort soldiers? Or do they prefer to chew on hard bones?
"No, think about it. In their eyes, the griffin riders are the biggest threat, while we pose no threat," Rody explained with a smile. "If a fierce wolf and ten ants appear in front of you, who would you attack? Even a fool would kill the wolf first, then step on the remaining ants, right? Trust me, orc warriors are not only not foolish, some are very smart, even cunning!"
"We are not ants!" Lopeck stubbornly retorted.
"Blockhead, it's a metaphor! You're driving me crazy!" Stanley hit Lopeck's helmet hard with a stick, making a clanging sound. He couldn't stand anyone questioning Rody's words.
After two days of safe travel, it seemed as if the goddess of luck was watching over them.
However, Rody's brow was furrowed, deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Chris asked, coming over. "Are you worried about when the orc soldiers might appear? Don't worry, they might not show up! I think this part of the land of evil is so vast, they probably haven't infiltrated here yet. I believe within a thousand kilometers of the land of evil, it's still under the control of our human alliance. We haven't gone beyond a thousand kilometers yet, so we are still in a safe area. Besides, we have the vanguard army ahead of us, and mercenary groups patrolling!"
"What if there isn't?" Rody hummed lightly and said, "I suspect there isn't any vanguard army ahead at all!"
"What?" Chris's face changed drastically upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"We should hurry back!" Stanley, terrified, his dark face turning pale, urgently said, "If there's no one ahead, no vanguard army, then Lot is clearly sending us as dinner to the orcs! Boss, let's go back!"
"If you go back, it'll be perfect — a violation of military orders, execution by beheading! Even if General Quentin pleads for you, you'll be treated as a deserter and will never be able to hold your head high again!" Rody looked at the griffins circling above and smiled, "Don't panic, everyone. I've been through this evil land before. Although orcs are fearsome, as long as we march carefully and cautiously, there is still a chance of survival. On the contrary, I’m more worried about those idiots in the sky. They are very likely to attract powerful magical beasts!"
"Haven't we already circumvented the territories of powerful magical beasts?" Jesse, who was looking at the map, got so scared that his hand trembled, and the map fell to the ground with a slap.
"Some are unmarked!" Rody picked up the map, snorted, and said, "Be careful, especially at night. Maintain the highest alert. If you hear any noise or my signal, everyone gather immediately, ready to fight or retreat."
"Are there powerful magical beasts nearby?" Stanley asked nervously.
"We are currently marching on the territory of a sixth-tier Flame Lion." As soon as Rody said this, everyone's faces changed dramatically, and Chris quickly gestured for everyone to be quiet with his finger on his lips. Rody whispered, "That's why I suspect there is no vanguard army ahead. A large-scale march, slow and leaving obvious traces, would hardly escape the tracking and attacks of magical beasts."
"Boss, how do you know the attack will only happen at night?" Stanley was almost paranoid about a Flame Lion jumping out from behind at any moment.
"Because of the griffins in the sky, they are behaving very quietly, which isn't a sign of an approaching powerful magical beast." Rody pointed to the sky and said, "Count them; there are forty-five riders now. Five riders have been missing since this morning. I guess they were luring the Flame Lion away."
"Great, once the magical beast comes, we will suffer heavy casualties, and their air force will just watch. After we are all killed, they will return to report. What a great plan!" Jesse said with a bitter laugh.
"A Flame Lion? I think I can handle it alone!" The only fearless one was Lopeck, the blockhead.
"You alone might just be enough to fill its stomach, nothing more!" Stanley angrily kicked him away, then looked at Rody. His brain might not be the sharpest, but he knew Rody would have a way. He didn't need to think; just listening to Rody was right. Everyone else thought the same. They were all elites, and in front of others, each of them would be the most capable. But in front of Rody, it was best to listen to him.
"Jesse, keep an eye on those guys. As soon as the griffins take off, we move." Rody nodded and said, "When the time comes, I will use a secret technique to lure the griffins down to attack the Flame Lion. Then everyone hasten the ancient camels forward. After the Flame Lion has slaughtered the griffins and is full, it will sleep soundly for at least a few hours. We can retreat smoothly. We can't abandon these ancient camels; they are our best tool for survival."
"Yes." Upon hearing that there was a plan, everyone was overjoyed.