The poisoning incident might seem trivial to ordinary people, but Rody perceived it as not so simple. Corpse poison is not easily produced; it must be cast by a necromancer of at least the sixth order. Moreover, considering the secrecy of the poisoning, it seems the enemy's strength is not just that of a sixth-order necromancer.
Rody, who is adept in mental, soul, and dark magic, wouldn’t have easily noticed it otherwise.
It was strange enough that a powerful necromancer was hiding in the Norn Empire without drawing attention, and even more so that he dared to use corpse poison to harm the students of the magic academy.
Moreover, the target was the elite students from various countries, clearly indicating some unspeakable secret. Rody later discovered that not only his Iron Blood Cavalry Camp, but also other camps had all experienced the effects of poisoning. Because it was discovered in time and the instructors often poisoned as a part of training, the students didn’t pay much attention, assuming it was just a normal test.
However, Rody had Instructor Wood called for a detailed talk, even secretly inquiring if there was a faster way to detoxify.
Given the large number of people, it seemed impossible for the temple's mages to dispel it completely, and holy water was in high demand. Although Rody was reluctant to have more people learn how to counteract the corpse poison, he feared that keeping it too secret might arouse suspicion from the instructors. He provided Instructor Wood with a formula for a potion that neutralizes corpse poison, but also mentioned that since he was an illegitimate child and had been expelled from home, being too conspicuous might lead to revenge and assassination, asking Instructor Wood to keep it a secret.
"You are one of our Iron Blood Cavalry Camp. Unless we are all dead, we will absolutely not let anyone bully you!" Instructor Wood patted Rody on the shoulder and said solemnly, "General Quentin is the most upright commander. Just focus on your training and improvement, don't worry about anything else."
"Yes, instructor," Rody sighed in relief inwardly, feeling it was better to have someone looking out for him.
"General Quentin has high hopes for you, work hard! We don't care about your background or connections. Whether you are from Felick or Mile, we will treat you the same. As long as you are outstanding enough, then you are our soldier, our pride!" Instructor Wood nodded vigorously, "As for your elder brother Lotte, I've heard about him. Don't worry, even if he's a general, he can't interfere with our Iron Blood Cavalry Camp!"
After the poisoning incident, the students quickly transitioned into intense training.
According to well-informed sources, mercenary groups had discovered a large influx of beast tribe soldiers in the Land of Evil and had started building camps. There were dozens of fierce battles, and due to underestimating the beast tribe soldiers, human mercenaries suffered heavy losses, with only a few elite mercenaries achieving victory.
Armies from various countries were amassing in large numbers, heading towards the borders of the Camalon Empire, which was closest to the Land of Evil. On the other hand, the countries of Da Frey and Neiward, which also had minor connections to the Land of Evil, had small fortresses due to favorable terrain, providing some defense. Therefore, only a small number of vassal troops and allied forces from these two countries were sent for surveillance. For example, a thousand troops from Felick, led by Buke and Drunken Cat, went to the Da Frey Stronghold Fortress for defense.
Some prophets and astrologers were spreading rumors that the Holy War, which happens once every hundred years, would not start for at least another three years.
Of course, apart from the completely uninformed ordinary farmers and citizens, probably only the prophets and astrologers themselves would believe such rumors. Now, with the formidable shadow of the demon race looming over, all conflicts and frictions had consciously ceased to prevent being exploited by the enemy.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
A few days later, while Rody's Iron Blood Cavalry Camp was still training in rapid obstacle course traversal, others had already begun practicing cavalry charges.
"You mud-legs, just go back home and farm! Look at yourselves, you're like farmers, covered in mud and dirt, more shameful than a drowned dog. Do you even deserve to be called cavalry? Where are your horses? Do you even know how to ride?" A cavalryman from another camp, who had grown tired of practicing charges, rode his horse over to watch Rody and his fellows train, loudly mocking them: "Is this the strictest and best cavalry in the academy? Hahaha, my god, people who can't even ride horses dare to call themselves cavalry! You're better suited to be stable boys for us!"
"Are you itching for a fight?" Black giant Stanley, who was climbing a rope but fell into the mud due to its breakage, was already in a bad mood.
"I'm so scared! What will you fight us with? Your mud-covered thighs?" The other side laughed heartily.
"You sons of bitches!" Black giant Stanley could no longer contain his rage.
"Don't go, or Instructor Wood will definitely deal with you!" Rody splashed mud on his head to sober him up. The black giant was defiant towards others but feared Rody even more than Instructor Wood. He spat out a mouthful of saliva and continued to climb the rope, suppressing his anger.
A leftover fruit was thrown over, hitting the black giant on the head.
He gritted his teeth, climbing the rope with force.
Then, a dozen leftover fruit cores were thrown at him, provoking a roar from the black giant who leaped from mid-air towards the provocateurs. Many of his equally enraged companions also rushed over to join the fray.
Rody sat on a high bar, watching and sighing lightly, shaking his head.
He took out a fruit and bit into it crisply, watching the melee below. Initially, the other cavalry camps had the upper hand due to their horses, but they were soon pulled down and beaten in a brawl. More people joined in, turning the small skirmish into a large battle between camps, with some even fanning the flames, leading to a chaotic fight among all the trainees.
A cold arrow, shot secretly from a hidden spot, aimed at Rody sitting on the high bar.
Whoosh! The arrow whizzed past, barely missing Rody's hair.
Rody remained expressionless, glancing briefly in the direction of the arrow before returning to his fruit, seemingly unaware. However, his eyes were filled with murderous intent as he bit into the fruit.
It appeared that this fight wasn't accidental but was instigated by someone behind the scenes, or else such a strong, poisonous arrow wouldn't have been timely aimed at him. Rody didn’t take this assassination attempt to heart; as long as the opponent couldn't openly take him down, every covert move had a turnaround, a way to be countered.
The Rody of today was no longer the poor, helpless child of the past, with nothing to his name.
"Stop fighting, all of you, or we will use force to suppress this. You have quite the nerve to engage in a brawl like this!" Instructor Wood blew his whistle, and hundreds of heavily armored cavalry thundered out of the barracks in neat formation. Each one brandished a knight's lance, controlling their horses to trot lightly, ready to charge at high speed, which would turn anyone in their path into minced meat.
"Boom..." Far away, two mages jointly dropped several explosive fireballs into the melee, blowing the brawling students into disarray.
A massive brawl involving over a thousand people was suddenly suppressed.
Everyone scattered and learned to crouch and cover their heads after being whipped by the instructors, to avoid further physical punishment.
"Look at yourselves, what do you look like? Each of you like ruffians causing trouble in a tavern, like hoodlums who failed to rob someone on the street, like male dogs in heat fighting over a bitch!" Instructor Wood scolded harshly, "If you're capable, defeat your opponents in the military league. What’s the point of fighting without using weapons? Do you dare to kill? Do you dare to pick up a sword and chop them to death? Trash, you think this is bravery? Pah, you're all the worst cowards, not even as good as dog crap!"
"Everyone gets ten lashes of the whip, and Stanley, who led the fight, gets thirty. Dinner will be canceled today!" As Instructor Wood passed by Rody, he took out a short arrow, examined it, and whispered, "This matter won’t end here."
General Quentin with the mustache, having spoken with the academy, pulled the entire Iron Blood Cavalry Camp out for training.
The next day, after several hours of walking, Rody and the others arrived at a huge manor.
According to the students from Norn, this was General Quentin's private manor, where the Iron Blood Cavalry Camp used to be brought for final training. When Rody and his group arrived, there was a row of densely packed stakes, each with a man tied to it, covered in whip marks and scars. The students thought these were previous trainees and were terrified.
"These are all thieves who have committed every conceivable crime, trash and lecherous villains. According to their crimes, they should die a thousand times over!" Instructor Wood surveyed the area and shouted, "Now, it's time to prove your courage! Whoever can take up a sword and kill a thief can stay. If you can't do it, then get out!"
"Really kill someone?" Many turned pale. It’s one thing to act tough in a fight, but killing someone is different. It’s not as easy as slaughtering a chicken.
"Stanley, step forward, take your axe and chop one of these scumbags to death, or get out!" Instructor Wood ordered the black giant to step out, pointing to the densely tied criminals, commanding sternly.
"I, of course, dare to kill!" Although the black giant talked tough, Rody saw his hands trembling.
"Chop it down, chop off his head with one swing of the axe, let his blood spurt high, or crack open his skull and let his brain spill out!" Instructor Wood shouted. The more he spoke, the less the black giant was able to do it. Several people behind him vomited.
"F*ck you, trash!" The black giant closed his eyes and chopped down heavily, splitting the tied thief in half. The rope broke, and the thief's body fell onto him, drenching him in blood. As the black giant walked back slowly, dragging his bloody axe, Rody saw his legs trembling and his hands shaking.
"Who else dares to kill?" Instructor Wood asked.