"Maximilian? Captain, are you certain that's his name?" Lezareet widened his eyes, repeatedly asking the same question: Did that man truly introduce himself as Maximilian?

"Absolutely, word for word," Avi stared at the flickering campfire, murmuring, "That fellow speaks softly, yet his words carry great weight, almost like a bewitching melody in the mind; even plugging one's ears wouldn't shut it out."

Back at the camp, Avi promptly gathered his comrades to recount the results and gains of their journey to Middenheim. After briefing them on some trivial tasks they had completed, Avi recounted the encounter with 'Maximilian' in detail.

Rafe and Manid didn't have any special reactions; they were almost as puzzled as Avi. But Airen immediately turned pale, clamping his mouth shut, refusing to speak any further, while Lezareet reacted as described above.

"If that's true, we're either incredibly fortunate or we've walked right into a dead end," Lezareet almost tugged at his beard with his hands, "You've encountered one of the most formidable among the three Marshals of Middenheim."

"Marshal of Middenheim?" Avi was about to check the panel popping up from the system, but Airen finally spoke up.

"Your Excellency, Maximilian's full name is 'Maximilian von Genche', ranked among the Marshals of Middenheim, appointed by the Margrave Boris to oversee all the defensive forces of Middenheim. With your intelligence, you should understand, this means—"

"He's been entrusted with the entire defense of Middenheim," Avi sighed as he looked at the densely packed words on the panel, "No wonder this guy exudes such strong pressure; standing in front of him feels like being a raw recruit awaiting training."

"That's indeed the case; Maximilian is about my age, already fifty," Lezareet said, "But what's noteworthy is that this guy went to war when he was just ten years old, and he's been active ever since."

"What the heck, ten years old? Geez, does Middenheim, this mighty city, have so many battles to fight?" Rafe couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, I think we should join that provincial army or whatever, patrol around Middenheim, and pick a fight with that guy named Maximilian!"

"Rafe, for now, listen to us," Avi said helplessly, "While he's responsible for the defense of Middenheim, it doesn't mean he's confined to that fortress."

"That's right, Maximilian is a master of defensive warfare, yet he advocates taking the initiative," Lezareet drew his sword and stuck it into the ground, "Seize advantageous terrain first, then provoke the enemy, occupy defensive positions to confront them; that's Maximilian's way of fighting."

"Huh, that's it? That's it? Why do I feel like you're saying this old guy keeps using the same trick over and over again? Isn't he much inferior to our boss!"

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"Well, if you said that about anyone else, you'd be right. But the scariest thing about Maximilian is that even if he uses the same trick on you ten times in a row, before you truly find yourself on the losing end and flee, you'll never realize you're the one in the weaker position."

"And he's also among the top in personal combat prowess among humans; it's said Maximilian once single-handedly defeated seven minotaurs and emerged victorious."

"..." Rafe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly waved his arms as if driving away some thoughts, "Alright, alright, you guys are praising that guy like he's ascending to heaven, but I don't necessarily think he can beat our boss!"

“Your optimism is appreciated, but everything I just said is true," Avi said with a bitter smile. "Simply put, if he's considering assigning us a target, it means we've become a considerable force. However, this task is undeniably daunting."

"Indeed, bringing back the head of a beast king is essentially equivalent to destroying a true orc army. Such a task would be challenging even for a force of similar scale..."

At this point, Airen, rare for him, made a praying gesture in front of everyone. "By Sigmar, I am willing to obey any of Your Excellency's commands and gladly sacrifice myself, but I don't believe our current situation allows us to accomplish this feat on the battlefield."

"Sigmar's faithful..." Rafe muttered under his breath. "Damn it, given the chance, we'll surely act first and think later. It's always these Sigmar-worshipping folks who embarrass themselves, all talk and no action. If I didn't know this grim-faced guy is reliable, I wouldn't believe a word he said."

Fortunately, Rafe was far enough from Airen, and with a gust of night wind coinciding with his speech, Airen didn't hear these typical 'Midden remarks', but Avi caught every word.

"Airen is right," Avi deliberately emphasized the 'right' heavily, aiming to warn Rafe. "We cannot openly defeat an orc army; we must employ tactics or strike at their leaders."

"In any case, this matter requires careful consideration. While gaining Maximilian's support is important, we must also be realistic. As the captain previously stated, our current goal is to control the surrounding greenskins and expand our strength, so—"

"So now we need to add another: recruiting and construction," Avi turned to Airen. "How are the villagers faring?"

"This is what I need to report to Your Excellency," Airen answered immediately. "Most of the villagers managed to escape in time during the disaster and have returned to eke out a living in the abandoned village. We found them and brought them back here, as you've witnessed."

"Very good. How many casualties did we suffer?"

"...About forty villagers and soldiers were killed in the disaster," Airen's expression was quite solemn; he felt it was his responsibility. "This includes villagers who died of starvation on the roadside and those who were—"

"Enough, no need to be so detailed," Avi sighed silently with closed eyes. "Next, we need to resume production and ensure the camp can sustain itself. Then, Airen, I have a rather challenging task for you."

"Your Excellency, please speak, I am all ears."

"I need you to pay attention when recruiting soldiers to see if there are any reliable blacksmiths," Avi pondered for a moment, then continued, "Besides blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, craftsmen... In short, recruit all the artisans our camp can utilize."

"Allow me to confirm: Your Excellency is referring to recruitment," Airen asked with a serious expression, "which means we will pay them?"

"Yes, that's also something I'm prepared to announce," Avi said. "Starting today, I will pay each soldier and craftsman who assists the mercenary group based on the mercenary group's income and the performance of the members. This also means we're preparing to enter the ranks of regular mercenaries, meaning... our days of peace and tranquility are about to be far behind us, and ahead lies a vast expanse of blood and hardship."