With a soft "crack", Richie felt his palm shake. He looked at his palm in horror; the mirror shield on his left hand had shattered into six pieces, one of which had already fallen off.
"Captain, my mirror shield is broken." He hurriedly dodged to the rear.
"Richie, immediately leave the formation and go back to replace the mirror shield. Rosa, you take Richie's position. Three sisters, come back and take charge of the left flank's defense," the Captain issued a series of orders.
Upon hearing that he could leave the battlefield, Richie ran faster than anyone else.
The rear was a kilometer away. There were six vehicles lined up in a row there. Adjutant Randy's vehicle was in the second position on the left. She had already received Captain Calli's notification, and a new mirror shield had been taken out of the box and placed on the roof of the vehicle.
Seeing Richie running back, Miss Randy quickly helped him remove the shattered mirror shield and casually scanned the other mirror shield for him.
"Let's change both together, this one won't last much longer either." Randy said, pulling open the partition of the box, where another mirror shield lay underneath.
"Do it yourself, I have to prepare weapons for your mentor." Randy handed over a wrench.
Taking the wrench, Richie installed the mirror shields while watching Miss Randy laboriously pull a heavy Knight lance out of the box. He turned his head and looked at his feet; two damaged heavy Knight lances were already thrown on the ground.
"No way, in this little amount of time, Mentor has already damaged four Knight lances?" A series of tsk-tsking sounds came from Richie's mouth.
"Stop spouting nonsense," Randy said angrily. "Hurry up and install the mirror shields, then get back to the front line immediately."
Miss Randy's strong tone startled Richie, but he immediately understood; not a single moment could be delayed on the battlefield.
He hurriedly sped up.
When returning to the battlefield, Richie saw his mentor halfway there. His mentor's condition wasn't very good at the moment; there was a hole in her Magitech Armor, and a large piece of the armor plate was rolled up.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry back to the battlefield!"
His mentor's reprimanding voice came from ahead. Richie didn't dare to linger any longer and quickened his pace.
As soon as he returned to the battlefield, he saw from afar Rosa lying on a nearby hillside. The waist and left chest of her Magitech Armor were completely broken open, and fresh blood dyed the ground.
Richie instantly became anxious, but Captain Calli was even more anxious.
"Richie, what on earth are you doing? This is a battlefield!"
Hearing this, Richie didn't dare to hesitate anymore and immediately rushed in.
"Richie, take Lina's place, let her go down to change her Magitech Armor."
Miss Calli's order made his legs go weak for a moment. Lina was dealing with that Ace Knight; asking him to face that Ace wasn't that basically asking for his life?
Unfortunately, he had no room to refuse now.
At this moment, Lina had also received the order and was already prepared. As soon as she saw Richie coming over, she immediately dodged past him to his back, and the two swapped positions in an instant.
Just as they swapped, a flash of a blade arrived right before his eyes.
Richie raised his mirror shield completely subconsciously. Only hearing a "clang", he felt as if he had been struck by a battering ram, almost flying backward. Immediately following was a crack, and a corner of his helmet was shaved off.
The length of the blade flash far exceeded the size of the mirror shield.
However, most of that blade flash was still blocked back. The total reflection, which had a success rate of less than ten percent, actually occurred at this moment. An equally brilliant blade flash flew towards the enemy Ace.
The person opposite turned pale with fright. His reaction was absolutely fast enough; he casually sent out another blade flash. The two blade flashes collided in mid-air, turning into countless scattered light blades.
That Ace dodged continuously and actually didn't let any light blades injure his vital spots, but he was indeed badly startled.
He originally didn't care about Richie, because Richie's movements made it obvious he was a rookie who had never been on a battlefield, and his weapons were four shields, clearly marking him as a defender.
He knew the enemy wanted to use two defenders to hold him down so the previous Knight could change her Magitech Armor. Therefore, he fully intended to use swift and fierce attacks to kill Richie. If he could also kill Merlin, he would be even more satisfied.
Unfortunately, the result was not like that.
This Ace Knight was forced into a frantic state. Nora, who had been waiting for an opportunity on the side, finally made her move. This woman had a very low presence on ordinary days, making her easy to ignore, but on the battlefield, this became her most formidable killing move. The spear in her hand thrust towards the enemy Ace's waist like lightning.
This move was called "Flickering Poison Fang", and it was Nora's most formidable killing move. This move was not dazzling at all and didn't emit even a bit of light, only a flash of the spear's shadow.
However, the enemy Ace leaped a dozen meters out of thin air as if bitten by a venomous snake. Just as he steadied his footing and wanted to turn around to flee, suddenly several gorgeous arcs of lightning struck his back directly.
Dana had returned to the battlefield at some unknown time.
She roughly bumped Richie aside and took his original position.
That Ace Knight knew he couldn't dodge, so he actually slashed backhandedly, creating a net of blades. This move could surprisingly be used for both offense and defense, truly unexpected.
However, a hasty slash naturally couldn't compare to Dana's charged strike. Although the lightning arcs crashed into the blade net and scattered together, the power of the lightning arcs was ultimately much greater. The scattered lightning arcs still jumped onto the Ace Knight's Magitech Armor.
Blinding sparks sputtered and flashed wildly. The armor plate on the back of that Magitech Armor was instantly shattered, and the surrounding area was charred black.
But an Ace was an Ace after all. He actually wasn't dead after taking such a hit. This guy turned on his heels and ran, disappearing from the battlefield in the blink of an eye. The other enemy Knights also swarmed up to cover the Ace's retreat.
Seeing the "big fish" run away, Dana couldn't help but stamp with fury. The heavy Knight lance in her hands charged towards the enemy Knights covering the retreat like a violent storm.
A moment later, Lina also returned to the battlefield. As soon as she saw the Ace was gone, she immediately became furious: "Who did it? Who stole my prey?"
That unmistakable anger made Richie feel a bit creepy. At this moment, he only hoped that Lina would never know that the Ace's escape had something to do with him.
Like Dana, having lost her target, Lina vented all her pent-up anger onto the heads of the remaining enemy Knights.
Morale on this side was soaring, while the other side's morale instantly plummeted to rock bottom because their strongest Ace was forced to retreat, and his fate was unknown.
While others were fighting bravely, Richie surprisingly had nothing to do. During an all-out offensive, the one with the least to do was a defender like him. Moreover, unlike Miss Merlin, he was a pure defender. Although the mirror shields could be used as hand axes, that was only for situations of absolute necessity.
Following closely behind the three sisters, Richie at most went up to block when he saw an enemy trying to unleash a move, while spending most of the time just observing.
This was his first time experiencing team combat, and it felt truly novel.
The greatest feeling team combat gave him was that comprehensive strength was far less useful than a single, powerful ultimate move.
In a duel, having only an ultimate move was not enough to guarantee a win. The more formidable the expert, the more balanced their abilities in all aspects. But in team combat, there was no need to worry about lacking defense, because there would definitely be people in the team specialized in defense, like him, who could help block the enemy's killing moves. It didn't matter if an ultimate move required a long preparation time, as teammates would definitely try every means to buy time. Therefore, the most important thing in team combat was having a specialized skill.
Originally, Richie didn't have much self-confidence. He always felt he was a weakling being taken care of, even feeling that he seemed to be holding the whole squad back.
But now he didn't think so anymore. He finally found his place within this team.
With confidence, he fought more smoothly.
At first, he only dared to hide behind the others, but gradually, he also started charging to the front.
War was not a duel. Those profound martial arts were completely useless; at least for now, he hadn't found their use. The most useful moves for him right now, apart from his "Mirror Reflection," were just shield bashes.
A pair of eyes on the battlefield constantly monitored his changes. Seeing Richie gradually adapt, Captain Calli finally ordered: "Richie, go to your mentor's side. Pay attention to the rhythm and use your shield bash to clear the way. Lina, follow behind Richie and be responsible for tearing open a gap."
The squad's formation changed again, turning into a two-pronged advance.
The battle lasted for over two hours. When the squad stopped their pursuit, Richie felt as if his body was falling apart, completely exhausted.
Upon emerging from his Magitech Armor, he felt his legs go weak.
Suddenly, he was patted heavily on the back, almost making him fall to the ground.
The one who patted him was the third sister, Aima: "Very good, to have such a performance your first time officially on the battlefield."
"How is Rosa?"
Richie wasn't interested in his own performance; he was more concerned about Rosa's injuries.
Rosa was his first woman, and everything he possessed right now was bestowed by her.
"Rest assured, she's fine."
The one who spoke was Adjutant Randy: "I've already examined her. There are some penetrating wounds, the left kidney is damaged, and the liver and spleen were shaken and somewhat displaced. She'll probably have to lie in bed for a month or two."
"Can I see her?"
Richie asked.
"It's best not to. I've already given her a tranquilizer shot, and she's asleep now. In a while, people from the field hospital will come and carry her away. If you want to see her, go to the hospital after 10 PM tonight."
"He doesn't have the time."
Captain Calli walked over. She glanced around; everyone in the squad was here. She slightly raised her voice and said: "Everyone return to the camp immediately and rest right now. You had better recover to your optimal state in the shortest possible time."
"Is there an operation tonight?"
Lina asked casually.
"I just have such a guess."
Miss Calli said indifferently.
No one said anything more. Even the newly arrived three sisters didn't intend to raise questions.
As soon as he returned to the barracks, Richie fell asleep immediately, as he was simply too tired.
...
"Get up quickly, there's a mission."
Merlin's voice rang in his ears. Richie jumped off the bed immediately. Turning his head, he saw that the others were already dressed neatly.
In the center of the barracks was a washbasin. Richie quickly took out a towel and washed his face with the cold water in the basin.
Although it was already spring, the water was still very cold. Stimulated by the cold water, his drowsiness vanished instantly.
"For you."
Merlin casually tossed over a thing a foot long and a palm wide.
Richie saw that the others also had one in hand and were chewing with bitter expressions.
This thing was actually meant to be eaten. Richie just touched it, and its soap-like texture made him feel waves of nausea.
Taking a bite, the taste wasn't as bad as he imagined. It tasted like boiled salted meat, just with slightly more fat. The texture indeed felt a bit like soap.
Taking advantage of everyone eating, the Captain hung a map on the wall.
It was a map of Morena. Before the battle started, everyone in the squad had firmly memorized the main streets on the map.
This was the homework that had to be done before every battle.
At this moment, the map on the wall was marked with many circles and dots.
"I'll first report on the daytime battle situation."
The Captain, with her hands behind her back, paced back and forth in the barracks: "The enemy forces launched simultaneous attacks on camps five, seven, eight, nine, eleven, thirteen, sixteen, and eighteen. Among them, camps nine and thirteen suffered heavy casualties, and camps sixteen and eighteen also took significant losses. Camps five, seven, eight, and our camp successfully repelled the enemy's attack. Camps five and seven, in particular, not only annihilated most of the invading enemies but also dealt with the Ace Knights commanding those two squads."
She glanced at the people below and slightly raised her pitch: "So overall, the enemy's surprise attack failed. To expand the battle results, the command headquarters ordered to launch the first general offensive tonight, in exactly one hour. Our mission is..."
Drawing out a pointer over a meter long, Captain Calli pointed out spots on the map.
Richie was listening, but whenever he was in class, he couldn't help but want to doze off. Coupled with the fact that his war theory class wasn't learned very well, although he knew what the Captain was saying, understanding exactly what to do was still somewhat difficult.
With a soft "smack," Richie received another hit on his head. Captain Calli stood before him with a frosty face: "Are you listening?"
Richie touched his head; a large bump had swelled where the pointer hit. His mouth twitched, and he said embarrassedly: "I'm listening, but... I don't quite understand."
A round of soft laughter arose around him. Calli helplessly shook her head. Fortunately, she had anticipated this possibility beforehand.
"Forget it, you just need to follow everyone. For you, the only thing you need to remember is the location of the supply point."
Saying that, Miss Calli pointed to a small red dot on the map: "Remember this place. Street fighting is not like plain warfare; the most feared thing is getting lost."
Richie quickly took out his own map and marked it on it.
"If there are no other questions, you can put on your Magitech Armors."
The Captain said, and suddenly her tone became much gentler: "I hope everyone is lucky enough to come back alive."
...
Broken walls and ruins were everywhere, and scorch marks from fires were everywhere. Although he had never been to Morena, Richie had heard of this place. In people's rumors, this was a very beautiful city. Although not as prosperous as Glasslovar, it was still one of the premier cities in the Lavall Province.
He originally thought there should at least be some buildings in the city. After all, the battle report said the enemy had retreated into the city. He never expected that along the way, he wouldn't see a single relatively intact house.
The so-called city was now a pile of ruins.
Because it was street fighting, a large group of people simply couldn't advance quickly, so they could only move forward slowly in units of squads.
The sounds of fierce fighting could already be heard in the distance, but it was still quiet here.
At this moment, the one walking at the very front of the team was neither his mentor Miss Dana nor the one with the strongest defense, Merlin. Instead, it was the seemingly most fragile and most easily overlooked Nora. She wandered in the shadows like a ghost.
Suddenly Nora whispered: "There's an ambush ahead. Six enemies are hiding in the block at eleven o'clock, seven or eight enemies in the block at three o'clock, and four enemies are trying to flank us from behind... No... they're coming straight at us... They sensed that I discovered them, so they abandoned the ambush and directly launched a strong attack."
Receiving Nora's warning, Captain Calli immediately issued a series of commands to change the formation.
Richie was pushed to the front once again.
Although it was still the same day, this was Richie's second time entering battle. He was already familiar with the battlefield and increasingly understood his position within the squad.
He was an indestructible shield. All he needed to do was block the enemy's strongest attacks. He didn't have to worry about anything else, so it didn't matter even if he had no offensive power.
The two sides quickly met.
Only rumbling sounds were heard successively. Before the two sides even started fighting, they began tearing down houses first. This place was already full of broken walls, and now there wasn't a single standing wall left.
This was done to prevent sneak attacks.
Once the battlefield was leveled, sword flashes and blade winds from the opposite side arrived simultaneously.
For a moment, Richie was thrown into confusion. It was his first time facing such concentrated attacks.
Fortunately, his "Mirror Reflection" could be considered a close-combat technique, sharing a characteristic with all close-combat techniques—there was no issue with preparation time, unlike those powerful attack Arts, where the user would be in an exceptionally weak state for a period of time after unleashing them.
Parrying left and blocking right, Richie managed to withstand the first wave of attacks.
He looked somewhat disheveled. Because there were always some places he couldn't protect, after a round of fierce attacks, his legs and the outer parts of his body all sustained varying degrees of damage, and a crack was even struck into the round shield on his left elbow.
However, Richie didn't care to check the damage at this moment, because Captain Calli ordered him to clear the way with a shield bash.
Gritting his teeth, he plunged headlong into the enemy's battle formation.
During the day, when he used shield bash to clear the way and charged into the enemy formation, he would always break out quickly. But now it was street fighting, and everyone was tightly packed. His charge surprisingly didn't break them apart.
In the midst of the chaos, Richie saw a brilliant flash of lightning glide past him. His mentor Miss Dana had also charged in. A little further away, an orange-red figure was stepping on the hill-like ruins on the right side of the road, killing her way towards the rear of the enemies. Moreover, looking at her gathering power, it was completely obvious she was preparing her most powerful killing move—"Battle Wave." Who knows which nerve was triggered, Richie suddenly used a move subconsciously: "Body-Resist Throw." His left hand hooked onto the shoulder of the closest enemy Knight like lightning, forcefully pulled, and then bumped him.
That person clearly never expected that there would actually be Knights in this world who liked grappling and throwing techniques.
Grappling and throwing techniques were martial arts favored by unarmed fighters or wrestlers.
Since he had never encountered it, he naturally didn't know how to counter it. So that enemy Knight was instantly bumped away, crashing into his comrade behind him.
Richie himself didn't expect this move to actually be effective. Therefore, seeing the enemy being thrown out, he was stunned instead.
Right at this moment, Captain Calli's angry shout came to his ears: "What are you staring blankly for? Just use this move to disrupt the enemy's formation."
Upon hearing the order, Richie was immediately startled, while his heart instantly became exceptionally excited.
When it came to combat, he was definitely not as skilled as these authentic Knights. But when it came to street fighting, he was adept at it, especially fighting in such narrow terrain.
In his memory, starting from the age of five, he had gone through who knows how many such "battles" in the street corners and alleys. Still clearing the path with shield bashes, once he charged into the enemy formation, he immediately executed hand traps and throwing techniques.
This accidental strategy was indeed wonderful. Knights were mostly accustomed to fighting offensive battles with a little distance and were very unaccustomed to this kind of close-quarters melee combat. Plus, at such a distance, most attack Arts couldn't be used, and the Knights in the rear who could use attack Arts were afraid of hurting their own people, so they all seemed to have their hands tied.
Conversely, Richie's squad was not so polite. The female Knights all knew that Richie was no good at anything else but was formidable in defense, so they didn't hesitate at all when unleashing moves.
In just a moment, that group of enemy Knights was either killed or scattered.
"Richie, you have the greatest merit, keep fighting like this."
Captain Calli praised.
However, at this moment, Richie was reminiscing about the battle situation just now.
It was indeed very much like a street fight, just that the strikes were more ruthless.
In a street fight, the most important thing was not to be surrounded by others. Therefore, those who knew how to fight would always stick close to one person when fighting outnumbered, using that guy as a shield as much as possible, preventing the other attackers from getting a hand in.
He also remembered some other methods.
A street fight wasn't a duel; there were plenty of underhanded tricks! The most commonly used one was grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it in someone's face. If there was quicklime, it would be even better.
Richie looked to both sides. The ruins all over the ground had white wall plaster everywhere. Wasn't that quicklime?
Casually grabbing two handfuls of quicklime, Richie also felt the lack of a dagger, which was very inconvenient. In a fight, using weapons like clubs wasn't very handy; the most handy was a knife.
Besides quicklime and knives, another sharp weapon for fighting was an iron chain. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Merlin. Miss Merlin's Thorny Strangling Wire was actually very suitable. He wondered if her ancestors also drew inspiration from street fighting?
Just as Richie was letting his imagination run wild, suddenly the sound of "clang clang," metal striking the ground, approached from afar.
This time, Richie hurriedly returned to his position without Miss Calli's order.
It was deep into the night. By the light of the fire and the moon, they could only see things within a hundred meters ahead.
When Richie saw the Magitech Armor opposite clearly, he couldn't help but take a step back.
Wasn't that the Ace Knight they had beaten back during the day?
This guy had already put his original Magitech Armor back on. Behind him followed three Knights, all three wearing custom-type Magitech Armors.
Eleven against four, the odds of winning were indeed quite high for this side. However, those female Knights and Richie all knew clearly that this would be a bitter struggle, definitely not as easy as just now.
"Lina, Merlin, three sisters, you guys deal with that Ace. Dana, Robin and I will deal with the other three. Nora, keep watch on the surroundings, Richie, guerrilla support."
Captain Calli quickly assigned tasks, and finally added a sentence: "End the battle quickly."
There was no need for her to say more; the others also knew that they had to end it quickly.
Almost in an instant, the brilliant light of attack Arts illuminated the night sky.
"I... f*ck your whole family..."
Richie cursed angrily, because he saw that brilliant blade flash heading straight for him.
That the Ace would seek him out first was absolutely beyond his expectations.
Although being valued was a happy thing, Richie would rather not have this kind of valuation.
Fortunately, he was prepared. Standing the two mirror shields upright, with a "clang," he reflected the blade flash back.
This time, he no longer felt that reflecting the blade flash was luck. He discovered that "Mirror Reflection" was most effective against this kind of straight-forward attack Art.
Taking three consecutive steps back, Richie finally dispersed the power of that slash. He shook his numb hands and then headed straight for the other three Knights.
He wasn't an idiot; of course, he wouldn't actively provoke that Ace Knight. That guy's blade flashes were fast and dense, making it impossible for him to get close. Even if he did, the opponent just needed a flurry of wild attacks to absolutely hack him into pieces.
Richie was used to sparring with his mentor Miss Dana, so without even thinking, he directly joined Miss Dana's side. Approaching slightly, he first raised both hands and threw two handfuls of quicklime towards that enemy Knight.
Hearing two soft "puff puff" sounds, the quicklime was scattered by that enemy Knight, instantly raising a cloud of white dust. That Knight, holding a pair of scimitars, swung wildly.
This was very normal. Many people who had quicklime thrown at them reacted this way to prevent the enemy from taking the opportunity to get close.
Suddenly, a spear shadow swept out from the corner nearby. The Knight swinging the twin scimitars immediately let go of the scimitars and reached back, wanting to touch his back.
The one who struck was Nora. Although her duty was to monitor the surroundings, she was also constantly paying attention to the changes on the battlefield. How could she miss such a good opportunity?
With Nora picking up the kill, Richie was quite dissatisfied in his heart, but he didn't dare to show it, let alone curse aloud. He had an inexplicable fear towards this silent woman.
Having freed up her hands, Dana immediately joined the battles of the others.
Richie wasn't in a hurry to continue attacking. He turned and headed towards the nearby broken walls. The quicklime tactic just now made him very satisfied.
Suddenly, a piercing sound of metal clashing rang out. Immediately after, a chorus of exclamations reached Richie's ears.
Turning his head to look, he saw that the five people besieging the Ace Knight had all been knocked back. Except for Lina, who could still stand, Merlin and the three sisters had all fallen to the ground.
The Ace Knight also looked somewhat disheveled. The blade in his hand had snapped, and the armor on his left shoulder had completely rolled up.
However, his next action was beyond everyone's expectations. That Ace actually abandoned his two subordinates who were engaged in a fierce battle and fled towards the outside of the city.
Richie shifted his feet and blocked the way. He raised his left hand, and the quicklime he had just gathered was immediately thrown out.
Almost simultaneously, the blade flash from the opposite side arrived. The Ace Knight, holding half a broken blade, merged with the blade flash and slashed straight over.
Seeing this, if he still dared to block, Richie would be an idiot. He immediately dodged to the side.
However, he didn't intend to let the person pass easily either.
Avoiding the brunt of the attack, he immediately executed a shield bash. However, this time he didn't use the round shields on his elbows, but the two mirror shields on his elbows to strike out the shield bash.
Only hearing a loud "clang," followed closely by a series of sounds of metal breaking.
At that instant, he felt as if he had been hit by a rhino. Richie was instantly blasted into the ruins nearby, and bricks and tiles buried him in a flash.
But fortunately, there was this pile of bricks and tiles. These things were neither soft nor hard. Being knocked out of the way by Richie all along, they absorbed most of the impact force, which allowed him to save his life.
Even so, Richie's injuries were not light. He only felt agonizing pain all over his body, except for both arms, which seemed completely numb. What was more uncomfortable was waves of nausea, his internal organs feeling like they were turning over.
He secretly guessed, were his internal organs displaced like Rosa's?
After quite a while, Richie heard a rustling sound. Gradually, the sound got closer and closer. Then, with a clatter, the scattered bricks and tiles above his head were finally dug open, and a pair of strong arms pulled him out of the ruins pile all at once.
The one who pulled him out was his mentor, Dana.
"Very good, you've made another great contribution."
She pointed to the side.
He saw that Ace Knight lying by the side of the road, his lower body already ground into pieces. The one who struck was definitely Merlin. But there were two fatal wounds on his body: one was a penetrating wound from the back, and the other was a sword cut across the waist.
"You and Miss Lina killed him?"
Richie asked.
"You blocked him first, but more importantly, you crippled the broken blade in his hand."
Dana said.
Richie took a look. Sure enough, that Ace Knight's right hand was completely pulverized, and the broken blade had also turned into a pile of fragments scattered all over the ground.
He then looked at himself; he was no better off. The giant shields on his elbows were completely shattered, and the arms of his Magitech Armor were completely ruined, turned into a mess of twisted steel and Magic tendons. However, his own arms were actually fine, which could be considered a miracle.
"Robin, you're responsible for escorting Richie to the rear."
Captain Calli ordered.
Although Richie and Robin, who liked men's clothes, never really got along, there was no other choice now. Lina was the main force, the three sisters' combat strength was equally high, Dana was an assault attacker and vanguard, Nora was keeping watch, and Calli herself was in charge of command. It could be said that no one else could be spared.
...
After taking Richie to the field hospital in the rear, Robin dropped Richie off and left immediately.
For Richie, the battle ended early.
After waiting for about half an hour, a medical officer finally freed up and examined Richie.
That medical officer was a young woman in her twenties, looking even younger than Miss Randy. Once the examination was over, she immediately said: "Your luck is good. The Magitech Armor was damaged so severely, yet the person is fine. You just suffered a little concussion. A little treatment will do."
While speaking, she led Richie to a treatment bed.
Rather than a bed, it looked more like a coffin, just without a lid on top. However, Richie wasn't surprised by this; there was this thing in the camp too, he just never had the chance to use it before.
Lying down in the treatment bed, Richie immediately felt the various discomforts in his body gradually recede, only he felt a drowsy sensation.
He soon fell asleep.
When Richie woke up, it was almost dawn.
Getting up from the bed, he immediately found himself sleeping on an ordinary hospital bed.
The entire field hospital had hundreds of hospital beds, arranged neatly in over a dozen rows. Richie suddenly remembered that Rosa should also be here now, so he immediately climbed out of the hospital bed.
Searching bed by bed, Richie checked the whole hospital but didn't see Rosa's figure.
"Are you looking for your companion?"
A boy slightly younger than Richie walked over. This boy was quite handsome, looking nothing like a Knight. His head was wrapped in gauze, and his left ear was also wrapped in gauze, faintly oozing blood.
It was Richie's first time talking to someone around his age who possessed the Knight bloodline. He hesitated for a moment and asked: "Are there other hospitals besides this one?"
That boy smiled: "If you can't find your companion, then she's definitely in the intensive care unit."
Richie looked around, and only then did he notice that the people here all seemed to be lightly injured.
"I... seem to have... not seen you before."
The boy asked hesitantly.
The Republic of Monstock only had one Knight school, where all Knights studied when they were young. Starting from the age of six, they were sent there to receive unified training, not leaving school to enter various Knight orders as apprentices until they were twelve. During those whole six years, they were classmates.
The number of Knights wasn't that large to begin with, a grade having at most nearly a thousand people, and sometimes even only thirty or forty students. The age difference between Richie and this boy was only a year or two. According to convention, they should know each other.
But Richie was an exception because he had never attended the Knight school.
However, Richie didn't intend to say that. He shrugged his shoulders and casually prevaricated: "I was relatively low-profile at school."
This was indeed the truth, but the school he was talking about was the school he used to attend. There, he was indeed quite low-profile, neither hanging out with those hooligan students nor interacting with another group of students from well-off families.
The boy opposite clearly misunderstood. He thought for a long time but still had no impression.
Richie was just about to say something to fool the boy opposite when he saw a very beautiful girl walk over.
This girl was around his age, with an oval face, phoenix eyes, and slightly thicker sword-like eyebrows that tilted upward in the middle. Her skin was very white, almost transparently white, like a block of ice.
Before she even got close, Richie already felt a compelling chill pressing over. The first feeling this girl gave him was coldness, the same coldness as Miss Calli.
Besides coldness, this girl also exuded a faint killing intent, definitely not something one could get just by having been on the battlefield.
That girl coldly measured Richie up and down, and after a long while, turned her head and asked that boy: "Kitten, who is this person?"
"Senior sister, you don't recognize him either?"
The boy's tone was quite surprised, looking at Richie with astonishment.
Without another word, the girl struck out with a palm strike. Her speed was as fast as lightning.
Richie's reaction was absolutely not slow. He was trained by his mentor Miss Dana and the three sisters. He possessed this kind of reaction after enduring who knows how many beatings.
An elbow strike slammed towards the incoming palm, while simultaneously, Richie rapidly pushed with both hands.
His reaction was fast, but that girl was equally fast. Changing moves midway, her other hand thrust over like a venomous snake.
Richie hurriedly swung his left hand down to resolve the incoming attack.
The hospital was already cramped and narrow, with hospital beds on both sides and only an aisle in the middle. The two of them were actually fighting in such a tight space.
The people lying on the hospital beds didn't try to stop them. Everyone lying here was a Knight. Many people not only didn't stop them but even pointed and commented from the side.
That girl attacked exceptionally fiercely. Her attacks were like a violent storm, and they were getting faster and faster.
Richie, on the other hand, only defended from beginning to end. His defense was extremely tight, truly airtight.
As the two fought, both of their hands began emitting light. Richie's hands held yellow light, closely clinging to his hands, while the girl's light was white with a trace of pale blue. This cluster of light expanded and contracted abruptly, sometimes spitting out and sometimes withdrawing, reaching up to two feet long when fully released.
The injured Knights lying on the beds on both sides were originally just watching the fun. The moment they saw such light, their attention instantly became highly focused.
This was the external release of Aura, the proof of an Apprentice Knight. Although Apprentice Knights weren't much, an Apprentice Knight of this age was no simple matter.
Generally speaking, after graduating from the Knight school, it takes four years to become an Apprentice Knight, and then another three years to become a full-fledged Knight. Most people become Knights around the age of twenty.
That girl's Aura could extend a foot, clearly showing a degree of mastery. She had probably been an Apprentice Knight for a year or two already. If so, given her age, she could absolutely be called a genius.
Being able to fight to a draw with such a girl, Richie was naturally also regarded as a genius.
That boy had already been stunned. Suddenly he remembered something, shouted loudly, and rushed out of the hospital.
A moment later, that boy ran back leading a large group of guys around the same age.
"I wasn't wrong, right? There really is someone who can fight to a draw with Margaret. Do any of you recognize that guy?"
That boy said excitedly.
The group of boys he dragged over were equally dumbfounded.
To them, that icy girl was equivalent to Lina's status in the squad. Except for a limited few who could exchange moves with her, none of the others were her match.
But what made them feel strangest of all was still this person, Richie.
"I don't know him."
"At least he's not in our class."
"It's strange, this person can't be much older than us, but I can be sure he's definitely not in any class."
"He shouldn't be someone from over there, right?"
"Doesn't look like it."
Those boys started discussing animatedly.
Right at this moment, a somewhat gruff voice interrupted everyone's clamor: "Stop arguing, stop arguing, how about we make a bet? I bet..."
Where there's a proposal, there's naturally a response. Those coming out of the Knight school were absolutely not well-behaved kids.
With such a big commotion here, Richie and that girl had both heard it. Neither of them had any intention of continuing the fight.
Actually, the one who least wanted to fight was Richie. Although he defended exceptionally tightly, he hadn't attacked once. No matter who it is, being suppressed and attacked like this would never feel comfortable.
The two pushed each other's hands and retreated five or six steps respectively.
"Being able to take so many of my moves, your strength is not bad."
That girl said coldly. Although words of praise came out of her mouth, she didn't look like she meant to praise him at all.
However, Richie didn't intend to argue over this. He already knew that the Arts one practiced would have an impact on a person's character. This girl was clearly following Miss Calli's path.
"It was a fluke, a fluke."
Richie's words were quite polite.
"Margaret, 127th Squad."
That girl extended her hand.
Richie shook that pair of hands. That hand was truly as cold as a block of ice: "Richie, I'm from the 105th Squad."
"105th Squad?"
That girl instantly became interested: "I heard that an Ace Knight died at your hands."
Richie was a bit surprised: "The battle report is already out?"
"Just rumors."
That girl said: "It seems there really is such a thing."
Seeing that they had reconciled over here, those boys all came closer.
Richie counted; there were fifteen in total. He asked casually: "Are you all stationed in Glasslovar?"
"No, I'm from Riglo." "I'm from Sava."
Several boys introduced themselves, and everyone also stated their names and their respective squads.
While listening, Richie observed these people's uniforms. Out of fifteen people, only five were Apprentice Knights.
"By the way, you at least have to tell us why none of us recognize you?"
A boy who was the tallest and looked the oldest asked gruffly.
This boy was also an Apprentice Knight. Richie had long sensed that this person seemed somewhat hostile towards him, but he didn't know why.
"Very simple, I never attended the Knight school."
Richie shrugged: "My Knight bloodline didn't awaken when I was born, so I always lived the life of an ordinary person."
Although this kind of thing wasn't common, they had heard of it, so most people didn't say anything more. Only that gruff-voiced boy still continued to ask: "Do you have a way to prove your identity?"
"Are you picking a fight?"
Richie had never been afraid of trouble. He tilted his chin up slightly and suddenly raised his voice.
"I just doubt your identity."
The gruff boy said straightforwardly.
As soon as the words fell, this guy clutched his crotch and knelt on the ground.
"I also doubt your identity, but I'm not doubting whether you're a spy, I'm doubting whether you're a man."
Richie unceremoniously stepped on the back of the boy's head, scraped the mud off the sole of his shoe, and then said in a teasing tone: "I've long noticed something wasn't right with you. If you don't like the look of me, just challenge me to a duel, why play this game?"
Richie grabbed the boy he met first: "Tell me, what's going on with this guy? Why is he targeting me?"
That boy hesitated and didn't dare to speak, but his eyes kept glancing at the girl next to them.
With one look, Richie understood immediately.
Knights could only unite with Knights, so these Knights of similar age were both comrades and potential romantic rivals. Obviously, this guy in front of him treated him as a romantic rival.
To be honest, Richie found it quite strange. On what grounds did this idiot treat him as a romantic rival? Aside from fighting and shaking hands, nothing else seemed to have happened between him and that girl.
"You... don't deserve... the status of a Knight."
That gruff-voiced guy clutched his crotch and slowly stood up. The anger shooting from his eyes could almost melt a person: "I challenge you to a duel."
"I don't deserve to be called a Knight, so you do? Everyone here is a Knight, ask them, does a sorry sight like you deserve to be called a Knight?"
Richie never minded bickering with others, because from childhood to adulthood, he had engaged in verbal abuse more times than fighting.
That girl seemed very dissatisfied with becoming the target of the dispute. She snorted coldly, turned her head, and left the hospital.
There were people maintaining order in the hospital. Earlier they were just watching the fun, but now they finally walked over.
Compared to that gruff-voiced boy, Richie clearly satisfied this person more. He pointed at those boys: "You don't have any injuries on you, right? Since you're not injured, why are you still here? Get the hell out."
Being reprimanded, most of those boys obediently retreated. Only that gruff-voiced boy still glared at Richie viciously: "Sooner or later, I will settle the score with you."
He dropped a harsh remark, and then unwillingly left the hospital.
"Tell me, what on earth is going on?"
Richie grabbed that boy nicknamed Kitten.
"This... this... Actually, it's very simple to explain. There are originally very few girls among the dozens of us, so they've all been secretly allocated. That person is called Mondro, one of Margaret's strongest and most powerful suitors. But now that you've appeared, he felt threatened. To be honest, your strength is higher than his; he absolutely couldn't fight to a draw with Margaret."
Kitten explained.
Hearing this, Richie found it was really similar to what he had guessed. It seemed the circles of these young Knights were similar to school. At school, there were also people who claimed ownership of the girls in the Rose Society, as if only they could pursue them and others didn't have the qualifications.
"Can this be taken seriously? It's just a romance game."
Richie said plainly.
Kitten laughed: "You can't say that. You probably don't know, to ensure the inheritance of the Knight bloodline, when female Knights reach a certain age, someone will arrange marriages for them."
"What if they don't agree?"
Richie's heart stirred.
Kitten spread his hands and said: "In principle, marriage is a personal freedom. However, when the higher-ups speak, who would dare to disobey? Those who disobey will naturally suffer a bit."
This guy looked around and said sneakily: "I support you. You deserve Margaret more than that guy. Don't look at how cold Margaret is; actually, she's very nice. If it weren't for her, I would be finished this time."
Although Kitten kept persuading him from the side, Richie didn't listen. At this moment, his mind was pondering over the words Kitten just said.
He had just realized that the strength of the squad he was in was astonishingly high. Especially Lina, her strength could almost rival an Ace Knight. Such strength was enough to enter the most elite Knight order. The three sisters were the same; they had originally withdrawn from the front-line main legion, and their previous positions were clearly very suitable for them.
He always couldn't figure out the reason, and now he finally somewhat understood.
All of them had the same characteristic, and that was they were unmarried.
Perhaps it was exactly because they were unwilling to obey the marriages arranged for them by the higher-ups that they were thrown here.
Suddenly, Richie felt how lucky he was.