Chapter 114: A Just Man

"The demonic beasts are running! They're all running away!"

Cheers erupted across the position. The demonic beasts, which had been massed at the entrance of the passage, scattered like a receding tide, leaving behind only a field of corpses. Jiqiang loosened his grip on the trigger, only to realize his thumb joint was numb from the vibrations. The gun barrel, which hadn't had time to cool down, faintly glowed a dark red, making it, according to firing regulations, a write-off.

"They looked scary enough, but they're not much in a fight."

"Not nearly as terrifying as the Church's Divine Army."

"They're just a bunch of wild beasts, after all."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Wild beasts? You try facing them with a hunting bow! Three years ago, these things threw the entire Western Region into chaos. It was His Majesty who changed all that, understand?"

"Yes, yes, Captain!"

"Instead of celebrating, you should all change your gun barrels. Honestly."

Edith stood behind the position, observing the busy yet orderly soldiers of the First Army, a thoughtful expression on her face. Ever since participating in the Tooth Extraction Operation and the Church Interception Battle with Roland's army, she had been contemplating how to maximize the power of firearms if she were in command.

Undoubtedly, this was a completely new kind of army, fundamentally different from the fighting methods of knight orders and mercenary leagues. Forgetting her previous experience of leading charges, relying on superior weaponry and personal courage to achieve victory, was not an easy task. However, upon realizing that knights were completely unable to compete with the new army, she resolutely abandoned her areas of expertise and instead carefully observed His Majesty's every move. After today's practical verification, she found that her thinking was generally on the right track.

The most significant feature of firearms was their ability to kill opponents with extremely high efficiency from a distance they couldn't reach, without worrying about the spacing or stamina of their own troops. Therefore, the narrower the firing line, the denser the firepower. As long as supplies were maintained, they could fight non-stop from morning till night.

A battle line wide enough for only three or four knights to charge abreast was crammed with two entire squads of soldiers. Arranging three jiqiang was not because there wasn't room for more, but because of limitations in the number of jiqiang and bullets. Even so, their torrential firepower made it difficult for the Mixed Breeds to advance an inch. No aiming was required, and no stamina was expended, only pulling the trigger. When the enemy was too dense, she even saw a thick mist of blood rise from the entrance of the cave.

If His Majesty were in command, he probably couldn't have done any better.

The only thing she found somewhat puzzling was the behavior of the demonic beasts.

Clearly, some of the enemies possessed basic intelligence. Seeing that it was difficult to break through the cave, many Mixed Breeds began to loiter outside, occasionally uttering cries, but not advancing. It was almost as if they were encouraging other demonic beasts to commit suicide. But if they had the ability to think, why did they obey the commands of those strange cries? Unlike the loyalty of subjects to a lord, where there was a relationship of sustenance and protection, demonic beasts clearly didn't need to maintain such a relationship. They could retreat into the wilderness and live independently, unlike humans, who could not exist outside of groups.

Could there be some kind of connection between the demonic beasts and the owner of that voice that she couldn't understand, a connection that even transcended survival?

She found it difficult to imagine.

Perhaps after the exploration was over, she should ask Roland what he thought, Edith mused.

Nowadays, the only person in Neverwinter who could still surprise her, or rather, whose thoughts she couldn't fathom, was His Majesty. This unfathomability didn't refer to his personality, but to his thoughts and ideas. Every time she spoke with him, she couldn't help but ponder a question: How vast could a person's mind be?

"Edith xiaojie, you were a great help this time..." Brian's voice interrupted her thoughts. Turning around, she saw the young officer's face filled with gratitude. "When I make the post-battle report, I will definitely report your contributions to His Majesty in full!"

"It's just what I should do," Edith smiled. "Besides, I wasn't sure it would work. You don't have to mention my suggestion in the report..."

"How could I not!" Brian repeatedly shook his head. "His Majesty said that the army is a place that only looks at results, not the process. Victory is victory. If I were to conceal your contributions because of this, what difference would there be between me and a thief? It would be unfair to you!"

"Alright..." The Pearl of the North shrugged. "If you insist."

"Of course." He paused slightly, then stood at attention and gave a military salute. "Also, I now have a better understanding of what you meant by trust earlier. The First Army thanks you for your suggestion. I have many things to do next, so please excuse me."

Watching the Firearm Battalion Commander's departing figure, Edith suddenly understood why His Majesty would choose a patrol captain from the borderlands to hold an important position in the army. Military achievements were the basis for knights to seek rewards from their lords and were the things they least wanted to share with others. As for forgery and false reporting, they were countless, and even her confidants could not prevent them.

Although the First Army differed in details, promotions and rewards were generally still linked to achievements. Moreover, she was not a member of the army. Even if the other party completely concealed this matter, she could not actively appeal to His Majesty. Just to uphold the principle of fairness, being able to share readily available benefits with others, this former patrol captain was, in fact, more like a knight than most knights.

Loyal to His Majesty and inherently upright, this was probably the reason why Roland entrusted him with such important responsibilities. Command ability and knowledge levels could be cultivated, but character was difficult to change. Edith had noticed this early on. The spirit and aura presented by His Majesty's First Army were completely different from those of past knights, a complete transformation. Abandoning aristocratic forces and only selecting commoners to enlist, coupled with the ideological education interspersed in elementary textbooks, was perhaps the key to building this army.

And now, she could be considered to have left her name in the army.

...

Half a day later, Roland finally received the intelligence that the situation had been eased, while the emergency detachment of one hundred advance reinforcements had already boarded ships and set sail. More follow-up reinforcements were also packing their bags, waiting for the order to depart. Even the newcomers from the Witch Union—Annie, Broken Sword, and others—were prepared to provide support. From the City Hall to the First Army, the entire Neverwinter was on high alert, more anxious about being attacked by demonic beasts themselves. In the end, it turned out to be a false alarm.

The messenger was still Macy, and Roland couldn't help but laugh at the latter's raised head and slightly open beak. He took out some beef jerky from the drawer and scattered it on the table, which Macy immediately began to peck at happily.

However, considering the issue of morale, he ultimately did not order the advance troops to turn back halfway. Instead, he replaced Annie and her group, who were originally scheduled to board the ship, with Soraya and Asha, in order to better carry out a comprehensive exploration of the ruins.