Knight: Conquest Begins with Grinding Proficiency

Chapter 10 Meeting with Young Master Holmes

This was the first time Gerns had come to Master Holmes's tent.

In the past, he rarely interacted with young master Holmes, only exchanging a respectful greeting when they met in battle or in the military camp.

In Gerns's memory, young master Holmes was a strong yet easy-going person. As a nobleman, he not only did not look down on the ordinary soldiers in the military camp who were of commoner origin like himself, but also fought alongside them.

Furthermore, there is no doubt about young master Holmes' strength. After all, he and Uncle Reggler are both strong individuals who have learned body tempering techniques and family martial arts. Gerns estimates that with his current abilities, he might be able to barely manage a draw.

This is equivalent to a person who has not learned body tempering techniques and martial arts fighting against someone who has, which can be considered a challenge beyond one's level to a certain extent.

A large part of the reason is that young master Holmes is a nobleman and the heir to a baronship, so he would naturally learn the family's martial arts and body tempering techniques.

But Holmes had never actually fought on the battlefield. For someone like Gerns, who had experienced several battles, the fighting instincts left in his body were something Holmes would never possess.

Therefore, there is a reason why Gerns was able to barely hold his own against Holmes.

Young Master Holmes's tent was a gray tent that was more than ten square meters in size.

The huge tent was decorated with many rare items on both sides, such as a military sand table placed in the center of the tent with small flags in some areas.

The flowerpot next to it didn't contain any flowers, but instead contained a vine with transparent bell-shaped leaves that were both emerald green and bright silver.

On the desk at the innermost part of the military tent was a fixed three-pronged ink bottle holder and a copper three-pronged candlestick with a butter candle burning.

The desktop was neatly organized, with every item arranged in an orderly fashion.

A large screen was placed on the right side of the desk. Gerns guessed that the area behind the screen was where young master Holmes rested.

At this moment, a tall, brown-haired young man was sitting at a desk, flipping through military books in front of him. When he noticed Gerns barging into the tent, he glanced up slightly at Gerns, who was standing at the tent entrance.

The young man's pupils were silver-gray, like a smoothed sword blade, piercing straight into Gerns's heart.

This must be Master Holmes, right?

Gerns thought to himself.

Young Master Holmes did not recognize the young man standing before him, carrying two bottles of ale, but recalling the messages and intelligence sent by the military commander the previous evening, he believed that this young man was the private who had defended against the goblin attack the previous evening.

However, it must be said that Gerns's messy hair, worn-out leather armor, and the two bottles of ale he was carrying made him look quite comical.

Yes, it's just ridiculous.

This is how the young master Holmes, with his profound aristocratic upbringing, described Gerns at this moment.

However, when he considered that this was a soldier who came from a real civilian background, young Holmes felt relieved and even became a little interested in him.

The squad leader in front of me, with his gray-black hair and a size bigger than me, had become famous throughout the entire camp after yesterday's goblin raid.

Just then, the team was about to set off, but they were short two company commanders. In particular, the new recruits sent from the rear had already arrived, but the positions of company commanders had not yet been decided.

The selection of the squadron leader has been discussed several times but no decision has been made. Firstly, there are several qualified candidates, but there are only two positions available, and there are countless people eyeing such powerful positions.

Secondly, the two most important figures in the military camp had not yet given orders. His father, Baron Holmes, and his teacher, Cavalry Captain Reinard, had not spoken yet, so anything else was just a waste of breath.

Gerns was the most popular candidate among them, with two other squadron leaders and deputy leaders recommending him.

However, upon closer reflection, these people were all of commoner origin and did not understand the balance of power among nobles. This crude way of forming factions made young Holmes grin from ear to ear.

Of course, Gerns's strength and qualifications are up to standard. Although there have been many doubts about what happened in the past two days, it has also given him considerable prestige in the camp.

Reputation is extremely important in the military. It not only helps you secure your current position but also enhances the team's combat capabilities.

As for age, that's what Master Holmes hates the most.

He himself was in his early twenties, and he was still serving as the deputy captain of a cavalry squadron in the army.

Although he only joined the army last year, and because he led a cavalry unit, the recent battle in the canyon had not yet reached its final stage, so young Holmes did not personally experience that bloody grinder.

Gerns had experienced battles large and small. Although the original owner of this body had died in the previous flesh mill, the fighting instincts left in his body were enough to increase his chances of survival in battle.

Therefore, overall, the probability of Gerns being promoted is probably fifty-fifty.

Seeing that Gerns was carrying two bottles of ale and holding a rather inconspicuous crystal, looking at him with a slightly nervous expression, young master Holmes understood about seven or eight parts of the situation.

This kid's got a good head on his shoulders.

"Sir, I am Gerns from the Third Company. I recently acquired a few bottles of fine wine. Please have a taste."

After the initial curiosity and nervousness, Gerns immediately took out the two bottles of ale and the deep purple stone: "And this crystal is also a gift I would like to offer to you, sir. I hope you will find it pleasing."

"Hmm, not bad..."

Young Master Holmes nodded slightly, and was about to gesture for it to be placed on the table when his pupils contracted slightly as his gaze swept over the deep purple stone, but quickly returned to normal.

Looks like I brought the right thing.

Noticing Holmes's gaze, Gerns placed the wine on the shelf and respectfully handed the crystal to him: "This is what I found on one of the goblin corpses after we wiped out the attacking goblin squad yesterday. It must be quite valuable, and I probably don't need it, so I'm offering it to you, young master."

"Okay, put it there."

Young Master Holmes closed the military book he was holding in his right hand and casually pointed to the wooden table in front of him with his left hand.

Gerns placed the crystal in a position that he felt was appropriate, trying to make it look less obtrusive on the otherwise tidy table.

Young Master Holmes seemed somewhat surprised by Gerns's actions, and unconsciously began to have a different opinion of the soldier in front of him.

He never expected that a common soldier would have such a delicate mind.

After putting his things away, Gerns retreated to the center of the tent, lowering his eyes and trying to appear as respectful as possible.

Seeing Gerns's respectful demeanor, young Master Holmes's goodwill towards him increased, and he immediately asked, "Which town are you from? How old are you?"

"Reporting to you, sir, I am twenty years old in Seagull Town."

Upon hearing Gerns say that he was twenty years old, Holmes immediately became interested. Everyone said that Gerns was too young to be a company commander, but Holmes didn't know that he was two years younger than him.

"I heard you participated in the recent siege?"

"Yes, sir."

Holmes had heard plenty of stories about this war, which could be described as a battle for the fate of the Kingdom of Collington and the Kingdom of Mukolin, from those around him. However, these veteran soldiers were all recounting how valiant they had been.

On the contrary, his teacher told him that individual bravery is nothing in a bloody battle involving hundreds of thousands of people.

Let alone his Gold-ranked beginner knight teacher, even a Gold-ranked advanced knight wouldn't have been able to help. Gold-ranked beginner knights are already considered top-tier combat power within the baron's territory, and they also struggled extremely hard in that bloody battle.

It must be said that the Baron's ability to cultivate a Gold-level novice knight on his own territory is indeed a force to be reckoned with.