73 Chapter 73: At the Frontlines (I) Friends and Foes

"No, don't go there, that is where the nobles and knights go to eat."

A hand held his shoulder but compared to their first introduction, this time the gesture was not out of malice.

The small unit he was in, was just 4 commoners and himself, all being trained by one knight during most hours of the day, which included more ridicule than training.

Kilian gnawed at a dry piece of bread, the flavorless texture having trouble going down his throat.

He had thought back on his trip and the strange actions of Sail.

'Why did he go through that idiotic act?'

The moment he had been trapped, there had been no need to protect him other than to get him to the frontlines in one piece.

It had even seemed as if the Hetahgraves had asked for some despicable treatment when handling Kilian.

So why had Sail gone through that annoying display, putting on an act?

In hindsight, it had saved Kilian some trouble, he was grateful to not have encountered, and he had slept in a nice bed during the nights with Sail, compared to his time now as a scout.

He was at the frontlines, and it seemed as if the knight that had taken Kilian in, had not informed anyone else that he was a noble, so he was therefore treated like a commoner.

There was no way for Kilian to prove his identity, even his cane was still among the many objects the Mercenaries had been hauling.

"The trainer is here, quick get up."

The guy next to him quickly threw the food bowl aside and dragged Kilian to his feet, standing at attention when a knight in full armor came up before the tent.

The expression on the man's face stated he was somewhere he considered filthy, and the demeanor was haughty when he spoke.

"Get out all of you, pick up your weapons, and do some sparring."

The training as a scout was utter nonsense Kilian thought. They had not done any training except fight each other with wooden swords for the past several days.

A wooden sword was thrown his way, and he lined up in front of his new friend who had taken a stand in front of him as well.

This guy had taken him under his wing so to say and helped him familiarize himself with the camp and unspoken rules.

Basically, touch nothing and say nothing around the knights and nobles except for "yes, Sir and No, Sir."

The grin on the knight's face was big, and the frown that had occupied it earlier had completely vanished.

"Whoever wins their duel will get double portion tonight."

Usually, this would make them go at each other as the food was already scarce, but Kilian and his new comrade had taken turns in winning and losing, so it would look convincing.

"Kil, it is your turn." A contagious grin flashed on his friend's face and Kilian smirked back, picking up the wooden sword.

It was too long and heavy for him, and even if he had had plenty of combat training and done sword fighting together with Dante, he was now hindered by this weight and instead used it to look like a beginner.

"Get ready, Cal." Kilian let out, lifting the sword as much as he could while lunging himself at Cal.

The wooden swords hit each other sending small shocks through Kilian's hands, but he kept going, til the sweat started to wet his shirt.

Only then would their trainer be satisfied. Two other knights had joined in watching the spars. It was common by now, and soon they would make wagers on the ones who would win.

Kilian slid his sword down across Cal's front, and Cal fell back on the ground, hitting the dirt with his palm, to concede defeat.

The spectacle seemed to amuse the knights, and Kilian threw the sword aside.

'We are not actually training to become scouts, they are just using us for amusement.'

His insides were burning with rage at these knights who did not give the commoners any chance to defend themselves if it came to real combat.

Still, they kept sending out units where only the commoners rarely returned.

His only hope would be that his grandfather would be on his way, but it was trampled on the next second when the trainer walked over to the group of young men.

"Tonight is your lucky time, you all." The grin on his face crept up under his eyes of the man.

"You are the scouts designated for the area to the west of here."

Kilian swallowed hard, trying not to punch this man.

A scouting party was not followed by a knight, and they would be on their own.

What they should have been learning was not fighting but hiding, speed, and being able to go undetected.

Kilian looked over at his newly acquired friend. The terror on the face was hard to hide, and Kilian sighed.

"Will we be ok?"

Kilian didn't respond, the brown-haired man next to him was not much bigger than himself, and he knew from their talks Cal had been a farmer's son before joining the knights chasing promises.

"Yeah." Kilian just answered, not sure it even convinced himself, but the dejected look on the four other people in the tent was not helping.

It was evening now, and a knight came to the tent.

It was their trainer. Kilian was handed a piece of paper with a few simple instructions, as he was the only one who could read.

"We have heard rumors of a specific monster in the forest in this area, you are all sent out to scout the perimeter and are to report back to the knights with any findings."

'Monsters…' Kilian thought to himself biting his lip. If only it had been some enemy camp, at least they could deal with humans. But unknown monsters? He wasn't sure what to expect now.

"Yes, Sir." He replied, and the man patted his back hard amused at the clear acceptance coming from this young scrawny guy.

They were wearing simple clothing in earthy colors and each carried a short sword on their hips. Nothing else was provided.

"Just get back before morning." Was the last command they were given before setting off.

They all walked in silence towards the exit of the camp area and set off towards the direction indicated on a map Kilian had been handed.