First Battle

Damian's Gothingen County is situated on the northeast side of the Lozarengia Principality, near the modern German Ruhr area.

In medieval Europe, this region was a home to barbarian tribes amidst forests, swamps, and rivers, teeming with various rogues and bandits.

Damian understood that the most crucial aspect of an army was the smooth flow of commands. Therefore, he immediately appointed captains and standard bearers for the three teams and organized the archers' squad to march in between two spearman formations.

Although this force consisted of only 120 people, Damian still spent nearly half a day familiarizing himself with the intricacies of military command. Despite the basic discipline instilled by the system and their moderate military knowledge, these 120 individuals were still essentially militia, prone to lagging behind, stumbling, or even spraining their ankles while marching.

After covering 8 kilometers, they were nearing the high ridge mentioned in the countess's plea for help. With the army already scanty, Damian ordered a rest.

During the meal break, Damian dispatched two nimble archers to scout ahead.

The archers quickly reported back that around the besieged high ridge of the countess, three Green Skin tribes were roaming, totaling several hundred.

Green Skins, or Orcs, were a formidable group spread across the globe. They encompassed the diminutive Goblins, succeeded by the cunning yet frail Hobgoblins, and the towering, resilient Orcs, creating three distinct factions.

Goblins acted as reserves and sacrificial pawns due to their small size; Hobgoblins, adept at strategy but physically weak, often collaborated in groups; meanwhile, Orcs stood tall, exhibiting ferocity, and served as the backbone of every Orc warband.

The Green Skin tribes thrived by raiding and occasionally tending to mushroom cultivation. When a warband fostered a notable Orc chieftain adept in plundering, they ascended to a Green Skin warband. Should this Orc leader garner renown and strike fear into numerous Green Skin tribes, they could orchestrate a grand raid, thereby ascending to the rank of warlord.

To become a warlord, one needed not just bravery but also exceptional intellect and organizational skills.

Clearly, Damian had encountered a rare small-scale raid, orchestrated by a potential Orc warlord.

All this information was recorded in the monastery's museum, where Damian had the privilege to study.

"Boss, are we going to rescue that woman?" The captains were all filled with dread. A peasant army had no capability to confront multiple adversaries, even if most of them were cowardly and inept Goblins.

"Observe carefully and find their warlord. That's the only chance for victory," Damian said, focusing on studying the distribution of the three Green Skin tribes.

Soon, Damian identified the tribe with the best position and the largest force as the one likely harboring the Orc warlord.

Damian called his subordinates over and said, "Hide in the bushes as I instructed..."

---

On the high ridge, the bedraggled members of the Gothingen Court Knight Order were taking advantage of a brief shift change to rest and recuperate.

Every count and higher-ranking nobility would organize their own knight order as a core combat force. The Countess of Gothingen, Conosa von Nosnberg, was no exception.

A gentle breeze lifted a corner of the carriage's curtain.

"So, my esteemed stable master, Sir Howard, has abandoned me like this? How amusing. A mere commoner, how could he understand the intricacies of the principality's internal affairs."

In the quiet carriage, a seductive voice softly spoke.

But no servant would truly believe that the woman on the bed was pitiable.

She was one of the most esteemed nobles in the principality, inheriting the bloodline of generations of kings. Just from her long string of middle names, one could discern the status of Conosa von Nosnberg.

The curtains lifted, revealing her breathtaking beauty. She was a mature and graceful lady with a figure that was both alluring and captivating.

Her skin, as smooth as pearl and jade, was hidden beneath the silk and chiffon gown, exuding a dense and enchanting allure. Her astonishing beauty was accentuated by the delicate, frost-like contours of her face.

Cascading over her shoulders were lustrous black locks, while her eyes, resembling emeralds, seemed capable of capturing anyone's heart.

There was no doubt that Countess Conosa von Norsenburg was the epitome of beauty. She was exceptionally cunning, frequently employing stratagems and outsmarting her brothers in the competition for control of Gothingen County.

However, now she faced the precarious situation of betrayal. Her beauty was well-known among humans and Green Skins alike. If such a beautiful woman fell into the hands of the Green Skins... the kind of malicious treatment she would endure was already vividly depicted by artists and poets.

"If Howard hadn't made excuses to take away the accompanying spear and archer units, why would we engage in a war of attrition with precious knights and Green Skins? Howard deserves to die!"

These were the words of the chief of the household knights, a close friend of Conosa, Lady Joan. She was also a lady renowned for her beauty but was now heavily wounded.

There were a total of 65 household knights, including their squires, and dozens had already fallen.

If the battle continued, all the elite knights of Gothingen County would perish, and their independent status would be in jeopardy.

"My... my lady, many militiamen have appeared in the forest!"

Suddenly, the knights all perked up, hearing the excited shouts of the messengers.

Countess Conosa, disregarding her usual grace, hurried out of the carriage, tiptoeing along with Joan to witness the appearance of the supporting militia.

But as they looked left and right, all they saw was a monk riding a donkey, ambling at the edge of the forest.

---

Damian was drenched in sweat, trying to calm down the restless donkey.

Beside him were two carts, seemingly broken down with axles snapped, stranded.

This was the entire team's month's worth of provisions.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

To the perennially impoverished Green Skins, these two carts and the donkey were a wealth of resources! The news quickly spread among the Green Skin tribes, and a large group mobilized. However, the largest tribe soon ousted the remaining two, intending to claim the spoils for themselves.

Damian observed while edging closer to the forest, feigning a desperate escape, not even wanting the food.

As expected, this bait enticed the Green Skin chieftains in the tribe to ride out on giant wild boars, relentlessly chasing after him.

As predicted, the Green Skin tribes lacked mounts, and the chieftains couldn't resist the urge to pursue, breaking away from the main force.

But compared to the towering, robust Orcs standing at two meters tall, Damian seemed frail. Even the knights on the hillside shook their heads in pity and regret.

The Green Skins kept roaring, their proud chieftains closing in on the "terrified" Damian.

At that moment, most people thought he was doomed.

However, Damian made a critical decision at this juncture, abandoning the donkey to make a run for it while driving the animal towards the forest.

Without hesitation, the chieftains chased after the fleeing donkey, as livestock was more valuable than humans.

As Damian dismounted and ran, 40 peasant archers emerged from hiding, aiming their arrows at the greedy Green Skin chieftains.