Chapter 41: Militia or Soldiers?

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should come and take a look at this!" Radir suddenly burst into Rynar's tent early in the morning, his words filled with excitement.

"Oh?" Rynar's interest was piqued instantly.

"Chirp chirp chirp~" Pushing open the slightly ajar door, Rynar immediately spotted five tiny Griffins scrambling around in a nest made of straw. 

Their brown bodies, white heads, and flapping tawny wings looked incredibly adorable, completely at odds with the fierce image they would one day project! 

Having just opened their eyes, they were curious about everything. 

When they saw Rynar enter, the little Griffins showed no fear; instead, they all raised themselves and waddled to the edge of the nest, opening their beaks wide and squawking for food.

"Radir, they actually hatched? Isn't this a bit early?" 

Rynar recalled that Griffins typically needed at least four weeks to hatch, and he was certain that less than two weeks had passed since the eggs were laid. 

He even wondered if his Griffins were some sort of counterfeit...

"Hehe, it took me two weeks just to get here…" Radir chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Oh, that explains it!" Rynar said, suddenly enlightened.

"Your Majesty should consider training Griffin knights soon, and finding suitable riders for them should also be prioritized," Radir gazed at Rynar with admiration, his heart filled with contentment.

"Yes, it is indeed time to think about the Griffin knights," Rynar replied thoughtfully. 

After all, the best way to train Griffin riders was to start from a young age. 

Griffins were known for their loyalty; they typically only acknowledged their first master or their master's offspring. 

For their long lives, often spanning hundreds of years, they would follow their original owner into battle and life. 

After their master's death, they would remain by the side of their master's descendants until their own demise. 

Thus, one Griffin could forge a knightly lineage lasting for centuries. 

It was crucial to thoroughly vet potential riders for these five Griffins. 

While the citizens and soldiers under Rynar's rule were wholly loyal to him now, that might not hold true as his territory expanded!

By the way, it's worth mentioning that the lifespan of the Zaltarion people is as long as that of the Númenóreans, though slightly shorter. 

They typically live for two to three hundred years, so a Griffin could easily serve a knight's family for three generations.

"Caslow!" Rynar called out as he found Caslow, who was busy feeding his dragon. 

Upon seeing Rynar striding toward him with an unrestrained cheerfulness, Caslow looked up.

"My lord! Have you encountered some good news?" Caslow immediately noticed the excitement plastered across Rynar's face.

"The Griffins have hatched; we can start looking for their riders!" Rynar exclaimed joyfully.

"That's fantastic news! In a year, we'll have five Griffin knights at our disposal! Finally, I won't have to guard the skies alone," Caslow sighed in relief.

"As a dragon knight, you should be capable of training Griffin knights, right?" Rynar assessed Caslow with a scrutinizing gaze.

"My lord, are you underestimating me? Training other air knights is no challenge at all! 

Besides dragon knights, I'm unbeatable in the realm of aerial combat! 

Who dares to claim they can outdo me? They've never experienced the despair of being on the receiving end of a dragon's breath!" Caslow boasted.

"Such confidence! But from what I know, the Holy Light Pegasus knights aren't any weaker than dragon knights…" Rynar remarked, suddenly dropping a hint of doubt.

"What?! My lord, the Holy Light Pegasus has been extinct for how many years? How could a creature with bones as brittle as dust possibly still exist?" Caslow protested vehemently. 

The sacred nature of the Holy Light Pegasus made them comparable to dragon knights, but their dwindling population led to their ultimate extinction; after all, wild Holy Light Pegasi were so scattered that one might live a lifetime without encountering another of the opposite sex...

"Don't say that; it's possible we might see a return of Holy Light Pegasus knights in the future." 

Rynar smiled mysteriously, believing that, with the system he possessed, he should... hopefully be able to gain their loyalty.

"Um…" Caslow scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.

"Alright, go and pick suitable candidates among the children of the villagers," Rynar assigned this task to Caslow, as this was a meticulous endeavor.

After sending Caslow off, Rynar decided to find something to occupy himself. 

He suddenly realized that, after being pulled out of bed by old Radir, he had completely forgotten to sign in that morning, so he stood in the military camp and did just that.

"System sign-in!"

"Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host, you have received a summon for 500 Light Infantry."

"What the heck! Good heavens!" Rynar was taken aback, shocked at the sudden reward of 500 troops. 

After all, he had only entered the Battle of the Lonely Mountain with 500 men; this effectively brought him back to full strength!

"Wait a minute? Summoned Light Infantry? Come on! Can the system switch it up? I'd be fine with 100 Rapid Infantry instead…" Rynar examined the details and instantly wore a pained expression...

What did "Summon Light Infantry" even mean? To put it nicely, it was an emergency recruitment of lightly armed soldiers; to put it bluntly, they were militia…

If the Rapid Infantry were considered cannon fodder, these guys were merely human obstacles on the battlefield. 

They had no combat experience and their equipment was horrifically subpar... Naturally, one couldn't expect much from ordinary people summoned in a pinch.

As Rynar pondered this, a soldier on the city wall suddenly reported a massive wave of refugees heading toward the city. 

Soon after, several knights rode out to intercept and scout the situation.

 (Thanks to the military camp's proximity to the eastern city wall, the garrison could quickly ascend the walls or leave the city to intercept.)

"Giddy up!" The knights who had just exited the city returned in a rush.

"Your Majesty! They are the Empire's summoned Light Infantry! I can hardly believe there are still organized summoned soldiers wandering out here!" 

The knight appeared quite surprised.

...

"Boom!" 

With a cacophony of clattering, the Light Infantry finally managed to kneel before Rynar, who couldn't help but wince. 

These soldiers were even worse than those in a game! 

What stood before him were not soldiers at all! They looked more like armed refugees; no wonder the sentinels mistook them for a tide of refugees...

Rynar examined the summoned infantry before him, a look of disappointment creeping across his face. 

To start with their armor, they weren't even clad in iron armor, let alone leather armor… 

Good heavens, they were essentially parading around in mere fabric! 

They were poorer than Azog's orc legion. Their weaponry was pitiful; besides a single 60-centimeter iron one-handed sword, they had no other weapons at all...

Rynar couldn't help but gaze up at the sky; this truly exemplified the extreme of being lightly equipped! What level of light armor was this?! 

In his memory, the Light Infantry at least had leather armor and iron helmets, plus weapons like long swords and a leather round shield...

On this day, Rynar felt the malice of the system and understood just how vast the differences in Light Infantry could be...

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