Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 62: The Duchy’s Lance Cavalry

"Does it make sense for cavalry to be excluded from His Highness the Crown Prince’s first campaign?"

With two days left until the Crown Prince’s campaign, Michael and I were in the middle of a discussion when we were dumbfounded by the sight of ten knights who suddenly stormed into the Military Department. These were knights of the Beren Lance Cavalry, widely regarded as the duchy’s most elite mounted force. Michael quickly grasped the situation and asked:

"So you want to participate as well? In His Highness’s first campaign?"

"That’s right, Sir Michael. We also belong to the Military Department—why weren’t we called?"

"I thought the duchy troops alone would be sufficient. The operation doesn’t warrant calling you in."

"That’s disappointing. The duchy’s most elite cavalry cannot be excluded from such a glorious occasion."

In terms of sheer offensive power, the might of the Beren Lance Cavalry was the duchy’s finest—no exaggeration. The hundred cavalrymen Adolf had led in the stories were this very unit. I understood their desire to participate in the Crown Prince’s first campaign, but the opponents were mere vagrants.

Like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

On top of that, their campaign costs were staggering. Demanding payment for campaign expenses was a perfectly standard request, separate from the honor of participating in the Crown Prince’s first campaign. Having ten knights join meant a tremendous increase in fighting power, but at the same time, costs rose proportionally.

However, Michael and I didn’t oppose their participation. Campaign costs could be drawn without limit anyway—it was entirely Finance’s problem to handle. We had to redo the campaign formation, but Michael cheerfully revised the report, remarking that this was the first time in recent memory that budget planning had been this easy.

"Sir Michael, is this young knight perhaps the Gale Knight?"

"That’s right. Looks like even the glorious Lance Cavalry has heard of my brother-in-law."

"I’ve heard the heroic tale of how he protected His Highness the Crown Prince from assassins."

Oh, a Beren Lance Cavalry knight recognized me.

I actually had a personal fondness for the duchy’s proud elite orders—the Grand Duke’s Guard, the Imperial Knights, and the Beren Lance Cavalry. The Lance Cavalry in particular were elite horsemen who had fought many heroic battles reminiscent of the sweeping cavalry charges in fantasy films.

But the joy was short-lived—I sensed hostility in the knight’s gaze. Because of that, I hesitated mid-greeting, though since he was a senior knight, I maintained my courtesy. What? Why is he looking at me like that?

Finding it strange, I analyzed the emotion this man felt toward me with the Manager Scouter.

The emotion was unmistakable jealousy. Why would a Beren Lance Cavalry knight be jealous of me? What could he possibly be lacking? Being glared at like that by a knight from a group I had admired made anger flare up inside me.

Michael noticed the atmosphere turning awkward.

"Now, now—I’ll permit your participation, so head back for now."

"Then we’ll take that as confirmed and begin preparations."

"Ah, you did get permission from the cavalry commander, right?"

"He told us to show His Highness the Crown Prince the Lance Cavalry’s majesty."

One of the five powerful knights the Duchy of Beren boasted, whom I mentioned before, was the cavalry commander. Several cavalry units existed in Beren, but the title of cavalry commander was reserved for him alone—like a proper noun. So when someone said "the cavalry commander," everyone understood it to mean the Beren Lance Cavalry Commander.

After the knights left, Michael said to me:

"Those fellows seem to be jealous of you, brother-in-law."

"It seemed that way."

"The ones just now are nearly the lowest-ranking among the lancers. It wouldn’t have been easy for them to advance, since outstanding senior riders are entrenched above them. Then they heard about His Highness’s campaign and figured that if they participated and earned some merit, they might catch His Highness’s eye."

Well, self-promotion to catch the attention of superiors happens everywhere. From the Crown Prince’s perspective, he must have seen plenty of it. That was likely why he seemed cautious about selecting close confidants. Vermeer was a confidant among confidants, always at his side, and the Crown Prince had trusted Eisenach enough to appoint him guard captain.

As for Steinhof’s Fiel, he had been brought into the fold with full awareness of the prestigious sword family’s influence. I was someone who had caught the Crown Prince’s eye through Marquis Bertheim’s recommendation. Since that old man was notoriously stingy with his evaluations, his endorsement had made me stand out considerably in the Crown Prince’s view.

I had also saved the Crown Prince from assassins and been the first he had knighted. And being Hilda’s fiancé had certainly played a role as well. So from the outside looking in, I could fairly be called the Crown Prince’s confidant in both name and substance—though the actual depth of my personal friendship with the Crown Prince was still somewhat uncertain.

"You’re a low-ranking knight, yet you’ve earned the nickname Gale Knight and even become the War Minister’s son-in-law. It’s only natural for established knights to feel jealous."

"Like the crowd trying to get close to His Highness through me."

The old man had warned me about this.

From now on, people trying to latch on and people burning with jealousy would frequently appear around me. Of course, not everything was negative—Michael treated me like family, and Fiel was genuinely well-disposed toward me. So it was important to build a network of relationships to protect myself.

But the disappointment was real all the same.

I had admired the Lance Cavalry. Of course, I had no intention of making the mistake of judging the whole by a handful of its members. The Lance Cavalry numbered two hundred, and these men were just the lowest ranks. Still, this campaign was shaping up to be a bit tiresome. I had a feeling those knights would try to test me.

"Whatever their reason for joining, the cavalry’s participation alone all but guarantees victory. Can vagrants armed with wooden spears stand against cavalry? They’ll collapse in a single charge. The rest of us will just be ceremonial extras."

The opponents were nothing more than vagrant bands who had crossed the border. Even if, by some cliché twist, an outstanding commander were leading them, the fundamental difference in weight class was so overwhelming that this was a fight we absolutely could not lose. On top of that, we outnumbered them more than four to one.

Even so, I didn’t particularly relish the idea of being reduced to extras for the cavalry.

"Brother-in-law, your mission is to support me and assist His Highness, right?"

"That’s right. I have no intention of neglecting my duty, so don’t worry."

"That’s what I like about you—you’re reasonable. Let’s leave the fighting to the ones who are eager for it. The merit will be credited to His Highness the Crown Prince regardless, and we’ll be duly recognized as his subordinates."

That was true. Just as my retainers considered my honor to be their own, I should think of the Crown Prince’s honor as mine. My role wasn’t to perform on the battlefield but to support the Crown Prince and ensure the battle concluded safely.

Neigh!

Whoa, whoa!

"Your riding skills have improved considerably."

"Thanks to the noble Valkyrie’s instruction."

Whenever I had a spare moment, I went to the royal ranch with Hilda to take riding lessons. I was training hard so as not to be looked down on by those lancer knights. And there were tangible results. With Hilda at my side teaching me rigorously, my proficiency had increased greatly, and I had mastered Stage 1.

Thanks to that, I could now ride at full gallop. Schatten seemed pleased that I had mastered galloping and could let him run at full speed. He would occasionally give my shoulder a gentle nip, which Hilda said was a form of affection. That was how close Schatten and I had become.

Hilda rode Michael’s horse Briese and ran alongside me.

I had felt guilty about not being able to spend any time with Hilda over the past few days, but fortunately this riding session doubled as a date of sorts. Hilda told me that one of her long-held romantic notions had been exactly this—riding side by side with her husband. At first, she had been alarmed because I nearly fell off.

"Wolf, how long will you be gone?"

"I can’t say for certain, but it should take at least a week."

"That long? I don’t know if I can bear missing you."

My heart skipped a beat at Hilda’s gaze as she looked at me with those deep eyes.

How did Hilda always manage to say such captivating things? She seemed to know exactly what made my heart race. In any case, I spent a pleasant time on this riding date with Hilda. But riding wasn’t all we practiced. The next important thing was mounted combat.

Fundamentally, it was difficult to wield a longsword on horseback.

So Hilda had helped me purchase a new weapon—a cavalry sword, an improved arming sword. I had actually been considering a curved sword, but curved swords were regarded as weapons used by heathens, so I ended up choosing the cavalry sword instead. As far as I knew, the only country currently using curved swords was Hungary.

What surprised me, though, was that Hilda was at a considerable level not only in riding but also in mounted combat. Having just begun training by following the Mounted Combat Manual, I engaged in mounted sparring with Hilda using wooden swords while maintaining posture. Her technique of smoothly disrupting my balance and deflecting my attacks was excellent.

When cavalry engaged in close combat, bladed weapons couldn’t kill through armor. So the focus was on neutralizing the opponent’s attack, making them drop their weapon, or unhorsing them. Skill depended largely on how well you controlled and handled your mount.

As a result, I was no match for Hilda in mounted combat. The moment I tried to swing at her, Hilda blocked my arm by bracing my elbow with her hand, and in that same instant, she lifted my foot out of the stirrup.

If she had followed through completely, I would have lost my balance and fallen off. And had I been wearing plate armor, that would have been a devastating blow. There is no easier prey than a knight who has been unhorsed. She truly deserved to be called a Valkyrie.

"Hehe, Wolf. I can do anything on horseback."

"Just wait—someday I’ll sweep you right off your saddle and onto mine."

"I look forward to that. Feel free to try anytime."

Hilda taunted me and rode Briese away, and I spurred Schatten to chase her. The chase continued until both Schatten and Briese swished their tails as if to say enough was enough. Hilda’s instruction did improve my mounted combat proficiency, but the problem was the cavalry lance.

Learning lance attacks required considerable training, and Stage 1 of the mounted combat basics covered cavalry sword proficiency, not lance work. Lance attacks would likely come in Stage 2. So for now, I couldn’t join the Lance Cavalry in making lance charges either.

"I’ll be praying to God for your safe return."

"I’ll be back before you know it, Hilda. Take good care of the house while I’m gone."