Warrior Training System

It was the second afternoon since Magisteria’s forces sent reinforcements to aid Karem Earldom, but they were still a day’s journey away, and with the road’s troubles, even that felt like a stretch.

"Too many damn monsters out here," Cassian muttered. He and his unit, along with a few others, had pushed ahead of the main group to clear out monsters slowing the reinforcements. The commander had ordered a few units to handle anything that might stall the thousand-man army, avoiding more delays.

For some reason, Lieutenant Alix had tapped Shera to lead the men for this job. The monsters were mostly low-star, easily handled with mana guns, and even two-star ones could be taken down with enough firepower. Their group of about thirty had plenty of that—four first-circle warriors, four Emberling mages, Shera as a third-circle warrior, and one Pyraxis-ranked mage.

"Back in the city, the early days of the monster wave had this many beasts, but Commander Julius and the high-circle warriors and mages cut their numbers down quick and set up defensive lines," Shera said, talking to a mage in robes clutching a hefty grimoire as he rode behind her. Cassian, riding nearby, caught their conversation as they kept a faster pace to stay ahead of the main group.

"I heard the current earl is a seventh-circle warrior with war armor. Why’s he not doing anything?" the mage, Carlo, a middle-aged guy with neatly trimmed dark brown hair and beard, asked.

"No clue," Shera replied. "But what I do know is the earl didn’t request reinforcements from our city—his younger brother did. Makes me think something’s off. If it wasn’t for direct orders from the commander, I wouldn’t be here. Dealing with nobles is always a mess, so I’d rather keep my distance."

"The earl’s brother asked for reinforcements? Why didn’t Julius tell me?" Cassian wondered, confused. Julius had tasked him with secretly investigating the situation in Karem Earldom, but hadn’t shared a damn thing—not even that the earl had war armor, which Cassian only learned from someone else.

’I’d rather take on the cult straight-up than deal with nobles already knee-deep in their own shit,’ Carlo said, his voice thick with disdain and a touch of anger. "They’re the type to stab you in the back, even if it means losing to the cult or, worse, joining them. All they care about is saving their own asses and getting stronger, even if it’s at the expense of their people."

Cassian nodded, agreeing with the mage. He’d heard plenty about nobles pulling shady moves—some for gold, others for power, and a few just to feed their sick, sadistic urges.

Not every noble was rotten—Cassian had met some decent ones, like Wanni, Julius, and Lady Katherine. They were alright, but they could be distant with those beneath them, the folks they didn’t deal with daily. Did that make them bad? Cassian didn’t think so; he was pretty indifferent to strangers himself. But nobles were different. Their subjects gave offerings in exchange for protection and aid, so ignoring them was like shirking their duties. In that sense, yeah, you could call them bad. At least Julius was out here fighting the war.

"What’s on your mind?" Lumine asked, noticing Cassian lost in thought.