I even have very vivid memories of some of the castles, fortresses and towns where brutal wars broke out. After all, I almost lost my life several times.
As a warrior who has been going to the battlefield to earn commissions since he was nine years old, and has been fighting, fighting, and fighting all his life, trying his best to fight against his extremely tragic fate, he actually has been longing for love and acceptance all his life.
But the cruel reality has torn apart this humblest wish time and time again.
This is also why Guts pays so much attention to his companions after joining the Eagle Group.
Because in his mind, that was the only place where he felt a sense of belonging.
Griffith, in particular, was strictly speaking the first friend who revived his dead heart, and Casca was the only woman who made him feel a sense of responsibility and wanted to spend his life with her.
But these two people who were extremely important to him, had an explosive scene where one of them raped the other in front of him after becoming a demon.
Therefore, the overwhelming hatred does not only come from the humiliation, pain, and torture suffered, but more from the betrayal of the strong feelings given.
Griffith not only betrayed Guts, but also betrayed the trust, admiration and following of all members of the Hawk.
Most importantly, this is not the first betrayal Guts has experienced in his life.
To be precise, when he was young, he was betrayed by his adoptive father Gambino and was sold to another strong bald mercenary for just a few silver coins, where he was raped for a whole night.
Afterwards, he even pretended to be ignorant and fooled people.
If it weren't for the fact that Gambino became increasingly unbalanced after breaking his leg, and finally wanted to kill his adopted son out of jealousy to vent his anger, Guts would probably never have known the truth.
At that time, he also gave his adoptive father great trust and even handed over all the money he earned, just to win the other party's recognition and no longer be a useless person who eats for free.
But what is the result?
When he subconsciously killed the other person in self-defense, he unexpectedly learned from Gambino that his adoptive father had always resented him and thought he was a devil's son who brought misfortune.
Therefore, his adoptive father never really had the intention of accepting him as a member of the family. Instead, he used all kinds of despicable means to exploit and humiliate him.
The day Gus killed Gambino was the last time in his life that he cried helplessly like a child.
Perhaps this moment is the key turning point in his transformation from a child to an adult.
Because he finally realized that, apart from the adoptive mother who dug him out of a pile of dead bodies when he was just born with the umbilical cord still attached, no one in this world had ever truly loved him.
But a few years after adopting her, her adoptive mother contracted the Black Death and died in pain.
Sometimes Guts even hated himself, feeling that he would bring despair and death wherever he went.
Otherwise, why did his biological mother die right after giving birth to him? Why did his adoptive mother get infected with the Black Death not long after adopting him? Even his adoptive father, Gambino, might not have ended up like that if he hadn't been there.
Later, the annihilation of the Eagle Group and Casca's dazed look after being raped reminded Guts all the time that he was a disaster that would bring misfortune to those closest to him.
So after recovering from his injuries, he embarked on a journey of revenge. He no longer wanted to have anything to do with anyone. He just wanted to fight this damn fate in his own way like a lone wolf, until one day he couldn't hold on any longer and fell down.
In other words, Gus is on a path of self-destruction.
As long-term loneliness, anger, hatred and other negative emotions continue to accumulate, the brutal beast that has been nurtured in his heart is becoming more and more powerful.
When Guts's current personality was devoured by the beast, that was the moment he fell completely into the net of the law of cause and effect of the God of the Abyss.
That's why the Skeleton Knight helped him again and again, and even took the initiative to arrange for him to meet the old witch and the little witch so that he could obtain the Berserker Armor that he had used before.
Because as a person who has experienced it, the Skeleton Knight knows very well that the greatest weapon to fight against fate and the law of causality is not anything else but "human nature".
So Guts must maintain his humanity and never give it up for revenge.
Otherwise, they will become no different from the apostles and the Hand of God, and eventually become part of the evil intentions of all mankind.
Of course, Gus doesn't realize this yet.
He simply wanted to meet Zuo Si and find out how the other party knew about the feud between him and Griffith, as well as information about the Hand of God and even the God of the Abyss behind them.
After all, he and Casca were the only ones to survive that horrific sacrifice.
Casca had become dull and stupid due to the extreme mental stimulation and was unable to leak any information to the outside world.
So Gus had no idea how a foreign prince from the West knew all this.
You know, even the nearest Kingdom of Midland knows very little about this matter.
With countless questions and curiosity, Gus headed west along the road, soon passing through one town after another, and constantly inquiring about news from the western countries in taverns along the way.
You won’t know the result until you ask, and you’ll be shocked when you do.
Many of the countries and lords he had served as a mercenary were completely destroyed by the attacks from all sides by Zuo Si's army.
Thousands of families with names and surnames were uprooted, some of which could be traced back hundreds of years, older than the countries they existed in.
But now, faced with the rolling tide of history, all their acts of resistance ultimately became futile and beyond their capabilities.
“I’m telling you, don’t listen to that drunkard’s nonsense.
They all secretly accepted money from the noble lords, so they deliberately spread the news about how evil, cruel and bloodthirsty the enemies were.
They wanted to cause panic among the people, and then arm them all and send them to their deaths when necessary.
But as far as I know, there has never been any record of the kingdom's army looting towns or villages, nor has there been any rumor of massacring civilians.
The only people they usually cleared out were nobles and wealthy businessmen who had blood ties and interest relations with the nobles.
Not only will ordinary people not be harassed, but they can also get a piece of land of their own after the war.
Of course, in return, the families that received the land had to send a young and middle-aged laborer to join the army.
Moreover, after training to become a qualified soldier, as long as they can make contributions on the battlefield, they can receive rewards and promotions.
It is said that many generals who are currently leading their own troops in battle were promoted from the bottom step by step. "
A bald man dressed as a peddler sat opposite Gus and lowered his voice to dump out all the information he knew.
Of course, the reason why he was so enthusiastic was not because he was talkative or had a strong desire to express himself, but because he had a few coins shining with silver luster in his hands.
"So you think this unprecedented war and conquest is a good thing for most people?"
Gus took a sip of the wine in his glass and asked back in an uncertain tone.
Unlike Griffith, who is good at forbearance and highly sensitive to politics, he has always been a pure warrior and a rough man in the eyes of outsiders. He has almost no knowledge of social, economic, and political things.
The bald man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Don't ask me, I'm just a small vendor, how could I know these things.
But from the results, the living standards of the people in all the areas conquered and ruled by His Majesty King Roald I have been significantly improved.
Whether it's farming, herding, mining, working in factories and workshops, or joining the army as a soldier, at least you can fill your stomach without worrying about starving or freezing.
Moreover, nobility was no longer hereditary based on bloodline, but was granted based on a person's contributions.
This is much better than when everything was monopolized by the nobles.
The most important thing is that small merchants like us who earn a hard-earned money no longer have to be taxed every time we pass through a territory.
So from a businessman's perspective, I am definitely a supporter of His Majesty King Roald I.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to remind you.
Don't be tempted by the high bounties offered by local noble lords to work for them.
Because the kingdom's legions are equipped with gunpowder weapons on a large scale, so far no city walls or gates have been able to withstand the bombardment of large-caliber artillery.
Half a month ago, a group of reckless mercenaries went to the battlefield to earn this money. In the end, only three out of the two hundred people came back alive.
One of them lost a leg and had to use crutches for the rest of his life.”
"Large-caliber artillery? Are there a lot of them?"
Gus was clearly interested in the topic.
Because in the wars he participated in, although he had encountered castle fortresses equipped with artillery, for example, his adoptive father Gambino's leg was blown off by an artillery, but overall the number was very small. It was considered quite good if a castle had one or two cannons. In the end, the outcome still had to be decided by the fight of cold weapons.
But according to the other party's description, the number and power of this weapon have obviously been greatly improved in the army under Zuo Si.
He could almost imagine how desperate the mercenaries would be when they faced the bombardment of several or even dozens of cannons with their flesh and blood.
That's something that no armor or shield can block.
Just as the bald man opened his mouth to say something, a loud rumbling sound and slight vibration instantly caused all the patrons in the tavern and even the residents in the town to panic.
"Damn it! What happened?"
"I don't know! It seems to be the sound from the city gate!"
"It's... it's the cannons! King Roald I's army is coming!"
"What? This is impossible! Didn't you say a few days ago that the battlefield was far away from us?"
"Idiot! Will those despicable nobles tell you the truth? Use your brains and think about how many days our lord has not shown up?"
"Oh my God! You mean he got the bad news from the front and ran away with his family?"
"Is there any need to ask? Are you waiting to be hunted down and killed if you don't run?"
…
Amid the sounds of quarrels and curses, the whole town trembled under the heavy bombardment.
Many people who rushed into the streets witnessed the collapse of the sturdy city gates and walls with their own eyes, and great fear surged in their hearts.
But before they could react, soldiers in their iconic red and blue uniforms began to rush in through the collapsed gap in neat rows.
Some soldiers, mercenaries and officers loyal to the noble lords wanted to fight to the death, but they were all killed by a volley of muskets in the hands of the line infantry.
The collapsed city walls, the bright flames, the deafening noise, and the corpses lying on the ground with blood oozing out of their armor formed a shocking picture.
After completing a round of shooting, the soldiers began to squat down and clean the residue in the barrel according to the procedure, then re-introduced the gunpowder and stuffed the bullets in to complete the loading.
The soldiers following behind passed them and continued to advance.
Anyone who has ill intentions or wants to resist will be shot dead without hesitation.
Soon, the army occupied and controlled the streets and several important commanding heights in the city.
The leading officer then ordered the conscription of some local people to clear a path through the ruins of the collapsed city gates and walls.
Not long after, Gus saw several pack horses pulling a number of sturdy, large-caliber bronze artillery carts slowly entering the city from outside, and then being deployed around the lord's mansion castle.
The young officer, who looked to be only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, didn't even bother to say a word of persuasion to surrender, and directly gave his men the order to attack.
"Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! At this moment, everyone including Guts finally felt the terrifying power of the artillery up close.
Unlike the primitive cannons previously placed in castles or fortresses, although these bronze cannons were still muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons, the propellant they used was no longer the outdated black powder, but nitrocellulose, which was the most suitable propellant.
After all, for Zuo Si, there is no secret at all in the technology tree for the development of thermal weapons.
He only needed to tell the craftsmen what to do and the process of making the raw materials, and he could easily create a bunch of things that looked both advanced and backward and full of incongruity.
Of course, it is not ruled out that this was to some extent influenced by the "power of thinking" of the green-skinned orcs.
Otherwise, according to the normal historical development trajectory, such an outrageous combination of bronze cannon and nitrocellulose would never have appeared.
Before the invention of a stable and safe passivating agent, nitrocellulose was an absolutely dangerous item. It was the kind of weapon that would spontaneously combust and explode if left in a warehouse at an ambient temperature close to 40 degrees Celsius.
But for Zuo Si, solving these difficult problems that originally required a lot of experiments was just a matter of a word.
If the overall industrial level had not been improving too slowly and production capacity had not been unable to keep up, he would have even been able to produce thermal weapons close to the level of those used in the First World War.
You know, increasing steel production is not something that can be done in a short period of time.
The biggest problem encountered is the severe labor shortage.
Yes, you read that right, there is a labor shortage.
Because when a large number of serfs and tenants obtain land, they will not go bankrupt in large numbers and be forced to enter the city to become workers like the peasants in modern European history.
Especially in the extremely dangerous mining industry, the demand for labor has reached a point where supply cannot meet demand.
Some unscrupulous mine owners would even secretly give money to traders to ask them to buy defeated prisoners or refugees from other countries at low prices and bring them back to work as miners for them.
Although Zuo Si had ordered the abolition of the legality of slavery, mine owners would use contracts lasting twenty to thirty years to turn them into legal slave labor.
As for salary, it is only one-fifth of that of local miners or even lower.
Perhaps the only advantage is that food and accommodation are provided, although the food is a little worse and the accommodation is a little awful too.
If you are lucky enough to survive in the tunnel for twenty or thirty years, you can save up a pension to live out your old age.
However, the probability of this happening is not high.
After all, even if we ignore the mining accidents that may be caused by structural collapse at any time, just breathing in dust for more than ten or twenty years in the mine is extremely fatal damage to the lungs, and fibrosis is almost inevitable.
Therefore, most miners would not even live to be twenty years old and would end their short lives in severe coughing and suffocation.
They are like firewood that illuminates this dark world, burning themselves to create a better living environment for future generations.
Zuo Si turned a blind eye to this situation.
Because without relying on a lot of external forces, he didn't have any better solution.
This is the pain that mankind must inevitably go through when moving from an agricultural society to an industrial society, and no one is exempt.
If he relied heavily on power from outside this world to speed up the process of industrialization, he would certainly not be able to narrow the distance between himself and the God of the Abyss.
Or perhaps promoting such drastic social change itself was a way for him to communicate with the God of the Abyss.
Moreover, due to the rapid advancement of technology, the equipment of the various legions under Zuo Si was updated at an astonishingly fast speed, and it was common to use nitrocellulose cannons and black powder muskets at the same time.
Cannons that use nitrocellulose as propellant are designed to quickly take down strong strongholds such as castles and fortresses.
Most of the time, black powder muskets were enough to deal with aristocratic armies that were still stuck in the era of cold weapons.
Just like that, amid the roar of artillery, the castle that symbolized power and status quickly fell.
As everyone had expected, the noble lord had already fled with his family, leaving behind only a few abandoned soldiers and servants.
Although these guys did not put up too much resistance and some even tried to surrender, they were all slaughtered mercilessly.
In less than half an hour, there was not even a living dog left in the entire castle from top to bottom.
In stark contrast, the army did not carry out any form of looting or plundering in the entire town, but simply arrested a few merchants and officials who had close ties with the noble lords according to a list.
After the dust settled, order was quickly restored on the streets.
Although everyone was still a little afraid of this army, they finally felt relieved after discovering that they would pay for things and even bargain.
After all, it doesn't matter who rules. As long as the safety of the town is ensured and the taxation is not too outrageous, life will go on as usual.
Due to the lack of awakened national consciousness, the lower-class civilians in this world have no so-called "family and country feelings" at all, and will not fight for the interests of the noble lords.
About a few hours later, some of the more prestigious local merchants, craftsmen and citizens were organized to form a temporary parliament.
At the same time, notices were posted in conspicuous places, announcing that the land originally belonging to the nobles would be distributed in the coming period of time.
Anyone who wants to farm but does not have their own land can sign up.
Beyond that are some detailed instructions on new laws, regulations, and taxes.
Maybe many of the words sound difficult to understand, but overall the burden is definitely lighter than before.
As for the noble lord who had fled to an unknown place, he became a rat that everyone wanted to kill in a very short time.
Because those who received the land knew very well that if the noble lord came back, he would not only take away the land in their hands, but also settle accounts with all those who had obtained the land.
所以从加入分地行列的那一刻起，他们的利用就与左思紧密的绑定在一起。
随后便是通过抽签的方式选取一些获得土地的家庭征兵，然后对其进行整编和训练。
躲在暗处的格斯默默将这一切都看在眼里，同时在内心之中给这支军队打了一个极高的分数，甚至比格里菲斯领导下的鹰之团还要高得多。
因为即便是在鹰之团的黄金时代，格里菲斯所能做的也仅仅只是在国王、贵族的体系下为自己争取利益。
但这支军队却能摧枯拉朽般粉碎贵族的统治，然后把海量的平民拉拢到自己这边来。
最重要的是，对方在作战时所体现出来的严格纪律性，以及比佣兵高出不知道多少个级别的道德水平，完全跟他认识的传统军队有着本质上的区别。
最明显的一点就是那些士兵眼中并没有任何迷茫，也不会靠酗酒、找女人等寻欢作乐的方式来发泄在战场上积累的负面情绪。
就在几个小时前，格斯亲眼见到一名在之前作战中立下足够功勋的士兵被当众提升为了军官。
很显然，支撑这些士兵作战的并非是金钱，而是另外一种他无法理解的东西。
也许是某种坚定的信念……
也有可能是遥不可及的梦想……
“真该死！这感觉让我想起了当年在鹰之团的生活。”
格斯摸着身上那个象征着“祭品”隐隐作痛的烙印忍不住咒骂了一句。
就在他准备起身离开继续向西去看看左思统治下的其他城镇时，外面突然传来一阵刺耳的尖叫，紧跟着一个庞然大物瞬间拔地而起。
它看上去有点像是一朵巨大的食人花，花朵内部沾满了密密麻麻的锋利尖牙，周围则是多到难以计数不断蠕动的藤蔓。
才几秒钟的功夫，就有好几个平民被其抓住吞了下去。
是使徒？！
格斯眼睛里顿时迸射出骇人的杀意，同时也对自己没有感应到对方的存在而十分困惑。
因为他身上的烙印在某种程度上就相当于是一个预警器。
当来自幽界的魔物、使徒和神之手在附近的时候便会开始止不住的流血、疼痛。
对方的来头越大，疼痛感就越强烈。
像是神之手这个级别，仅仅只是靠近都会令其疼到失去意志。
正是靠着这一点，格斯才能不断找到使徒并猎杀对方。
可外面这个的情况却刚好相反。
他来到镇上已经有一段日子了，可是却从未感受到对方的存在。
不过作为一个并不善于思考的人，格斯并未犹豫太久，而是直接冲出去拔出背在身后的斩龙剑，二话不说便是一击力劈。
某个刚刚被藤蔓缠住的老人顿时逃过一劫，道了一声谢之后便迅速朝远处跑去。
“滚开！碍事的家伙！”
食人花使徒的声音中明显带着一丝紧张和焦虑。
“你这是在害怕什么吗？”
格斯敏锐的察觉到了这一点，脸上浮现出无比惊讶的表情。
因为大多数的使徒都由于献祭了自己的人性，所以变得十分傲慢、自大、嗜血、残暴，并且往往伴随着吃人的癖好。
他还从未见过会从一开始就表现出恐惧的使徒。
但遗憾的是食人花使徒显然并不想要回答任何问题，而是疯狂催动从自身延伸出来的藤蔓想要束缚住眼前这个不知死活挡在自己面前的敌人，然后将其一口吞下去吃掉。
可他显然并不知道，眼前这位黑衣剑士已经斩杀了不止一名强大的使徒，无论是肉体还是精神都早已超越了人类的极限。
还没等藤蔓靠近，格斯便毫不犹豫挥舞斩龙剑将周围所有的藤蔓全部斩断。
不仅如此！
他还举起金属义肢对准食人花巨大的脑袋一口气射出多支足以穿甲的弩箭。
剧烈的疼痛顿时让使徒发出惨叫。
“啊啊啊啊！！！！！！该死的蝼蚁！你怎么敢？”
“抱歉，你不是我杀死的第一个使徒，也绝对不会是最后一个。”
格斯趁势一跃跳到房顶，然后高高崛跃起朝着对方花瓣一样的脑袋狠狠砍了下去。
但下一秒……
他就看到巨大的花瓣突然张开嘴喷出一团红色的烟雾。
出于警惕，格斯立马选择屏住呼吸。
但当与这团红色烟雾触碰的刹那，他裸露在外的皮肤瞬间长出了大量奇痒无比的小红点。
那种令人发疯的感觉使其根本无法再握紧手中的剑，而是下意识挠了一下。
结果这一挠瞬间导致所有的红点破碎流出散发着刺鼻恶臭的液体，同时还伴随着无法用语言形容的剧痛，整个人直接从半空中栽倒在地上。
砰！ 得亏格斯战斗经验丰富，在半空的时候借助斩龙剑的重量调整了一下落地的角度，不然摔断胳膊或一条腿那就危险了。
可即便如此，他的状态也没好到哪去。
毕竟像这种拥有超自然力量的使徒终究只是极少数，大部分都是靠着强悍的肉体胡作非为。
所以他在这方面并无多少经验可以借鉴。
“呼——呼——呼——”
伴随着粗重的喘息声，早就习惯了受伤的格斯还是挣扎着从地上爬起来想要寻找斩杀对方的机会。
可遗憾的是他显然低估了那些红色雾气对身体的伤害。
才刚刚抬起脚往前走了一步，那种直达大脑中枢神经的剧痛又一次使其不由自主的全身绷紧失去行动能力。
而食人花使徒则趁机扑了上来。
当两者之间的距离越来越近时，格斯甚至能看到对方牙齿上擦留的碎肉与人血。
难道这里就是我丧命的地方吗？ 完全不能动的他脑海中开始回顾自己的一生。
但在卡思嘉的身影出现时，他原本已经开始有点涣散的瞳孔又再一次聚焦，强忍剧痛用尽全身力气挥出了一剑。
“哈哈哈哈！这就是你最后的垂死挣扎吗？真是软弱的让人发笑呢！”
食人花使徒轻而易举挥舞藤蔓将斩龙剑格挡开并发出赤裸裸毫不掩饰的嘲笑。
可下一秒他就笑不出来了。
因为一支全副武装的小队不知何时出现在周围建筑的屋顶上，先是一轮猛烈的炮击直接把使徒打得头晕目眩根本找不着北，随后又向所在位置发射了一些黑色的液体。
当使徒的身体开始不受控制吸收黑色液体的时候，原本巨大的体型便开始迅速收缩，最终变成一个干巴瘦的老头。
他整个人就像是精神崩溃了一样歇斯底里的大喊：“不！不！不！这不是真的！我献祭了那么多获得的力量怎么可能会失去？”
“哼！不过是区区一个第四等级的劣等使徒而已，你该不会以为自己可以逃过我们的追捕吧？”
为首的女人发出一阵轻蔑的冷笑，随后从屋顶一跃而下，抬起穿着铁靴的脚砰的一声将老头踹翻在地。
尤其是整个脑袋几乎完全陷入地面的泥土与血浆之中。
从这个动作不难看出，她就是故意在羞辱这个不知名的使徒。
其他队员见状也纷纷从屋顶跳下，取出一些刻着神秘符号与花纹的镣铐，把老头双手、双脚和脖子束缚在其中。
等做完这一切之后，女人才转过身问已经意识模糊的格斯：“喂！你还没死吧？”
“没……没有！”
格斯强撑着剧痛和越来越虚弱的身体做出回应。
他完全不敢相信，这个世界上居然还有跟自己一样猎杀使徒的人。
而且从武器装备来看，对方显然比自己专业多了。
尤其是那种黑色的液体，似乎能强制使徒从怪物重新变成人。
“哈！想不到还是个硬汉！遇到我算你走运，因为我最喜欢硬汉了！”
女人发出一阵爽朗的笑声，随后从口袋里掏出一小瓶绿色溶液凑到格斯的嘴边。
“一口气喝下去！能不能活就看你的造化了。因为这家伙的能力的确有点麻烦。”
“多……多谢！”
格斯没有任何怀疑，张开嘴毫不犹豫将药水喝下去，随后便失去意识径直摔向地面。
不过好在女人在最后一刻抱住了他。
队伍中一名矮个子的男人看到这一幕立马调笑道：“哎呦喂！我们的队长大人今天是打算要开荤了么？如果我没记错的话，你不是对男人很挑剔吗？”
“蠢货！瞪大眼睛好好看看他！尤其是那柄掉在地上的剑！”旁边另外一名队员翻了个白眼提醒道。
“切！少来了！正常人怎么可能挥舞得动这种门板大小的铁块，我敢打赌肯定是空心的样子货。”
矮个子男人径直走向斩龙剑掉落的地方，用两只手抓起剑柄想要将其举起来。
结果却发现以自己的力量别说是举起来了，就连抬起来都是一件不可能做到的事情。
After he used all his strength and couldn't lift the sword more than half a meter, he let go of the Dragon Slaying Sword and let it hit the ground with a dull thud. Then he gasped for breath and exclaimed in disbelief, "Damn it! It's actually solid! Is that guy really a human? Could he be an apostle in disguise?"
"He wields this sword not with both hands, but with one hand."
The youngest-looking boy in the team pointed at Guts's prosthetic arm made of steel.
"So now you know why the captain values him?"
"That's right! That's right! The captain obviously prefers tall, muscular men to short guys like you. So you'd better give up on that idea as soon as possible."
"Stop talking nonsense! What's wrong with the little guy? I have participated in six missions to hunt down apostles, and there have been no mistakes every time."
"Oh? Really? If I remember correctly, there was a poor guy who was almost bedridden for the rest of his life because of you. If it weren't for your majesty's kindness in treating him, you might have felt guilty for the rest of your life."
"Asshole! You're really trying to make things difficult for me, aren't you?"
…
Just as the team members were laughing and cursing, the woman who was the team leader suddenly interrupted and said, "Enough! This is not the place for quarreling. Hurry up and pack up. We have to escort this apostle back immediately to avoid any more trouble."
"clear!"
The short man immediately stopped arguing, ran quickly to a few streets away, and drove over in a carriage covered with black cloth.
After a while, they stuffed the captured apostles and Gus into the car.
By the time the defenders arrived, there was no danger except for the ruins of the destroyed houses.
"What's going on? What just happened here?"
The officer questioned seriously.
The soldiers behind him raised their muskets and surrounded the entire team. Any movement that was slightly unusual would be shot immediately.
Faced with this situation, the woman who was the captain did not care at all. She directly took out a badge and handed it over: "We are the Seventh Hunting Team that belongs only to His Majesty. We are ordered to hunt down an apostle who is trying to escape."
"Hunting team?!"
After confirming the authenticity of the badge, the officer quickly signaled his soldiers to lay down their weapons, and he saluted respectfully.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you in time.
Also, please allow me to express my deepest respect to you on behalf of everyone in this town.
Without you, there's no telling how long these damn man-eating monsters would have stayed hidden."
"You're welcome. This is what we should do. After all, this is why His Majesty trained us. Well, if there are no other questions, we will leave."
After the woman got her badge back, she jumped directly onto the carriage and winked at another team member.
The latter understood immediately, shook the reins vigorously, and drove the carriage slowly out of the city.
When their figures completely disappeared, the soldier next to them could not help but come forward and ask: "Sir, what is a hunting team? Why are you so respectful to them?"
The officer answered without hesitation: "The Hunting Squad is a special force established by His Majesty after the capture of the Royal Capital.
It seems that there are less than a hundred people in total.
Mainly responsible for finding and capturing the terrifying man-eating monsters called Apostles.
It is said that even the lowest-ranking members of each team have the rank of captain.
Not only are they equipped with the most advanced weapons, but each of them has extraordinary abilities and can even release a supernatural power called magic.
Some people say that they are the sharpest knife in Your Majesty's hands and the force that Your Majesty relies on and trusts the most.
If it weren't for their hard work, what happened just now would not be as simple as the death of a few people. The entire town might have been massacred by the apostles.
Remember to be respectful when you meet them next time."
"I see. How can I join in?"
There was a hint of yearning and longing in the young soldier's eyes.
After all, the rank of captain is enough to lead an army alone, which is almost the limit of promotion for ordinary soldiers.
To go further you need both luck and talent.
The officer obviously saw through his subordinate's thoughts. He raised his hand and knocked the soldier on the head. He laughed and scolded, "Stop daydreaming! Do you think that's a place that ordinary people can enter? I heard that in order to recruit manpower, His Majesty even conducted a nationwide screening, and in the end, less than two hundred people passed the screening."
"Even if the screening is strict, there must be a standard, right?"
The soldier covered his head, obviously a little unconvinced.
The officer was obviously a nice guy. He didn't get angry because of his soldiers' seriousness. Instead, he patiently explained, "I'm sorry, I don't know the specific criteria, but it seems to be related to some kind of affinity. In other words, this kind of talent is not acquired through training, but is destined from the moment of birth."
"Ah? Isn't this the same as the theory of bloodline advocated by those nobles?"
The young soldier was stunned on the spot.
“No, it’s not bloodline, it’s talent.
It's like some people are born smart, some are born strong, some are born with good physical strength, and some are born beautiful.
Your Majesty has only selected those who meet the requirements and trained them.
And they are on a different path than us, so you don’t have to worry about them taking up our promotion space.”
After that, the officer stopped paying attention to this curious baby and began to direct his men to clean up the scene, restore order, and comfort the frightened civilians.