Chapter 248: Saving for a Whole Month
Nanze Lake, southern swamp.

The lowest point in the entire Daze Township is a paradise for monsters and giant spiders.

The muddy and smelly ground was covered with a thin layer of snow.

Some withered yellow grass poked its head out from the snow, and a few small bubbles popped up from time to time in the cold mud on the side of the road.

When it breaks, it makes a faint "pop" sound, which is extremely clear in the quiet hills.

The heavy snow during the New Year's Day had melted away a lot, and the lake was like a mirror, reflecting the winter blue sky and the reeds on the lakeshore.

The reeds on the shore were covered with thick white snow, and the breeze would blow up some snow powder.

Opposite the lake are rolling hills and foothills, and the branches of the pine trees at the foothills are covered with condensed and melted snow.

Navy blue rocks were exposed outside the white snow. A spider as big as a dog was lying on the rocks, gnawing on mushrooms and shrubs growing in the cracks of the rocks.

The chilly sunlight shone on his matte black body, reflecting a metallic luster, and from time to time, their strange "hissing" sound could be heard.

What’s strange is that the ones that can live in peace with the giant spider are those scary long-haired undead.

With their arms hanging down, they moved forward blindly in the mud and snow, wandering around the wasteland.

However, neither the giant spider nor the undead saw the animal ears fluttering in the bushes. Several beastmen huddled behind rocks and trees, looking over there nervously.

After determining the number and distribution of the giant spiders and the undead, they first bent over and left the vicinity, and then began to run wildly on the undulating hillside.

After a while, he returned to the marching queue and passed the news to Jeanna, the commander of the pest control operation.

Standing in the main group, Brune followed the person in front of him closely, following the movements in the "War Monk's Codex".

He held the butt of the three-and-a-half-meter-long spear with his right hand, resting the shaft against his shoulder, while his left hand grasped the lower part of the shaft to prevent it from shaking left and right.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Brune should keep a distance of 1.8 meters from the person in front.

However, the marching formation was not carried out completely according to the Holy Code. For example, the Holy Code said that when marching, the Holy Gunners stood at the front and the back to facilitate defense against the enemy.

But this time, they were fighting against giant spiders and hairy undead, so they used the old car-fort tactics.

On both sides of their marching column, the Holy Gunners followed the armored war carriages, slowly moving forward on the snow.

It is not cold when it snows, but when it melts. Even though it is a sunny day, the soil has not thawed into mud, so the carriage can still move.

One of the reasons why Horn hastily dispatched the pest control expedition was because of the terrain.

After all, with horse-drawn carriages, they can load more supplies and defend against more enemies.

"Brunne, what are you doing? You are walking too fast." The commander who was traveling with him whispered a reminder to him, and Brune quickly slowed down his pace.

He is tall and has long legs. He is surrounded by guys who are 1.6 meters tall. If he is not careful, he will lose touch with the team. This is an old problem of his.

"Thank you," Brune had just finished speaking.

Then he heard the military judge next to him suddenly shout, "The 3rd Long Lance Brigade of the 1st Guards Corps, Brune whispered during the march, and he was punished once."

Brune pursed his lips instantly, and even glared angrily at the child soldier with a red scarf tied on his arm.

During the New Year's Day, Brune basically spent the time at Jonard's house, and only went home occasionally to chat with the familiar Gaskul.

It was not until he returned to the military camp that he realized he actually missed this cramped place.

After the New Year, Brune was enlisted in the 1st Guards Corps along with Jonard because of his honest character and good record.

It’s just that Jonal was a Saint-favored one, so he joined the First Holy Gun Brigade, while Brune was tall and strong, so he was assigned to the Third Pike Brigade.

After officially joining the military camp, he was finally able to put on a half-body breastplate and pick up a spear to stab.

The training with the Holy Scripture was one of the most painful times for Brune. They were required to practice exactly according to the movements in the Holy Scripture.

How to hold the spear, how to thrust, how to exert force, how to use breathing techniques, and how to apply breathing techniques to resist the impact of the knight.

Brune was like a puppet, only doing one movement at a time, and practicing stabbing and individual gunmanship at least hundreds of times every day.

The most terrifying thing during the period was the island march. They had to hold long spears, wear breastplates and helmets, carry supplies, and walk a full circle on the muddy Qiumu Island.

That was the first time he felt that the armor didn't look so good. After forty days of military training, Brune no longer knew how to walk with his neck hunched like before.

Not only Brune, but all the war monks around him have undergone significant changes.

Their complexions were no longer sickly sallow or grayish white, but normal white with a hint of flesh color.

In terms of spirit, they are no longer blind and dull as before, but show some flexibility that should be expected for their age.

This change was naturally not accomplished in one day, but was the result of continuous accumulation and the constant preaching of the Holy Father priests and military chaplains.

The key point for quantitative change to lead to qualitative change is probably the grievance meeting held every three days.

The footsteps stepped on the muddy ground containing broken ice. Although it was brown-yellow soil, it made a crackling sound like breaking branches.

The muscles in Brune's calves fit tightly against his linen leggings, allowing him to take steps.

As he walked, Brune was distracted again. At each grievance meeting, the military chaplains would ask someone to come on stage and encourage him to simply tell his story.

In the beginning, there was a lot of crying at every grievance meeting. Brune saw Jonard crying several times, but he refused to admit it.

Brune couldn't cry. He was in a lot of pain, but he didn't know why he couldn't cry.

His fellow travelers joked that it might be because all his tears were in his stomach.

The sound of orderly footsteps in his ears woke Brune from his distraction. He raised his head and saw the lake on the left and the foothills on the right both emitting the color of snow in the sunlight.

Looking forward, there were spears densely packed like a forest, and the armors were clanging against each other.

Lowering his head, Brune once again adjusted the distance between himself and the people in the front row.

When he saw the sawtooth winter grass embroidered with gold edges at his feet, he couldn't help but think of Horn.

During this period, Horn always stayed in the barracks, and for some reason, lived with these lowest-level soldiers.

According to His Majesty himself, they were not soldiers but war monks, and the military camp was the monastery, so he actually lived in the monastery.

Very reasonable.

To everyone's surprise, the Pope was not a particularly serious person. He and Bishop Paslick often exchanged vulgar insults and jokes.
Your Majesty often eats with them, and eats whatever they eat.

After dinner, His Majesty would lean against the fence and tell them church jokes and many wonderful little stories.

His Majesty's story was vivid and much more interesting than their dry jokes.

Such a great man ate and lived with them, and this attitude indeed won the admiration of many war monks.

If any officer beats or abuses war monks without reason, the war monks will often complain directly to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will generally uphold justice.

If proven wrong, the officer will not only be locked up in a small dark room, but also be fined, or even stripped of his rank or position.

But don't think that the Holy Grandson is soft-hearted. If the recruits stand or go the wrong way, His Majesty will personally pick up the wooden stick and severely instill piety in them.

Occasionally, they would have recreational activities. Every five or six days, they would have a half-day break, allowing them to play football in the camp or go for a walk and catch rabbits nearby.

Give them a long holiday every two weeks to go home and visit their families, or save it for the end of the month.

“Woo-woo-woo—”

A deep horn sounded from the front team, interrupting Brune's memories and thoughts, but his steps did not stop at all.

The war monks will not stop advancing without hearing orders.

"What happened?" Hearing the sound of the horn, Jeanna rode her horse and quickly rushed from the back team to the front team, "Aren't we at the designated location yet?"

"Your Highness, the Orc scouts saw hundreds of giant spiders and dozens of undead ahead, attracted by the sound and smell, running towards us."

"Where did it come from?"

"do not know."

"Deploy your formation." Standing up on the stirrups, Jeanna waved the Holy Grail flag in her hand, "Prepare for battle!"

(End of this chapter)