Dark Fairy Tale: Tyrant, Conquered Cinderella at the Beginning

Chapter 24 Militia Captain and the Establishment of the School

These squire knights were the team his father had instructed him to bring when he left the Duke’s domain.

All of them were literate, knew how to shoot arrows, ride horses, and practice knightly combat techniques, but none had yet developed a life seed to become a formal knight.

A knight’s ability to develop a life seed was related to both their innate talent and the knight’s breathing technique.

A good breathing technique makes it easier to cultivate a life seed.

However, developing a life seed required consistent and prolonged practice of the breathing technique.

Besides daily practice, real combat also served as a high-intensity exercise for the breathing technique.

Every time they activate the breathing technique, they can mobilize their body’s energy and blood; over time, this builds up, making their energy and blood stronger, which in turn nurtures their vitality. When this vitality reaches a critical point, they can use the techniques within their breathing practice to successfully cultivate a life seed.

A knight with a life seed could command their full strength more effectively, no longer recklessly charging like a brute.

They could even perform actions that ordinary people could not achieve.

This was also why the armor of formal knights was more flexible and more challenging to craft than that of squire knights.

Of course, apart from solely relying on the breathing technique, they could also use external resources to enhance their physical attributes and increase their energy and blood.

For example, the extraordinary food that Richard provided to them—the meat of the Crab Spider.

Although these people were not yet formal knights, they were descendants of some fallen noble families taken in by the Duke’s castle and trained from a young age.

Therefore, they had a relatively high level of loyalty to Richard.

In this regard, Richard felt reassured.

Additionally, the system panel included them, and Richard could clearly see all their information.

Once they finished eating, Richard said.

“I plan to establish a militia team responsible for the territory’s safety. As for the team members, they will be selected from the commoners, but I need to choose the captain and vice-captain from among you.”

Upon hearing this, they exchanged looks.

“My lord, can those people even be used? They haven’t undergone any training!” one of the squires voiced his doubt.

The others nodded in agreement.

Richard replied, “The construction of the militia training camp has already started. I will issue the training guidelines to the captain and vice-captain. How well they turn out will depend on your abilities.”

“No more small talk, Charles, Helen, step forward!”

As Richard called out, the two immediately stepped forward.

These two were individuals Richard was relatively familiar with, who worked well together and didn’t cause any conflicts.

“Between the two of you, Charles will be the captain, and Helen the vice-captain. My requirements are simple: instill discipline in this group as quickly as possible, making them useful.”

“As for their strength and adaptability, that’s a long-term goal, but you must not slack on this aspect of their training either. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

As soon as Richard finished speaking, the two stood upright:

“Rest assured, my lord! We will accomplish the task!”

“Excellent!” Richard nodded.

“Remember, those who work more get more. As captain and vice-captain of the militia, you will receive a monthly salary, along with an additional portion of extraordinary creature meat as a bonus!”

Richard made his intentions clear, and when he mentioned the benefits, both of them were thrilled.

Earlier, when they ate the spider meat, they already felt their bodies change, with their strength, vitality, and endurance all significantly enhanced.

What they thought was a one-time occurrence turned out to be a regular monthly reward. With this, becoming a formal knight seemed within reach!

The other squires looked at the two with envy in their eyes, regretting that this good fortune hadn’t fallen upon them.

They decided to improve their performance and seize the next opportunity for themselves.

In an instant, determination filled their eyes.

“Thank you for your generosity, my lord! We will do our utmost!” Charles and Helen bowed in joy.

Richard waved his hand, “All right, you two stand aside for now! I have other matters to arrange.”

The group fell silent, anticipation in their eyes, and a competitive spirit growing among them.

“The commoners in the territory are too ignorant and are not of much use. If Long Eagle Territory is to develop, we cannot rely on them.

“I need a few of you to step forward and teach the commoners aged 6 to 15 to read and do some basic exercises.”

“The rewards will be similar to those given to the others.”

“Whoever thinks they can do this, step forward to sign up.”

As soon as Richard finished speaking, several squires immediately volunteered.

The salary was not the main incentive, as with improved abilities, wealth would naturally follow.

What truly attracted them was the extraordinary creature meat.

“My lord, I can do it! I often taught my younger sister to read back when I was at the Duke’s domain, so I have experience!”

“I can do it too! I was slow to learn in the past, but my tutor was very patient with me. I remember those teaching methods well, which would be perfect for instructing these ignorant fools!”

“Of course, I’m not saying that I used to be as foolish as them!”

The next person was about to speak but was momentarily silenced by the last remark, almost laughing out loud.

Seeing that someone else was about to speak, the individual worried about losing the opportunity since Richard hadn’t specified how many he would take, so he quickly said:

“My lord, I can also do it! My father was a teacher for children, and I learned a lot from him. Whenever he was busy, I often helped him teach lessons!”

One by one, they spoke up, and soon a dozen people had stepped forward.

Those who hadn’t spoken up felt they had missed their chance after hearing about the others’ qualifications and hesitated to volunteer.

Not everyone was willing to take on new responsibilities and risk failure.

Richard nodded and said, “All right, let’s go with you few for now. Later, I will assign you your students. It’s best to be prepared because teaching a bunch of fools to read isn’t an easy task.”

“And you, Sinton, why didn’t you volunteer just now? Step forward!”

Richard pointed to one of them as he finished speaking.