Chapter 173: Upgrading The Army

The flames continued to burn throughout the square.

Over an hour passed, yet Roderic remained standing just slightly behind Arthur, silently watching the funeral pyres.

Neither of them said a single word.

By now, Roderic’s gaze had passed over every grieving family gathered around the pyres.

Even... Sir Benjamin, who stood before one of the pyres, staring blankly at his son’s covered body.

Despite the night growing cold, Roderic made no attempt to leave.

Hours passed by.

Those unrelated to the victims had long gone home, leaving just the grieving families behind.

And eventually... even those began leaving the square.

Only when the last of the bodies had been turned into smoldering ashes did Arthur finally turn away.

Roderic nodded once.

Though the pyres still burned, their duty here was done.

As Arthur began making his way back to the manor, Roderic followed a few steps behind.

There was little left to say between them after everything that had happened.

Only as they reached the manor’s entrance did Roderic finally break the silence.

’’Arthur,’’ he said.

Arthur halted and turned around.

Roderic reached into his clothing and pulled out a folded document.

’’I know this isn’t an appropriate time,’’ he said, holding it out. ’’But I want you to read this.’’

Accepting the document, Arthur couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

’’What is this?’’ he asked.

’’Just read through it,’’ Roderic replied. ’’Tell me what you think in the morning.’’

Arthur glanced at him with a puzzled expression before lowering his gaze toward the paper.

’’Sensing Method: Knight Detection’’

For a brief moment, a strange expression flashed across his face.

’’Roderic, what exactly is...’’

However, when he raised his head again, Roderic was already making his way inside the manor.

Arthur stared after him for a moment.

’’That brat.’’

He shook his head helplessly.

Before continuing to his own chambers, he glanced down at the document once more.

...

Back inside his room, Roderic lay sprawled across his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Despite everything that had happened over the past two days, his mind showed no signs of slowing down.

There was simply too much to think about.

’Alright, the future,’ he thought. ’How am I going to do this efficiently?’

First and foremost, there was the matter of Whitemane’s military strength.

With the victory against the Deres army, many would join the army.

’Which is why I gave the sensing method to Arthur.’

The method, known as the Perception Test, wouldn’t be discovered by the Aster Empire until several years later.

It revealed that those with a talent for Aura could be identified by testing their senses, rather than judging their physical build.

’I’d read about it quite some time ago,’ he thought. ’But I had neither the reputation nor enough credit with Arthur to implement it.’

But now, things were different.

Once Arthur implemented the method, finding people with the potential to become knights would become a lot easier.

And with the number of people living throughout Whitemane’s territory, there were bound to be quite a few hidden talents.

’Of course, I’ll have to look through them myself.’

After all, he had no intention of allowing every promising individual to join the army.

’Anyone with exceptional talent can become one of my retainers,’ he thought. ’As for the rest, they can join the army.’

That way, both he and the territory would benefit.

It was like killing two birds with one stone.

’Unfortunately, there is still one problem, though.’

Even if they managed to recruit dozens of new knights, they’d still be practicing the Whitemane Technique.

A Mortal-rank technique with only two moves.

Roderic couldn’t help but frown slightly.

’Attacks based on horses,’ he thought. ’The explosive force of a kick and the momentum of a charge.’

It wasn’t necessarily a bad technique, being suitable for many different weapons.

’But ultimately, Mortal-rank is still Mortal-rank.’

It might be enough for a barony, but Roderic had no intention of remaining a mere baron.

Now, of course, if he’d been an extremely high-ranking knight, he would have simply upgraded the Whitemane Technique himself.

But he wasn’t, so replacing it was his only option.

The problem was convincing Arthur to agree to that.

After all, the Whitemane Technique was part of the family’s identity.

Replacing it would be like ripping out an organ and putting another one in its place.

’Most people would reject something like that,’ Roderic thought.

A grin slowly grew on his face.

’Unless... we replace it with a dragon’s heart.’

Something so extraordinarily good that it couldn’t be refused.

That’s what he needed.

’’System,’’ he called out with a smile. ’’Open the technique shop.’’

Whoosh!

A blue window immediately unfurled in front of him.

—————Technique Shop—————

Iron Fist Technique - Mortal-rank - 50 Throne Coins

Piercing Spear Technique - Mortal-rank - 50 Throne Coins

Heavy Blade Technique - Mortal-rank - 50 Throne Coins

...

Roderic didn’t even glance at the list.

’’Add filters,’’ he said immediately. ’’Heaven-rank techniques for all basic weapons, all belonging to the same series.’’

[Applying filters...]

The previous list of techniques immediately disappeared.

A few seconds later, a new list appeared before him.

—————Technique Shop—————

Heavenly Vanguard Sword - Heaven-rank - 2,000 Throne Coins

Heavenly Vanguard Spear - Heaven-rank - 2,000 Throne Coins

Heavenly Vanguard Warhammer - Heaven-rank - 2,500 Throne Coins

Heavenly Vanguard Axe - Heaven-rank - 2,500 Throne Coins

Heavenly Vanguard Bow - Heaven-rank - 3,000 Throne Coins

...

[Complete Heavenly Vanguard Series]

[Price: 15,600 Throne Coins]

’...’

Roderic stared at the price blankly.

Then he let out a deep sigh.

Still without a thought in mind, he began scrolling down, hoping to find cheaper options.

Unfortunately, there were none.

’Oh, for fuck’s sake.’

That was more than half of what he’d received for defeating the Deres army.

And although he could technically afford it, spending that much on a single series of techniques still made his heart ache.

’Isn’t there some kind of discount for buying in bulk?’

[The displayed price already includes a series discount.]

’Of course it does.’

Roderic dragged a hand across his face.

He knew it wasn’t an unfair price either, considering he’d gain eight different Heaven-rank techniques.

Yet, settling for something worse was also not an option.

If he was going to replace the technique, he might as well do so properly.

’I want to see my knights beating those of counts, dukes, and even the royal army in the future,’ he thought, his finger moving to the screen. ’Investing in good fundamental techniques isn’t a waste.’

[Would you like to purchase the Complete Heavenly Vanguard Series for 15,600 Throne Coins?]

[Yes/No]

Roderic let out a string of curses.

Then he pressed the Yes button.

[Purchase Successful!]