Chapter 376: He

"Father, you're back?"

"Mm."

At the rear of the column, Adamas eagerly approached upon seeing his father return.

"How was it? Did you hear the full-army announcement?" Marquis Austin nodded with a smile, his face filled with affection as he gazed at his eldest son.

After several trials, his eldest son had grown increasingly responsible—just like himself in his youth.

For this northern conscription, he had expected Adamas, upon learning he would be taken along, to refuse.

Or even if he didn't refuse, he would have been too frightened to sleep or eat.

But unexpectedly, whether before departure or after arriving in the northern frontier, Adamas had behaved perfectly normally.

Though they had yet to encounter the orcs, such a mindset was already very commendable.

After all, even some established minor nobles felt their hearts tremble at the thought of fighting orcs.

"I heard it, Father. It's truly an honor—couriers galloped throughout the entire army, proclaiming his name to all!"

"Still, Baron Mil is truly deserving—after all, if any other noble had been in his place, they'd have been too terrified to even think of launching a counterattack to assist the main camp in crushing the orcs!"

Though Adamas didn't fully understand minor nobles, he put himself in that situation.

He felt that if he had been in it, his first thought would have been to flee.

As for leading men to counterattack the orcs in the wilderness, he doubted he could have done it himself.

Austin nodded—his son's lack of envy was a fine trait.

For spoiled heirs, hearing such news would have sneered, claiming they could have done the same.

Yet if truly placed in the same circumstances, with similarly capable subordinates, they'd likely be so terrified they couldn't even walk.

"Adamas, besides Baron Mil, there's another minor noble who stood out even more—though his deeds weren't announced."

"Another who stood out more? How is that possible? Father, if such a person exists, why wasn't he announced? Did he offend someone?" This was the only possibility Adamas could imagine.

After all, if a baron received a full-army announcement, there was no reason a viscount would be suppressed.

Austin shook his head with a smile. "Adamas, this time it's not because he offended anyone—he himself requested secrecy…"

Then Austin told Adamas about Gervas.

Adamas stared in disbelief. "A viscount alone claimed half the enemy heads?"

The vanguard camp had over ten thousand men; a viscount's forces numbered at most a thousand.

Under such a disparity in strength, his half-plus of the kills was undeniably dazzling.

"Adamas, yes, the viscount was lucky—half his men had been purified by a mana spring, granting them extraordinary strength, able to fight orcs one-on-one!"

"But this also proves indirectly how extraordinary this noble is—after all, training so many soldiers requires both courage and substantial resources."

"Most importantly, this viscount ultimately requested his achievements be concealed—that's the rarest thing of all!"

"Every noble seeks fame and glory, shining their family's name—but this minor noble held back."

"Because he knew his strength was too weak—if the orcs targeted him, he'd be in danger."

"His men can only fight orcs one-on-one—they cannot face two, three, or even five at once!"

"Father, this Viscount Gervas is truly remarkable! Is he perhaps a son of some duke's family?" Adamas's eyes shone with admiration.

Such an outstanding man—he truly felt inferior.

"Probably not. I inquired just now—I heard Gervas is a minor noble from the southern frontier."

"And that region is extremely dangerous, with too little time for development; farmland is still scarce, so no dukes or marquises send their sons there."

"Yet precisely because of that, such a minor noble is even more rare!"

Adamas nodded. So far, he had met only two such remarkable men.

One was this Viscount Gervas.

The other, of course, was Lord Harry.

"When we return, we should tell Lord Harry—he'll certainly be very interested!"

…

Gervas had no idea his real name had already been discovered by Adamas.

In the following days, they encountered no further orc attacks.

After all, the territory ahead was still firmly under the kingdom's control.

Orcish raids were occasional tricks at best.

To use them frequently was impossible.

Moreover, Commander Lyne and Captain Leed had tightened their vigilance, no longer lax as before.

As for feedback on the battle report, it had arrived.

Though battlefield merits would only be settled after the war ended,

the legion's supreme commander had sent a large quantity of smoked meat and dozens of barrels of beer as rewards.

In addition, they had also informed them that Baron Mil had been publicly praised throughout the army.

This made Mil the talk of the vanguard camp—every evening, nobles invited him to drink.

Yet Mil himself, knowing the fame wasn't his, felt deeply uneasy.

Fortunately, Gervas repeatedly reassured him: this false fame brought not only benefits but also the risk of drawing orc attention.

So Mil needn't feel indebted—after all, Mil had shared the risk with him.

Hearing this, Mil felt somewhat better.

Still, regarding the orcs targeting him, Mil patted his chest and declared: with Gervas present, let the orcs come as fiercely as they liked.

Time passed, and it was now the sixth day since leaving Black Dragon City.

This meant they were now within reach of their destination: Red Stone City.

That evening, Gervas's group received Commander Lyne's summons.

Gervas immediately led Mil and the others to the command tent.

"Baron Mil!"

"Baron Mil!"

As soon as they entered the tent, the nobles all rose to greet and bow to Baron Mil.

Mil glanced at Gervas, then returned their greetings with a stiff expression.

"Baron Mil, sit here!"

At that moment, Solit called out to Mil.

He had left a seat beside him—specifically reserved for Mil.

After all, Solit was deputy commander of the vanguard camp, so his seat was among the most prominent.

Such a seat would normally be taken by Captain Leed or by a noble of higher rank and greater forces, like Gervas.

Mil glanced at Gervas; seeing Gervas wink, he replied, "Then thank you, Deputy Commander Solit!"

Gervas then found a seat slightly closer to the tent entrance.

Commander Lyne cast a subtle glance at Gervas but said nothing.

After all, concealing Gervas's battlefield achievements was his own request.