When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

Leaving the "Customs," Boritz followed nervously behind Busak, heading towards the camp of the Trinity Education Team.

He couldn't figure out the attitude of this chief civil servant of the Pope Country, and he even suspected that his small group had already been discovered.

After all, there has always been a legend among the believers that a harsh secret organization called the Cheka existed within the Child Soldiers.

The legend says that the word "Cheka" comes from an ancient Elvish word "Eye of God," and they investigate and capture traitors under the direction of Horn, the Eye of God.

However, Boritz always regarded this as mere rural gossip, but being sternly summoned by Busak still made him lose in wild thoughts.

Especially since their destination was actually the Trinity Education Team.

"Master Busak, what are we doing at the Trinity Education Team?"

Riding on his horse along the muddy path fenced by grey wooden fences, Busak said lightly: "Those refugees need a census, so shouldn't these lost elements of the Trinity Education Team be investigated as well?"

The lost elements is a term used within the Salvation Army for these petty and immoral lower nobles, positioning them between believers and devils in terms of identity.

Speaking of this, one cannot ignore the relationship between the Salvation Army and the Pope Country, which was only formally determined yesterday.

In a nutshell, the Salvation Army is the Pope's direct army, while the rebel army outside under the banner of the Saint's Grandson and short-haired flag is subordinate to the Pope Country.

The Trinity Education Team was initially formed because Horn discovered their lack of sufficient military and cultural talents to complete the necessary development plans.

After all, no matter how brilliant Horn is, he cannot remember all knowledge and he too suffers from the inadequacy of knowledge reserves brought from Earth to solve the issues.

As the saying goes, learn from past mistakes to prevent future ones, treat the illness to save the patient, Horn still kept some less serious lower nobles and knights from the Thousand River Valley.

Anyway, when they first came in, they were given a few hard kicks to make them behave. Knights who practiced breathing techniques were more likely to be unruly, so they tied thin ropes around their necks to make it hard to breathe, then starved them for a few days. No matter how strong a knight was, they had to comply and work.

Upon arriving at the scene with Busak, Boritz saw a circle of shabby, human-high spike fences in a muddy hollow.

Inside the fences were a dozen or so wooden huts emitting a putrid smell, although they were surprisingly tidy.

Hundreds of lost elements were dragged to the edge of the camp; they took off their former woolen satin clothes and put on the short linen clothes that farmers often wore.

The sky was grey and white, with rainwater occasionally dripping from the birch branches onto their heads, forcing them to shiver in the cold wind while digging up the land with hoes to clear the fields.

Friends who often cleared fields in ancient times know that it is a very laborious thing to clear land relying solely on human power.

This clearing is not just about turning the earth over with a hoe; you have to first dig ditches and build ridges. Then, burn off all the weeds and shrubs on the field.

If the terrain is low, you even have to drain the water first, which complicates things further.

Once the land's issues are solved, it's time for people to step in.

These lost elements must first remove the grass roots, then move all the stones and rocks out of the field, and eliminate tree roots and rabbit holes.

Finally, plow the field once, apply fertilizer, and then plow again and apply more fertilizer to barely meet the standards for planting.

Beside a shed by the fields, four clerks were holding paper and pens, registering these gaunt lost elements.

But rather than registering, it was more like taking depositions.

After listening for a while, Boritz realized that these clerks were all Child Soldiers who would repeatedly ask the same question, demanding truthful answers from the lost elements.

Sometimes they would ask questions that had been asked a few days before, and if the answers didn't match, it's too bad for them; they'd face solitary confinement.

Boritz had seen many methods of torturing prisoners; just clearing land and laboring, with food and shelter provided, seemed much better compared to those laboring in clandestine mines.

Perhaps only these lower nobles and priests felt humiliated.

"Sir, when is my shift?" After observing for a while, Boritz turned to ask Busak.

Busak walked to a small courtyard and pointed inside, "You're here to investigate the lost elements, not the outsiders."

Following Busak through the opened wooden door, Boritz tiptoed inside as if he were a thief.

In the center of the courtyard, a young girl dressed in a hunting leather armor and a middle-aged knight stood, and Boritz immediately recognized the witch Jeanne, who had personally killed dozens of knights in the battle at Joan of Arc Castle.

The sensation of hair standing on end surged immediately, while the impatient Busak behind him nudged him: "Hurry up and get in; don't block the doorway."

Trailing behind Busak, Boritz took a couple of steps, finally reaching a spot where he could hear the conversation between the two.

"So, what's the speed of a walk, trot, canter, and gallop? Do you determine it by wind speed?"

"No, no, no." The middle-aged knight standing opposite Jeanne shook his head, "Wind speed is not enough to determine the speed."

"Then how do you know the specific speed of these four cavalry gaits?"

"It's simple. Have you seen how a horse walks normally? Once each limb leaves the ground, they land in sequence, making it a walk."

Standing in front of the war horse, the hollow-eyed middle-aged knight's feet were shackled, but his hands were unbound. Since Jeanne was there, even with a hundred lives, he couldn't escape.

He coughed and continued, "For example, a trot means the diagonal hooves, like the left front and right hind hooves, leave the ground and land simultaneously.

Running, for instance, starts with the right hind hoof landing, then the left hind and right front hooves land simultaneously, and finally, the left front hoof lands.

The gallop is used in the final charge, essentially a sped-up run."

"Then how do you judge which gait it currently is?"

The knight glanced at the earnest note-taking girl, and his voice carried a hint of pride and sympathy, "We often say, the sound of hooves is like the rhythm of sacred music. When walking, you hear four hoof beats: da-da-da-da, while trotting, it's two hoof beats, running is three hoof beats, and galloping again is two hoof beats."

"For the specific speed of this gait, I will take you to test it later." Jeanne, clumsily holding a pen, noted down a few simple words in her journal.

She thought for a moment, then handed her notes to Boritz beside her: "You help me take notes."

"As you command, Your Highness."

Seeing Boritz's dutiful and flattering demeanor, Jeanne frowned, "Since Madlan recommended you to help me, just do your job honestly, don't get any other ideas, understand?"

Boritz's heart skipped a beat, "Understood, understood."

As if sensing something amiss about Boritz, Jeanne was puzzled as to why Madlan would recommend him.

Shaking her head, she didn't have the time to ponder these things; she continued watching the middle-aged knight before her, asking, "Is that all? Is that it for cavalry maneuvers in battle?"

The knight's face revealed unabashed arrogance: "Of course not, my dear lady. In walking, there are subdivisions by stride length and leg motions: short walk, normal walk, and extended walk. In trot, canter, and gallop, there're also finer maneuvers.

Moreover, after consuming a potion, even more intricate steps and tactics are possible, with different commands during the charge, and complex gait coordination during march.

For a knight to become a knight, just fighting is enough, but to become a Cavalry Captain, he needs long-term learning, not to mention a cavalry general.

If you, milady, want to become a cavalry general, three months is not enough; it would take at least three years."

Jeanne ignored his mockery, calmly stood up, dusted off her pants, "I'll come back to find you tomorrow, now go to work."