"No breakfast? Wake up, all of you!"
"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. You bunch of blockheads, why don't you get it…"
Under the sweltering sun, Hudson scolded non-stop at the group of young men dripping with sweat.
Ever since the completion of the assistant knight selection process, this scene had become a regular occurrence, and everyone had grown used to it.
Knights were born for war, going to the battlefield was only a matter of time, and as attendants, they naturally had to keep up. Not just to kill the enemy, but they also had to serve as meat shields at critical moments.
For his own sake, Hudson put in his utmost effort, applying all the training knowledge in his mind.
After three months of grueling work, the ten young men in front of him looked like trained soldiers. Even the always stern Baron Redman praised Hudson's results and straightforwardly said that he had the potential to become a general.
However, potential is still just potential. Hudson, who had been beaten down by society, did not think he was anything great.
No matter what the external evaluation, he has never slackened in training his subordinates.
If one looked around, they would see Baron Redman nearby with his three young sons, watching, or rather, learning from the sidelines.
There was no other choice, in this closed world, knowledge was rare, especially military-related knowledge. There was nowhere to learn it from but through slow exploration and summarizing experiences.
The scattering notes of the elders were the most precious heritage for the nobles.
The major reason the great nobles could always maintain their advantage was their monopoly on knowledge.
Hudson thought that his training methods were not worth mentioning, while Baron Redman saw them as priceless. Since he was too embarrassed to ask his son, he decided to secretly learn and take notes from him.
These three youngsters suffered. At their mischievous age, combined with the indulgence by the Lady Baron, they had no idea just how valuable the knowledge in front of them was. The efforts of Baron Redman were destined to be in vain.
Especially Laisol, who was currently glaring resentfully at Hudson. If Baron Redman had not been paying attention to him, he certainly wouldn't be able to avoid being served a meal of bamboo shoot stir-fry.
After much hesitation, Laisol finally couldn't help but speak, "Father, my knight foundation training is complete, what about the Life Essence..."
Before he could finish, the Baron's face became stern, he glared at him fiercely and said nothing.
The more this happened, the more anxious Laisol became. He had paid a terrible price for this Life Essence, if he didn't get it, it would be a huge loss.
Having no other choice, he could only hope that his two brothers would speak up for him. Regrettably, children of nobility were precocious. Even amongst siblings, the competition was fierce.
Family resources were limited, the more one took, the less others got. This was unavoidable. Laisol had committed a big taboo. If he could be eliminated from the competition, it would be beneficial for everyone.
They didn't take advantage of his misfortune out of respect for their brotherhood. After making eye contact with Laisol, the two youngsters moved their gazes away as if they had agreed beforehand.
This scene happened to fall into the eyes of Baron Redman. Yet, all of this did not move him.
The noble world was ruthless. If one did not fight or snatch, they could not stand in this world where the law of the jungle prevailed.
Knight virtues: Humbleness, honesty, mercy, bravery, fairness, sacrifice, honor, spirit.
Yet, the survival law for the nobility was: Self-interest comes first. Hypocrisy, utility, selfishness, and rationality ... were all essential skills.
Only after survival was secured, would the noble spirit be born: Integrity, righteousness, and a sense of mission...
What one can't get is always the best. The more people admire something, the more likely it is that they lack it in real life.
"Don't get distracted. Watch Hudson's troop training carefully. It will be beneficial for your future development."
Baron Redman spoke solemnly.
After all, they were his children; he couldn't be entirely heartless. In his view, Laisol was getting his priorities wrong. Instead of being focused on the Life Essence that didn't belong to him, he should take this opportunity to learn more knowledge.
In fact, when Baron Redman first discovered Hudson's talent for military training, he wanted him to train an elite troop.
However, his family's finances were meager, and they couldn't afford a standing army. The only armed force in the entire barony was the guard team at the castle, which had less than fifty people.
Considering the small number of people, individual combat capabilities were prioritized. Besides, guards and soldiers were not the same thing; forcibly applying one to the other would only backfire.
In some sense, the art of military training was a chicken rib for minor nobles: it was not very useful unless they served the king or a major noble.
Unaware of his father's plans, Hudson was still enthusiastically training his subordinates. In this world of extraordinary power, ordinary people had a hard time resisting.
Even a junior knight like Hudson could easily defeat more than a dozen strong men. This was the key reason why the Noble Consortium could rule the world.
Due to the monopoly on resources and the mutual understanding within the Noble Consortium, the Life Essence never leaked out. It was almost impossible for ordinary people to become knights. The only extraordinary path suitable for ordinary people was to become a warrior.
With the same extraordinary abilities, knights of the same realm completely pounded warriors. It was not just due to the assistance of a mount, but mainly because they had awakened the Seed of Life.
Though Hudson did not understand what the Seed of Life was, he had experienced the benefits of awakening the Seed of Life.
The most direct experience was that his comprehensive physical fitness had improved, and after each high-intensity training session, the Seed of Life would release a burst of energy to repair his body.
Compared to that, warriors had it much tougher. Without the assistance of the Seed of Life, there were countless hidden injuries from just daily training, let alone going to the battlefield.
There were many knights who lived long lives, but very few warriors did. They usually did not live past fifty. Their short lifespan naturally restricted the advancement of their abilities. Across the entire continent, there were only a handful of high-level warriors.
As for the mysterious magicians, they were a blind spot in Hudson's knowledge. The scant few records in the family book collection didn't shed much light.
As for other minor professions, it was even worse. Ordinary people might never encounter one in their lifetime, so Hudson had no way to understand them.
If it was just about training assistant knights, simple training would have sufficed. There was no need to work so hard.
At the end of the day, he had a restless heart. Even if he kept telling himself to simply "survive" for now, his body was working hard to build a strong foundation.
The first bucket of gold in life was always the hardest to get. Right now, he had only ten usable men. The number may not be large, but it was better than nothing.