High City Knight Norn quickly spotted Daniel, following the direction of the crowd's gaze.
The crowd parted, creating a path.
Daniel nodded slightly and walked towards Norn.
Norn squeezed his legs against the Unicorn's belly, advancing to meet Daniel.
What kind of treatment was this?
A seasoned High City Knight was behaving like a lackey—was Daniel really just a common knight?
As people were lost in thought, they remembered that during training, Daniel's performance had already surpassed many.
He always completed training tasks faster than others.
He always recovered more quickly after training; while others were still groaning about being too tired to move in their dorms at night, he was nowhere to be seen.
Now, Daniel was receiving special treatment from the Holy Maiden!
"Knight Daniel, just call me Norn," said High City Knight Norn, placing his right fist against his chest.
"Sure, Knight Norn," Daniel replied.
Norn looked at the others and casually pointed to the bald James, saying, "You, rookie, let Daniel ride your warhorse."
"Me?!" James exclaimed in shock, his face turning pale.
James had long wanted to get close to Catherine, but he hadn't succeeded and now saw her practically clinging to Daniel.
And now, he was about to lose his warhorse? Goruna City was so big—was it really that hard to find another one?
James cursed inwardly but had no choice but to acquiesce.
Watching Daniel mount his warhorse, visions of physically overpowering Daniel flashed through James's mind.
But that was all he could do—just think about it.
...
Six days later.
The army reached the front lines.
The task assigned to Daniel's square formation was to hold position 22. As long as they held it for seven days, their mission as new recruits would be complete, and they could return to Goruna City for a few months of rest.
Of course, if they wanted to earn more merit by making a name for themselves, they could do that too.
As the crowd entered the position, many nearly vomited on the spot.
The winds carried the stench of blood and decaying corpses.
Position 22 had a trench extending several thousand meters, winding around the hillside.
This was their rare source of security.
At the summit were the knights' temporary quarters, a series of simple tents connected together, with minimal living facilities and a worrying environment.
Some tents were noticeably more elaborate than the ordinary ones; they belonged to veteran knights who acted as the overseers of the position. Anyone daring enough to slack off or avoid battle would definitely face very unpleasant consequences.
Veterans had said that they didn't need to search for the enemy; every day, waves of fearless Demon Clan warriors would come rushing toward the positions.
The reproductive rate of the Demon Clan far exceeded that of humanity, like a monster that respawns endlessly, no matter how many they killed.
Facing the impending battle, many were filled with anxiety.
Daniel, however, was different.
He strolled around the position, waiting for the Evil Woman System to give him a prompt.
An interesting situation unfolded: even before the battle had begun, some people's Evil Values were creeping upwards.
There was no need to think too hard about it; it was clear what wicked thoughts they were plotting.
At Daniel's feet, half of a small demon's dark arm was buried in the dirt.
The surrounding ground faintly carried the smell of blood.
For the faint-hearted, merely being on this battlefield would be enough to scare the urine out of them.
[ding! Detected Evil Value of 50 for the evil woman, Jolene! Identity: elite knight.]
At the end of Daniel's line of sight, a red dot was clearly marked on the forehead of a girl in the trench.
"Norn, just wait for me here. I'm going to take a walk up ahead," Daniel said to Norn, who had been closely following him.
Norn frowned. "Knight Daniel, that might not be wise, especially on a battlefield."
Daniel waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'm stronger than the average knight."
"Understood," Norn nodded.
Daniel approached Jolene.
Jolene was lying on the trench, gazing at the extinguished volcano in the distance.
At the foot of the volcano, campfires dotted the ground, and shadowy figures of demons filled the view.
"Daniel?" Noticing the footsteps behind her, Jolene turned around. "What's up? Didn't you go chat with Catherine?"
Daniel jumped into the trench and dusted off his hands. "I'm not interested in Catherine. What are you still doing here so late? The Demon Clan doesn't have a tradition of attacking at night."
After all, this was a tacit agreement between the two sides for new recruits; it wasn't as bloody and brutal as a real battlefield.
Though it was already quite cruel enough.
Jolene looked Daniel up and down, her gaze drifting to Norn, who was nearby, passing the time by stepping on the dirt.
Suddenly, Jolene smiled. "How about we launch a surprise attack on the Demon Clan's outer positions tomorrow morning?"
As long as they earned enough merit, the rewards upon their return would surely be greater. Jolene didn't mind latching onto Daniel's protection, especially since he had a seasoned High City Knight escort—safety was guaranteed on this battlefield.
Daniel looked toward the distant Demon Clan camp and asked, "Just the two of us?"
"Of course it's not just us. I've already gathered a few people. We'll hit the edge of their camp, it's very safe. The merit we earn will be more than just holding the position!" Jolene had a few things she was keeping to herself.
Even the safest of actions could lead to sacrifices, but the chances of it being her were slim.
She was a born warrior. From the moment she transmigrated to this Otherworld and picked up her sword, she understood.
Even when she held back a bit in training, her results were still at the top.
Not to mention, her looks were exceptional. While her chest wasn't as prominent as Catherine's, her tall figure and waist-length hair made many boys restless.
[Be careful of this woman; when push comes to shove, she won't hesitate to step on you. Luckily for now, she doesn't have that intention—she still needs you as an added layer of assurance.]
Daniel saw the system's prompt and understood: a woman willing to risk her companions' lives for merit.
Not bad; that was just his type.
Daniel didn't rush to agree. "It sounds tempting, but isn't it better to hold the position?"
Jolene tossed her long hair and stepped closer to Daniel. "In this world, without status, you can't achieve anything. Even if you have some privileges now, compared to a real aristocrat, you're just a disposable token."
Daniel caught a whiff of the camellia scent on Jolene and lightly clapped his hands. "You're right. So you want to sacrifice a few companions to achieve your goals?"
"You!" Jolene stared at Daniel in shock, completely baffled at how he had figured out her thoughts. That was impossible!
Did he have some sort of mind-reading ability?
"Don't worry, I don't have any mind-reading abilities, just a little… prophetic insight.
Otherwise, why do you think the Holy Maiden sent someone to protect me?" Daniel decided to drop a heavy hint, even if he didn't have any prophetic abilities; for now, he had to pretend he did.
After all, how else could he win over Jolene? Was it just his looks?
Or was it his status, which was nothing compared to that of an aristocrat?
Jolene was silent for a moment, absorbing the information Daniel had shared.
Undoubtedly, Daniel, who received special treatment from the Holy Maiden, possibly possessed prophetic or mind-reading abilities, and was no slouch in combat, made for a very good partner.
She just felt exposed in front of him, which made her quite uncomfortable and embarrassed.
"Think about it," Daniel said. "During tomorrow's march, follow my orders, and I'll give you enough merit. But the condition is... you have to obey."
Daniel was absolutely confident in commanding Jolene and the others.
This was because his Evil Woman System could easily detect the Evil Value of living beings, especially when he looked at the Demon Clan; each Demon had a bright red Evil Value pulsating on their foreheads.
In the complex battlefield, the biggest fear was unexpected enemies, carefully laid ambushes, and unpredictable enemy strengths...
Daniel could easily avoid these dangers.
He had confirmed this during his training in Goruna City, fighting against the imprisoned Demon Clan.
Jolene studied Daniel intently. "Alright, I hope you don't disappoint me tomorrow."
She clearly intended to elevate Daniel's standing in her mind.
A prophetic ability, perhaps?
"So, it's a long night ahead. How about we go to the tent for some drinks?" Daniel suggested.
Goruna City had brought plenty of supplies.
But things like red wine and steak could only be enjoyed by those of High City Knight rank.
"Sounds good."