"Since you’re being so straightforward, Viscount, it would be tactless of me to make any more demands," Robson said with a smile.

"Your requests, Sir Robson, are all reasonable and for the good of the kingdom," Viscount Luke said.

Viscount Luke wasn’t just being polite. Given the sheer scale of the Gutierrez family, what kind of oddballs hadn’t they encountered?

Meeting a normal person and doing honest business was more than enough for them. After all, with their resources, even standard trade would earn them a fortune.

"Speaking of which, where are we going? Shouldn’t we be signing some necessary documents?" Viscount Luke asked, slightly puzzled as he looked at the changing surroundings.

Normally, Robson should have been taking him to the commander’s study for tea. But from the looks of it, they seemed to be heading to the barracks.

"My Lord Viscount, you great men are so forgetful. The batch of Knights you requested some time ago—I’ve finished their training. I’d like you to inspect and accept them," Robson said.

A flash of surprise crossed Viscount Luke’s eyes, then his brows furrowed slightly.

Viscount Luke naturally assumed that Robson was simply eager to complete the task and was rushing to hand over the troops.

But how long had it been since he sent his Soldiers over? Only about a week...

What kind of Cavalry could possibly finish training in about a week?

’Young people are so impetuous.’

So Viscount Luke thought. Of course, he would never say this out loud. When the time came, he would just point out a few flaws to get his point across to Robson; there was no need to offend him with harsh words.

"In that case, please lead on, Sir Robson," said Viscount Luke.

"This way, please," Robson said.

Robson naturally noticed the Viscount’s expression. It could only be said that Viscount Luke had been commanding from the rear for too long and didn’t have a deep enough understanding of the battlefield.

In truth, once someone experienced a life-or-death trial on the battlefield, their experience and mentality would undergo a qualitative change, and their attitude toward training would become drastically different.

The Mount & Blade system merely amplified these results, making the impression on those Soldiers all the more profound.

Many new recruits start to look like veterans after just a couple of tumbles on the battlefield.

...

"Claude, pause the training for a moment. Come see who’s here to visit you," Robson called out to Claude.

"Yes, my lord!"

Receiving the order, Claude broke away from the formation of training Cavalry.

He reached Robson’s side and dismounted.

"Uncle Luke!" Claude said in surprise.

After Claude’s father passed away, he had been living in Viscount Luke’s home, and their relationship was as close as family.

Claude didn’t know that while he was surprised, Viscount Luke was no less astonished.

"Claude, you’ve already reached the Bronze Second Tier," Viscount Luke said, quite taken aback.

Normally, as long as a Knight didn’t actively reveal their Battle Aura, they looked no different from an ordinary person.

However, Claude had just broken through recently and had been constantly using his Battle Aura during training, so Viscount Luke saw it at a glance.

"It’s all thanks to Sir Robson. He corrected my breathing method and the Eight Knightly Techniques. Since then, I can clearly feel my training has gone much more smoothly," Claude said.

This wasn’t wrong. Claude was to be his vassal in the future, one of his own people, so of course Robson wouldn’t be stingy.

Coupled with the effects of the Mount & Blade panel, Claude’s training had been smooth sailing.

"Good, good. That’s wonderful," Viscount Luke said, gratified. Although Claude was his friend’s son, they had spent a lot of time together, and the sense of gratification from seeing a junior make progress was hard to put into words.

’I wonder if I should pay a tuition fee for Robson to teach a few more of the family’s younger generation?’ Viscount Luke mused. ’After all, it’s just a matter of some fees and supplies.’

In reality, he had no idea that the Magic Potions and supplies he had given for Claude had been mostly appropriated by Robson for military funds.

The effects of the Mount & Blade panel were countless times more potent than those ordinary potions.

Strictly speaking, helping Claude improve his breathing method was just an excuse from Robson; the lion’s share of the credit belonged to the Mount & Blade panel.

"Claude, where is the 6th Cavalry Team? Have them come out. Tell them their tour of duty is over," Robson asked.

This so-called 6th Cavalry Team was the one Robson had specifically prepared for Viscount Luke.

Robson had divided the entire Cavalry force into several large teams of 50 men each, though, of course, no one would pay attention to such designations in a real charge.

"They’re training right now, my lord. I’ll have them come out immediately," said Claude.

Hearing this, Viscount Luke’s expression turned serious.

This Cavalry was the main event. As a typical southern noble, Viscount Luke didn’t even have many cavalrymen as guards on the battlefield.

This batch of Cavalry, entrusted to Robson for training, was destined to be directly integrated into Viscount Luke’s private forces. He couldn’t afford to be anything but cautious.

Claude was seen leading several dozen cavalrymen out from the main formation. Though on horseback, they still maintained their ranks. Then, they dismounted in unison and formed a line under Claude’s command.

"Reporting, my lord! The 6th Cavalry Team has assembled!" Claude announced.

"Th-this is the unit you’re handing over to me? Oh! Heavens! Robson, am I dreaming?" Viscount Luke exclaimed in astonishment, pointing at the Soldiers.

Although most of Robson’s Cavalry had come from other nobles, Viscount Luke had sent people to make inquiries.

Robson had only taken command of these troops a week ago. How could he have trained them to this level in just a few short days?

As for whether Robson was trying to pass off his old troops as new ones, Viscount Luke had no doubts on that score.

The bond between a cavalryman and his mount is profound. While a veteran could ride another horse with ease, his combat effectiveness would surely be diminished. No halfwit would separate his cavalrymen from their horses.

And the warhorses these cavalrymen were riding were mostly brown with gray manes—clearly the same batch he had given to Robson a short while ago.

"Oh! Heavens! By the Lord of Dawn, Robson, how did you do it?" Viscount Luke asked in utter disbelief.

"Ample food, reasonable training, and the right battles at the right time, my lord," Robson said with a smile.

Seeing the look of pure astonishment on Viscount Luke’s face, Robson breathed an inward sigh of relief. ’This is exactly the reaction I wanted, this very disbelief.’

This was what proved the value of Lord Robson!

The deal with Viscount Luke was in the bag. Once Robson stated his demands, he figured the Viscount wouldn’t refuse.

Even if there was some haggling, it would merely be over the distribution of profits between them.

"My apologies, I got too excited. But Robson, this is truly hard to believe. It’s just incredible!" Viscount Luke murmured to himself.

Of course, Viscount Luke didn’t believe Robson’s platitudes, but if the man didn’t want to elaborate, the Viscount certainly wasn’t going to make a fool of himself by asking.