Chapter 67 Entanglement

  "No internet in dormitory, borrowing classmate's computer to upload, will be late, sorry"

  In the simply decorated house, Stefan and Johnny sat opposite each other. On the desk between them were stacked some books with sheepskin binding, giving off an ancient flavor. The gold on the cover of the top book occasionally flashed out a ray of light, which was the most luxurious existence in this house.

  The old man is holding a letter in his hand.

  From the time Old Man Jo came in until now, he hadn't uttered a word. If you insisted that he had spoken, then there was just one sentence.

  "Come in."

  Then there was a long silence.

  Joni sat quietly in the chair, not saying a word or moving, just lowering his head to observe the texture of the desktop. He didn't like this scene, it was too awkward. He felt like an uninvited guest, suddenly intruding into someone else's peaceful life. If there was anything worse than that, it was that "someone else" didn't even notice him.

  He could only sit on the chair, counting the patterns on the desktop, again and again.

  Just as Johnny was about to see the wood grain in an abstract art effect, Steven spoke up.

  "Oh, sorry about that, I've kept you waiting."

  The tone was soothing, without any condescending air of superiority, yet with a strong persuasive power. After all, he was a pastor, and even Joanie, who had lived in the new era for many years, felt her anger dissipate instantly upon hearing these words.

  "It's all right, it's all right." Johnny smiled and replied very politely.

  "Some official business." The old man shook the letter in his hand, half explaining and half boasting, "Those young people always come to disturb me."

  "Alright, first of all, I want you to clarify your goal." Stephfen put away the letter, "Jony, what kind of person do you think you will become in the future? What kind of person do you hope to become?"

  This question is simple, but when it comes to answering, it makes people hesitate again.

  What kind of person?

  When Johnny was a blacksmith, he wanted to be a mercenary who traveled the world; after Johnny's parents passed away, he just wanted to live an ordinary life; when Johnny walked on the road to the north, he wanted to become an excellent soldier; when Johnny arrived at Oss丁, he only wanted to defeat Lancelot...

  Now, what kind of person does he want to become?

  Emperor? General?

  "If possible, I still want to be a general of an army." Johnny's war dream as a boy took the upper hand, "Commanding an army, sweeping away the enemy, and finally returning home in glory, living a happy life."

  "Is that all?" Stefan narrowed his eyes as he sized up Johnny. "This is what you want to be? A successful general?"

  "Strictly speaking, it's not." Johnny was a bit evasive, "The key is still a happy life."

  "A happy life?" The old man's tone was tinged with surprise. He stood up and began pacing behind his chair. This answer was not what he had expected. A young boy, perhaps, would have many dreams, some grandiose, such as becoming a great hero like Odin; others small, such as owning a fertile piece of land with rich harvests. When these children prayed in their hearts, they might ask for strength or abundance. But a happy life?

  Stephen halted his steps and turned back to stare into Johnny's eyes.

  When Johnny could no longer bear the old man's piercing gaze, Stefan finally spoke up and asked: "Should I say you're lacking in ambition or that you're very clever?"

  "This...," Jony thought for a moment and smiled self-deprecatingly. "Let's just say I'm out of luck."

  "After a moment of silence, he spoke again: 'However, if I can avenge my parents first, that would be even better. So I think it's best to become a general first.'"

  Jonah, who had always been respectful of his superiors, was also somewhat agitated at this time. However, people, after all, have times when they are agitated, don't they?

  "I understand." Stefan nodded, "Then I'll teach you in that direction. Hehe, with Odala as a precedent, I don't dare to instruct others casually anymore."

  Johnny vaguely knew that Odara was a failed pastor in training.

  "As a general, you were first a soldier. So in terms of martial skills, there can be no relaxation. From now on, every day after breakfast until lunch is the time for training martial skills. How much you learn, I will teach you that much, and things like reviewing after class, you handle yourself. If there's something you don't understand, you can ask, but during this period of time, I won't be responsible for reviewing.

  Stefan began to arrange tasks, "After lunch until dinner is still martial skills training, but I will also schedule some military courses. At night, Udith will still teach you according to the scriptures, Osedin's generals are not like the nobles on Velsa's side, they all need to be literate."

  Jony nodded: "I know."

  "I won't force you to study, nor will I check your homework. However, Lancelot also told me that he wants a rematch with you. It's scheduled for a month later, think it over yourself."

  Isn't this called forcing? What else do you want to force me to do? Joanie muttered in her heart, still with a hint of a smile on her face: "Yes, I won't slack off."

  "Alright, follow me out and let's start class."

  －－－－－－－－－－

  When Johnny joined Steven's team, Astrid and Lancelot each had their own troubles.

  The troubles of both men lie in one thing: strength.

  Astrid followed Bruni's advice and began to train her strength. There were many ways to train one's strength in the village of Osedin, and Astrid tried them all, but none seemed to have much effect, at least not in the short term. From the church, she brought back a composite bow, and every day she would try to draw it open. She could draw it open, and even fill it up, but she couldn't hold it for long. If she couldn't hold it for long, then she couldn't aim properly. Although Astrid's marksmanship had already reached the point where she could shoot quickly, that was with a longbow, which was a feeling developed through repeated shooting. She hadn't practiced with this composite bow at all, and if she didn't take aim, there was no way to hit her target.

  So she could only continue to practice. However, strength was not something that could be achieved overnight, unless one had a good foundation and a robust physique. After twenty days, Aisling had lost hope. She could feel her strength increasing, but it was far from enough. The archers selected by Osedin were almost all strong men, many of whom were dual practitioners who could shoot arrows with their bows and wield swords in close combat. For them, shooting thirty arrows in a row during a battle was already the limit. Aisling was not a robust man who could abandon her sword and join the melee; her combat power lay entirely in her divine marksmanship. Even if she practiced bitterly for a year, what use would it be to shoot arrows with a bow? She would just be one of the archers.

  She wants revenge. Revenge can't just be an ordinary little soldier.

  Astrid began to ponder the idea of solidifying her brutal strength technique.

  Unlike Aethereia, Lancelot is troubled by the removal of the eternal brutal art from his body.

  From a young age, Lancelot, armed with her brute strength, swept aside peers and trampled adults. In the entire village, only the veteran soldier who had survived countless battles, Brunhilde's grandfather and father, could defeat her. Even the veteran soldier had to rely on his rich experience to barely defeat this tomboy who was spoiled by her grandfather. Lancelot never thought there was anything wrong with that.

  Now that I think about it, I did have the idea of "you can talk after you've won a fight against me".

  But now she has been defeated.

  A brat from Vilsa, a guy who's said to have only practiced the giant sword for less than a year, actually beat her! Lancelot recalled it briefly after the battle and soon thought of a way to counterattack. But Johnny's words made her feel very uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable.

  "You're still using brute force, what can I say about you?"

  What's more, Lancelot was bewildered after his anger.

  How to say?

  Grandpa said that on the battlefield, anything can happen. You can't say to your opponent: "Ah, let's have a fair duel! Wait a minute, let's go find a priest to dispel the magic."

  The battlefield is where blood will be shed, and the only thing required on the battlefield is victory.

  But now that I've calmed down and thought about it, it seems like I've always been playing the role of that seemingly evil enemy.

  Lancelot wasn't stupid, she was just evading. Anyone else wouldn't want to give up such a huge advantage like Brute Force either. "This is also a situation on the battlefield," Lancelot always comforted herself.

  But she lost, although her opponent's move was very vicious, but she had nothing to say.

  "Only what's yours is real." Lancelot suddenly blurted out this sentence as he stared blankly at Ais Wallenstein's arduous training.

  "What?" Estelle stopped in her tracks and looked at Lancelot.

  "Only what's mine is real!" Lanslot stood up, his eyes firm. "I'm going to find my grandfather, and from now on I won't need Brute Magic anymore!"

  "Huh?" Astrid looked puzzled, "Why?"

  "Because only what you cultivate yourself truly belongs to you!" Lancelot walked up to Ais Wallenstein, "If I keep going like this, later on if I go onto the battlefield... not to mention Tanias' idiot priest can also dispel magic! What will I do then?"

  Before Aisley could react, Lancelot had already turned and run off, his voice drifting back from behind her: "You practice first, I'm going to find my grandpa!"

  "Undo the magic?" Estrya gazed at Lancelot's back, pondered for a moment, and finally shook her head. "I'm a ranger, I use bows and arrows, no such troubles."

  Under her frustration, Astrid practiced for a while longer and suddenly laughed at herself: "What kind of forest ranger am I? Father only taught me some superficial skills, I haven't even learned properly."

  She decided to go back and discuss with Old Man Stefan whether he could give her the Brute Force technique that was originally meant for Lancelot. In any case, she would practice first. Archers were fed arrows, a phrase she always remembered, one of the few things she was practicing from her father's words.

  For Lancelot who suddenly ran over, the old and young in the backyard were very surprised. Of course, Lancelot's return was not a big deal that would cause such a reaction. What surprised them was what the little girl shouted out of her mouth.

  "Grandpa, I've made up my mind! Starting tomorrow, don't use the Power Boosting Spell on me anymore!"

  The old man's movements stiffened, and Geoni opened his mouth even wider, staring at Lancelot.

  "What?" The two were very tacit.

  "I've made up my mind." Lancelot glanced at Johnny, "Starting tomorrow, I won't need brute force anymore. I'm going to cultivate my own strength."

  Joni still had an incredulous expression, but Stefan reacted. He stared at Lancelot intently: "Kid, have you thought this through?"

  Lancelot nodded heavily.

  "Alright." The old man sighed, "It's really like that, you're becoming more and more like your grandmother."

  Qiao Ni felt a chill upon hearing this, could it be that this old man is infatuated...

  How wicked, how wicked! Johnny quickly drove this thought out of his mind.

  "From tomorrow on, everything will depend on you. The disadvantage of being a girl in terms of power will also be exposed, and you must find a way to make up for it yourself." Stephan continued, "No backing out is allowed."

  Jony remained silent all along, but at this moment he felt a sense of relief.

  "Don't be so pleased with yourself." The old man's senses were sharp, "Lancelot may not rely on brute strength, but after all these years of training with me, his martial skills are far beyond what a young whippersnapper like you can match. Continue practicing!"

  Lancelot also gave Johnny a glance, and after saying goodbye to his grandfather, he ran out the door. He needs to train hard now, in less than a month, Johnny? Hmph.

  Jony picked up the giant sword and continued to practice the movements that the old man had taught him. Indeed, after learning for a few days, Jony could feel the subtlety of some of the old man's fixed moves, as well as the practicality of some battlefield techniques. If Lancelot had mastered them all, he wouldn't need such great strength to easily defeat himself.

  But that can only be the current self. Joanie practiced seriously, but in her heart, she was secretly determined.

  Put down those young men and women who have just walked out of entanglement, and cast their eyes northward.

  What the tribes beyond the Great Wall were doing in the cold wind, Oserdin was not clear. For the Northern Army, today was just an ordinary day. The ordinariness of some extraordinary things should be a little personnel adjustment.

  "Odala Ludwig reporting for duty!" Odala stood at attention and shouted, then handed the documents in his hand to the clerk in front of him.

  "Odala, Ludwig?" The clerk took the document and muttered this unfamiliar name carelessly, then he found familiarity in the unfamiliarity, "Ludwig? Are you from the Ludwig family?"

  "Yes." Still standing at attention, "My father is Stephen Ludwig."

  "Stephen Ludwig!" This was thoroughly familiar now, "Are you his son? Odara... Are you a pastor?"

  Pastor?

  "No... I am a warrior, I came to enlist, it's on record." Odara said helplessly.

  The Ludwig family has served Odin for generations, a famous pastor's family, and the greatest pastor of all time, Archbishop Stephen. When people first meet the son of Ludwig, they often react with: "You must be a pastor?"

  The clerk also realized his own rashness and smiled apologetically, lowering his head to begin flipping through the documents in his hand.

  "First Army of the Northern Forces, under General Iwida Heinrich's command. Please wait a moment." After some scribbling, "Please receive this."

  Then he turned around and beckoned: "Charlie!"

  A soldier came into the house: "Awaiting your orders."

  "Have this gentleman escorted to the headquarters of the First Army."

  "Yes sir." The soldier named Charlie turned to Odara, "Follow me."

  Next, I have to ride a horse to the headquarters of the First Army. Odala's heart is slightly nervous. After leaving his hometown for so many years, he doesn't know how Ailuer Heineri and his brothers are doing, nor does he know if the people in Heineri's family are still guarding...

  Iwida Heinrich, the eldest son of Marshal Heinrich, elder brother of Erald Heinrich, and Odara's future superior.

  "Alas..." Odhara let out this sigh, just as he had countless times on his journey, "This is Odin's punishment for me!"