A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

To save time, Eric and his party had been riding hard for days, hoping to meet Arno in Luton City as soon as possible.

Eric usually set out at six in the morning, just as dawn broke. They would halt their march around two in the afternoon and begin searching for a village or an undefended town to stay in, but they weren’t always able to find a suitable place to make camp.

This was especially true when Robert, the army’s leader, was in a foul mood.

Of course, as far as Eric was concerned, this was somewhat avoidable. He could have spent more Exchange Points for a more precise map of the villages, but he chose not to.

Although Robert had said he wouldn’t hold Eric’s previous actions against him, his displeasure hadn’t completely vanished. Eric knew that for the time being, he should probably keep his mouth shut.

Eric didn’t resent Robert for it. It was normal behavior for a Lord. He even felt that he himself had been too hasty these past few days, too eager to win this war quickly.

Robert had already placed immense trust in him. From Robert’s perspective, Eric’s recent actions had indeed been a bit too aggressive.

Fortunately, the nobleman accompanying Robert this time was the chatterbox Belem, not Count Odo. Otherwise, his situation might have become even worse.

”Make camp here!”

Robert roared the order at the troops behind him. A herald blew his horn three times in succession—the signal to make camp on the spot.

Making camp was of little concern to the two hundred Knights. That work was primarily handled by the Attendants and the logistics train in the rear. The Attendants were responsible for felling trees, pitching tents, and preparing food.

Some of the Knights were given scouting duties, patrolling the area around the chosen campsite to guard against enemy encounters.

They had passed Cambridge yesterday and Bedford this morning. Barring any surprises, they expected to reach Luton tomorrow and rendezvous with the main army led by Arno.

Robert assigned Belem the task of setting up simple watchtowers, while Eric went to supervise the camp’s construction.

The camp’s layout was divided into two main parts. In the center were the Commander’s tent and the Church. Since Eric was serving as the army’s Priest, the tent designated as the Church was his.

These two types of tents were quite large and circular, with a central pole that spread the canvas outward. Ropes made of hemp were tied to stakes around the perimeter, making the tents relatively rainproof.

The tents surrounding them belonged to the Knights, Attendants, other soldiers, and various personnel. These were smaller and located on the periphery.

Time passed, and the camp construction neared completion. The defensive trenches around the perimeter were also nearly finished. Eric ordered sharpened wooden stakes to be driven into the bottom of the trenches, intended to kill any Warhorses that fell in.

Eric felt a bit uneasy about Belem. ’After all, the watchtowers are our first line of defense. The most important thing isn’t their construction, but their placement. If you can’t guarantee a clear line of sight, it’s as good as not having one at all.’

「Ten minutes later...」

Eric tilted his head back to look at Belem, who was perched in an oak tree, clinging to a thick branch. Belem was earnestly explaining to him why this tree was the absolute best choice for a watchtower.

”You see, Brother Eric, this spot is perfect! We don’t have to go to the trouble of building anything, and using a tree as a watchtower is incredibly stealthy. No one would ever think of it. Don’t you think my proposal is brilliant?”

It was indeed an old tree, much taller than the others nearby. The only problem was its overly dense foliage. To use it as a watchtower would require too much pruning, and there was no way to station an Archer on it.

Besides, there were simply too many other trees around. It might be fine during the day, but at night, the moonlight wouldn’t penetrate the canopy, obstructing the view.

”That’s an excellent suggestion. I suggest you never make another one.”

Eric pulled Belem down from the tree, then grabbed the back of his neck and turned his head in a specific direction. He pointed him toward a hill that was clearly much higher than their current position, though it was a bit farther away.

”A watchtower isn’t just for observation. We also need a platform from which to counterattack.”

With that, Eric led Belem and a group of Attendants toward the hill.

The watchtower didn’t need to be fancy. Three or four relatively sturdy tree trunks nailed together, with a simple platform on top, would suffice.

”Brother Eric, what happened between you and Robert a few days ago? It sounded like you two had a fight.”

”You heard?”

”Of course. I’m not deaf. A lot of people heard, actually, but no one wanted to get involved. Even though neither of you said anything, I can pretty much guess what it was about. Geoffrey’s business, right?”

”What do you think about it?”

”For me, of course, it’s no big deal. I’m a scoundrel, after all, even though I was startled at the time. I can’t be compared to Robert. He’s a decent man—a good man, in a way. That’s why I chose to follow him. To be honest, his reaction was exactly what I expected.”

”That’s a rare thing to hear from you. Don’t you always say that calling you a scoundrel is just slander?”

”A scoundrel’s a scoundrel. Being called names a few times won’t kill me. I have to let those unruly peasants vent somehow.”

Belem shrugged, showing he didn’t care. Then he turned to face Eric, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, ”I have a feeling that with the three of us being this strong, we’re bound to achieve something great. So there’s no need for conflict between us.

Go talk things over with Robert. He might talk a tough game, but he never holds a grudge.”

”Hearing something like that from a scoundrel’s mouth... it’s a strange feeling, I’ll admit.” Eric’s lip twitched, and he looked at a loss for words.

’If only you two would cause a little less trouble for me.’

But he didn’t say that out loud, instead just shaking his head helplessly.

Suddenly, however, Belem seemed to sense something. He immediately dropped to the ground and pressed his ear to the earth.

”What is it? Something’s approaching.”

”You can really do that?”

”Of course! My father taught me. I’m an expert at—oh no, there’s...”

”Cavalry!”

”I hadn’t even said it yet. How did you know?” Belem froze for a second, looking at Eric in surprise.

”Obviously. You can see them with your own eyes.”

Eric grabbed Belem’s head and turned it to face a certain direction.

”Hurry and tell Robert!”