Establishing a knight order. Easier said than done.

First of all, there are the material costs. Weapons, armors, provisions, all those needed to be provided. Added to the military training and other expenses, this could reach hundreds of gold (roughly 1,000,000 Colts) per individual per annum.

But Axel, of course, already considered those.

With his current budget, establishing a Knight Order is easy. The main problem is the members themselves. Even if he successfully created one, if the members are weak, then it'd be a wasted investment after all.

Otherwise, even if the members are strong, if they lack unity and the desire to protect the state—the camp—then it'd be all for naught too.

Thus, this idea is simply full of risks for Axel.

Still, he couldn't resist the advantages that it would give.

Militarization of troops. Basic training in weapon usage. And many more. If he succeeded in this endeavor, then the camp's defenses would become easier.

"So?"

Axel waited for a long while, until the chaos diminished, before asking once more.

"What do you all think? Do you want to be workers, toiling in the workshop day and night? Or become knights to protect this place?!"

Of course, Axel already knew their answer. It was quite obvious from their gazes, after all.

"I... I'll join the order! I'll become a knight!""M-Me too! I'll fight for our peace! I won't run away anymore!""For the camp! For Sir Axel! For Princess Eve!"

Seeing their unified voices, Axel couldn't help but smile.

"Then, Princess Eve. Please do the honors." And quickly pulled a certain individual forward.

Although Eve was confused, she didn't resist. She, herself, wanted this, after all. She stood in the middle, looking worried and anxious, before Axel picked up one of the swords stuck on the ground and passed it to her.

"...!"

She received it, feeling the weight of the metal blade, and staggered. But still, she pulled herself, holding the sword straight up, like a knight in salute.

Without many words, the "program" started.

As the "sovereign," Eve presented her new knights with their oaths. She dubbed their shoulders, saying a few words as per the usual script, and turned everyone who knelt before her into knights.

With how few they were, the event ended faster than expected.

Still, with it, a group of 14 knights was made. Right, everyone except the bandits, Axel, Teruria, and Eve became members of the new Knight Order!

"With this, the Valkyrie Knight Order is made!" And to close the session, Axel raised his voice in cheer. "Let's do our best to protect each other, and the peace of our camp!"

"YEAAAH!"

A loud cheer erupted, enough that Axel's ears started ringing. It didn't feel irritating, but rather empowering.

Right after they calmed down a bit, Axel gave each their swords, the Low Quality Divinity Swords he had mass-produced, and a sheath he bought for cheap from the shop.

After that, he also gave each a suit of armor—the kind that's enchanted to fit the user's body perfectly. Lightweight and sturdy!

Finally, he gave them all three types of accessories he made: a necklace, a bracelet, and a ring each. Cherry-picking the best ones that provide strength, agility, vitality, and stamina.

Combining their "apparent price" as per the shop, then the total investment per knight was roughly 50–80 million Colts, or equivalent to 500 to 800 gold each! Several times a normal knight's budget!

"T-This is...!"

Upon receiving the full set, Arianne could immediately feel the changes in her body.

To test her new strength, she walked a bit to the side and picked up a rock, holding it in the middle of her palms. Then, she clasped her fist. To her surprise, despite not using body strengthening just yet, the rock was crushed completely, turning to dust!

"Amazing!" she muttered, along with praises from those watching her. "This much power with just the equipment itself. With this, there's no way we'd lose!"

Axel smiled and nodded.

"Of course, there's no way we'd lose." He exclaimed confidently. "After all, I plan to make this knight order the strongest in the world later on!"

"Oooh!"

Gasps of awe and surprise echoed from everyone listening.

Although his words might sound unrealistic, the girls had already experienced how much power they'd gained with just a few items. Given the chance to grow their skills on top of that, there's a good chance that his words will come true!

Everyone was busy testing their new strength, swinging their swords around, or stretching lightly. Even Karen, who's barely two digits of age, could now easily lift a barrel of water with one hand!

"Alright, everyone, enough of that!"

After finding that they had enough time to play around, Axel clapped his hands to pull their attention.

"Although we're now stronger, there's still no telling if we can beat the devil that's coming later. As such, we need to make a thorough plan!" he shouted. "For the details, Princess Teruria over here will explain."

"Yes, yes!"

Teruria excitedly took the stage, waving her hand energetically.

"I'm Teruria, and I'm sure everyone here knows already, but I'm a witch. Thus, I'm sure I can provide a good enough plan for everyone to use...!"

"..."

Axel just moved to the side, not intending to listen.

After all, the plan wasn't really Teruria's, but his. He only used Teruria's "popularity" among the girls and the fact that she's a princess too, to make the strategy more trustworthy.

But little did Axel know...

Whether he or Teruria delivered the strategy, the results wouldn't change.

...

Time quickly passed, and soon enough, the sun was already on its way down beyond the horizon. As planned, everyone was already in their positions, holding crossbows in their hands.

The bandits under the Obedience Curse were manning the ballista, with the extra holding Low Quality Divinity Swords that were in excess.

Of course, one look at the formation would tell you that more forces were concentrated near the west wall.

But that's a given, since that's where the other monsters would come from.

"Everyone, keep a sharp eye!"

Axel commanded just as the solar LED lights turned on automatically.

After all, that moment signaled the beginning.

"OooOh..."

Moments later, the low hum of groans from zombies began to echo.

The sound itself was eerie, but none of the "knights" were scared. Instead, they all held a serious expression, keeping a keen eye on their marked areas.

"Zombies entering the light zone!"

And almost at the same time, the watchers of the four walls shouted at the same time.

It was the moment when the zombies crossed the darkness and entered the light, making them visible.

Axel checked his map and quietly felt surprised.

"So this thing indicates numbers too..." he whispered.

The map, showing the big red dot over the camp, turned into smaller, individual red dots when he zoomed in. Along with it, numbers were displayed.

[

Zombies - 3,600

Giant Zombies - 6

Goblins - 1,000

Goatmen - 1,000

??? - 1

]

Axel licked his lips before raising his voice.

"Alright, Valkyrie Knight Order! Proceed as planned!"

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