The Paladin Order Reformed

Now everything was up to him, I hope he would be able to find his family and be able to pay off his debts before his leave ended. We had to focus on the task at hand anyway, the 12th battalion suffered the least amount of casualties during the siege, so we were going to push on while the 9th battalion guarded Valdora until reinforcements could arrive.

A couple of weeks pa.s.sed as we marched through the countryside taking back towns and key locations as we went. The most amount of demons we ever fought at a time was around 50, so there weren"t any real worries as we liberated the various locations we came across.

My squad and I were usually scouting as we had before. We did come across a few demon patrols, but they were easy enough to deal with, even if it was just the five of us. We made our way further south, our next objective was a former Paladin Order stronghold that was turned into one of the demons major bases this close to the border. Although we would have to wait until we could join with the 5th and 11th battalion to commence any significant operations.

As we stopped to camp for the night the rest of the squad sat around the campfire as I was cooking a field meal. They all sat around patiently as I mindlessly stirred a pot of beef broth while adding a couple of ingredients when it called for. The result was a steaming pot of beef stew that was a meal fit for the field.

I used some of the beef stock and potatoes we received from the quartermaster, then foraged some wild garlic and chives to help with the flavor as well as some parsnips to subst.i.tute for carrots. The smell was mouthwatering and my group of starved soldiers seemed ready to subjugate the pot themselves.

I served all of them, then we sat in palatable silence as we enjoyed a well-earned meal at the end of a hard day. When everyone was contempt and the pot was down to its last dregs of broth, fatty beef chunks, and discarded parsnip bits, Mathew rubbed his stomach in satisfaction and stated.

"Even after all this time, I still can"t believe you can cook such wonderful meals from practically nothing. You must be some genius, I tried cooking once, but it almost killed Joseph. I just think he was being a baby though." He threw an accusatory glance at Joseph, hoping he would take the bait like he usually does.

He did. "It wasn"t my fault you thought putting a lot of nutmeg in it would make it taste good. I was hallucinating for hours, I could have sworn you put some kind of poisonous mushroom in there to try and kill me."

This started a back and forth argument, the bickering would last the entirety of the night if not interrupted. So I changed the conversation by telling Mathew how I could cook.

"It"s funny, cooking was one of the few non-battle related skills Sir Richard taught me. When I was a little kid he would take me into the woods and show me all the different types of flora that could be turned used as food or ingredients. As we searched for certain ingredients for something we were making that night he would tell me stories about his time on the front line.

There was not always food when you were in the thick of battle, the demons would burn any crops or storehouses that they left behind and sometimes the supply convoy never came back. So some days Sir Richard and his fellow soldiers would find that they had to forage for supplies or die from starvation. I took it that he was too stubborn to let anything but a demon longsword finish him off, so I imagine he soon realized the importance of foraging and bushcraft.

He also taught me those skills, although after my 16th birthday I really didn"t have much time to do anything but learn spells and swordsmanship, if there was any spare time he would have me make our dinner or collect some ingredients that the stronghold chef needed.

It"s kind of funny actually, I"ve spent almost my entire life learning different skills and honing them. Sir Richard was always showing me some trick or making me practice something. I don"t think my life was actually that boring believe it or not, most of my boredom was forgotten by whatever task held my diligence. I"m thankful for Sir Richard, he really wanted to prepare me for everything that was outside that small town I was in."

Rachel listened admiringly as she usually did, Joseph and Mathew both listened respectfully, and Dontae nodded off barely able to stay awake. I smiled, then asked.

"So what do you guys want to do when you get out of this war?" I asked impudently.

Rachel answered first. "I want to go back and cut ties with my father, then start an expedition and explore the lush mountain range on the western edge of the Dragerian Republic. The king has wanted to fund anyone brave enough to explore the unkempt reaches of the mountains to find a pa.s.s so they can expand their territory. I"ve always wanted to explore some far off place and claim its riches."

"That"s amazing," I think, I didn"t know that Rachel had an explorer"s spirit, I thought she would want to leave all the action behind at the end of her service. She looked to Dontae and asked.

"How about you Dontae?" He perked up at the mention of his name, then realized we were waiting for him to tell us. He hesitated for a second then said.

"I didn"t really have anything I really wanted to do, other than find the most beautiful woman during my travels. But after Christian taught me so much, I think I want to go back to the magic academy and become a teacher. I want to prove that Sir Magnus"s theories were right, it might take time, but it"s something that everyone would benefit from so I think that"s what I want to do."

His aspirations made me smile, I guess Dontae wasn"t as selfish as I once thought. He looked to Mathew and Joseph and asked. "How about you guys, what do you two want to do."

Mathew went first. "I want to become a blacksmith, I have a dream of making something with my own hands and someone using it to protect people. I want to become a renowned blacksmith that"s known for creating amazing swords."

I nod, he"s definitely built for it. I might even buy some of his stuff if he becomes any good. Joseph went next.

"Surprisingly, I want to live a simple life in the country farming. It"s not that I don"t enjoy fighting right now, but I can"t really see myself doing it forever. Actually It can be pretty draining, fighting all this time has made me realize how exhausting constant conflict can be. I really just want to settle down with the woman of my dreams and enjoy a simplistic life farming."

I cannot help but smile, they all have some dream or aspiration that they seem to really want. What is it that I want? I guess I really haven"t thought of it, what do I want to do when I get out of this war?

They all looked at me expectantly, I said. "I don"t really know what I"ll do, to be honest. Really this has been what I"ve prepared my entire life for, I"ve always wanted to be a Paladin Knight like the ones in fairy tales, but I don"t know what I"ll do after. I guess the thing I want to do, is find my soulmate. I imagine everything else after will just fall into place."

Rachel smiles at me with warmth. "You"re so pure, Christain. I forget that you"re still 17 sometimes. I know whoever you meet will feel like they"re the luckiest girl in the world." She says with a tinge of sadness.

Before I could could raise a question to it, Lt. May entered our camp. Everyone quickly stood at attention, he waved us off, motioning for us to sit back down.

"At ease, I just wanted to tell you your a.s.signment for tomorrow. You and your men." He stops as Rachel glares daggers at him. "And women will be one of the squads that a.s.sault an encampment of demons in the small town to the east. You will need to report to me at dawn, is that clear?"

I responded, "Yes sir, we"ll be ready." He smiled, but something about it seemed slightly odd. He smiled, but his smile didn"t reach his eyes. As he was leaving he said in an even monotone voice "Good."