Dedicate loyalty to the good empire

Chapter 9 Choose Your Enemy and Fight 1
The soldiers were talking about it today because the brave and wise Sergeant Taylor had a black eye, which was almost rare and impossible for them.

After all, he was able to fight a terrible cult wizard face to face and make him look miserable. At least in the eyes of most soldiers, the cult wizard was a creature with four arms, wounds on his cheeks, and a rotten body.

It took a lot of courage to fight those things, but Taylor not only survived, but also won to a certain extent.

Everyone thought that there were not many things that could keep a hero like this awake at night, and he must have encountered a terrible nightmare.

But Taylor knew that he was scared by the knight yesterday.

Don’t look at Taylor’s current appearance. When he first joined the army, he landed directly in the center of the battlefield and saw the flashing hot melt and the roar of the crazy Hydra anti-aircraft guns.

He saw the cult's human bombs and madness, and also tasted the hardship of how to survive.

For Taylor, war is something that makes him painful and confused. Now, he is invited to join an apocalyptic-level war, and he is even already in it.

He dreamed of thousands of Knight Titans and green-skinned battle mechas beating each other. On the battlefield of giants, he was like a ridiculous little dot, being trampled and dissipated by teammates or enemies.

Now, he tiredly stirred the lunch that the Lightling girl had made for him, a delicious brown stew with rich and layered flavors, but the ingredients were no longer visible.

Paired with bread and rich-flavored Reka coffee, it can cheer up the depressed Taylor.

Corporal Katie, who was wolfing down her food nearby, asked, "Boss, you look like you've fought a monster."

Taylor yawned and replied, "The beast inside me. A terrifying thing."

He was half joking, but no one doubted that almost everyone thought Taylor was special and that the beast inside him must be terrifying.

The brothers had expressions of pity on their faces. Veterans like Taylor must have gone through a lot of pain to get to where they are today. Maybe he dreamed of his former comrades, or was still unable to get out of the haze of a battlefield?
Taylor hadn't noticed the change in their atmosphere yet. He just felt that the weather was very hot today, which made his mouth dry.

"Do you have any more of the Karantis sparkling water? I remember we brought quite a bit."

Machine Gunner Roland replied. "Boss, those things were destroyed during the last cult raid."

"I can do a little bit, but the environment here isn't very good," the Lightling girl said with concern. "Boss, can you handle flat sparkling water?"

"Then I'd rather die." Taylor said bluntly, and then tried to add milk and sugar to the bitter coffee to relieve his hunger and thirst.

At least the supplies here are sufficient. Compared to fighting in places like the Hive World and the Forge World where there is a shortage of food and clothing, there are not only enough eggs and milk here, but also fresh meat and bread.

"You are out of eggs and bread!" A heroic voice came from one side of the camp, and Free Blade shouted while holding up his tactical knife.

The battle-dressed Imperial noblewoman added, "The orcs have cut off our supply lines, completely disrupting the kingdom's southern routes. If we still want to have meat and bread, we must break through the orcish lines!"

She looked very happy, but Taylor didn't understand why she was happy. Eating beans was not bad. If it was just a supply line break, the Imperial Guard would still choose to defend.

"Defense always brings greater benefits than risking an attack," Taylor asked the woman. "I have one complaint. What if this blockade is a bait for the orcs?"

"If we abandon this place, our flanks will be exposed to the orcs' attacks and we will be quickly defeated. Frankly speaking, most of the local armed soldiers are not as strong as the Imperial Guards."

"From my point of view, it would be difficult even for the elite Imperial Guard to break through. Without infantry, how can we win if we only rely on the two knight mechas we have now?" Hearing this, Free Blade glanced sideways at his servant Taylor. At least during this period of time, he was still his servant.

The proud battle queen said, "I didn't expect such words to come from you, Mr. Taylor."

"You just rejected my cousin yesterday. I thought you were loyal, but now you're judging my thoughts."

"Do you think you are more professional in war?"

Taylor seemed to have grasped an opportunity, and he used a sharp provocation to say, "Then you can try. I can make a bet with you."

"I can stay here in the camp and fight my way. I only need a small number of soldiers and the makeshift defenses here."

"You can then lead your large forces on a raid to fulfill your vision."

"In the end, we will kill more orcs than that side planned."

A wicked smile crossed Freeblade's pretty face. "A bet?"

Taylor replied. "Yes, and the stakes are my respect, ma'am. You should be able to sense that I'm still a bit of a rebel."

He added fuel to the fire.

"Right? That's almost unfair. I'm the defender. How could I possibly kill more orcs than you?"

Freeblade said arrogantly. "Your respect may be worthless, but this competition is very interesting. A man like you is willing to give up his honor."

She smiled at Taylor. "Very well, if you win, I will always consider you my master, how about that?"

The servants and knights beside him immediately looked embarrassed.

They said, "Sir, you are bringing honor to your family..."

Freeblade interrupted them. "That's enough! How can you ignore something so interesting? Right, Taylor? You're one of the few warriors in this world who understands me!"

Taylor looked mysterious, but in fact he had no idea what was going on and just wanted to stay here and do nothing.

The Freeblades have all run away, so the orcs have no reason to attack here. Apart from the little food left and the elderly, the weak and the sick, those greenskins would not come here if they had any brains.

All he had to do was stay in the camp and sleep. As for Taylor's honor?
Can that thing be sold for money?
Taylor felt that the woman had been fooled. He smiled at the Free Blade, but everyone took this expression as a sign of confidence.

Now people are talking privately about the story of the outsider "Knight" Taylor, who wants to challenge the Free Blade with his mortal body and a shabby camp.

This was an almost impossible feat, and no one thought Taylor would succeed, not even Taylor himself...

(End of this chapter)