Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

At night, in a military camp on the southern border of the Central Province, Karl walked to the well in the corner, steadily picked up the empty iron basin next to him, and bent down to put it into the well.

The cool well water seeped into the basin. He lifted the basin steadily, walked to an open space, and scooped up the water to wash himself.

The cool water washed away the fatigue from the day's drills and the dust covering his body. After washing up, he picked up the iron basin, which still had a little water left, and walked steadily toward the soldiers' dormitory not far away.

The night in the military camp was quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps from patrolling soldiers in the distance. Karl walked very lightly, but in his mind he was silently calculating the days ahead.

His 100-man team has less than a year left before they finish their current border guard duty and return to military academy for further studies.

If he can successfully complete his studies at the military academy, he will be able to become a true Heldran officer.

Pushing open the wooden door of the dormitory, the noisy atmosphere inside immediately hits you, completely different from the silence outside.

Most of the soldiers in the dormitory were still awake, busy with their own tasks: wiping the weapons used in daytime drills, tidying up the neatly folded bedding, or chatting quietly by the bedside, with occasional bursts of light laughter.

The soldiers who guarded the border with Karl were all around the same age as him, mostly fourteen or fifteen years old. They were all new recruits like him, waiting to return to military academy for further studies in six months. There wasn't much of a barrier between them, and they got along quite well.

The laughter and chatter in the dormitory gradually grew louder. A soldier who was leaning against the headboard and playing with the leather rope around his waist suddenly looked up at the people around him and spoke with a casual curiosity.

"I told you that I'll be going back to military academy in six months, which department do you want to apply to?"

The soldiers, who had been busy with their own tasks, stopped what they were doing and gathered around, responding all at once.

A taller soldier spoke first, his tone full of longing.

"I'm definitely going to apply for artillery. You guys have never seen what it looks like when cannons fire in unison. Being an artillery officer is so prestigious."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another agile soldier immediately chimed in, his face showing a defiant expression.

"What's so great about artillery? It's cumbersome and inflexible. It's useless in mountain warfare, and you have to push the cannons around everywhere. I want to recruit cavalry, ride the fastest warhorses, and charge into battle with long swords in hand. That's what I call exhilarating. We can mow down the enemy while galloping back and forth. It's much more exciting than staying in one place and firing cannons."

"Cavalry and artillery are too ordinary. I'm different from you."

Another soldier pushed his way through the crowd, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness, drawing stares from everyone.

"I want to sign up for the hot air balloon reconnaissance team. Just think about it, flying high in a hot air balloon, we can see the entire battlefield situation clearly. The enemy's movements can't be hidden from our eyes at all. Moreover, we don't have to face the fighting on the battlefield. It's safe and dignified. Most importantly, the hot air balloon reconnaissance team is a rare type of soldier. They are given special training in military academies. Their future prospects are definitely not bad."

"With your fear of heights, you still want to go on a hot air balloon? You'll be so scared that your legs will go weak when you're halfway up the plane. Don't throw down your reconnaissance binoculars and give the enemy a message."

Someone immediately joked, causing the dormitory to burst into laughter. The soldier who had just said he wanted to join the hot air balloon reconnaissance team blushed and hurriedly retorted. The atmosphere in the dormitory became more and more lively, with everyone talking about their favorite branch of service, each sticking to their own opinion, noisy and clamorous, yet full of anticipation for the future.

Amid the commotion, a soldier suddenly noticed Karl, who was standing quietly to the side watching the crowd. He immediately raised his hand to greet him and asked in a somewhat enthusiastic tone.

"Karl, where do you want to go? Why are you just standing there without saying anything?"

All eyes immediately fell on Karl. The dormitory, which had been noisy just moments before, fell silent. Everyone looked at him curiously, wanting to know what this usually calm and hardworking teammate was planning.

Karl met everyone's gazes but did not speak immediately. After quickly thinking for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth, his tone calm and serious.

"The nation's military focus is mainly on land, so I'll stick to being an infantry officer."

A soldier who usually loved to joke around suddenly looked at Karl with a smile and spoke in a teasing tone.

"Why do you always put the country first? We join the army to protect the country, but when choosing a branch of service, we should also consider our own interests and strengths to determine our future career path. Do you think the army is your private property?"

As soon as he said that, a loud burst of laughter erupted in the dormitory, and the previously quiet atmosphere became noisy again.

The soldiers joined in the jeering, their tone full of jokes. Another soldier came over, patted Karl on the shoulder, and teased him in an exaggerated tone.

"Don't make me laugh. If he really had that ability, then Karl must be His Majesty the King's own son. What king would send his heir to such a miserable place?"

This remark drew laughter from everyone. They all took it as a joke and no one took it seriously. They just found the banter particularly amusing.

Carl laughed along with everyone else, his face showing just the right amount of helplessness and gentleness as he responded to their jokes.

Little did they know that this seemingly casual joke had actually guessed the truth.

He could not tell anyone this secret; he could only keep it hidden in the deepest part of his heart, subtly concealing it through such jokes.

The jokes in the dormitory gradually subsided, and the conversation slowly shifted. Just then, a soldier who was usually quiet suddenly lowered his voice and spoke, instantly drawing everyone's attention again.

"I have something to tell you. A few days ago, I went to the chapel in the military camp to pray and I saw an angel."

The dormitory fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Everyone stared at him with puzzled expressions. One soldier immediately pressed for an answer:

"Really? You really saw an angel? What did the angel look like? Was it like in the legends, with snow-white wings and wearing gorgeous clothes?"

"I saw it too!"

Before the first soldier could answer, another soldier immediately spoke up excitedly, his tone full of certainty, confirming what had just been said.

"That angel wasn't like the one in the legends. It was just a little flying angel of light, with a soft glow all over its body. It looked very gentle. I accidentally scraped my arm during training. The wound was red and swollen and hurt terribly. That day, when I went to church, I happened to meet that little angel of light. It gently touched my wound, and the pain and swelling instantly disappeared. The wound healed in no time, without leaving a single scar."

As he spoke, he rolled up his arm, revealing a smooth arm. Everyone crowded around to take a closer look and, sure enough, there wasn't a single scratch on his arm.

Now most people believed it, and their eyes showed surprise. Some were amazed, some were curious, and they were all talking about the little flying angel.

Carl knew what the angel they were talking about was; he had met it long ago in the military camp church and occasionally helped polish the statue of St. John.

A soldier's gaze suddenly fell on the kerosene lamp in the corner, where a soldier was sitting with his head down, writing furiously. A piece of paper was spread out on the table, and judging from his furrowed brow, he was obviously worried about what he was writing.

The soldier immediately smiled and spoke, his tone somewhat joking, as he called out to the soldier who was writing furiously.

"You could try having an angel write your self-criticism for you. With an angel's help, you'll definitely be able to finish it easily and your superiors won't be able to find any fault with it."

Following his gaze, everyone instantly understood and burst into laughter.

As everyone knows, the soldier was caught slacking off during training during the day and was punished by his superior with a written self-criticism, which he had to finish tonight or face additional punishment tomorrow.

His gloomy appearance had already become a source of amusement for everyone, and now that the topic of angels was being used to tease him, it naturally drew continuous laughter from everyone.

Upon hearing this, the soldier by the kerosene lamp stopped writing, looked up at everyone helplessly, and his tone was full of aggrieved frustration.

“I tried it a long time ago. Yesterday I went to church and spent the whole afternoon hoping to meet that angel, and I actually did. I told it about the difficulty of writing the self-criticism and asked it to write it for me. But instead of writing it for me, it handed me a note with just one sentence written on it, saying that this is what I deserve.”

As soon as he said that, the dormitory erupted in even louder laughter. All the previous jokes and banter paled in comparison to this moment. Everyone laughed so hard they were doubled over. Even the usually composed Karl couldn't help but smile.

The soldier writing the self-criticism could only shake his head helplessly as he watched everyone laughing and joking. He lowered his head again, picked up his pen, and continued writing furiously under the kerosene lamp. However, the sorrow on his face seemed to have dissipated a lot because of the laughter and joking.

Laughter from the dormitory gradually drifted out of the window and dissipated into the night of the military camp, but a different scene unfolded on the watchtower not far from the camp.

A towering watchtower stands on the south side of the military camp, serving as the first line of defense. At this moment, two soldiers are on guard duty at the top of each watchtower.

They stood tall, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings, not daring to slack off in the slightest. After all, this was the border, and accidents could happen at any time. Their duty was to detect danger as soon as possible and provide early warning to the military camp.

Dozens of meters south of the watchtower were the defensive fortifications that the military camp had set up in advance. Rows of sturdy chevaux-de-frise were neatly arranged, firmly blocking the road leading to the military camp. Deep trenches were dug between the chevaux-de-frise, and the bottom of the trenches was filled with spikes. Even if the enemy attacked, they could be stopped immediately, giving the military camp enough time to defend itself.

The soldiers on guard would occasionally glance at the fortifications to make sure everything was in order. The barricades and trenches stood quietly in the night, like silent guardians protecting the safety of the camp.

Just as the two soldiers on guard duty took turns rubbing their sore eyes and preparing to carefully patrol the surroundings again, one of the soldiers suddenly stopped and stared intently into the darkness in the distance.

In his vision, several blurry figures were slowly emerging from the thick darkness. They were tall and steady, dressed in matching black robes, which made them stand out in the night.

These men in black robes made no attempt to conceal themselves, heading straight towards the barricades on the south side of the military camp. Their pace was quick, their goal clear, and it was obvious that they had ill intentions.

The soldier on guard felt a chill and immediately nudged his companion, gesturing for him to look at the figures in black robes. His companion followed his gaze and instantly became alert as well. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

One of the soldiers was about to shout a warning to the guards below when his gaze suddenly fixed on the men in black robes, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

Among the black-robed figures, one in the middle suddenly had several thick vines extend out of thin air from behind him. The vines moved with terrifying speed, heading straight for the barricades in front of him.

The chevaux-de-frise that were originally firmly fixed to the ground were easily pulled off the ground by the vines. Then, the vines exerted their strength and threw the heavy chevaux-de-frise to the side.

The heavy chevaux-de-frise hit the ground with a dull thud, instantly shattering the silence of the night and completely crushing any remaining hope in the hearts of the soldiers on guard.

This is no ordinary enemy; the opponent possesses unimaginable and bizarre abilities that they cannot easily withstand.

The two soldiers on guard were shocked and dared not hesitate for a moment. One of them immediately shouted at the top of his lungs towards the direction of the barracks and below.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

A sharp shout pierced the night and echoed over the military camp for a long time. At the same time, another soldier reacted immediately, reached out and pulled out a pre-prepared signal firework from his waist, and quickly lit the fuse.

Fireworks ignited a bright flame in the night, then shot straight into the sky, exploding into a dazzling burst of light high in the air.