Chapter 114: The Start of the Autumn Hunt

Go all out, and the phrase can be followed by “falling short of one’s strength.” George’s completely lackluster attitude really made Knight Val uneasy. But this was the Autumn Hunt! Although its military significance had greatly diminished at the moment, it was more about entertainment. However, the competitive spirit among the nobles had only increased. The only thing George hadn’t expected was that even a strong man like Knight Val could not escape this trend.

Of course, Bolerum Territory’s results in previous years had not matched its true strength. Although one could earn back face by fighting twice as hard on the battlefield, some ignorant masses—part of the Court Nobility—thought they were just barbarians who only knew how to chop people and had no taste for elegance.

“It looks like we need to come up with some plans this time. We can’t just be perfunctory like before.” George knew that the reason Knight Val made such a request in front of him was not just his own wish, but also represented the view of Viscount Bolerum. This time, the elders of the family had changed their usual behavior and started to take this seriously, so they must have had their reasons.

Since they had decided to go all out, the entire Manor had been busy preparing for a good result during the time before the Autumn Hunt began. This was the old saying: “When the army moves, the grain must go first.” All preparations were made for the final victory.

George, who had taken command from his father, first spent a large sum of money to buy several top-quality Captopdo hunting horses from Kuznetsov, the largest horse trading company in Karada. Although the Kuznetsov company could not spread across the entire Western Continent like the “Journey of the Earth,” it had extensive channels for livestock and horses.

Perhaps someone would ask why the House Bolerum, which rose to fame through knightly achievements, still needed to buy horses from outside temporarily. But in fact, war horses, riding horses, and draft horses are quite different from hunting horses.

According to the theory proposed by the wise man Opian Batting from the Old Empire era, a hunting horse must be large and sturdy, have strong limbs, a small head, and a neck shaped like a bow, resembling feathers on a helmet; it should have a wide forehead, curly forelock, clear and fiery eyes, and a broad chest; it must have a double ridge on its back, elegant and clean legs, clear textures on its four hooves, and lift its legs very high when walking.

But in reality, if a horse meets two-thirds of these requirements, it can be called a qualified hunting horse from an appearance perspective. In addition, there are requirements for training: First, it must maintain elegance when walking slowly. Although it does not need to reach the level of a ceremonial horse, it cannot be sloppy because nobles must accept inspection from their Liege Lord before the hunt begins in the hunting ground.

Second, it must have the ability to turn and dodge in small ranges. This is to facilitate chasing animals like stags, wild boars, and small-horned antelopes in the forest.

Third, it must have relatively fast speed and the ability to jump over obstacles. This was a new requirement after the fox hunting project became popular. Hunting horses must not only run faster in open areas but also be used to the skill of jumping over stone fences and ditches—for example, effortlessly jumping over the fences used for fox hunting.

Looking at these handsome war horses in the stable of the Manor to the south of the city, George sighed in his heart, “I hope these little guys, each worth 400 Gold Coins, do not disappoint everyone. More importantly, I hope Father and the elders won’t just do this on a whim this time. If there is no big demand after using them once, we will lose a huge amount.”

After checking the horses, George spoke seriously to the groom beside him: “Take good care of them. They are key to the event in a few days, and absolutely nothing can go wrong. Also, prepare other auxiliary horses. If you make any mistakes, you will be in trouble.”

“Master, please rest assured. I have been in this line of work for more than ten years. I understand the importance of things.” The middle-aged groom with rough skin immediately nodded and answered with a bow.

In fact, during the hunting process, it is impossible for only hunting horses to take the lead; horses of different uses are needed to switch during the hunt. Generally, a high-level hunting team needs at least 12 hunting horses to be ready for riding.

However, a big problem arose when trying to supplement suitable hunting dogs. Generally, a hunter’s beloved dogs are divided into three types: hunting dogs, retrieving dogs, and foxhounds. Hunting dogs are mainly used to help humans hunt, find prey, prevent prey from escaping, chase prey according to the master’s instructions, or retrieve shot prey, etc.; retrieving dogs are mainly trained to hunt small flying birds like sparrows. They hold prey loosely when carrying it so as not to hurt the prey, and they are also good at helping their masters find prey; foxhounds often have sharp and agile mouths, extremely sensitive noses, are good at digging holes and burrows, and catch small animals like foxes and badgers. It is said that they are also very good at catching mice, so a dog catching mice here is not meddling in other people’s business.

As everyone knows, dogs are very loyal animals. It is really troublesome to make them change masters in a short time. Generally, noble families have specialized hunters responsible for the breeding and training of hunting dogs. Therefore, George had to use a scroll from Diqila to write a letter to arrange for people from the territory to come over, hoping to catch the race in time.

Actually, George had thought about temporarily hiring a batch of hunters and hunting dogs for emergency use. But he was really one step too late; the good ones had already been booked by other families. It was also his fault that he had not paid attention to this matter in the past, which is why he was now in a panic.

Days passed one by one. After this chaotic time, the day of the opening of the Autumn Hunt finally arrived.

After giving final instructions about leaving home, George and a few others rode tall Croatian horses to Tiara Square to gather. These were specially trained ceremonial horses. They walked with slow and elegant steps, and the rhythmic sound of their hooves went “clip-clop, clip-clop.” Behind them followed a guard of fifty people, more than ten servants, and a carriage. Unfortunately, Viscount Bolerum had to stay in Karada to represent His Grace the Duke at this time. Just now, his reluctant look towards George was really creepy.

It was said that the hunting conducted by nobles in The South was like a game. It required a large group of Private Troops and servants to drive and chase, leading the prey to the master. Then the nobles would elegantly draw their bows and arrows to complete the final kill. Although the Autumn Hunt of Nohan had become formalistic over the years, at least the nobles would personally ride horses and chase the prey behind the hunting dogs, and most people’s aim with bows was quite good. After all, noble boys in the Knight Kingdom were all skilled in archery and horse riding.

Soon, the crowd in Tiara Square changed from scattered groups to neat, square formations. Of course, the leading nobles and their own young men gathered together separately. Even the adults were restless here, let alone those immature young people. Before His Grace the Duke appeared, they called their friends and started chatting. Only the real-power nobles of the Duchy of Nohan who owned their own territories and their respective retainers could appear here. Because the number was not large and they had known each other for a considerable time, everyone present basically knew each other.

“It’s been a long time, George! How about it? Are you ready to be my brother-in-law?” The voice from a hand on his shoulder and behind made George immediately know the identity of the person—it was Ben Andrews Markin.

George didn’t know whether to take Ben’s joke seriously, after all, he had just had a blind date with his sister a few days ago. Being in a dilemma, George could only laugh it off: “After all, I have treated her as my sister for so many years. It is a bit difficult to change my attitude in a moment!”

“You are right. My daughter looked like a little kid in the past two years. If I really want to marry her home, I need to be prepared.” Ben laughed and started to tease his sister.

“Quiet down. His Grace the Duke is about to come out.” The voice of an elder from the front interrupted their conversation.

After His Grace the Duke’s brief speech, the square formations of each family moved outwards along the Central Avenue in the pre-determined order.

The standard-bearer holding the flag of the Nohan family was at the very front of the huge procession. Following closely were eight ceremonial soldiers riding eight handsome white horses. These few people were carefully selected for their extraordinary skills and handsome looks. After them were three double-horse carriages, 100 noble guards, and 80 servants, forming a huge hunting team.

The order of the procession was arranged according to the strength shown by each family. The House Bolerum was in the fourth position, in the middle of the three Viscounts of the Duchy. When it was George’s turn, he gently squeezed his horse’s belly and led Hiren and Craig behind him, walking in a triangular formation at the very front of their team. Since Viscount Bolerum was not there, and Karada was a bit unstable recently, Sir Bart had to stay-behind to assist with his security work. And Knight Val seemed to have other arrangements, so this time the Autumn Hunt team of House Bolerum could only be led by the three juniors.

George, walking on the Central Avenue, saw that on the balconies of the buildings on both sides of the road, many noble women stopped to watch the procession. They were all wearing gorgeous evening gowns and had been carefully dressed. Adorning the single-colored marble buildings, they seemed like flowers blooming in spring, competing in beauty. Looking down from above, some of them even pointed and giggled at young men below, just like picking a future husband.

Today should have been a great opportunity for them to participate and get close contact with their future life partners. But due to the tense atmosphere in this special period, they missed this opportunity this year. To make up for the loss they suffered, the scene George saw now appeared. The absence of so many beauties in the same team also made many beasts feel very disappointed. Especially Ben Andrews Markin in the front, who was the most listless in this Autumn Hunt compared to the last few times.

George jokingly said to Hiren behind him: “Hiren, I remember you don’t seem to have a betrothal yet! I originally wanted to help you pair up with someone during this Autumn Hunt. I didn’t expect to encounter this situation.”

“Don’t drag me down just because you were arranged by Lord Viscount to go on a blind date. I still want to play for a few more years! I don’t want to be tied to one tree so soon.” Hiren made a bitter face and kept shaking his head.

“Although I don’t like it, it is better to settle down early! If you wait too long, you won’t have any choices. Hiren, according to our Nohan customs, you are only two years away from adulthood. Young people like us have already started blind dates. If you don’t hurry up, people will call you an old bachelor.” George spoke in a preachy manner to persuade Hiren, but such an expression was really not harmonious with his current state of riding a horse.

Hiren held his head and said: “Anyway, my father will take care of the arrangements! I don’t need to worry about this.”

“So he is using Mr. Val as a shield! But it seems what he said is right. In this situation, Mr. Val should have taken some action. Or is he planning something else?” While George was doubting, he saw from a distance that the leader of a cavalry team at the entrance of the Inner City seemed to be Knight Val.

George looked closely and it was indeed him. It was just like saying “Cao Cao” and Cao Cao arrives.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Val to be in charge of leading the team this time! I wondered why I couldn’t see him early this morning. Hiren, you even didn’t tell us that you were lying in ambush here.” Craig, located behind and to the left of George, complained to Hiren.

Hiren said gloomily: “I really didn’t know anything either! My father didn’t reveal any news to me at all.”

“You two stop for a moment! I think if we don’t get good results this time, the next few days will probably not be easy.” George turned his head and looked at his two brothers-in-arms behind him.

“Oh my! It really seems to be the case!” Hiren and Craig both let out soft moans. If it weren’t for such an occasion, they would probably vent loudly.

Knight Val leading the Autumn Hunt seemed to be very unexpected to everyone. At least many people showed strange expressions.

Knight Val, wearing an armor decorated with enamel colors, stood out even among the Duke’s Guard, who were famous for their handsome looks. His smile, which seemed like warm sunshine, made the noble girls on the balconies scream in surprise. He was indeed the popular figure of Nohan. Many older nobles present were glad that they had married early.

George whispered: “Mr. Val must not have voluntarily worn that flashy armor. It is completely inconsistent with his usual style.”

Hiren and Craig looked at each other and involuntarily showed a bitter smile. Both thought George’s words made sense. That enamel armor was designed with many edges for aesthetics. But this was completely contrary to the need for defense and greatly weakened the ability to protect against slashing attacks.

Such a completely useless showpiece was not welcome to Knight Val at all. And today he had to appear in public wearing this. Although I don’t know the reason, I guess his mood would not be very good. Anyway, the future is full of difficulties.

After Knight Val’s Duke Guard merged with the team, the hunting party passed through the city gate and left the Inner City. The hundreds of people in this line moved along the Northern Avenue of Karada, marching in a huge procession towards the Taiswei Mountains in the northeast. Along the way, besides the Wagons of each family stationed in the Commercial District loaded with luggage and supplies, hunting teams of Court Nobility living in the Outer City occasionally joined in.

Their numbers ranged from twenty or thirty people to seven or eight people. Noble men were mostly dressed in military uniforms and carried Longswords. But unlike those real-power nobles, some of these people had big bellies, looking like they did not exercise or ride horses much. But at least they had nothing to criticize in their appearance.

Similarly, the ladies gave up the complicated and gorgeous skirts and high heels, changing into tight hunting outfits and riding boots. The fans and handkerchiefs that they never left their hands in daily life had long disappeared. Now, what highlighted the beauty of the ladies was the exquisite hunting bows behind their backs and the unique quivers. Unlike the female relatives of real-power nobles, these women from Court Noble families did not care about potential threats at all. Perhaps they thought their status was insignificant and would not become targets for foreign forces. Or maybe the idea of catching a wealthy husband had made them lose their minds.

George noticed that a few noble boys in the front were looking around. Their eyes lingered on the noble ladies and young ladies. To this, George felt it was very interesting, just like watching a play—restless adolescence.

This road extending from Karada and passing through three different territories to connect directly to the Northern Fortress was called the Vanguard Road. The original purpose of its construction was to timely send troops to the fortress front line and transport supplies, so the standards for building this avenue were extremely high. The road was wide enough for five horses to walk side by side. Just the foundation was compacted in three layers, and the top was densely paved with cobblestones. Whether people walked, horses passed, or vehicles drove, it was smooth and comfortable.

The increasingly large noble hunting teams walked on the avenue, while travelers, merchants, and adventurers who were originally on the road, as well as those heading to the Taiswei Mountains, had to give way and retreat to the sides.

Commoners bent their waists and respectfully bowed to the nobles. Even most Adventurers behaved properly. It was very difficult for real troublemakers to survive.

When the hunting team left the avenue, passed through a shallow grassy hilly area, and turned east, the view immediately opened up. Looking far away, the towering Taiswei Mountains were dyed with a layer of pale amber under the flowing pale golden sunlight. The wheat in the distant fields had already been harvested, revealing the dark soil. Sheep grazed leisurely on the scattered weeds. Plus the small houses and cooking smoke in the distance, it was a beautiful pastoral scene.

Although hunting had military significance, it was not really marching and fighting. It was more of a gathering for entertainment and emotional exchange among nobles. Moreover, with so many delicate ladies and pampered gentlemen from the Court Nobility, the speed of the team would not be fast. Court Nobility were still nobles after all. Anyway, they still needed to be taken care of.