About fifty armored warriors marched forward, their steel plates gleaming in the sun. Among the four banners in the formation, three bore the iconic twin-tower spear emblem of the Graycastle royal house, while the fourth displayed the towered horsehead banner. After a moment's contemplation, he recognized it as the heraldic crest of the Hors family from the northern frontier.
A figure emerged from the Knights 'ranks, shouting, "I am Lehman Hos, the messenger of Tefiko the King. I've brought the capital's decree. Lower the drawbridge!" "What's the document?" Perro barked, his head poked out.
The enemy removed the bow and arrow from behind, attached a paper roll to the arrow, and shot it straight up to the city wall.
His guard promptly retrieved an arrow for him. Pei Luo unfurled the parchment, revealing intricate golden threads woven beneath the document. The right lower corner bore the royal seal of the Wemberton dynasty, unmistakably marking it as a messenger of the new king.
"Lower the bridge, open the gates." Pei Luo drew a deep breath. He had a pretty good idea of the so-called Royal Capital Resolution's content—it was most likely tied to Roland Wimbledon. Since the other party wasn't a fake, he had no reason to turn away the new king's envoy, as that would be tantamount to opposing the Graycastle Royal Capital. Once this news spread, the other major families would undoubtedly point the finger at the Golden Flower Territory without hesitation, and the suppressed undercurrents within the city would rebound instantly.
However, the fact that Tifiko sent only a fifty-member envoy to inquire about the situation corroborates the Fourth Prince's claim—that the new king might currently be too preoccupied to govern the western territories.
If Your Royal Highness can repel a coalition of over a thousand, these fifty men are likely to return empty-handed.
Of course, this news still needs to be promptly conveyed to RolandYour Highness.
With that in mind, he summoned the former Knight, "Vesteros, take three short-tailed steeds and make a series of transfers. Deliver this message to the Lord of Border Town without delay: 'Tifeco's forces have arrived. '' Understood,' Vesteros nodded.
Seeing Knight turn and walk away, Pei Luo sighed, "Let's go down to meet the new king's envoy."
Standing at the city gate, he noticed that while the first dozen or so men in the procession looked spirited, the other knights appeared listless, hunched over their horses as if ready to collapse at any moment.
"Hello, Sir Lehman," Perro nodded in greeting. "I am Perro Helmon, the Fortress Administrator of the Golden Flower Clan." The title "Fortress Administrator" felt somewhat awkward to him. Had he truly been the Duke of the Western Frontier and Lord of the Fortress, he would have no need to bow to the envoy or even greet him at the gate. He could simply remain at Lordcastle, awaiting the envoy's request for an audience.
"I heard your name at Frostwind Ridge, 'Duke of Daigov'," Raiman dismounted and approached with a smile. "Your western frontier is truly a strange place. Duke Llane's army failed to capture a single town and instead lost their lives—a rare occurrence in Graycastle. Though perhaps good news for the Golden Flower." Perro automatically brushed aside the sarcasm. "How are your men? They look... unwell." "Don't worry about them," Raiman glanced back. "They must be exhausted from constant travel and the climate change. Honestly, this place is unbearably hot." "The north is too cold," Perro remarked indifferently. "I wonder why Your Majesty's envoy left Frostwind Ridge instead of the capital." "Because His Majesty Tefiko is currently in the north," he stated bluntly. "Duke Aes instigated a rebellion in the north while the border guards were weakened, suspected of treason. The King had to send troops to suppress it." Rebellion? Perro frowned. This defied logic. Though the border guards included Knights and mercenaries from Graycastle, most remained the Duke's own men. How could they rebel when his own forces suffered heavy losses? Recalling Duke Llane's letter suggesting he planned to annex the north, a sinister premonition arose... Could Tefiko Wamberton be up to the same scheme?
"What is the capital's decision?" "A recall order," Lehman said. "His Majesty sent me here precisely to prevent the western border from descending into chaos. If I recall correctly, during the Demon's Month, His Majesty issued a recall to Roland Wimbledon, yet he still hasn't returned to the capital." "The document was delivered to the fortress five months ago," Perrotton paused. "But unlike previous lords who retreated to the fortress before the Demon's Month, Your Highness Roland didn't return. He was leading his people in Border Town to defend against the demonic beasts, making immediate return impossible." "The Demon's Month has ended nearly three months ago," Lehman admitted. "His Majesty sent me to escort him back." "When do you plan to reach Border Town?" "Depart tomorrow morning." Normally, it takes three days to reach the town. If the knights I dispatched travel day and night, we could deliver the message in one day and one night. This way, Your Highness Roland should be ready to respond. Perrotton thought this was the best he could do.
As the delegation arrived at the fortress camp, he paused and said, "This was originally the Duke Knight's garrison. You may rest here for the night, and dinner will be served by a designated attendant. As for the envoy," he turned to Reman Hoss, "the castle will host a lavish banquet for you. Please attend." "Thank you for your generosity, Sir Perro," the latter replied with a smile.
...
After the dinner, Lehman returned to the camp and entered the central tent, where several of his men immediately surrounded him.
"What is the situation?" he asked.
"Surveillance is omnipresent, with a hundred-strong detachment stationed at the exit. Though most lack full armor, they're likely city patrols," one reported. "Lord seems uneasy about us." "The intelligence is accurate," Reiman said solemnly. "My banquet conversation corroborates this. After the Duke's defeat, most Knights were taken to Border Town. The fortress now has few combat-ready elite troops." Before arriving here, he had thoroughly studied the situation at Long Song Fortress. His task from His Majesty Tefiko was straightforward: investigate the Duke's downfall and swiftly reclaim control of the western frontier.
"What about those who took the pills?" "They're at their breaking point," another member said. "Just give them the pills, and they'll do anything." The envoy group was merely a decoy—a fifty-strong unit. The actual Knights numbered only thirteen, the rest being mercenaries disguised as Knights. Under the influence of the Church's pills, they were now more obedient than hounds and more ferocious than beasts. This was the key to Lehman capturing the city gates. As planned, another 1,500-strong militia was slowly advancing toward the fortress. Once the gates were opened, the city would fall into their hands.
"Distribute the pills, leave ten people to deal with the patrol, and the rest head towards the East Gate," he ordered.