"If I had any other choice, I really wouldn't want to come here. This place doesn't give me any good memories. "
At the welcoming banquet that Dasos organized, Renée's blunt words as the representative of the reinforcements instantly caused the atmosphere to quiet down.
"Your Highness Renée is truly a straightforward person. The past always makes people sigh, but today is a happy day, so let's not talk about it for now. Your Highness, you're truly the pride of the Northlands, the 'Knight Princess,' to be able to cast aside your personal grudges and make the correct choice. "
However, Dasos maintained his gentlemanly smile and led the applause. Everyone around him hurriedly followed suit and applauded. Only then did the situation not become awkward for too long.
Indeed, how could Renée possibly have a good impression of Kagesi? First, she was forced to sign a subservient alliance that took advantage of Kagesi's precarious position. Then, she was forced to marry Kagesi. If this was a female-oriented romance novel, it would probably be considered a national grudge or a family grudge. What followed would probably be a love-hate relationship that would entangle her for the rest of her life … Alright, since this wasn't the style, there was no need to think too much about it. At the very least, it seemed that Renée's grudges weren't small at all.
However, her arrival here was indeed justifiable. After all, during the war against the beastmen in the Northlands, the Ottoman Empire sent out Knight squadrons and diplomatic squadrons to aid the humans. No matter whether or not they were effective in the end, the Ottoman Empire's White Wolf Knight didn't retreat even when facing the Poison God. They still fought for the humans in desperate times, so Roland and Hermit were still grateful.
Plus, the Ottoman Empire was currently the Northlands' largest trading partner and aid provider. Roland and Hermit had signed a bunch of agreements in Diffindor. At the very least, they were still allies, and they seemed to have a very good relationship with each other.
There were only a few main battlefields in the Pan Continent. If Renée wanted to train her troops and earn Justice Points, she only had a few choices: the battlefield against the undead or the battlefield against the aquatic species.
As for the Northlands Knight, no matter if it was the Aurora Knight that controlled ice or the Four Elemental Swordcasters that controlled magic swords, they didn't have an obvious advantage against the undead. However, with the help of the Aurora Knight and the battleships, they weren't afraid to fight in the water. So, she unhesitatingly chose this backup option.
Not only would this be an advantage for training her troops, it would also be a political consideration. The Northlands countries were trying to reestablish their own prestige. It would be far too passive for them to stay in a corner of the continent. From a certain standpoint, Renée was taught by many excellent teachers and wasn't stupid to begin with. After she regained her self-confidence, she was far more mature than Roland had expected.
Just her arrival and the arrival of the Ottoman Empire's fleet greatly increased the morale of the Ottomans. That was because the Borealis was currently the only airship in the entire continent that possessed such a rare aerial battleship … At the time, some people felt embarrassed when they saw the cheering crowd below them. That was because the Borealis had actually been stolen from the Ottoman Empire. But since the owner didn't even know about it, there was nothing they could do about it.
The Borealis's Seven Star Guardian Squadron was still under construction. Only the Mizar had come. The entire airship fleet consisted of one super battleship, one heavy battleship, and more than twenty small speedboats. However, there were also nearly a hundred Aurora Knight and more than two hundred Four Elemental Swordcasters accompanying the Borealis. It could be said that Renée had brought along her main force and intended to go all out.
Of course, Olivia's alchemists and engineers were also with her. It would be far too much of a waste for such a large airship to only carry her own people. Along the way, she brought along more than 1,200 adventurers at four previously agreed upon gathering points. However, due to the limited number of seats available, anyone who wanted to board the airship would have to go through a selection process. Most of them were Contract Heroes and the strong. Approximately 700 of them were Contract Heroes. Most of the remaining adventurers were still observing or hadn't managed to become the first batch of Contract Heroes.
Of course, there was no need to mention whether or not a certain princess was trying to recruit new warriors along the way.
As for Dasos, he didn't feel good facing the Northlands princess who didn't hide her resentment at all. Renée was polite and considerate to everyone else, but she was incredibly cold towards him. Although Roland was smiling as if he didn't care, he was actually feeling more and more annoyed inside.
The reason? It was actually quite bearable for him to be treated coldly. After all, she was his reinforcements. The only reason Dasos couldn't sleep at night was because of her familiar face. As he looked at this face that was exactly the same as "Roland's" face, he couldn't help but recall his dark history that had been buried in the darkness. He fell in love with a "man" and even proposed to her multiple times in public. Just thinking about this made him want to hug his head and cry.
The worst part was that when he saw this face, he discovered that he mysteriously missed that person. This made him want to cry, but no tears came out. That was why every time he saw Renée, he would mysteriously feel his heart move. Their identical faces would always remind him of that person's every frown or smile, which would make him feel even more pained. It was as if a wound that had already healed was torn open again, and salt was viciously poured on it.
"… Am I really a gay?"
The pitiful emperor had never doubted himself so much. Feeling helpless, he could only go to his beloved empress for comfort. However, facing the emperor who was wavering, the empress Rosemary seemed indifferent, but when "she" thought of her true identity, she felt that it was a little funny. Still, she used her own way to comfort the emperor. In the end, she even said, "Don't think so much.
No matter what, Her Highness Renée is a woman. If you fall in love with her, it proves that you're normal. "
Alright, this comfort seemed to be of some use. At the very least, Dasos felt much better at that time.
"She, she's still unmarried, right?"
For an emperor who had strong desires, it was only natural for him to get what he wanted. After discovering that it was only natural for him to fall in love with her, he even had evil intentions towards Renée. However, that very night, his extravagant hopes were extinguished.
When a spy from the palace came to tell him that Renée had actually brought two beautiful adventurers into her room, and that those delightful things had happened in her room, he was once again stunned.
"So, she also likes women. Then, am I really not normal? Or, she's' Roland 'herself, and she's just hiding it from me. "
However, through the secret investigation of the maid, that Renée was actually a woman. This time, the emperor suffered a heavy psychological blow again.
"Heh, does the person I love like women?"
From a certain standpoint, the result of Darsos, who was becoming more and more famous as a ruler, suffering yet another blow to his personal feelings was that his own sexual orientation was even more shaken. He could only seek comfort from his "female confidante" once again … Speaking of which, if he knew the truth about his empress, would he directly jump off a building and commit suicide? Or perhaps he would simply take a 180-degree turn and write a poem that transcended history:
"You hate that I was born late, and I hate that you were born early. In my entire life, what I hate the most is that I still can't forget you even before I die."
Generally speaking, those classic lines that transcended time were mostly about the author's bone-deep feelings and unimaginable experiences. However, this phrase was later used to describe a couple who had an extremely good relationship. Wasn't it a bit wrong to use this phrase? Since it came from Dasos, at least it couldn't be used to describe heterosexual love.
As for what exactly happened in the room, in order not to be confused, it was better to just imagine it. In any case, there was only one sentence — heterosexual love was for the sake of reproduction, while homosexual love was true love … What, I'm really not a senior member of the FFF Mercenary Group, this is the truth! There's no need to prove it! Why don't you just go out on the streets and ask some random people?
Cough — cough — back to the main topic. Actually, it wasn't Renée's fault. She really didn't do it on purpose. Why would she think so much? All she did was leave the custody of a certain guardian and pay for the "tuition" of a certain Demon Prince. And even if she refused to pay, she probably wouldn't be able to stop that Demon Prince from collecting it himself.
Getting back to the main topic, from a certain standpoint, it couldn't be said that Dasos had reached his current level because he had bad intentions or bad luck. Perhaps it was simply fate, or perhaps the God of Fate didn't want this ambitious individual to have such a smooth life.
No matter which generation Dasos was from, no matter if it was in politics or personal life, he definitely wasn't a good person. Yet, it seemed that he was just as unlucky. Compared to the "Dark Elf Empress" in history, Empress Rosemary was at least in a much better situation. Perhaps she would even have a descendant who could inherit the throne. (Roland: An undead child? Wait a moment, I'm researching it right now.)
But no matter how complicated Roland's feelings were, how many times he vomited blood in private, and how many times he sought comfort from the Empress, the war still had to continue. Roland also had to act like he was full of fighting spirit and confidence. At the very least, he couldn't allow his personal feelings to affect national affairs, and he couldn't allow his wavering to affect the morale of the entire army on the battlefield. Roland had a smile on his face every day as he inspected the soldiers and held meetings … If Roland knew that Roland was working so hard, he would probably give him a thumbs up and praise him, "You've worked so hard! Sacrificing yourself for the sake of the people, you're truly a good public servant of the Ottoman people. "
As for Renée, she might even hold a celebration party to celebrate Dasos's misfortune. After all, ever since she was born, Dasos was the person she hated the most because he had threatened her. If it wasn't for Roland's appearance, perhaps the Donglan Principality would have become a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Even Renée herself would have married someone she didn't like or even know.
That was why she didn't even try to hide her dissatisfaction towards Dasos. But on another level, even though they were at war for a long time, the Ottoman Empire still obediently carried out the aid contract with the Donglan Principality. Although there was the fatal restriction of the Devil's Contract, there were still loopholes in the contract. The Ottoman Empire even delivered more aid resources than usual. This was also a favor and an investment.
That was why Renée arrived. The moment she arrived in the city, she was already known by the Ottoman people. There were even queues lining the streets to welcome her. The Ottoman people still remembered the astonishing performance of the angelic "Renée" in the arena. The Ottoman nobles and Knights still remembered how this "Knight Princess" charged into the enemy's territory alone in order to save her family and friends. In their hearts, the young Knight Princess was already the role model of an ancient Knight.
As for the filth and infighting, it was impossible for ordinary citizens to know about it. Only the higher-ups of both sides knew about it. On the surface, it was the friendly alliance between both sides.
"The young Knight Princess won the recognition of the Emperor with her outstanding courage and abilities. Considering the Princess' potential, the Emperor made an inexplicable decision. He took the initiative to change her country from a subordinate to an equal one and gave her a large amount of aid resources. The Emperor who recognized talent soon received rewards. The Knight Princess returned to her homeland and made her homeland stronger. She even defeated the ferocious Beastman army. And now, when the Ottoman Empire is in trouble, the Knight Princess brought her Knight Order to fulfill her duty as an ally. "
Alright, this was what the outside world thought. It could totally be made into a good drama.
But although it seemed completely logical, it was actually far from the truth. It was like the difference between life on the news and reality. Actually, no matter which world it was, it was the same. By the time the official media made an announcement, who knew how many things had already happened? Naturally, it was impossible to completely equate it with the truth.
The result was quite amusing. The leaders of both countries had opinions about each other. But in the eyes of outsiders, the two countries had an excellent relationship with each other. They had even reached an agreement on military and economic matters.
"Just look at the Ottoman Empire's endless aid resources. They even sent a Knight to the North as reinforcements. Donglan even gave the Ottoman Empire their national treasure, the floating battleship technology. The two countries are basically brothers wearing the same pants!"
And from a certain standpoint, this wasn't wrong. At the very least, when a country's empress was completely leaning towards a certain country, this unique alliance might last for a very long time.
Cough, let's get back to the main topic. This was the 68th counterattack, and it was also the most important counterattack. The strategic target of the attack was the former docks area … That's right, the area where the underwater base was located. It was the Ottoman Empire's most important strategic target! But now, it was the playground of a bunch of gigantic sea beasts.
Alright then, we all knew that the strategic point had changed. A certain person had secretly taken away the most important treasure. However, he didn't take things too far. He left behind all the information and equipment that were inconvenient to take away. For the Ottoman Empire, as long as this "chest" was opened, the treasure within would definitely be worth any sacrifice.
Of course, that certain person never had any good intentions. He had always been waiting for the other party to open the chest. His "slightly more advanced design ideas" and "key technology that just happens to be lacking" had long since become impatient. Once the other party unlocked their technology tree, my salesman would immediately arrive.
"High-tech products packed into boxes and delivered to your doorstep. Once you have one, you'll save ten years of hard work! It's not 988, not 688, and definitely not 488. It's only 418! 418！ If you buy one set, you'll get two free random lottery chests containing top-level magical engineering technology. If you buy two sets, you'll get five free random lottery chests! You've got a Roland brand new year gift pack! Exclusive business! What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and call the order hotline! "
"What? You want to specifically ask for a certain key technology? You don't want to draw? Heh heh, dear customer, you don't seem to understand the industry. Do you know what an exclusive business is? It means that only I'm selling it, and I can sell it however I want! I have the final right to explain, while you only have the right to make suggestions. You can say it's fine, but I don't know if I'll listen or not. Do you know what a random lottery and bundled sale is? It means that before you buy what you want, you'll first buy a bunch of free gifts for me. Do you know what it means to save ten years of hard work once you have one? It means that if you don't buy it, you'll forever fall behind by ten years. How can ordinary players possibly defeat players with money! "
It was a pity that this advertisement that Roland personally wrote wasn't used in the end. The main reason was that it was too malicious. Considering how a certain emperor's mood was getting worse and worse, Rosemary was worried that Dasos wouldn't be able to hold it in any longer and would directly die. Thus, she tossed the matter of the transaction to the empire's prime minister, Hermit. And so, it was Hermit's turn to be angered to the point of having to send a priest for emergency treatment …
Let's not think about the future for now. Right now, let's focus back on the past. Since the war broke out at dawn, it symbolized the Ottoman Empire's all-out counterattack. And so, the counterattack codenamed "Operation Daybreak" began.
And at this time, Renée met with unexpected reinforcements. They were three full-fledged Knight squadrons. The most eye-catching among them was a group of grayish-black elves. Their emblem was a crescent moon, and their battle flag also had traces of a full moon. And one of their leaders was someone that Renée was familiar with.
"Diana? Victoria? Why are you guys here as well? "
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