"Your Grace!"
Under the morning glow, the disciplinary officer, Vlad, stared at Nicholas and Gleeward with a stern expression. "What are you waiting for?"
But the Star Killer and the veteran did not move.
Then, Nicholas pressed down on his Severing Souls Blade without saying a word.
"Vlad, I just asked you if His Majesty had ordered for martial law to be lifted." The Star Killer's expression was cold as he said softly, "Your answer is a little strange."
Gleeward let out a faint, cold laugh.
Vlad was slightly startled. "But martial law has not been lifted —"
"That's not the point," the Star Killer interrupted the disciplinary officer and said coldly, "The point is, you followed up without hesitation, word for word — 'His Majesty has not ordered for martial law to be lifted'."
Vlad's expression immediately changed.
Nicholas' sharp gaze swept past every patrol member behind Vlad. Seeing their sparkling gazes, he continued speaking solemnly, "If it's an order to lift martial law, it would have been issued by Prime Minister Count Lisban and delivered to the chief garrison officer of the capital, Viscount Leisdon. The disciplinary hall of each district would only receive a warrant signed by Leisdon before arranging for martial law to be lifted."
He snorted coldly. "A mere disciplinary officer in the capital would only receive specific tasks such as clearing the roadblocks and restoring passage. He would not know if His Majesty had ordered for martial law to be lifted."
Vlad furrowed his brows. "I …"
Nicholas did not stop. His gaze made Vlad feel as if he was suffocating. "You were in such a hurry to 'escort' us, to the point that you didn't even hesitate to make up an excuse to go along with my words.
Behind Vlad, the patrol members exchanged glances. Their expressions varied.
And all of this was seen by the Star Killer.
It also caused his heart to sink.
'It's too suspicious.
'What happened?'
"It was just a slip of the tongue." Vlad sighed. "Besides, in this situation, the first order must have been issued by His Majesty."
But Nicholas still did not speak.
Gleeward, who was supported by him, spoke in a nonchalant manner.
"I say, Vlad, since when did you care so much about the kingdom's affairs?" The limping Limiteer exhaled. "It's been more than ten years. From the time you recruited soldiers to the time you cleared the city, your first reaction would be to hide and avoid any trouble in the capital. You're afraid that your interests will be harmed."
As he listened to Gleeward's words, Nicholas' expression became more and more terrifying.
"As for leading troops to rescue the Emperor in times of danger?"
Gleeward arched an eyebrow. The expression on his face was as if he had seen a mouse that could fly. "Stop joking."
Vlad's expression turned extremely unsightly.
"Old Cripple." He gritted his teeth. "I don't want to quarrel with you right now …"
But at this moment, a clear male voice came from the crowd. "Enough."
"They've already seen through us."
Vlad sighed deeply and moved to the side, making room for the man who walked out from the crowd.
This time, it was the Star Killer and Gleeward's expressions that changed.
The newcomer was tall and straight. His footsteps were heavy, and his aura was oppressive. There was a strong smell of blood and iron from the battlefield on him.
"A ruthless character." Gleeward exhaled. "You know him?"
Nicholas did not respond to Gleeward. He stared straight at the newcomer.
"It's you." Nicholas narrowed his eyes and his expression was grave. "The Fire Knight."
"Rom Tolja."
The person stopped and stood in front of them.
"It's an honor to meet you again, Lord Nicholas."
Tolja, one of Eckstedt's Five War Generals, said with a cold expression.
The knight from Black Sand Region had long since taken off his gray helmet, but the gray armor was still on his body. Together with the horse-drawn saber at his waist, he gave off an oppressive aura.
Nicholas snorted softly with an unpleasant expression. "If the Archduke of Black Sand Region wanted to attend the banquet, he could have told us beforehand so that we could send invitations."
Tolja met Nicholas' gaze without showing any signs of weakness.
"Kentvida mentioned to me that you told him in the suburbs yesterday." The Fire Knight's expression did not change. "So, in response to your invitation, we brought more than a thousand people to 'take a stroll' in Dragon Clouds City."
Nicholas sized up the patrol team. His pupils slowly narrowed.
"You are asking for your own deaths," the Star Killer said coldly. "The number of soldiers that can be urgently recruited in Dragon Clouds City alone is seven to eight thousand. There are also the patrols and the regular guards of the palace, not to mention the vassals in the suburbs …"
But Tolja cut him off nonchalantly.
"Yes, Dragon Clouds City is very powerful. The number of soldiers recruited is innumerable, and the combat power of the regular army is astonishing," the Fire Knight said flatly. "But who has the right to recruit them?"
Nicholas' heart sank. A bottomless chill crept into his heart.
He remembered what Vlad had said at the beginning: Someone is trying to assassinate His Majesty.
"What do you mean?" he asked solemnly. There was a hint of anxiety in his tone that he did not realize.
'Impossible. The people guarding His Majesty are the most valiant White Blade Guards. Every one of them has supra class skills and rich experience. They are also willing to sacrifice their lives. Even the Kingdom's Wrath can't …
'How dare they bring so few troops … What does Lampard want?'
Nicholas and Tolja's gazes met in the air, as if sparks were about to fly.
"What I mean is that you don't have to worry about this problem."
The knight from Black Sand Region was expressionless. "Eckstedt will soon welcome a new life."
Nicholas forced himself to calm down.
"Mole, right?" The Star Killer tightened his grip on his blade.
He said coldly, "How long have you been planning this? To be able to bring two thousand people into Dragon Clouds City … Be it the chaos caused by the calamities or a mere gang leader, they are far from being able to do this. Who else did you bribe? "
Chief Garrison Officer Leisdon? Even Prime Minister Lisban?
But Tolja did not answer his question.
"Sir Gleeward." The Fire Knight turned to the lame veteran with a respectful expression. "I have heard of your name, and I know that you have always been dissatisfied with the Walton Family's rule …"
Nicholas furrowed his brows slightly.
But Gleeward's reaction was faster than he thought.
"There's no need to say anything else." Gleeward exhaled and said in a relaxed manner, "I really don't like that Nuven, and our king is indeed a bastard …"
Tolja's eyes brightened. "Then you …
"But Chapman Lampard?" Gleeward did not give him a chance to interrupt. The veteran flashed his yellow teeth and chuckled like a street ruffian.
"I may be poor, poor, and illiterate, but I am still a Northlander.
"No matter how dissatisfied I am with my king, I will not lead an army into the capital." Gleeward's tone grew colder. "I will also not sell my loyalty at a cheap price to a beast who kills his own family and betrays the king."
The Fire Knight revealed a regretful expression. He lowered his head and sighed.
"Very few people can understand His Grace's painstaking efforts and persistence," Tolja raised his head and said sternly, as if he did not hear Gleeward's sarcasm. "But please believe me, his efforts and sacrifices, and even everything he does that the world does not understand, are all for the future of Eckstedt and the Northlanders."
Gleeward spat on the ground with a look of disgust.
"For the position of archduke, he killed his own brother, and when the calamities went on a killing spree and the blood of the commoners flowed like rivers, he seized the opportunity to fight for power and profit?"
The veteran said fiercely.
"What kind of future can this kind of ruler bring to the Northlanders?"
Tolja did not speak.
Vlad swung his braids, his expression was sinister.
"Perhaps we should not waste any more time."
The boss of Sword District's bazaar whistled. His gaze was contemplative.
"According to the archduke's orders, if we cannot deceive them, we will have to execute Plan B."
"This might be a little painful," Vlad said eerily.
As soon as he said that, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
It was as if the balance of the scales had been broken.
Tolja nodded slowly. "You know, Your Grace, I really want to spar with you.
To make up for the regret of not being able to wield the Sword of Reversing Light with my own hands. "
"Then your wish will be fulfilled today. Those two blows in the snow were indeed not satisfying enough," Nicholas answered flatly as he drew his knife.
Nicholas' gaze swept across the patrolmen.
Fortunately, there were not many soldiers in Black Sand Region, less than a quarter of them. Most of them were just the motley crew under Vlad.
'Perhaps I can deal with them by relying on the terrain of the ruins.'
However, the uneven quality of this batch of 'patrolmen' did not make Nicholas' mood better. 'Where are the main forces of Black Sand Region now?
Or … do they have a more important mission? '
Tolja did not have any intention of attacking. He only watched Vlad and waved his hand gently.
The expressions of the patrolmen became more and more solemn.
"Can you still fight?" The Star Killer let go of Gleeward and let the veteran stand on his own. "Cripple?"
"Stop joking, dead face." Gleeward's expression was extremely pale. He coughed violently and wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth and said, "Now?
I can still kill a hundred calamities — "
But the veteran's words came to an abrupt halt.
As Vlad waved his hand, nearly fifty people came to the front of the patrolmen. They formed two rows in a semicircle, squatting in front and standing at the back.
The fifty soldiers raised the weapons in their hands and aimed them at the two supreme class elites.
Nicholas' breathing suddenly froze. Gleeward widened his eyes.
'Those are …
'Fifty crossbow infantry crossbows.
'Against … the two of us?'
All of Gleeward's words converged into one word at that moment.
A word that Nicholas agreed with all his heart.
"F * ck!"
The man with eight braids turned his body slightly and retreated into the formation of his subordinates.
"My lords, brave and famous in the kingdom, please allow me to introduce myself one last time.
"Childe Vlad.
"I run a small business in Dragon Clouds City." Vlad laughed, as if he was very happy. "From infantry crossbows to Mystic Guns … they are all part of my business."
Nicholas and Gleeward stared at the densely packed crossbow machines and sighed.
Vlad opened his eyes, which had narrowed into slits due to his smile. His gaze was cold.
"We have enough in stock."
Tolja turned his head around. There was a hint of displeasure on his face.
In the next moment, fifty crossbow arrows flew towards the two supreme class elites without any blind spots.
The black arrow rain whistled in the air.
It brought with it countless streaks of red.
— — —
Archduke Lampard lowered his sword.
A dozen crossbows extended from the shoulders of the frontmost Black Sand Region soldiers.
"Arrows!"
The roars of the White Blade Guards rang in Thales' ears.
Thales and Little Rascal were pinned to the ground, shielding everyone behind them.
However, the Prince of Constellation was currently in a state of confusion.
He knew that he could not help in a battle like this.
Just like the last time under the fortress.
'The only thing I can do is …' Thales looked at Archduke Lampard in the crowd.
His thoughts drifted away.
'No, everything is wrong.
'This is too abnormal.'
As he pondered, the dozen White Blade Guards faced the crossbows and quickly formed a defensive formation that resembled a tortoise shell.
They knelt on one knee and leaned sideways against each other. They raised the arm shields on their forearms and placed them diagonally in front of their bodies, blocking their heads and bodies.
* Whoosh whoosh — — *
The crossbow arrows whistled in their direction.
Thales still could not understand.
After King Nuven's death, Lampard appeared.
He even tacitly admitted that he was the mastermind.
'But …'
* Clang! *
Multiple crossbow arrows collided with the arm shields and bounced off with a sharp, piercing sound.
There were also two or three crossbow arrows that unfortunately pierced into people's bodies, producing the distinctive muffled sound of flesh being pierced.
However, none of the White Blade Guards made a sound. They only exchanged glances with each other coldly.
After the first round of crossbow arrows, the White Blade Guards instantly rose.
Their leader let out a furious roar.
"Charge!"
Ten White Blade Guards charged towards the soldiers of Black Sand Region without hesitation.
They were outnumbered.
Thales breathed in a daze. He did not even notice that he and Little Rascal were being carried away by a few White Blade Guards from the battlefield.
His mind was filled with questions.
Why?
Why did Lampard come to Dragon Clouds City?
If it was to resolve the threat from Dragon Clouds City and seek revenge, then Archduke Lampard had already succeeded.
The king was dead, and Eckstedt would descend into chaos. The Waltons and Dragon Clouds City would no longer have the chance to unite the archdukes and seek revenge on Black Sand Region.
Black Sand Region was safe.
Lampard … Even if he was the real murderer, why did he appear on such a suspicious occasion?
To silence them?
No, Lampard did not need to appear at all. He only needed to stay in his territory and wait for the news of the king's death. The king's assassination would become another headless murder case.
Only the Charletons would once again bear the crime of regicide and live up to their reputation as the Assassin's Flower and the regicide family.
Everything was perfect. Lampard could effortlessly get rid of his greatest and most terrifying enemy on this night when calamities were wreaking havoc.
Deafening battle cries rang out.
"White Blade in hand, die in Northland!
"Charge right!"
The ten charging White Blade Guards had ferocious expressions on their faces. They shouted their commands fiercely as they charged into the enemy's formation.
The momentum that Black Sand Region had built up by relying on numbers and a semi-encirclement was instantly destroyed.
Archduke Lampard frowned hard.
'The Dragon's Imperial Guards.
'What a pity.'
One of the guards held his shield horizontally and parried an attack from the enemy on his left. At the same time, he stabbed forward with his longsword and cooperated with his comrade on the right to tear open an enemy's abdomen.
The enemy fell to the ground in pain, moaning and screaming as he held his intestines that flowed out.
However, the White Blade Guards did not have the slightest intention of ending his life. They just stepped over him and continued moving forward.
They charged towards the next wave of enemies.
The Black Sand Region soldiers had no choice but to split up and drag their comrade back into the formation.
This reminded Thales of the Kingdom's Wrath and the scene of his Fury Guards charging forward.
Blood splattered among the crowd.
The White Blade Guards formed groups of two. One blocked the attack from the left, and the other tore apart the enemy from the right.
The two advanced with tacit understanding. They exchanged positions and responsibilities back and forth in a rhythm where one was fast while the other was slow.
Even if they were occasionally injured, they did not care. It was as if they only had eyes for the enemy in front of them.
Under the unexpected counterattack of the White Blade Guards, Black Sand Region's side instantly lost five or six corpses.
The Dragon's Imperial Guards, who were few in number but exceptionally ferocious, acted as the rear guard. The moment they counterattacked, they even forced Black Sand Region's formation to retreat.
The White Blade Guards brandished their blades in a frenzy. With their rich experience and valiant combat power, coupled with their exquisite teamwork, they stubbornly held onto and even counterattacked the enemy.
They brought up the rear for their retreating comrades.
Thales was held under a warrior's armpit. He panted unconsciously.
He pulled his attention away from the battle and thought hard about Lampard's abnormality.
Lampard brought his army into the city without hiding it. Entering a dangerous place would only arouse suspicion …
He even … wanted to kill me!
Not only would he expose himself and bring trouble upon himself, but he might also be accused of a crime that would be difficult to escape.
Everyone in Eckstedt would not let go of the murderer of the common-elected king. The breathing space that Black Sand Region had painstakingly earned would only disappear.
This was not in Lampard's interest at all.
Thales really did not understand. He did not understand why Lampard would make such an unwise choice.
It was just like the ambush at Broken Dragon Fortress when they were caught off guard.
Compared to King Nuven, who was unfathomable, this Archduke Lampard gave him a feeling that he could not fathom and understand.
Thales could not help but wonder again, 'Is Lampard crazy?'
But then he remembered Putray's words. "Lampard is not crazy."
'Chapman Lampard …
'What do you want?'
The White Blade Guards who brought him and Little Rascal to retreat suddenly stopped when they crossed an abandoned roof.
Thales looked up and his hair immediately stood on end.
In front of them stood Black Sand Region's vassal, the Viscount of the City of Halting Light, the tall Ilasa Kentvida, whom he had met once before.
There was also a row of soldiers beside him.
They raised the crossbows in their hands at Thales, Little Rascal, and the four White Blade Guards present.
Thales sighed.
'Crossbows again.'
The scene of Yodel facing the Duke of the Northern Territory's assassin and being shot by a crossbow appeared before his eyes.
'What a detestable weapon.'
Thales thought in despair.
He turned his head to look at Little Rascal. Her eyes were also filled with fear.
Archduke Lampard's strategist, Viscount Kentvida smiled and said, "As the archduke said, Your Highness, please choose your enemies and friends carefully.
"It is a great taboo for a king to fail to see the situation clearly."
In the next second, the viscount waved his arm.
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