Brando thought that he would have to prepare the carriage himself, but when he arrived at the courtyard, there was already a four-wheeled carriage parked on the main road under the shade of the trees. The black carriage had the exclusive emblem of the Abies. Other people in the castle rarely used carriages, so this carriage was most likely prepared for him. Although he was still a little puzzled, who knew that he was going out? Could it be Metisha? Although the Silver Elf Princess was polite, she would never do the work of a servant. He went around to the other side of the carriage and saw Amandina waiting by the door. Amandina's eyelids were drooping, and she was holding a large volume of documents in her hands, obviously waiting for his arrival.
"My lord is going to Port Gris, the carriage has been prepared for you." Amandina crossed her hands and placed them on her skirt above her knees. She stood by the door and said respectfully: "There are biscuits and pastries in the carriage drawer, I ordered the kitchen to make them, because if we go now, we won't be able to make it in time for dinner. In addition, there is some recent information about the Empire under the table. Although it is not much, I think it will be useful for my lord. "
She was still rambling, with a straight face, as if she was reciting a book. Brando's heart was filled with warmth. He was still thinking about who arranged the carriage for him, but who else could it be? Other than Amandina, who else could try to organize his messy schedule, and frown and preach to him with a straight face? She advised him to have a more regular life and schedule. Apart from this slightly quiet girl, who else would be able to lower herself like this? It was almost impossible to remember that she was once a well-educated young lady from a noble family.
She was the only one.
"Thank you, Amandina." Brendel stood in front of Amandina, and Shitah was still sucking his chubby fingers one by one behind him. He smiled slightly. The last breeze at the end of summer was blowing through the canopy of the castle, rustling. The birds flapped their wings through the gaps between the branches in the sunshine, and the sound of their wings seemed to cover the whispers in the woodland. Amandina trembled slightly. She looked up at Brando, her dark eyes contained a layer of complicated light, and then silently lowered her head again.
"This is what I should do," she opened her mouth and complained softly: "If it was a Roman lady, my lord, you wouldn't be polite enough to say thank you to her."
Brando was surprised to see that her face was red all the way to her neck, as if this sentence used up all her courage.
He carefully savored the meaning of this sentence. The girl's heart was like a silent flowing song that had unknowingly filled his heart. He reached out and held the door handle, passing by Amandina. The two of them seemed to be unable to see each other. Brendel opened the door and replied, "Indeed, I won't." He let go of her hand, straightened up, and faced Amandina, and answered seriously: "But I won't tell her. Get in the car, Amandina, and come with me to meet the envoy from the Kirrlutz Empire."
For a moment, Amandina stood there in a daze.
The wind at the end of summer seemed to be too noisy, the clouds moved slowly in the blue sky, and time seemed to flow backward for a moment.
A teasing smile appeared on Brando's lips: "Do you need me to help you get in the car, my lady?"
"No, no need … …" Amandina lowered her head, as beautiful as a swan, but she felt her face was hot: "There are still a lot of things in the territory, a lot of documents I haven't dealt with yet, I, I'd better not go, I'll leave it to my lord … …"
"Aren't these documents in your hands? We'll deal with them in the car, it's still half a day from here to Port Gris, we have plenty of time. Tónigel's late summer and early autumn scenery is beautiful, I want to see this land that belongs to us, come with me. " Brando interrupted her and opened the door. Amandina was still a little hesitant, but the heavy sweetness in her heart finally won over her reservations, and she lowered her head and sat in the car.
She finally understood that His Lordship had sensed her feelings.
This was enough, for Amandina, for her, this was enough. The girl's hands were almost cramped on her knees, clutching her skirt tightly, and her head was almost buried in her chest shyly. She had never expected to go further, and this was already good enough. Brando then got in the car, and Shitah also shamelessly squeezed in. The three people in the car did not speak, and the quiet air was filled with a faint fragrance, both the smell of summer's incense and the thoughts of a young girl.
The carriage rumbled, slowly passing through the castle gate, crossing the suspension bridge, passing through the prosperous streets, and after leaving the city of Abies, it gradually turned into a continuous rural landscape, rolling hills, green fields, distant woods, windmills, and shining rivers. The carriage passed through the lush avenues, crossing the stone bridge paved with white stones, and the scenery of Tónigel had long formed a coherent picture.
Brando sat by the window, silently watching all this, his heart was filled with a kind of comfortable warmth.
In this world, he was no longer alone.
Many people lived because of him, and he lived because of many people. People needed each other, and civilization existed because of this bond. Warmth, love, and family were like a constant voice in the blood, knocking on everyone's heart. It existed forever, and it was endless. Milos and Ko Hua had asked the same question, what was the true meaning of this dark, ignorant, and humble civilization and order? It was not as glorious as the ancient times, nor as vigorous and unyielding as the Silver Age, but the answer might be in this.
Because of kindness.
And hope.
… …
Port Gris was no longer the same as before, and it was difficult for nostalgic people to find the taste of the past here, but no one was noisy. Today, the harbor had fifteen snow-white trestles that went deep into the blue bay, and the bay shore had long been dug deep enough to anchor the big ships with snow-white sails. Neat cobblestone streets ran through the east, west, north, and south, and caravans filled with goods shuttled back and forth, dividing the new harbor into a neat shape. Just like Abies, the old shacks had long been torn down and replaced with beautiful permanent buildings. The red tiled roofs had long become the symbol of the city, and only a few areas near the northern forest of the harbor still had traces of the old fishing village.
The Shepherd of Bucce was a hostel opened by a Roman merchant, and it could be said that it was the only official hostel in Port Gris. However, this hostel in the downtown area was not as crowded as other places, and only merchants with the permission of the Count of Tónigel could stay here. Occasionally, Metisha, Amandina, and other people from the castle would stay here temporarily when they came to the harbor. Therefore, this hostel was not so much a commercial hostel as it was an official relay station of Tónigel.
However, there were many guests staying in the hostel recently, but these guests were different from before. Most of them had blonde hair and blue eyes, and although they were polite, it was inevitable that their noses grew on their foreheads. The people of Erouine found it difficult to accept the arrogant attitude of the people of Cruz towards foreigners, although sometimes this attitude did not come from the heart, or rather, it was a habit formed naturally by the accumulation of pride over a long period of time.
But in the words of the owner of the hostel, a veteran of the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries, it was really enough. Now, the hot-tempered owner simply announced that he was sick, and left everything in the hostel to the servants to take care of. In the blink of an eye, he had not appeared for more than a week.
When Brando's carriage stopped at the entrance of the hostel, this was the scene that greeted him.
He saw Miss Scholar at the door, Shido holding a drawing board and sketching by the side of the street. She seemed to be curious about everything here, and the scenery of Tónigel had indeed given her a different perspective. Especially when she heard that this place was a barren fishing village a year ago, and there were no more than a hundred people coming and going. The residents could see noble Knights all year round, and most of them were tax collectors from Abies. This description was not strange to her, and it was described in books everywhere in Erouine.
But the Count of Tónigel told her a different story about this kingdom.
Several young Knights volunteered to be the escorts of this young lady. Most of them recognized Brando, and although they were closer to Maynild and Freya, they still came up to greet him. As a Kirrlutzian, this attitude was very rare. If the owner of the Shepherd's Inn was here, his eyes would have popped out at this moment, and he would worship his Lord even more, perhaps even prostrating himself on all fours.
Brando also asked with a smile, and Amandina followed behind him. She was also a little surprised by her Lord's reputation among the citizens of Cruz, but at least she knew more than the people below, so she was not too surprised. Shido, on the other hand, put down her paintbrush when she saw Brendel. She stood up and bowed respectfully to him. Brendel was slightly startled because he saw that the scholar girl was holding the courtesy of a student to a teacher. If it was said that the young people of the Folded Sword Squad were polite to someone who had fought side by side with them, this salute was somewhat grand and inexplicable.
He couldn't help but look at Shido.
Shido explained politely and seriously: "My mentor once said that the one who has reached the top is the teacher, and the Count's conduct and actions can be a model for us nobles. This time when I return to Kirrlutz, I will definitely tell my teachers what the Count has done. At least now I understand that the glory of the ancient nobles has not disappeared from this land, and the things that the benevolent Erik took away from the Empire and guarded are still taking root and sprouting in this soil. "
Brando saw the serious light in her firm eyes, and could not help but shake his head with a wry smile. This noble lady was still as simple and naive as ever, but it was still hard to get angry with her. Not to mention, he was a little embarrassed, and his words were a little exaggerated.
Although he was happy to see all this, some of what happened in this land did not originate from his heart. When he was impulsive and angry, he never thought of such long-term things.
He shook his head. At this time, Lenarette appeared at the corner of the stairs leading to the hall on the second floor of the inn. He came down and glanced over, as usual, he did not say much, but Brando already understood that this might be Veronica's intention. At this time, only His Royal Highness could stay by the female Legion Commander's side, and perhaps Shido, but this scholar lady did not seem to be someone who could stay idle. He hurriedly said goodbye to the others, and then followed.
Lenarette did not say a word and led the way in front, leading him to Veronica's room. When he opened the door, Brando was shocked, because there was another person in the room besides Veronica.
He also recognized this person, bald, bearded, and one-eyed. This appearance was too conspicuous – this was Mangrove, the Legion Commander of the Black Legion, and the Marshal of the Empire in the Third Holy War. Brando almost cursed out loud. What the hell were his scouts doing? They let such a big fish sneak into his territory without him knowing. This was one of the four Legion Commanders of the Empire, and his strength could be said to be higher than Veronica's, second only to his teacher Mephisto. A person of his level was like a nuclear weapon in the Empire, and now this nuclear weapon had unknowingly come under his nose, but he did not know.
He could not help but look back. Amandina's face was also a little pale, and she obviously recognized the other party, which meant that she did not get any news at all.
"Brando, you're here," Veronica finally noticed Brando and Amandina behind him. She and Mangrove were sitting at a low table opposite each other. The latter had a pipe in his mouth, and the flame in the pipe flickered. He was smoking, so the room was also filled with smoke. Brando frowned, but immediately understood what was going on. For a person like Veronica, who actually had a slight obsession with cleanliness, with her status, she could tolerate it. Firstly, Mangrove was indeed her senior, and secondly, there must be something more important that attracted her attention, so she was not in the mood to fuss over these trivial matters.
Veronica seemed to notice Brando's expression, and immediately understood what Brando was thinking. She first motioned for His Royal Highness to close the door, so only Brando, Amandina, and the two Legion Commanders were left in the room. Brando felt the door click behind him, and he could not help but feel a little strange, wondering what had happened that even Lenarette could not sit in and listen. He felt that the situation was beyond his imagination, so he calmed down a little and waited for Veronica to speak first.
"Brando, this is … Forget it, I see that you've already recognized him, so I won't make any unnecessary introductions," the female Legion Commander sighed halfway, feeling a little helpless at Brando's vigilance. She looked at him deeply, "I always felt that you were very concerned about the Empire, and very vigilant against us. Although I don't know why, you can rest assured this time. Mangrove came here through some special means, and even the Holy Cathedral of Fire was fooled, so it's reasonable that you didn't notice."
Brando looked at Mangrove, who was staring at the map of Cruz spread out on the short table, and did not even look at him. This was in line with the usual behavior of the Cruz nobles, especially with his status, naturally he would not be polite to a mere Count of Erouine. He looked at Veronica again, and the female Legion Commander's explanation made him feel a little better. After all, if even the Holy Cathedral of Fire was fooled, then fooling his spies was not a big deal. He could not be arrogant enough to think that his scouts were better than the Holy Cathedral of Fire's surveillance network.
However, Veronica's words made him feel a heavy sense of crisis.
Mangrove was an important representative of the military faction in the Cruz Empire. What kind of major event had happened in the Empire that made such a person not hesitate to take such a big risk to go to Tónigel alone to meet with Veronica, and even to the extent of hiding it from the Holy Cathedral of Fire? Brando's mind was in a mess, and the first thing he thought was, could it be that the religious and imperial factions were at war? Had the Cruz Empire started a civil war?
That was great, and it was a godsend for Erouine. The weaker Cruz was, the less pressure Erouine would have. This was an indisputable fact.
However, Brando shook his head, thinking that there was probably no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Cruz's current Empress' father had taken back the right to speak in the Empire from the religious faction with the help of the Prime Minister. Less than a hundred years had passed, and the position of the imperial faction was still very stable. Moreover, the Holy Cathedral of Fire did not seem to be a short-sighted existence. They openly rebelled, and that was the national religion of the entire Cruz culture. Even if there were one or two idiots in the highest ranks, most of the others would still be clear-headed. Besides, Brando remembered that the person at the top of the Holy Cathedral of Fire was still 'the wise Valla.' If it was that person, it would be impossible for his subordinates to make such a mistake.
However, it was possible for Her Majesty the Empress.
Brando did not know much about Her Majesty the Cruz Empress. To be honest, he was more familiar with Lenarette, the future Emperor of the Cruz Empire. Although Her Majesty the Empress was tough and was known as the Iron Queen, in fact, her style of doing things was a little too self-opinionated. However, in history, she did not have two years to reign. This time, Lenarette would soon become the real crown prince after returning and then ascend the throne. The Cruz Empire would enter a long period of ascension, and this would also be the beginning of Erouine's tragedy.
So what was going on now?
Brando looked at the two famous historical figures in front of him and suddenly felt that there was something wrong with the whole history.
…
(PS: The second chapter of this week's weekend, I hope you have a good weekend, and by the way, roll around and beg for monthly votes ~)
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