Graeme blinked as he heard Vivian's words. He then asked with a strange look in his eyes, "You guys are going north too?"
It was normal for him to have such a strange look in his eyes.
Right now, the Dragon Empire was in chaos. The Imperial Army, the Knights of the Ebon Blade, the Knights of the Broken Blade, and the Army of the North were at each other's throats, and it was a crisis far worse than the Dragon Empire's one against half of the world. Under such circumstances, any sane person would make the decision to stay away from the maelstrom, let alone a group of Izzurians who had just been chased by the Knights of the Ebon Blade.
What lay beyond the Black Pine Forest to the north? First, it was the hinterland of the Empire under the control of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and then the capital. The Izzurians who had just been chased by the Knights of the Ebon Blade were definitely not heading there, so they could only continue north. Regardless of how they planned to cross the land filled with Knights of the Ebon Blade, assuming they succeeded, if they continued north, it would be the army of the princess.
"To the west is the Lion's Ridge. Beyond the Lion's Ridge is a safer area, and to the east, you can find a flight to Izzuria. While you might not be able to board an airship at this time, it is at least a safe route." Graeme looked at Charlemagne and Awenna. "And to the north, aside from the Knights of the Ebon Blade, there is only the army of the princess. I believe you are not looking for those who had just been chasing you?"
Charlemagne pondered for a moment before nodding. "Since we have already said this much, there is no need for us to hide anymore. We are indeed looking for Princess Constance, and we know very well what she is doing, and what it means to pass through the blockade of the imperial army."
Graeme's expression turned serious. "Please understand my caution, but at this time, a group of Izzurians and four mysterious people from a hidden organization need a reason to meet the princess. I think … you guys are not simple travelers, right? "
Charlemagne thought for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. He had hidden his identity from Graeme when he first woke up because a Broken Blade knight had mysteriously fainted in the Black Forest, and he had no choice but to be cautious. But now that he had confirmed Graeme's reason for coming here, and what Graeme said could be verified with the information he received a few days ago, and now that he knew that there were Gorgonian demons in the Black Forest, he had to cooperate if he wanted to move forward, and he had no choice but to be honest.
But he still remembered who the real leader of this team was, so he used his eyes to ask Hao Ren, "Can I trust this knight?"
Hao Ren noticed the look in Charlemagne's eyes, and he smiled back. He did not understand why a handsome man who was 0.93 times the size of Nangong Sanba was winking at him. Was this little brother trying to come up with some bold ideas?
Exchanging 200 words with just a glance was something that could only happen within Hao Ren's team, or at least on Hao Ren's side.
Fortunately, the knowledgeable Rheia had guessed what Charlemagne meant, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. "If you want to say it, just say it. We don't care."
Charlemagne calmed down, he knew that the little girl had an incredible say in Hao Ren's team, so he turned to Graeme and said, "Please forgive us for not telling the truth from the start, in fact, my sister and I are …"
"Emissary of the Ancient Kingdom of Izzo?" Graeme frowned as he listened to Charlemagne. "I can understand your caution at the start, but how can I trust you?"
"We did some disguise, but we have something else to prove our identities." As Charlemagne spoke, he took out a magic amulet that he always wore, and he activated it and placed it on his forehead. The next moment, some complicated and mysterious, glowing tattoo-like patterns appeared on his arms and cheeks.
Awenna, who was beside him, did the same thing. Similar magic patterns appeared on her body.
"It's the bloodline emblem of the Izzo royal family," Graeme saw the markings and dispelled his doubts as he bowed to the two in a knight's salute. "It really is Your Highnesses, I apologize for my lack of manners."
"Don't mind it," Charlemagne waved his hand. "The important thing is that we need to get to Princess Constance as soon as possible. We have a very important mission on this mission, and we cannot afford to delay it."
Graeme's expression turned serious, and he did not ask what the 'mission' was, but said bluntly, "We can go to the north, but we need to find a way to deal with or go around that Gorgonian demon. I have to remind you, that is a lord-class demon, classified as a 'Nest Mother'. It will split off a large number of splits from its body to monitor its territory, so it controls a large area. It will be difficult for us to go around it, and there is a high chance that we will be discovered. As for that demon's strength … Even a few powerful Broken Blades are no match for it, and if you only have these men, going north is a joke. "
As he spoke, the Broken Blade Knight's gaze swept across the fully armed guards. He could tell that they were veterans who had been through hundreds of battles and were no ordinary soldiers, and the best of them were probably no weaker than the Ebon Blades. But to take on a lord-class Gorgon, this little bit of combat power was still a little lacking.
The warriors who were used to charging and breaking through enemy lines did not want to be looked down upon, but to be chosen as the secret guards, these warriors were not only skilled in combat, they were also carefully selected in terms of personality and other aspects, and naturally would not lose their cool under such circumstances. They also understood that Graeme was not trying to humiliate them, but merely stating the truth, so they could only reluctantly shut up.
But Hao Ren did not think it was a problem at all. "Ahem, have you forgotten about us? If you are worried about combat power, we are not short of it."
"You?" Graeme was stunned as he looked at Hao Ren and his party suspiciously. He had just thought that the four unarmed men were non-combatants.
"Yes, we are the main fighting force." Hao Ren nodded matter-of-factly before pointing at himself and his party. "The few of us are playing with the Ebon Blades like it's child's play. This ranged one is an instant kill, this one is invincible in close combat, and of course, the most powerful one is this one, she is the best fighter amongst us …"
Rheia, who was pointed at, had her arms crossed in front of her chest as she looked like an otherworldly master.
Graeme was speechless.
"It's true," Charlemagne said, "Don't judge by appearances. In fact, they were the ones who solved the problems along the way. My guards and I are ashamed to say that … we were mainly in charge of cheering them on."
The group of personal guards turned their heads away.
Seeing the hesitation and doubt on Graeme's face, Lily could not help but speak up. "If you don't believe me, you can spar with me. Words are not as reliable as seeing it for yourself right?"
While the Knight of the Broken Blade was still doubtful, the situation before him did not give him much choice, and after being beaten up by Lily, he decided to believe Hao Ren and Charlemagne's words.
After a short rest in the ruins of the Lost Kingdom, the party returned to the three magic carriages, and after bypassing the parts of the ruins where they could not drive, they headed towards the north of the Black Forest.
But this comfortable journey did not last too long, because after heading north for a while, the forest path was cut off.
While in the bewildering Black Forest, travelers could always follow the forest path to the exit of the forest in any direction, but in this Black Forest where the false fog had faded and only its true appearance was left, the forest path was not well-connected, especially when Hao Ren and his party had chosen the shortest route to go through the northern forest, and they had no choice but to cut their way through the dense forest in the latter half of the journey.
But this was not a problem for a team with outstanding combat ability, and the weakest member was a veteran of both magic and combat. Aside from the fact that it was not as stable as sitting in the carriage, traveling through the forest would not slow them down too much.
In the dreary journey, Hao Ren found Graeme, who had been quiet since the start of the journey. "I have a question to ask you …"
"Go ahead." Graeme said curtly.
"Didn't you say that the Knights of the Ebon Blade had lost their minds? What's going on? "
"Literally." After Charlemagne revealed his identity, and Hao Ren and his party confirmed their purpose of heading north to meet Princess Constance, Graeme was more honest than before. "The once glorious warriors have been twisted, and an evil force has twisted their loyalty and bravery into a more fanatical and dangerous tendency. But this distortion is extremely insidious, because at this stage, very few people realize that their rationality is actually not human."
"Indeed, we have fought the Knights of the Ebon Blade up close, but they behaved no different from normal people. Oh, except for their faces. "
"You have seen the corrupted appearance of the Knights of the Ebon Blade?" Graeme was slightly surprised, but then relieved. "That's true, with your strength, even if you were being pursued by the Knights of the Ebon Blade, it would not be difficult to kill a few of them. Just as you said, the madness of the Knights of the Ebon Blade is still hidden, and they will act normal on the surface to disguise themselves, but they are actually in chaos on the inside, and the corrupted appearance is proof. "
"From what you're saying … it will not be long before the corruption of the Knights of the Ebon Blade will be exposed to the common folk, right?" Hao Ren frowned. "By that time, I'm afraid half of the people in the Empire will be on the princess' side?"
"Before that happens, the corrupted Knights of the Ebon Blade will be enough to bring the world to ruin," Graeme said in a heavy tone. "And we … are trying to prevent this disaster before that day comes."
"Ah, it seems like a very righteous reason." Hao Ren nodded. "But there is one thing I don't quite understand … what caused the corruption of the Knights of the Ebon Blade? Could it really be … the one with the dragon soul … "
"The only one who can affect the Knights of the Ebon Blade is His Majesty Berentine." Graeme indirectly confirmed what Hao Ren said.
At that moment, a burning smell suddenly wafted into Hao Ren's nostrils.
Graeme raised his hand. "Everyone be careful, we are approaching the territory of the Gorgonian Demon."
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