"We have to be careful about this. We don't have that many troops to expend now." Sitting in the black carriage, Matthew Bard's face was full of resentment and hatred. After two inexplicable losses, the number of Mu Xilong's undead army had dropped to the lowest point in history.
When Akhan left, he took most of the fresh troops with him, leaving Matthew Bard with only the old and weak. Among them, the most elite were two tomb ghouls, two graveyard guards, a group of bloodthirsty akasha, and a squad of blood knights.
Then there were the remaining ten black grail knights.
Black Holy Grail Knights were very powerful, even more powerful than ordinary Holy Grail Knights. Through Akerhan's special magic circle and secret method, every time a Black Holy Grail Knight died, all of its remaining strength, martial arts, and battle experience would flow back to Matthew Bard's body, allowing him to complete his transformation.
But now wasn't the time to sacrifice all the black grail knights to strengthen himself. Matthew Bard had other uses for them.
"It won't be that easy for Bodlius to infiltrate, Your Grace. The magi hired by Bodrick, Duke of Bordero, will raise a barrier to surround the banquet. Any unwelcome guests will be discovered immediately. The Black Grail Knights won't be able to sneak into the banquet, so they won't be able to deal with the nobles in an ambush." Farrah said in his dry voice, "We have to find a way to enter the banquet."
"There's only one invitation for two guests." Matthew Bard took out the invitation card from his bosom. He looked at the golden words on the invitation card, and his eyes flickered.
He had found a way to get it from Duke Bleleon's granddaughter, Fiona. The girl still couldn't forget about him. After he used her, she foolishly thought that he left without saying goodbye after hearing her angry words. She waited in Colona for three months before returning to Bleleon. The hot-tempered girl still refused to believe that Matthew Bard was a degenerate and a traitor. She still believed that he was a pitiful ranger who was suppressed by the nobles. He should've won the knighthood tournament, but Suria and the other nobles didn't want to see a young knight with no background standing out, so they secretly captured him.
This invitation was also obtained by Matthew Bard from Fiona. Due to Duke Theodoric's scandal, the court of the Duchy of Leon was in chaos. Matthew Bard took the opportunity to ask Fiona to help him get the invitation.
"One invitation isn't enough for all the knights to sneak into the banquet." The necromancer shook his head and said to Matthew Bard, "The nobles are also brave knights. In this kingdom, nobles who don't know how to ride and use lances don't exist. There's only one chance. If the nobles react and prepare for battle, we'll miss the opportunity."
"I know! Farrah, I don't need you to teach me! Godfather asked you to stay to help me destroy this kingdom, not to command me! " Matthew Bard's inhumanly handsome face was ferocious. "I have my ways. You just need to listen to me."
"Yes." The necromancer's expression changed a few times before he finally lowered his head.
"Bodlius' defenses are strong, but they're not invulnerable." Matthew Bard took out a map and pointed to the top of the castle. "The wizards have raised the barrier, but there will be no defense above the castle. We only need to find a way to create chaos at the banquet, and then send you into the castle from the top of the castle. You can use magic to directly send the black Grail knights into the banquet and prepare to slaughter."
"Create chaos at the banquet? Everyone in the banquet is … "The necromancer still didn't think this method would work. He shook his head." They're all nobles, wizards, and guards. What kind of chaos can make them ignore the safety of the dukes? "
"There's a way. You probably don't know that there's an ancestral performance in Bordero. It's performed at major celebrations and banquets." Matthew Bard shifted his gaze to the map, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "That's the Hero fighting the Dragon."
"This is the best chance for us to create chaos."
The black carriage carried dark secrets and entered the deep alleys of the streets. Matthew Bard had a place to stay here. They were ready to start their plan.
… …
"The banquet is already in preparation. We've prepared hundreds of livestock for slaughter, as well as a large amount of flour, fresh vegetables, and fish. Although I don't think it's necessary to make such a big fuss, my father insisted."
On the streets of Bordero, Fedmond was introducing the banquet to Laing and the others. "Apart from that, the famous' The Hero Fights the Evil Dragon ', which hasn't been held for twenty years, will be performed in the banquet hall of Bordero Castle after twenty years. It must be a great feat."
"Oh, I've always heard of a magical dance in the Empire. It's called the Brittany dance. I must see it if I have the chance." The Paladin Frey looked around with great interest. His face was full of expectation. "Wow, so many seafood. I heard that the cod in Bordero has a unique flavor."
"Yes, this banquet will definitely satisfy you." Fedmond looked at Laing and Suria. The Knight of the Holy Grail thought for a moment and squeezed out a smile. "It's a pity that I can't attend your wedding ceremony."
Laing only felt that it was not easy to answer this question. He just shook his head, indicating that it was okay.
The young Count thought about the meaning of Duke Bodrick sending his son to greet him and show him around Bordero.
Duke Bodrick was releasing a political signal to express his support for Laing. His heir had come out to greet him. This meant that in the battle for the throne, the duchy of Bordero was on his side, or at least not against him.
The most important thing was that he could bring great benefits. Looking at the crowded castle, Laing thought to himself.
Then the question was, how could he obtain the title of Duke before Laing inherited the throne?
There were so many questions. Laing decided not to think about it for the time being. He knew that he would have to discuss the throne with the Fairy of the Lake in the end. However, the Elven Gods were fighting among themselves. A fleet of Dark Elves' Black Ark landed in Ossouin and poisoned all the water sources, causing a plague to run rampant. The High Elf God of Wisdom, Horus, proposed to use secret divine spells to cure the infected elves, but was rejected by Asuyan, the Lord of the Phoenix. Asuyan not only refused to let Horus treat the high elves of the Kingdom of Kothi, but also ordered Horus's divine spell scrolls to be burned. This led to a new round of conflict among the Elven Gods. As the High Elf Goddess of the Moon, Lilith had to try to concoct the potion herself, so she did not show up for a while.
"Which Dukes will come to this banquet? Sir Fedmond? " Seeing that Laing did not speak, Suria knew that her husband was thinking about something again, so she took over the topic.
"Duke Laing of Connet, Duke Hubert of Kakazon, Duke Berchemund of Bastogne, Duke Forcade of Montfort and Duke Hagen of Gisoleiox, and Duke Aldrede of Lyonnesse will come here to congratulate us. It is said that the king's representative, Count Taubert, will also be here." Fedmond nodded politely to Suria. This new Knight of the Holy Grail thought that Laing's wife was indeed a great beauty, but he did not know how Countess Eva, who was chosen by his father, would compare to this Marchioness Suria.
Fedmond led the crowd around for a while and then left, leaving Laing, Aldrede, Suria, and Emilia. Suria held Laing's hand and stood on one side, while the little maid held the Marchioness' hand. Aldrede watched Fedmond leave and said to Laing, "I don't think I can defeat him."
"If nothing goes wrong, it won't be long before he becomes the new Duke of Bordro," Laing whispered to Aldrede, "It's necessary for me to establish a good relationship with him in advance."
"You're also asking the Sea God Knights to help you attack Blackstone Stronghold?" Aldrede smiled, "My good friend, how big an army do you plan to form?"
"I don't plan to ask the Sea God Knights for help. I just hope that they won't stab me in the back when the time comes." Laing looked at the Sea God Knights who were patrolling the streets. Fighting in the mountains was not always better with more people. The Sea God Knights were good at fighting on the sea and on the plains.
"Did that talkative dwarf king tell you when to attack?" Aldrede asked. As usual, Laing's childhood playmate rarely took off his armor. Even when he came to the banquet, he was still fully armed.
This was also a kind of ascetic practice. The Paladins used this method to emphasize that victory would not last long. As the guardians of order and the defenders of evil, they had to be vigilant at all times. The great threat of Chaos did not come from the outside, but from the corruption and depravity within.
Of course, Bellegar Ironhammer hoped to borrow enough knights from the Knight King to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain, but it took Laing three days to finally convince the king of the Angran clan. Laing sincerely told him that the knights' duty was to protect the country, and it was very difficult to form a large army of knights to launch an expedition of this scale. Even the champion of the Lake Fairy, Laing, could not do it. The knights had to have a good reason.
Laing promised Bellegar that if Bellegar was willing to gather an army of dwarves to help the Brittany conquer Blackstone Stronghold, the stronghold would be given to Bellegar and his Angran clan as a temporary base and future colony. With such a stronghold, Bellegar would be able to gather his people, resume production, and prepare to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain.
Like the dwarves, the Brittany knights believed in the way of knights. After the dwarves helped the Knight King solve a big problem, Laing had a reason and an excuse to persuade Morgiana to form an army of knights to help Bellegar reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain.
This was called having a good reason.
It was very difficult to persuade the stubborn dwarves. Fortunately, Bellegar was not stupid, especially when he failed to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain three times. The King of Eight Peaks Mountain, who had learned his lesson, knew that the dwarves needed such a strong army of heavy cavalry. When the dwarves fought with the Green Dwarves, they could only defeat each other. If they lost, they could not run away. If they won, they could not catch up. The main problem was that the dwarves did not have cavalry.
One of the most important reasons for the good relationship between the dwarves and humans was that they complemented each other. The dwarves, who had strong infantry, liked to "cooperate" with the Empire's knights in battle to make up for the lack of cavalry. Bellegar thought that the Empire's knights were a group of little brothers in front of the Brittany knights. If the dwarves wanted something, they must have the best.
Bellegar proposed three conditions. When attacking Eight Peaks Mountain, Laing had to participate in it personally. When attacking Blackstone Stronghold, all the resources and commission had to be borne by the Knight King. When forming an army of knights to attack Eight Peaks Mountain, the number of knights needed to be no less than three thousand.
In return, if they succeeded in reclaiming Eight Peaks Mountain, Bellegar promised that the Angrand clan could sign a "Holy Alliance" with Laing (just like the alliance between the Empire and the Supreme King of the Dwarves) and share one-fifth of all the wealth sealed in Eight Peaks Mountain.
After negotiating the conditions, Laing immediately went to find his father-in-law. François immediately agreed that the Winford Duchy would pay the commission and resources for attacking Blackstone Stronghold. The Winford Duchy had a deadly feud with the necromancer Heinrich Kaimler. François even dreamed of chopping the remaining half of Kaimler's head in half.
"The army will be deployed after next year's spring plowing. The Knight King needs time to recover. Bellegar has already written letters to the dwarven kings and his lost clansmen for help. It will take time," said Laing to Al- Frey. "Let's get ready first."
"Well, that's the only way." Al- Frey looked up and found that they had arrived at the door of a clothing store. There was a huge bird logo on the front of the store. It was a pink faced Echo Bird hanging on a branch.
There was a huge purple "X" on the signboard, and the name of the store was "Mark Dorcel".
This was the famous Brittany fashion brand "Woodpecker". It was famous throughout the old world. Mark Dorcel was the name of the founder of this clothing store. It sold all kinds of women's clothing, shoes, and accessories.
"Let's go in and take a look!" Suria and Emilia's eyes lit up when they saw the store. The countess immediately pulled the little maid into the store to shop. Al- Frey, who was following behind, complained to Laing, "Why is the logo an Echo Bird, and the founder of the store is Mark Dorcel, but we call him Woodpecker?"
"It seems to be a translation problem. Back then, a Knight King didn't recognize the Echo Bird, so he insisted that it was Woodpecker. In the end, the name was passed down. After a few hundred years, everyone called him Woodpecker. It's a habit." Laing replied casually. He was more familiar with this brand. Emilia and Olica's maid outfits, stockings, and high heels were all made by this brand.
"I see!"
"Ah! It's you! " At this moment, an unruly and unreasonable voice sounded behind them, "What are two men doing here?! Disgusting! Get out of here! "
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