Despite the warning of the Lady of the Lake, Leon still ordered the allied army to set up camp and rest for the time being. The army was already exhausted after a long battle. Under such circumstances, it was not a rational and correct choice to force the army to stop Matthew Bad's army. On the contrary, it would be giving more soldiers to the undead.
They needed some time to rest and replenish their troops before heading north. They could choose to go south from Lyonasser to Culona, or go through the Arden Forest through the former capital of the Attawa Duchy, the Attawa Castle.
The army cleaned up the battlefield. There was nothing worth cleaning, and Morgiana led a team of Lake Prophets to chant a spell to purify the corruption of the Chaos.
Landuin's sacrifice had opened a new era for Muxilon. Even the most foolish of serfs could feel that the land was changing.
The swamps were gradually receding. Large swamps were turning into lakes, while smaller swamps were turning into ponds.
The corruption brought by the undead and Chaos was gradually disappearing. This was the final gift Landuin left behind after burning his soul.
In the afternoon, Laing, Kalad, Morgiana, and a few other dukes sat together to discuss what to do next.
Large chunks of wild boar meat were prepared by the squires and roasted over the fire. The squires skillfully used pepper and honey to infuse the meat with flavor. Laing sat in the center, Morgiana on his left, and Berchemund on his right. Everyone chatted as they ate with wine.
"The casualties this time are not too bad. Overall, it's less than thirty percent," Berchemund said, "Even though the war was difficult, the casualties are still acceptable."
Everyone nodded. The number of casualties in this battle was barely within the acceptable range of the Dukes. Even though the process was difficult, the most important battle was not fought. At most, the Allied Forces of Order only fought a head-on battle with the Tzeentech Army.
The most difficult battles after that had been taken by the Tzeentech army.
That was why Laing and the others did not know what to say about this inexplicable victory.
"Now that our army is exhausted and supplies are hard to come by. If we go to Culona, we will most likely be ambushed by the undead." Hagan, Duke of Gisoleiox, was badly injured in the war. Half of his helmet was destroyed, but fortunately, he managed to retrieve his lance. "But Culona is the capital, and we have to save it. Even if it's spring, we have to mobilize the army!"
"Yes, we have to save the capital." François did not have any objections. "We can't let the Black Knight take our capital. Culona has never been lost in the thousands of years of history."
"Then here comes the question. What qualifications does Dark Knight Matthew Bard think he has to ascend the throne?" Bodrick, Duke of Bordero, said strangely, "I remember that he was just a Knight Ranger from Connet. He didn't even have a Duke title! Matthew Matthew Bard, Bard, Bard, Bard, Bard, Bard, Bard
"No, he is." Laing said in a low voice, "Matthew Bard has already fulfilled all four requirements to be a king. He received the title of Paladin because of a series of heroic deeds and noble virtues when he was young."
"But his title of Duke of Musillon is self-proclaimed. We all know that you are the true Duke of Musillon after being recognized by Duke Landurin!" Kalad said with some dissatisfaction. "Matthew Bard can't be king because of this alone!"
"He can. Even if he's not Duke of Musillon, he still fulfills the requirements." Laing sneered. "Because he's Duke Lauen's son! He's his illegitimate son! Now that Lauen's life is uncertain, he naturally has the right to claim the title as his illegitimate son. "
Laing's casual words shocked everyone present.
"What? Matthew Bard is Lauen's son?! "
"No wonder, no wonder this knight who once had outstanding virtues has fallen so completely!"
"He's a bastard!"
"That's right! Lauen did have an illegitimate son who was abandoned in the wilderness. If that's the case, everything makes sense. "
Everyone whispered, and many people were shocked speechless. After hearing this, Duke Berchemund shook his head. "The family is unfortunate, the family is unfortunate! I know about this. When Louis ordered the child to be abandoned in the wilderness, I advised him not to do so. Instead, he should send the child to the Empire, where he wouldn't freeze or starve. But Louis insisted. "
"Hahaha, the father abandoned his son. After the son was adopted and grew up, he sought revenge on the father. Not only did he want to kill the father, but he also wanted to inherit everything from the father. You humans are really filial." Aralus, the Lord of the Wood Elves, who was listening, said sarcastically. He intended to continue mocking the stupidity and backwardness of humans. Laing glared at him, indicating that it was none of his business. Aralus shrugged, indicating that he would stop talking.
"If that's the case, then Matthew Bard does indeed have the right to claim the throne." Francois opened his eyes. His wise and resourceful old father-in-law immediately realized the problem. "Because he's Lauren's illegitimate son, of course he's a family member of the Duke of Connet. He can claim Lauren's title of Duke and the title of Regent of the Kingdom in a proper way … The undead are playing a big game! I suspect that Matthew Bard was already part of the undead's plan when he was adopted! "
"There's no point in thinking so much now." Laing saw that he had achieved his goal and shook his head. "We can't completely blame Lauen for this. He was also under pressure. Who hasn't been young before? It's the undead who took advantage of this abandoned child. At this point, we can only expose Matthew Bard's scheme and save the kingdom. "
"A large number of troops and a whole team of Grail Knights are stationed in Colona. The city walls are high and thick, and they are equipped with a large number of defensive weapons. Although Lauen has transferred a lot of guards, it won't be that easy for Matthew Bard to take down Colona." Morgiana, the Witch of the Lake Goddess, held the Holy Grail in her hand. Her face was a little pale because she had used too much magic in the previous battle. "So don't worry, everyone. Please rest well. When the new recruits arrive, we will immediately go to Colona and stop Matthew Bard's scheme!"
"Yes!" Everyone nodded.
"Will Eslai help us?" Laing asked while Aralus was still there.
"Eslai will help you until the undead are completely expelled." Aralus nodded, but he said rather arrogantly, "But Eslai has a condition."
"Speak." Laing sat still. The Wood Elves obviously wouldn't help him without a reason. There must be a condition, but it depended on how it was negotiated.
"We want to build a new observation station in Muxilon. It's close to the Arden Forest and covers an area of five hectares. We can choose a place where there is no one." Aralus stated the condition of the Wood Elves. "We can help you monitor the movements of the Orcs in the Arden Forest and collect …"
"Collecting amber, right?" "I can promise you to build an observatory, but since you want to live in my territory, you have to abide by my laws and regulations. You can't kidnap children, you can't kill hunters who enter the forest to hunt, and you can't hurt humans who pass by. Can you do that?" Ryan said in a bad mood.
"The Arden Forest isn't Exoloren. This isn't our home," Aralus retorted. "We just need to build a forest cellar to store supplies and a Yggdrasil root exit to ensure that when 'Shadow Spawn' Morgul appears, we can quickly dispatch an army."
Aralus said proudly, "You need Eslai's help, my friend Laing. The Wood Elves can help you expel the corruption of this land. As long as we guide the power of the Oak of Ages to purify this place, it won't take a few months for Muxilon, which has lost its source of corruption, to be restored to its former glory. Eslai never lies."
"Hmm … If you can abide by my rules, I'll allocate a piece of land for you to build an observation station." This sentence did move Laing. The ability of the Oak of Ages to purify corruption was unparalleled, and most importantly, the Wood Elves' method of purifying this land was not through destruction. They only needed to use amber to stimulate the power of the Oak of Ages and plant seeds here. The power of life would make Muxilon the richest and most powerful principality in Brittany again. In the era of Landuin, this place used to be a thousand miles of fertile land.
If it were a human doing this, the entire land would be burned with fire and blessed salt. The land would be purified, but the land would be destroyed and could only be rebuilt.
"We agree to abide by your rules, then … deal." Aralus extended his hand.
"Deal."
… I'm the dividing line of the deal with Green Chaos …
In late April, Matthew Bard led an army of knights and marched towards Culona.
He pulled the reins of his warhorse proudly. Clad in black cursed armor and holding a viper sword, Matthew Bard did not wear a helmet. He was humming the ancient hymn of the Blood Dragon Clan. He was in a good mood.
At this time, there was nothing that could stop him from ascending to the throne.
Lauren was heavily injured and on the verge of death. His whereabouts were unknown, and the army of knights in the north had fallen apart.
Carlos the Great Demon of Tzeentch had agreed to deal with Laing, and the army of knights in the south had also suffered a setback in the war. The Spire Palace had been taken back (turned into ruins), and Laing's army had also been defeated. Now, they had retreated to the Chalon Forest and were waiting for reinforcements. Carlos the Great Demon of Tzeentch had promised to completely defeat Laing after receiving the Lion Lance, so there was no need to worry about a possible attack from the south.
Therefore, Matthew Bard made a prompt decision to lead his army of undead to Culona and prepare to take advantage of the chaos to ascend to the throne.
He raised his banner and revealed his identity. He publicly declared that he was the rightful successor of Lauren and the rightful successor of the title of Duke of Musillon. He had the right and deserved to be the king of Brittany.
And just as he imagined, Matthew Bard didn't have to worry about the source of troops at all. Because a large number of rogue knights, bandits in the forest, rioting serfs, and despicable assassins flocked to his banner, Matthew Bard quickly gathered an army of both living and undead.
More importantly, Matthew Bard won the support of many nobles of Musillon and the nobles of the south of Lyonasai. He successfully made the nobles of Musillon, who had been treated unfairly for a long time, believe that the source of all this was the unfairness of the kingdom. For their own interests, they had to do something. They believed that Matthew Bard was indeed the rightful Duke of Musillon and could help them in their current predicament. Therefore, these knights and nobles announced that they would respond to Matthew Bard's call.
These nobles mobilized their troops and made way for him.
As the army continued to grow, Matthew Bard started his own battle for the throne.
The early spring sun was so bright and beautiful. The scenery of birds chirping and flowers blooming in the wilderness was common. The snow began to melt, and it was another spring. Matthew Bard led all his troops forward in the wilderness.
Along the way, the knights' castles either sent their knights to join their troops or closed their doors and refused to come out. With the great losses of the knights' army in the north, no knight or noble dared to go out of the city to fight with this army.
Matthew Bard did not attack these castles either. Instead, he just passed by them. After all, he wanted to become the king and not destroy the kingdom.
In this way, he successfully passed by Lyonasai and entered the Duchy of Le-Angouland. This Duchy with the "Blue Sea Monster" coat of arms was now trembling in front of Matthew Bard. Only a few brave champion knights or knights of the kingdom sent Matthew Bard a request for a championship duel. Muxilon's Viper also accepted them one by one.
Matthew Bard, who had completely integrated all the skills, strength, and experience of the Black Grail knights, was invincible. All the Brittany knights who challenged him were killed on the spot. Muxilon's Viper magnanimously let go of the families and castles of those challengers. He generously said that if they opposed him, they could challenge him. He would not reject any challenge.
Just as Matthew Bard said, he did not commit any acts of burning, killing, or looting along the way. He only sent out invitations for a championship duel over and over again and defeated his opponents. His actions were quickly recognized by his own people.
It seemed that Matthew Bard was really a person who had been treated unfairly. He just wanted to take back what was his. Under his leadership, Brittany could really usher in a new era.
The morale of the army soared. The speculators firmly believed that Matthew Bard would become the new king of Brittany!
It took Matthew Bard and his army two weeks to get close to Culona. In the army formation, the knights sang Matthew Bard's new military song.
"The waves of the Sannes River are turbulent, the gray mountains are chaotic …"
"I am independent in the muddy world, righteous indignation burns with hot blood …"
"The nobles only care about their pride, worrying about the lack of people in the country …"
…
"Knights march under the blue sky, the army united for justice!"
"There are millions of soldiers in my chest, the dead scatter the iris feathers!"
"The heaven is angry, the earth moves, the rumbling is very loud!"
"The eternal slumbers cannot sleep, the new king rises today!"
Riding on his undead warhorse, Matthew Bard felt the dazzling afternoon sun. He looked around and saw his corps covering the entire wilderness. Colorful clan heraldry flags and battle flags were everywhere. All the soldiers were under his command. Their armors were giving out dazzling light under the sunlight …
Culona was not far away. The guards of dozens of castles and towns were so frightened by Matthew Bard that they did not dare to go out to fight. Every knight who dared to challenge him was defeated. With tens of thousands of soldiers in his hands, he was only one step away from the throne. The anxiety and irritation that Laing had suppressed all this time finally disappeared without a trace in Matthew Bard's chest.
For some reason, Matthew Bard felt warm all over. He could feel his whole body was empty and full of satisfaction.
So high! It felt like he had reached the peak of his life!
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