PS: This book will be released on the 1st of next month. Please read it more, I'll cry.
Valdemar was shocked. He subconsciously reached for the sword at his waist, but then he remembered that the sword had been handed over to the guard before he came in. The knight immediately jumped at Albert, trying to take him as a hostage.
However, Albert's swordsmanship was only so-so, and he barely fought on the battlefield. However, Albert's reaction speed was extremely fast, and he managed to dodge Valdemar's attack. He then slashed Valdemar's thigh, and the royal knight's leg was injured. He then fell to the ground and was pinned down by two guards.
"How … How did you find out?" Valdemar knew that he had lost. He was pressed to the ground by two guards. Then, more guards rushed in and tied him up. They then put a halberd against his neck.
"My knight has betrayed me." Albert's face was red, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. The count, who was in his forties, looked very ferocious. "He has already given the people of this city to the barbarians in the north. They are blood sacrifices for the barbarians. Am I right?"
The guards stared at the knight in disbelief. The captain of the guards, Emil, walked up to Albert and whispered, "Count Albert?"
"This traitor is in cahoots with the barbarians! He has already surrendered to the barbarian army outside the city. He has given my city and my people to Birig, and he, as the knight of Mjörden Haven, will be the only noble in this city who has resisted until the last moment. He has held on until the Empire's reinforcements arrive. Therefore, the king must reward him. " Albert walked up to Valdemar and whispered in his ear, "The best result is that the great Bamboo Knight Valdemar, the hero of Mjörden Haven, will take over the title of the late Count Albert Becker and become the new lord of this city. Am I right? If I'm not mistaken, your men are already on that passenger ship, right? "
Valdemar's face turned pale. The knight did not say a word.
"Not talking, huh? Emil? " Albert gave his guard captain a look, and the guard captain, who had a scar on his face, rushed forward and punched Valdemar's beautiful face hard in return. Valdemar's beautiful face was badly bruised.
"You don't know me from the beginning, my knight!" Albert Baker sheathed his sword and said hatefully, "Do you think I can't tell that all of this is your doing? In the entire city, there are less than ten people who know where the gunpowder is stored at the east gate, and you are the only one who is in charge of the east gate's defense! We can find a loophole in the patrol and send someone to detonate the gunpowder! "
"Besides, you came too quickly. This is not normal. I know you. You would never be on duty at this time. You should be sleeping with a prostitute in a bar owned by a halfling!" Albert kicked Valdemar's face, and the royal knight's nose bled twice.
"So what?" What answered the count was a maniacal voice. "Albert, do you think you can defend this city? Just by relying on that broken city gate? With the motley crew you've temporarily recruited? "
"Wake up! You stupid donkey! Everyone is going to die! The whole city will be burned to ashes by the barbarians' axes and torches! " Valdemar shouted crazily, "The more you resist, the more miserable your death will be. The end of the world will come, and everything will be destroyed. The only way to survive is to kneel down and obey! I am doing this for the sake of the people of this city! Birig promised me that if I surrender, he will only kill half of the people in this city! Only half! How many people can I save? This is the right choice. You don't understand at all! "
"… You're crazy." Albert was too lazy to argue with this person. He signaled his guard captain to drag Valdemar out, "From today onwards, Valdemar, the royal knight, will be removed from this world. Your family history will be erased, and your family will become slaves. As for you … your corpse will be left in the wild, and you will never be able to rest in peace!"
"No! You can't do this to me! No! I have done good for Nord! I have shed blood for the old count! I want to see His Majesty the King! I want to see His Majesty the King!!! " Valdemar was dragged out by the guards. The guard captain, Emil, stepped forward and asked, "Count, how should we deal with this traitor?"
"Execute him immediately!"
"Yes!" The guard captain hurriedly left.
Albert turned around and took a deep breath. He then turned his eyes to the plate armor in his room and murmured to himself sadly, "So, the war has finally come."
"Valdemar still hasn't figured out how I inherited the title of Great Count," Lucien said. Looking at the armor passed down by his ancestors, Albert lowered his head and said. He seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be talking to the portrait in his room.
On the portrait was the name of his ancestor: "Old Stubborn" Beck I, Count of Mjörden Haven.
"One hundred and fifty years ago, in the great holy war, the army of evil approached the border. The Kurfürst of Nord, the King of the Northern Region, Steward VIII, chose to kneel and submit to the second Chosen One of Chaos, the Anointed One, Isaac Kuval. At that time, almost all of Nord fell. Only three counts refused to surrender. They fought to the last moment. In the end, under the wise leadership of His Majesty Ludwig, the Chaos was defeated. "
"In order to reward the three counts who fought to the last moment and their descendants, even though the Kingdom of Nords replaced the Kurfürst of Nords, the titles of the three counts were not replaced by the Nord's system of lordship. His Majesty Ludwig conferred the highest honor of hereditary succession on the three counts!"
"This territory was exchanged with the blood and lives of my ancestors! If I choose to surrender, how can I face my ancestors who are buried in Moore Cemetery?!!! "
The guard captain soon came in with an iron tray. On the iron tray, Valdemar's head was covered with a red cloth. "Count!"
The count closed his eyes.
"Now, we can only fight to the end!"
"However, Valdemar's suggestion is not without merit. Emil, send my family to the passenger ship. If something happens to me, please ensure their safety!"
"Yes, sir!"
The next afternoon, when Laing led the Nord army back to Mjoden Haven, he saw the collapsed city gate, the severely damaged moat, and the desperate and panicked civilians.
The joy of successfully intercepting the barbarians had disappeared without a trace.
As soon as the army entered the city gate, Laing and the others were stopped by the guards sent by the lord. "Mr. Laing! Mr. Nicolai! The count has an urgent military report! "
Twenty minutes later, in Count Albert's castle.
Albert was fully armed, the triple-leaf emblem shining brightly. His guards stood in two rows in the spacious room. Seeing Laing and Nicolai enter the room, the forty-year-old count nodded. "How's the battle?"
"We've succeeded in blowing up the Aarhus Bridge. This should be able to delay Birig's troops until nightfall." Laing and Nicolai hurried over. They had learned about Valdemar from Albert. "If Birig is the fastest, he will arrive in Calzenhaven tomorrow afternoon."
"My scouts told me that the Empire's reinforcements will not arrive until noon the day after tomorrow at the earliest." Albert nodded, then turned to look at his own kingdom's knight.
The one who was hit the hardest was Nicolai. He could not believe that Valdemar, who was also a knight, would do such a thing.
"Betraying the people! Betraying the country! Betraying our own people! God, what did Valdemar do? Is he sick? " Nicolai was very sad. He did not care that his superior was standing in front of him. Walnut Knight found a place to sit down and wiped his face with his hand. "I … I really … don't know what to say."
At the end, Nicolai's voice choked up.
"Now is not the time for you to be sad, my friend. Our priority is to decide what to do next. Do we fight outside the city? Or do we stay and fight in the streets? Tell me, White Wolf Knight, if it were you, what would you do? " Pain flashed across Albert's face. The count walked to his long table and took out a bottle of wine. "Gentlemen, would you like a glass? This is Vanford's wine, Lysalus. I'm afraid that if I don't drink it now, I won't have a chance to drink it in the future. "
"Of course! One glass is always good. "Laing closed his eyes helplessly. The White Wolf Knight understood what the Lake Fairy's prophecy was about.
He and Birig would have to fight in the end.
He used to think that his plan was fine, but reality slapped him in the face. Now, he was in a dilemma.
"No, I don't need it." Nicolai still could not get over the betrayal of his comrade and friend. He slumped back in his chair. "Can you give me a few minutes to calm down?"
"Then let's start!" Albert shrugged. The blonde count had dark circles under his eyes, but he was in high spirits. He took out two goblets from his cupboard and pulled out the cork of the wine.
The sweet wine was different from the normal Vanford wine. The fruity aroma of the grapes was very weak. Instead, there was a strange sweetness.
Laing took the goblet from Albert and shook it at the tip of his nose. "Rich, plump, long-lasting, delicate and soft. Let me think, honey, preserved apricots, lemon … and peaches?"
"I didn't expect 'Sledgehammer' Laing to know about wine. I thought you were the same as your father, Norman, and that your favorite drink was Kisloff's strong liquor. You wouldn't stop until your face was as red as a monkey's butt and you fell to the ground like a brown bear. "Albert suddenly smiled when he saw that Ryan knew what he was talking about.
So at this moment when the city was under siege, the white wolf knight and the count each held a goblet of sweet wine and stood on the balcony of the room, overlooking the entire city.
Under the reflection of the white snow, the largest and most prosperous port city in Nord did not fall into chaos because of the war and the influx of refugees. Under the count's quick response and command, the remaining defenders quickly took control of the situation. The paladins and priests of the Church of Justice and the Church of Life were also mobilized, and the situation was soon under control.
However, the fear between them did not dissipate. Groups of people lay down in the open on the streets. This was especially true for the large number of civilians and refugees near the east gate who were moving into the city. Many people crowded around the count's castle in the city, as if the last fortress in the city could give them a sense of security.
The count's balcony was specially designed so that the people below could not see the top.
"Vanford … What a rich place. The wine there is famous all over the country, and the scenery is said to overshadow heaven." Savoring the wine in his mouth, Laing could feel the sweet aroma spreading in his throat and windpipe.
"But I still love my land, my people." The count held the goblet in his hand and gestured for Laing to look at his city. "In my eyes, there is no place more beautiful than Mjolden Haven. Look, those houses, that park, they were all built after I inherited this place."
"I carefully adjusted the city's tax rate. I hope that any young man who wants to do a good job can get enough opportunities in my city. I hope that my port can be as prosperous as Marlin Castle."
"Salute, Your Excellency," Laing raised his goblet. "Let us drink to the prosperity of Mjolden Haven."
"Hahaha! Cheers!" Albert laughed. The glasses clinked and the wine splashed. Then the count and the white wolf knight drank the wine in their goblets in one gulp.
For some people, they might not think much of the importance that the nobles in the Middle Ages placed on protecting their territories and their people. Many nobles would fight to the death to protect their territories without any benefits.
But this was the case for the nobles in this world. Their territories were the foundation of their existence. It was the symbol of their glory and status. Giving up their territories was equivalent to giving up everything. Not only would they lose their reputation, but they would also lose their titles and the support of the king. Their money would always be spent, and their ending would be tragic.
Just look at the nobles of the old Empire who gave up their territories and fled because of the invasion of Chaos. Even the serfs could humiliate and laugh at them.
After drinking the wine, Albert looked at his city and laughed. "It's a pity that I may never see this scene again. My city will be reduced to ashes, and my people will die under the butcher's knife of the barbarians. As for me, I will shed my last drop of blood. Tell me, White Wolf Knight, will you follow me and fight to the death for this city? Just for that slim chance of survival? "
Laing did not answer.
The white wolf knight knew very well that if he agreed, it would mean that he would have to stay and fight the barbarians. And as a royal knight and a member of the white wolf knights, Laing had the right to refuse this invitation because he was not Count Albert's vassal.
The vassal of my vassal was not my vassal. The battle here had nothing to do with Laing. He had reason to refuse and leave on a ship.
But … there were only two legendary figures in this city, and that was him and Teresa. If he chose to leave, the sorceress had no reason to stay.
If there was no legendary figure to fight against Birig, the fall of the city would only be a matter of time. Laing knew too well the role of a legendary figure in a war. The defenders of Mjolden Haven were already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. After losing the protection of the city walls, their only ending was to be defeated.
Then, the entire city would be reduced to ashes. The barbarians would completely destroy the shining pearl of Nord West Coast before the arrival of the Empire's army. Then, they would retreat. Even if the Empire's army could completely destroy the barbarians, it would be useless because the city and its people would never return.
He remembered the prophecy of the fairy in the lake: You and Birig will eventually fight. When that time comes, you will understand the true virtue of a knight.
The true … virtue?
Seeing that Laing was silent, Albert's eyes flashed with disappointment. He did not force the issue. "It's alright. I can arrange a ship to send you out of Mjolden Haven …"
"Leave the city and face the enemy head-on."
"What?"
"I said to gather all the troops and face the enemy head-on at the city gate." Laing's gaze became more and more determined. He seemed to be missing something, but also seemed to be gaining something. "Only the battle between the champions can save this city and salvage this defeat."
In the void, hearing Laing's suggestion, a beautiful figure nodded approvingly. Her dazzling blonde hair flashed with a mesmerizing luster.
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