After Eshyu left, Lanagad had already cleaned the table and piled the dishes on the improvised trolley, leaving only one wine glass in front of each person. "Thank you, nurse." Gregory IV nodded, and the latter bowed slightly, pushing the dining cart through the side door, not forgetting to close it. Setanda stood up consciously, and filled the wine jar for Gregory IV and General Wilhelm, and finally poured a shallow layer for herself. Prutor did not enjoy the treatment, he had drunk a lot of wine when he had advised Essius earlier, and although he did not show any obvious drunkenness, he playfully put his glass upside down on the table, indicating that he could not drink any more.

"Hurry up and pack your bags, Pruto." Gregory IV looked at his son, "The situation on the border is tense, and your uncle has no skills. I had planned to wait until the weather was warmer before letting you go to Boynbru, by which time the bandits on the road would have been wiped out by the mercenaries. But now that there is Balanduke, there is no need to continue to wait and see. Bring everything you should bring, and if there is anything to contact the raven. ”

"Yes, father." Plutor replied earnestly, and he himself seemed to be so excited about Esso's personal escort that he even accidentally knocked over a chair when he got up, and walked away with a somewhat cheerful pace, not knowing whether it was the effect of alcohol or mere excitement. When Prutor had retired, Gregory IV touched his glass with General William, and the two drank their own drinks, and Setanda filled them again. "William, what do you think of Baranduke?"

"From what I've seen so far, he's not a talkative guy and lacks the ability to boast about himself – I'm not saying boasting is a good quality, but it inevitably makes me think he's very thoughtful and has a lot of power." General William cocked his neck and drank another half glass, "For a baron, your majesty has provided him with a good treatment, the honor of having lunch together, the power to take over the royal guard, the abundant funds, and even the heavy responsibility of escorting the prince!" If it were someone else, he should have been grateful to His Majesty, right? Baranduk's reaction was muted, he seemed to lack the self-consciousness of being a vassal, and I had to question his loyalty to His Majesty and to the North. ”

"Isn't there a little merit?" Gregory IV smiled and was noncommittal.

"Very good," General William replied after a moment's thought, "and the amount of alcohol is okay." He's a tough warrior, but not necessarily a good lord. Pande's history has rarely seen a top-notch warrior manage the land for their king, and these people should shine on the battlefield rather than get entangled in internal affairs. ”

"What do you think, Setanda?"

"Second brother, aren't you just changing your way to let Baranduk get the winning prize of ten consecutive battles in its entirety? I don't have a problem with that. However, 250,000 dinars is not a small amount, but we cannot afford it, is it necessary to borrow another amount from the Duke of Araric? ”

"Of course it's not necessary, but at least let Grimore know the name Baranduk and my attitude." Gregory IV put it mildly, "If you want to develop in the north for a long time, you need to rely on the Alaric family to a greater or lesser extent, and it is not a bad thing to get in touch early." Not everyone is as self-reliant and self-sufficient as Alexis and Ivanles. ”

"Then second brother, do you really rest assured that Baranduke will escort little Pluto?"

"I don't trust Baranduk, I trust the dean who introduced him to me."

"Dean Brochette isn't a Ravenstonian, either." General William suddenly said, "He was a scholar in Sarion. ”

"Are you really going to force me to say that, my dear Highland chief?" Gregory IV was still amiable, but his tone was faintly cold, and the anger between his eyebrows slowly gathered like a dark cloud, "After the Highlanders were annexed to the North, the Highlanders were the people of Livingston, and their past as enemies was written off. Tell me, 'Kill the latter' William, is there any essential difference between you and Dean Brochette, according to your thinking? ”

In a depressing silence, General William left his seat, fell on one knee before Gregory IV, and raised the half glass of wine in his hand: "I humbly beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. ”

"I have always admired your loyalty and straightforwardness, William, a quality that is extremely rare in nobles. And it's your job to question, but you have to learn to be silent about certain topics, just as I never told Pruto the truth. Gregory IV took the glass from William's hand and rubbed his fingertips lightly across the surface, "This half glass of wine will be kept with me first, and you will drink it when you and Setanda return from the border." ”

"I will not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations." General William said in a low voice, and he stood up again, no longer seated, but stood beside Gregory IV. "This is not a round table council, so there are some things I can say without qualms. The North can't always rely on me and Frost's generation, especially since Frost's physical condition is irreversibly deteriorating day by day. Scholars were only able to alleviate his pain, as well as delay the symptoms of the attack. Perhaps one day in the future, a fierce battle that is not inferior to the first Dragon and Lion Battle will break out, and I don't know how many more flags will fall in the north. I hope that there will be young, strong arms that will lift those flags again. But I am disappointed that the young people of the North are spoiled and will only serve their father in the saddle, and do not know how to train and lead an elite army. I used to value Gastorff and Eastelle very much, and I thought they would be a powerful assistant to Pluto in the future. But Gastov was the first to disappoint me, he was only Frost's adopted son, and his qualifications to inherit the title of duke were questionable, but his style was even more arrogant than that of the duke. What is this? I didn't learn the talent of my adoptive father, but I learned eight or nine without leaving ten. I've heard of his 'glorious deeds' in Ryan as far away as Raven—" he frowned and said no more, "Estelle's style is too loose again, but the High Lords, including Frost, have been pampering her, and I can't say anything. After all, Quanpande is such a baronet, not only an excellent general, but also a rare beauty. So it's up to you, little brother. ”

"Rely on me?" Setanda was stunned, "How about me?" ”

"If you can catch Estelle, she's a Ravenstonite through and through." Gregory IV laughed happily, "So you have to come on." ”

"Then, second brother, can I go to Bonne-"

"No way," said Gregory IV, "you and William will go to the border with our troops in the afternoon." ”