The sun rises, it shines brightly, the fire is bright red, the fire is as intense. The warm sunlight is like a mother's hand, soft, soft, and gently held in every corner of the castle.

The earth awoke, the leaves raised their heads from their slumber, the water waves opened their eyes from the silence, and the flowers and fruits with pearl-like dewdrops looked bright and lovely in the daylight of the first battle.

Warm sunlight slowly crept up the window of Iris's room with shrubs and creepers along the mottled stone walls. Then leap over the windows higher up until it finally illuminates the castle with its brilliance.

Iris's room was an extremely simple living room, as simple and unpretentious as Duke Harongoth had requested.

It houses Iris's beloved treasures, but most of them are relics of his mother: a soltri, a lyre, a horn, a tall and delicate harp, and a well-preserved collection of poems and parchments of plays.

For the Duchess was a beautiful and intelligent woman, who was not only gifted with great music, but also highly accomplished in poetry and writing. Mrs. Constance's beautiful poetry often despends even the most learned bards.

Mrs. Constance often used her talents to teach her sons. Music, poetry, chess and writing are all well passed down from Iris. Like her mother, Iris is kind and gentle, and hates blood and fighting.

When Iris was a child, the Duke of Harongoth had specially asked someone to buy a fine wooden sword for training from [Poravon], as well as those imitation wooden weapons used by other children, which were scattered in a corner of the room, covered with a thick layer of dust.

This made the old duke feel unusually angry, and he often reprimanded Iris for not being a man at all. The latter never contradicted or objected, and afterwards the boy continued to practice the skills his mother had taught him day after day. This is a kind of soft resistance peculiar to cowardly children.

In order to change Iris's personality, Duke Harongoth sent his nine-year-old son to his sister three years ago to learn knighthood. The duke's original intention was to hope that the unfamiliar environment would make his timid and docile son brave and strong.

At this time, the flickering sunlight dances on the windows of people's bedrooms, shines through the curtains and tents to the eyes of the sleepers, and even into their dreams, dispelling the dark shadows of the night.

Sunlight shone through the window on Iris's face, waking him up. He turned his face sideways and tugged his head over the blanket with his hand, a habit he had developed during the time his father had locked him in his bedroom without his mother's company.

But he couldn't sleep anymore, so he stared at the rough stone wall opposite with the cranky mood of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.

I don't know how long it took for a servant to walk in. The servant's name was Hart, and he had been brought by the Duchess from her mother's house, and had been whipped by the Duke of Harongoth for the cover of Iris's practice.

He and an old man named Marco, who tended to pigeons and crows, were Iris's closest servants, and the others were forced not to get too close to Eric by Lord Harangos.

At this moment, Hart was holding a bowl of oatmeal porridge in one hand and a letter in the other, and first blew the porridge and handed it to Iris, and then raised the letter in his hand to signal whether he wanted to help him read it.

Iris took the steaming oatmeal and nodded, "Yes, trouble you, dear Hart. ”

Hart was an illiterate man, but Iris had taught him some alphabets and simple Swadian words, and the servant was so clever that he quickly mastered simple reading and writing.

He often deceived the guards of the castle in the name of cleaning the room, and in return for bringing some interesting things from the peasant house in the country for his little master, the little teacher, and for this he fought desperately against the harsh laws of the duke.

Hart unfastened a scroll with a beautiful feather, coughed his throat, and scanned the letter with an air similar to that of a king's herald. The solemn expression made Harris laugh.

He began to read: "I am the son of Duke Michaud from Dehrim, and I hereby invite you, my faithful servant, from the Ullahchi, your dear servant, to go on a great hunt this afternoon in the forest of Ubo with my dear friends, Miss Tibel Reys and Miss Irena Terswede, from Fort St. Ruzgodda. ”

"How did you get this letter?" Iris almost blurted out.

Hart emphasized, "A servant named Ullah sent it, and the letter has already said it. ”

Instead of the expected joy, Hart only saw the dejected expression on the face of the invitee, and slowly put food into his mouth with a wooden spoon with his head down. "What's wrong with you?" Hart scratched his head, confused, "I seem to have delivered bad news. ”

Iris replied in a low tone, "Yes, it's not very good. His grimace looked like a sinister smile.

"Hey, your expression really makes me sad to death, tell me!" said the messenger anxiously.

Iris leaned back on the ** and said softly, "Will you promise me not to tell anyone?"

Hart took the wooden bowl from the little master's hand and set it aside, then pointed firmly to his chest, "Just like to Miss Constance!"

"Yes," Iris leaned back and smiled softly, her pale face with a kind of smile was sad, "Yes, you are my mother's servant, my best friend. ”

Iris then told his frustrations and worries to his reliable friend. He looked up as if to recall, "When my father sent me to study with my uncle, Baron Reys, I met my cousin, who was a year older than me, and my cousin, who was a year younger than me, and they were the two young ladies mentioned in the letter. ”

Before the other party could finish speaking, Hart couldn't help asking, "How are they?

"No, Tibel and Irena are very beautiful and lovely, Tiebel is a lively young lady, and the girl I have ever seen who likes to hunt on horseback. ”

Hart then asked, "Is that your cousin?"

"Yes, she's Uncle Reyce's youngest daughter. Iris replied.

"So Miss Irena is your cousin, and she loves hunting as much?"

"No, on the contrary, she prefers poetry and music, she is quiet. ”

"Young Master," said Hart in a low voice, "I don't think these have much to do with your troubles!"

Iris immediately retorted, "That's because I didn't finish speaking, and you asked questions, and I had to answer you." ”

Hart rubbed his hands together embarrassedly and smiled, "Then I won't interrupt you again, please continue." ”

"I learned fencing and stick fighting and archery from Uncle Reyse, and you know I wasn't interested in that, and he asked one of his best knights, Galen, to teach me, and after three days I gave up, because I couldn't hold such a heavy sword. The Baroness, my aunt, was very fond of me, and used to ask me to sing poetry to her and to play chess with her, and she always said, "You can do these things like your mother." And then—"

"Yes," said Hart, without waiting for him to finish, interjecting with a smile, "a priest of Nimeca has said that you are outstanding among your peers, and you have no idea how pleased I am to hear it. ”

Iris continued, "—Later, Duke Humphrey Michod brought his son to visit Uncle Reis. ”

"Your father has said that Duke Michod is a good man," Hart said emphatically, "and this kind of assessment is rarely heard in the mouths of adults. ”

"Yes," Iris nodded undeniably, "Duke Michod is a good man, and he gave me a beautiful bracelet of the Uriahs, but it was snatched by his son. ”

"Oh, that damn bastard!" Hart cursed.

"Don't curse, Hart. I don't know why he hates me so much," said Iris, "and he always says I'm a poet and a girl, and keeps me away from Thiebel and Irena." ”

"Bastard! bastard!" Hart still couldn't help but scold.

"So I avoided him, and once he was going to duel me with a sword. ”

"Oh my God! Why?" said Hart, who was so surprised that it sounded like a thunderbolt overhead.

Iris tried to recall, "It seems that Irena felt insulted because he ignored him when she spoke to me. ”

"That's jealousy! He's jealousy! This little calf should drill into the pigsty!" shouted Hart.

"If you shout again, I won't say anything. Iris said with a frown.

"Sorry, I'm just angry and can't stand a bastard. A man does such a thing to you. This loyal servant could not tolerate anyone hurting or insulting his little master.

"What else?" Iris sighed bitterly, "I have neither servants nor attendants, no one can help me, and I can't beat him, so I refuse his request for a duel." ”

"Of course you refuse!" said Hart in a sharp tone, "if you are hurt in any way, how can I explain it to poor young lady?"

"So," said Iris, leaning his head back and covering his face with his hands, "I have brought my name to shame. ”

"And he's become unscrupulous?" Hart sneered.

"Yes," replied Iris, with a shyly face, "he did it in front of Irena, and when I refused, he used all the nasty words to mock and humiliate me, and spat at the crest on my clothes. ”

"So," Hart muffled, "he sent this letter too?"

"Yes. A feeble voice replied.

"Bullying you without a brave guard and a loyal servant?" said Hart's brown pupils with a hint of anger.

"Hey, yes, yes. Iris waved his hand in frustration.

"You are wrong, young master!" said Hart aloud to the frustrated, "in the realm of the Harengoth family there are brave knights, and I am a loyal servant. Now, all you need to do is find a majestic knight. ”

"But," Iris lowered, "whom, you know, they all obey my father's orders. ”

Hart suddenly jumped up and shouted, "O Gyloronville!

The name was like lightning that slashed through the boy's frustrated and lost heart, and suddenly ignited hope, he lifted the blanket and jumped down**, waving his slender arms excitedly and saying, "Yes, Gylornville!

"He's still your temporary guardian," Hart said with a laugh, "and if you plead, he'll agree to accompany you." ”

"Yes, he would. "Iris could feel that he had always loved me. "But where will he be?"

"I saw Gyloron well enter the castle before, and he should be in your father's study at this moment. ”

So, when Iris learns that Gylrenwell is inside the castle, he dresses as fast as he can and follows Hart to find his guardian.

At this moment, Gylrenville was in the duke's study admiring a beautiful set of armor hanging from the wall. Nothing appealed to this man more than armor, weapons, and horses.

This is a set of Tok-style full-body armor that is famous for its extravagance and beauty, and was made by the top armor smiths used by the royal family in the early days of the Empire, and its cost is staggeringly expensive, weighing more than eighty pounds.

In recognition of the outstanding exploits of the Harungus family, William I, the founding emperor of the Karad Empire, commissioned the creation of this exquisite set of armor and gave it to Duke Roddy Harungus in public. Successive generations of Duke Harungus have never worn this heavy and precious armor.

When Gyloronville had completed his trip to Fort St. Ruz Godda, he spent all the money the Duke had given him in the blacksmith shop of Old Lemmon on 'Gaijiao Street'.

Ten days ago, after the battle with the Rhodoks in the South Harbor of Albel, there were always some soldiers who had some loot that was not suitable for them to get rid of and exchange it for the coins they wanted.

With four dinars, Gylorenville obtained an open chain armor from a sergeant, which had been ripped from the corpse of a Rhodoc nobleman. After making this good deal, he threw the rest of the money into the blacksmith's shop to repair the chainmail shirt.

Lemmon, the owner of the smithy, was always happy to entertain these brave and generous gentlemen, and although the Duke of Harengos strictly forbade the knights in his realm to duel of all kinds, the men of this era seemed to have an inexhaustible strength without war.

So old Lemon's blacksmith shop was booming, and his shop was always stocked with all kinds of repaired, modified, custom-made, and employer-ordered equipment, thanks to his good skill in forging weapons.