Characters in this chapter: (Duke Ed Harongoth), (King Harlaus Hera), (Princess Aesso).

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Chapter 054: (A Secret Letter)

In Duke Harongoth's study, King Harauth was pacing in circles around the sand table placed in the center of the study.

The king saw a detailed topographical map of the south bank of the Umeya Canal on the delicately crafted sand table: dense forests, steep peaks, winding rivers, and dozens of castles and dense villages dotted on the sand table, like a miniature version of the map of the whole territory of Rhodok.

"The workmanship is very fine, and the points are marked with precision," said King Haraus, "and the man who made the sand table must have been well acquainted with the Rhodoc region." The old man's eyes were still fixed on the peaks, the woods, and the castle in the sandbox.

"Yes!" replied Duke Eddard, "this man is a Rhodoc. "In order to make this sand table, he did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to send people to take this Rhodok from the 'heavenly city' [Viruga] to kidnap him.

The king turned to his old friend and blurted out, "What an envy! The Nords, the Virgians, the Rhodocs, and even the Kugits and Salanders are willing to serve you. ”

"Your Majesty is serious!" Lord Eddard corrected, "They don't work for me, but for honor and status—"

And my old friends did not hesitate to grant them the power and dignity they desired. King Harauth smiled and concluded. The old man had a small sparse gray goatee on his chin, which made him look more like a wise king.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" admitted Duke Eddard.

"The eighth precept of the House of Harongoth: You cannot harness a fiery horse without a whip and a bridle," King Harauth recounted in a slow but clear tone. "If you don't have force and money, you can't be a lord. ”

"Article 13: Do not be stingy with the rewards given to spies, they make you deaf and clear. The king's tone paused for a moment, and then continued, "I wonder if I am wrong?" and the narrator's tone imperceptibly added a certain taste of nostalgia.

As a noble family with a long history on the continent of Calradia, the fifteen family mottos set by the first head of the Harungus family are the words of the heirs of the Harungas family in the past generations. "Word for word!" replied Duke Eddard, in a categorical manner. "The Harongoth family will never be stingy in this regard. The fourth precept of the Harungus family: There is no loyalty without a cause, and loyalty requires the lord to pay the price. ”

"Perhaps that's why the Harongoth family has been able to prosper for a long time. King Harauth sighed, "You are the Duke of Harengoth, who owns the entire southern province, and you are not inferior to any nobleman in terms of wealth and status, and you are frugal in food, clothing, shelter and transportation, like an old peasant man." ”

Duke Harongoth only smiled lightly about the king. His dress was indeed too modest, and the material of his clothes was very ordinary linen, rather than soft and colorful silk satin. And the color of the clothes is all very monotonous black and white.

Ed Harungus has always had strict requirements for his own food, clothing, housing and transportation, and imposed this simple habit on his son. However, he did not hesitate to reward his loyal vassals and knights with gold, silver, money, and even land.

"Look at your room, except for the piles of books, the flags hanging all over the walls, and a desk, and see anything valuable. The king commented. "I'm afraid the most expensive thing in this room is this exquisitely crafted sand table. ”

"Your Majesty, you're wrong!" Duke Eddard corrected, pointing to a corner, "The most valuable item is not this sand table, but this set of armor given by the king. "I saw a set of bright and imposing steel armor hanging in the corner of this wall.

"After all these years, this armor still has no rust at all, as if it were new. Looks like you've taken good care of it. The king stepped forward and reached out and gently stroked the armor. "Presumably you've never worn this heavy armor before, have you?"

During the Nord invasion, King Eastrich gave this set of steel armor to Duke Eddard Harungus in recognition of his contribution to the country, but he did not consider that Duke Harongoth's physique was not suitable for wearing this armor.

Perhaps it was because the old king was old and faint that he mistakenly rewarded the Duke of Harhangos with the armor that should have been given to the able-bodied Earl of Harongoth, and gave the Count Harongoth the headhunter cone, which should have been given to the Duke of Harongoth. Or maybe the old king had ulterior motives at the time.

"It was too heavy and it was too big to fit my body. Duke Ed explained to the king, "I am afraid that I will not even be able to climb on horseback if I put it on and go into battle to kill the enemy." ”

"Perhaps we should make an exchange," King Harauth suggested abruptly, quietly, "just like the exchange we have done for more than ten years, and everyone takes what they need." The old man finally decided to get to the point.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to exchange it," Duke Harongoth pointed out, "and if you like this armor, I will pass it on to you." He only answered the first half of the sentence, and deliberately omitted the second half.

"Old friend, don't be foolish. King Harlaus was uncharacteristically frank and blunt. "Ed, I need your help, I can't win without your support. ”

"Your Majesty, if it's a matter of the Southern Expedition, please forgive me for not being able to help. Duke Harongus refused.

"No, listen to me, the stakes are high. The king's tone became a little anxious. He seemed a little disappointed with the answer he had already guessed.

"Sit down!" said Duke Harongoth softly. "Your Majesty, I'll listen to you!"

"The Rhodok region has been an integral part of the Kingdom of Svadia since ancient times. "As a king," said the king, "I cannot tolerate the thieves stealing the land, and the region of Rhodok must be brought under the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Swadia. ”

"Your Majesty," Duke Ed said bluntly. "It's going to be a losing war. His eyes were like lightning and thunder, and he was as majestic as a general on the battlefield.

"Our greatest glory as the heirs of the Kallad Empire is not that we never fail, but that we can get back up again every time we fail. "The Blood Lion seems to have returned to the era of his youth that once made his blood boil.

"Your Majesty, the people of Rhodok are no longer the Rhodok mountain men they used to be with sticks and iron forks," Duke Harongos pointed pointedly. "Their armies have become well-trained, and their pikemen and archers have relied on the hidden terrain of the mountains to easily wipe out our best knights. ”

If the heavy cavalry enters the steep and dense mountains and jungles, they will not have any combat advantage, but will become steel dolls that are hidden in the jungle or slaughtered by archers and pikemen on the slopes. The Svadia knights knew this very well.

"The battlefield against the enemy is not only in the confrontation, but at any time, you can choose the battlefield. The king sharply reminded his old friend. This is the twelfth precept of the Harangos family. ”

"Your Majesty, no matter where you choose as a battlefield, the result will be the same. "This impossible war will only bring disaster and suffering to our people." ”

"Yes!" the king admitted. "War does bring disaster and suffering to you, but only war can make a country truly strong. ”

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I can't ......"

"Let's take a look at this first, and make a decision!" interrupted the King. He pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment, still in front of the desk full of books and scrolls.

The Duke of Harongoth picked up the parchment on his desk, glanced up at the King, and then began to read the letter:

......

Your Majesty King Harauth,

The purpose of writing this letter to Your Majesty is that I believe that I need to do everything in my power to let you know where I am now, so as to alert the Kingdom to take all necessary precautions, and to beg Your Majesty to let me live so that I may return to your knees as soon as possible and serve faithfully, and the remnant of the villain will be the most loyal servant of Your Majesty!

Perhaps Your Majesty has already known that the kingdom's sworn enemy, the rebel woman Ethona, invited all her lackeys to a banquet last night—oh, Your Majesty, I can be anyone's lackeys for your sake—of course, a mere banquet is not worth your trouble, but the result of this feast will be a nightmare for the rest of my life.

The villain's eyes had already been heard, and Asona had invited a person alone to her room where the conspiracy had been bred the day before, and although the person who came was extremely cautious in disguise, but, God forbid, this person was still recognized, it was the most notorious alchemist in the continent of Calradia, and his ability to refine poison was terrifying - whether he wanted to kill people invisibly, or he wanted to be tormented by pain, this person could always meet the requirements of his employer.

After receiving Ethina's invitation, even though I had been prepared, I was still worried that the kingdom's plans would be discovered by the traitors. In any case, no sensible person would refuse this invitation, especially after a visit from an alchemist.

In addition to me, there were also Rainer from Kudan, Valula from Wocheze, Pandrol from Djerkhala, and Moose from Amerad, all of whom I knew, and other faces, but I was sure I wasn't the only two-faced person here. If I'm not mistaken, these people were like me, who had secretly sworn allegiance to the rebel woman Asona and her treason. Some of the people present may have been aware of the dangers of the dinner as well as me, or perhaps they were infected by the solemn atmosphere of the time, but in short, everyone behaved quite restrained at the beginning of the banquet.

However, Aisona was very enthusiastic, and the topic she raised stirred up the frozen air, and everyone gradually blended into the eager atmosphere, and the variety of delicacies in the main meal was even more appetizing, and everyone praised Aisona's generosity and generosity.

Of course, I did not dare to take it lightly, always keeping an eye on the overly enthusiastic smile of the rebel woman, and seemed to eat and drink all night, but not a single bit of food really entered my throat.

The feast was about to end, and the last servant brought a large pot of fragrant broth, so Valula of Woche Ze burped, patted her belly and laughed: "My good master, although I swear to you to die, you don't need to die here, right?"

At this time, the rebel woman Aisona revealed her true colors, and her smile did not disappear, but immediately became hideous.

"My guests, perhaps you know better than I how many of you are really capable of killing me?

"There is no danger in any food tonight, and on the contrary some may have missed so many delicacies (and I try not to remain silent at the moment), but the poison has been smeared on every wine glass, every knife and fork, and every plate, and if the antidote from this pot of broth is not drunk within a quarter of an hour, I will be able to appreciate the painful feast that the alchemist has promised me. ”

By this time, fear was written all over everyone's face. Only fear is the master of these people.

"My faithful followers, can you die for me?"

My fears and struggles can be accurately described without my description, but I have finally decided to die for His Majesty's name, and will not succumb to the coercion of this wicked woman.

Silence descended on the banquet again, and time passed as slowly as if frozen, and no one noticed when the ring of heavily armed guards behind him was surrounded.

Ironically, the man who laughed the most tonight, Moose of Amerad, stood up and gulped down the broth with a spoon in one hand.

"Ah, I didn't think it was you, Moose, so it's Hakim?" Isona's sly smile was disgusting, and I felt a dull pain in my stomach that I couldn't tell if it was the effect of the poison or the nervous convulsions.

"Yes, Lion of the desert, His Majesty the Sultan of Hakim has bestowed upon me this honour and commanded me to monitor and report on your movements at all times, for a whole year. Moose seemed to pour out a long-suppressed secret at once, and his face turned flushed.

"It's a pity, you're still at the bottom of my list, why did you get exposed so quickly?" said Asona with a lazy wave of her hand, motioning for the guards to cut Moose's hands behind her back.

As soon as the words fell, the ** prepared by the evil alchemist came into play on Moos's body, and I didn't want to describe such a terrible scene to His Majesty, but the blood juice that splashed on my forehead, I don't think it has been washed yet.

"Now you know that only a fool would touch this pot of venom," Aeona stood up and gracefully withdrew as a hostess, "rest assured, it's all just a game. ”

I am still timid, and my hand holding the pen seems to be still trembling, so I ask your Majesty to forgive me for the ugly font of this letter. For the sake of the kingdom's survival, I beg Your Majesty to prepare for the worst for the poisonous scorpion of Asona, once under her reign of terror, the kingdom of Svadia and the entire continent of Calradia will be plunged into boundless darkness.

Wait, I think I hear something coming from the window, isn't it?

......

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