Pod took off his armor and threw it on the road. The armor was heavy, and it had not been polished in the sand for days, and it was already dirty and rusty after being baptized by blood and rain. Bode changed into a traveler's outfit, while Constance was dressed more like a merchant's daughter, except that the silver hair was covered by a hood.

Following the map of Puer, Boud had already stepped out of the woods. A little new grass has grown on the mud on the side of the path, and the snow is hard to see. The scenery in the eyes is full of recovery after the cold winter, but the war clouds are thick over Vekia, and the Vekia people seem to be moving from a long period of peace to a cold winter of war.

Constance asked in a whisper, "Sir Bode, how many roads do we have?" ”

"Come on, Your Majesty. Whenever Constance asked, Pod asked. When Pod came to Frost City from Svadia, he walked through here. It was supposed to be the domain of Count Varina, but there was no sign of a patrol. Pod guessed that Count Varina had gathered all his vassals to the castle to prepare for battle.

The dry woods seemed too silent, and Bode was uneasy. The crow quacked, startled, and suddenly flew into the sky. Constance felt it too, and looked left and right uneasily.

"Sir Bode, do you hear me?" Constance was a little frightened.

"No, sir. ”

The horses' hooves trampled on the soft muddy ground, and there was no sound in the forest beyond that. Bode looked at the stones and fallen wood in the forest, which looked like someone had moved.

"Wait a minute, my lord, there seems to be something unusual in there. I'll get off my horse and take a look. ”

"Come back soon. ”

Bode dismounted, rested his left hand on his sword, and walked slowly. What a great place for ambushes. Bode thought. A figure suddenly appeared behind the log, and Pod cursed his crow's beak and drew his sword and rushed forward. Constance screamed in the distance, and Pod didn't look back, trying to take out the unidentified party who was ambushing him as soon as possible.

The other party was a young man in a dark green coat, with no weapon in his hand, but he was sneering. Bode was stunned. I saw that as soon as he waved his hand, more than a dozen people appeared beside the stone, each with a longbow stretched out. to yourself.

Bode lowered his raised sword and looked back at the same time. The horse had already been held by the other party's men, and Constance was helplessly "invited" to dismount. They look like robbers, all poorly dressed. The weapons are hunters' bows and knives.

"Throw the sword away. By the way, give me a reason not to kill you. Said the young man in the green coat. Bode threw down his sword playfully, and immediately two men came from behind the stones, one pulling the string at Bod, and the other taking the sword.

"We are ......"

"I'm ......" Constance rushed to say, and Bode reacted faster and hurriedly yelled, "Shut up!"

Constance was startled, he had never seen Bode contradict him, and he forgot what to say.

"We are the nobles who fled from Frost City. Please raise your hand, we don't ......."

"Call out the money. You nobles who are powerful. The robber leader pulled down his hood, and under his majestic voice was a very young face, with some young freckles on it, and a messy blond hair standing out here. For some reason, this young man was very respectful to the dozen robbers.

"My lord, how can we have any money when we escape, but please hold your ...... high"

"Shut up, who is that woman?"

"Ahh Pod hurried to say, as he saw Constance looking at him angrily. However, it seemed that she understood the reason for her disguise, so she did not refute it.

"Oh...... Looks like it's a good look......"

"My lord, Miss Noble can be exchanged for a large ransom, but if it is found that Miss Noble has been violated, you know what Count Varina will do. ”

"I know, hanging. The chief smiled and said, "There are many women, and I am not lacking this one." Don't move, big guys, Count Varina's family, there are a lot of golden dinars!'

Ten minutes later, Bode and Constance were tied behind their backs, blindfolded, and taken deep into the woods. All Bode remembers is that his feet began to stumble against rocks. When the robbers pulled the cloth off his eyes, he realized that the robbers had taken him outside a small hidden cave.

"This is your castle, noble lord. One of the robbers laughed and walked out. Bode looked at Constance with a helpless expression.

"Coward. Constance said a little indignantly.

Bode shrugged, walked to the cave, and sat down against the stone wall. Outside the cave, the robbers gathered around a small campfire, eating, drinking, laughing and cursing. Bode was thirsty and was about to call the robbers outside, when he saw Constance's resentful eyes, so he sat down quietly.

As it grew dark, Bode saw the robbers slaughtering the horse that Bode had stolen and stewed a pot of horse meat. The remaining dinar in the Pod's purse was thrown to the ground with a thud, and then the robbers picked it up with a shout. After a while, the leader of the robbers walked in with a spoon in his left hand and a wooden bowl with horse broth in his right hand.

"Come, noble lord and miss, this is your food. The bandit leader said with a smile.

"I'm not hungry, give it to her. Bode shook his head.

"No, I don't eat this disgusting thing. Constance turned his head to the side in disgust.

The leader of the robbers was not angry, and scooped and drank himself. Bode felt that the bandit leader was not like an ordinary helpless farmer or a hunter, but like a nobleman's family, and he became curious.

"My lord, who are you, why haven't I heard of your name here?"

"I'm Blonde Tom. Who are you, and why did you take this young lady with you?" began to interrogate Tom the robber, with a quiet look on his face.

"I ...... I am Bode, a subordinate of Count Varina, who escorted the young lady to Frost City. ”

"Oh......" Blonde Tom's eyes moved from Bode to Constance's face. Bode was worried that he would ask, and Constance would show his feet, but Tom simply put down the bowl and spoon and walked out slowly.

"Master Tom, we can't eat with our hands tied behind our backs!" called Boud.

"Don't worry, we'll let you go back and eat yours when we receive your ransom. Tom went back to the bandits without looking back.

Nobles and commoners gradually poured out of the town beneath Fort Varina. The western nobles returned to their fiefdoms and went back to prepare for war on the orders of the Duke of Savaloon and the Duke of Wakewood. Although nominally only the Holy See could issue a conscription order to the nobles, at this moment, the majesty of the Holy See had evaporated with the fall of Frost City.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the sake of the future of the Holy See and the fate of the Wikimen, let the blood of every valiant nobleman be spilled in the just battle against the Knights. ”

"Ulla!"

"That's right!"

Two days ago, a meeting was held in the main castle hall of Fort Varina. The nobles raised their glasses and shouted loudly, pouring out their anger at the Knights and their resentment at their humiliation in Frost City. There were still a few nobles in Frost City who did not escape and became captives of the Knights. And the bishops of the Holy See have almost all become puppets of the Order.

The nobles stepped on the table and kicked away their chairs, and the blood of the West Wikiians, who had long been asleep in wine and peace, awoke. Duke Wickwood was initially worried that the nobles would not obey the two nobles, but when Duke Savalon announced that all West Vecchian nobles should join the war with their troops, the nobles unanimously agreed to the decision. The Count of Varina brought out the wine that had been stored in the cellar for a long time, and the nobles drove back to their domain early in the morning after an all-night drunkenness. Under the Tiyì of Count Varina, the refugees went with the nobles, who provided protection, and the refugees temporarily paid a poll tax to the local nobles.

The town was empty, and the streets were filled with only a few residents of Fort Varina. Before the war began, the innkeepers of Fort Varina had made a lot of money, and it was time for mercenaries and arms dealers to show their skills.

The Duke of Savalo and the Duke of Wackwood decided to stay in Fort Varina to await Pope Constance, but hundreds of cavalry were sent one after another, all of which reported that they had not been seen.

"Perhaps His Holiness the Pope and that Sir Bode are lost. However, the forests near Varina were not barren, and they may have met farmers to entertain them. ”

"The fewer people who know, the better. Duke Wickwood said. Equally worried about him, Eleanor pestered the Duke all day to ask where the two of them were.

"Haven't they come yet, will they be caught. Eleanor asked worriedly.

"If they had been caught, the Knights would have known the information to the whole of Wiki. Duke Wakewood replied. The Count of Varina had Margaret accompany Eleanor while keeping his son Matt with the dukes.

Three days after the meeting, while the Count of Varina and his guests were enjoying their luncheon in the hall, the guards hurried into the castle and reported to the Count of Varina: "Your Excellency, a letter has been shot at the gate with an arrow tied to an arrow, saying that one thousand gold dinars will be exchanged for your niece and men. ”

"Do I have a niece?" said Count Varina, bewildered, "I don't even have brothers or sisters." ”

"Did you mention your niece and men?" the Duke of Wykewood asked, sensing something was wrong. Eleanor, who was dining, immediately put down her knife and fork and listened carefully. Margaret politely put down the dishes, but Matt didn't notice it and was still eating.

"Yes, sir. The letter stated that Sir Bode, one of the Earls of Varina, had been captured by the blonde Tom escorting Miss Anna from Frost City, and that the Earl must send an unarmed man to ...... the ransom on a horse within a time limit."

"It's them! it's the Pope and Bod!" said Duke Wackwood.

The guard did not react and looked at the Duke in confusion. Count Varina stood up abruptly and shouted at the guards, "What are you waiting for, gather the guards!" (to be continued......