"When one is swallowed up by the ambitions of the Order, others are too afraid to resist. However, the Knights were in unison, and when there was still a dispute with a lord of Gwendania and a lord of Sivica, the entire Order would attack. To divide is to die, and that's our case. Only by uniting can we master the Holy See. ”

The Duke of Shawlon looked at the Duke of Wickwood, who was thirty years younger than him, with satisfaction, and said loudly to the nobles, "Who disagrees?"

The nobles of West Vecchia whispered.

"Agreed!"

"Yes!"

A smile tugged at Duke Wakewood's lips.

The question then is how much gold the cardinals can take under their robes. Mayor Ragbu said.

The Duke of Savaloon clapped his hands, and the servants poured wine for the nobles with their glasses.

"A fine red wine from your wickwood, Lord Onogu. ”

While the richest nobles of half the country were meeting in their sumptuous mansions, Bode led his horse and walked into the inn of the "wild goose" with all his possessions - a suit of clothes, a sword, a dagger, a saddle and a dozen dinars. The wooden walls of the inn were stained with oil that had accumulated over decades, and the candle oil had made the wooden tables greasy. Bode gave the boy who tended the travelers' horses in the stables a dinar and walked into the lobby on the first floor of the inn. Outside the door was covered with snow and ice, but inside the door was lit up, the atmosphere was lively, and the table was littered with pale beer and bread crumbs.

Bode asked for the cheapest pale ale. Contemptuous of all mercenaries and inferior, the bartender unceremoniously placed the wine glass on the table. Turn and leave. Bode frowned at his dirty, greasy glass and took a sip. At the next table, a few hired men played dice. on the side. A few bull-chasing drinkers gathered around the table and drank and talked freely. Only Pod was alone at the table. It was getting late, and Bode was silently drinking a watery beer while thinking about the way out.

Outside the door, there was the rustle of heavy stomping on the snow. Several mercenary-looking men walked in. They all wore chain mail on their shoulders, and their clothes were not shabby but dirty. Everyone had a sword on their waist. The dark-haired man at the head glanced at Bode, roughly thinking that he was an insignificant character, and beckoned the brothers to walk towards the empty table on Bode's side.

"Is it okay to sit here?" said the man, telling Pod to sit aside. Bode playfully stepped aside.

"Please. ”

A few of the mercenaries sat down and ripped apart. Bode had no trouble learning about the recent situation in Frost City. The great nobles had arrived, and the delegation led by Lawrence, the deputy head of the Sword Knights, had begun a large-scale bribery campaign. As for these few people. It was the papal guard, which was vacant due to corruption, who were temporarily recruited for the election. Bode could not help but worry about the strength of the Holy See.

"I've heard that the Sword Knights are recruiting mercenaries. One person said.

"Why?"

"Recruit men to beat the old men from the west, drive them out of the castle, and plant the eight-pointed banner of the Knights. ”

"When the pope is elected, we won't need it. Let's go to the Knights to report, it's enough to have this sword. The crowd burst into laughter.

Bode put down his glass and asked, "If the Knights are at war with the nobles, why don't they go to the nobles, who are richer than the Knights." ”

The crowd fell silent suddenly. The brunette stared at Bode for a moment. He said, "You're from the south." ”

"Yes. ”

"The lords here look down on mercenaries. They thought there was shiny armor. Glorious surnames and flamboyant swordsmanship will allow you to fight. And the knights don't ask about their origins, which is something that those old men hate. This man, you want to fight for them?" the man quipped mockingly.

"Those who have money are masters. Bode smiled helplessly.

It was late at night, and the streets of Frost City were closed, with only taverns and brothels wide open. There was silence except for the occasional hurried pedestrian and the torch-clinging night watchman. Bode's head ached. Maybe he had drunk too much with the group just now, Bode thought. Frost City is a city directly under the jurisdiction of the Holy See, so the rules for night are stricter than those in the port city of Povana. Then the wooden houses in the dim and the streets covered with snow. Let this city of tens of thousands of people be cast under the shadow of decay and decline.

The streets of dirty colors, obscured by snow, were silent, and Boud wandered aimlessly through them. The cold wind blows. He tightened his cloak. There was a drunken man lying on the side of the road, snoring drowsily. Behind him, the sign of the "Wild Goose" inn creaked in the wind, and other than that, there was only the whistling of the wind and the footsteps of Bode.

Gradually, there were more footsteps ahead. Bode's wine was awakened by the cold wind, and he disappeared alertly to the side of the road.

Around the corner, a few men in dark black cloaks seemed to whisper something, their waists shining with the cold glow of metal in the moonlight. Everyone has their own secrets, and Pod does not want to interfere and hides behind a barrel left by a vendor on the street. The sound of horses' hooves and the crisp sound of bells sounded like more than one rider. The men in black quickly dispersed and disappeared.

By the moonlight, Bode saw the first rider holding a flag with a golden lion coat of arms on a green background. Then there were two convoy cavalrymen, and in the middle was Eleanor Onogu, the sister of Duke Wickwood, who wore a dark gold cape. Eleanor tried to hide her long blonde hair with her hood, but Pod recognized her.

It is unreasonable for a noble lady to travel at night. Miss Eleanor had only two guards, and Bode wondered if she was hidden.

A rider whispered, "Miss, I'm afraid it doesn't meet the ...... when traveling late at night."

Eleanor raised her hand to stop him from talking. "I won't shirk the matter that the Duke asked me, don't ask more. ”

"Yes, miss. ”

Bode was trying to ponder the secret hidden in the painting, when he saw the figure of the man in black who had just been hidden peeking out from the corner of the street.

"Who?" the guards snapped.

Before the first rider could react, a crossbow bolt sliced through the icy air and struck him in the unarmored throat. Bright red blood splattered out, staining the flag that had fallen to the ground red. The rider fell to the ground without a groan.

"Assassin !!"

The guard's sword was unsheathed, but another man sprang out of the shadows under the eaves and aimed the steel crossbow at the rider on his right. With a dull sound of strings, the bolt pierced his breastplate. The guard screamed and fell off his horse. The horse neighed in fright. The assassins sprang out and slit the guard's throat with their swords. Blood flowed down, staining the snow red and reaching Bord's feet.

"Miss, run!!" the surviving guard yelled, but his voice was full of fear.

"But ......"

"Run!" the guard's loyalty overcame fear, and he slapped Eleanor's mount with the back of his sword. Before Eleanor had gone twenty yards, the guards had been shot off their horses and killed in the same way.

The bravery of the guards was useless in the careful ambush of the Assassins. Out of the alley ran an Assassin who had been waiting for a long time, armed with a winding steel crossbow. He stood in the middle of the road, aiming at Eleanor.

"Miss, let's get caught. ”

Eleanor's eyes gleamed with rage, but the Assassin saw fear in them, so he didn't move. His hand gradually reached for the trigger of the crossbow. The crossbow gradually grew too high and aimed at Eleanor, who was unable to move......

A sword shadow flashed, blood splattered. The icy sword pierced through the Assassin's chest, and Pod drew his sword and kicked the Assassin to the ground. Eleanor's horse leaped in fright, and a long neighing sound caught the attention of the other Assassins.

Eleanor's green eyes stared at Bode with incredible surprise. How dare a plainly dressed mercenary meddle in such a mess?

Bode stepped forward and grabbed the munch of Eleanor's mount and said to her, "Go find someone for help!"

Eleanor looked at her quizzically.

"Don't worry, I can block it, at least I can buy time. ”

"But you ......," Eleanor's crisp voice was heard for the first time by Bode.

"The life of a noble lady is not the same as the life of a mercenary. ”

Eleanor galloped. Snowflakes fell on Bode's shoulders, and he looked up to the sky. A mercenary's life is not the same as a nobleman's life. However, saving a nobleman can change the fate of a mercenary forever. The panicked cries of the Assassins in the distance grew closer. Bode clenched his blood-dripping sword and stared coldly at the approaching assassin.

The first Assassin roared and stabbed Bod with his sword. Bode made a false move, blocked the attack, and then swept a sword to his ribs. The assassin screamed and fell to the ground. A new effort adds new pigments to the snow. The second Assassin and the third joined forces. The sound of metal clashing echoes through the quiet streets. Boy's afterglow saw that the drunk man who had been lying drunk on the street corner had already scared away. The assassination had failed, and the Assassins feared that the patrol would arrive, so the attack became more and more rapid.

Pod stepped back and met his foe with a two-handed sword. He raised his sword above his head with both hands and slashed it down, knocking an Assassin's sword flying. In the moment of the assassin's astonishment, Bode nearly slashed his neck with a single sword. The wound is faintly visible with a hot air pipe. At that moment, another Assassin stabbed Pod in the arm that leaned forward. Bode yelled,* and the Assassin took a few steps back. The sound of a patrol could be heard faintly in the distance, and the halberd clattered against the stone bricks. The Assassin panicked and ran.

Boyd, holding back the stinging pain in his arm, pulled out the dagger at his waist and threw it. The Assassin heard the sharp weapon cut through the air and turned his head to look.

The dagger was pierced in the Assassin's eye, and the Assassin lay down crying wolf in the place where the corpse of the guard was. Pod walked slowly over and understood him with his sword.

The screams gradually weakened and subsided. A soul flew towards the place where the snow had fallen. Bode was numb from blood loss. He sat down on the ground. A patrol in the distance had arrived. Bode knew that his fate had changed. (To be continued......)