The royal capital of Sasang, the noble district, the Wolf Castle.

Two tall, strong Perrland thoroughbred horses dragged a copper van carriage down the roads of the palace. The wheels rattled over the bluestone slabs, rattling in a steady rhythm, and in a few moments the carriage stopped in front of a palace.

Frederick's eldest son jumped out of the carriage without waiting for the attendants to bring a stepping stool, and walked into the palace with a knightly escort.

He walked through the palatial halls, entered the tower through the back corridor, ascended the spiral staircase to the top floor, waved off his attendants and guards, and came alone to the door of a room, where he knocked on the gold-trimmed, beautifully carved door.

The door opened inside, and a court lady in a long blue dress curtsied and said, "Your Highness Frederick, the queen is waiting for you on the balcony." ”

Siegfried nodded, followed the noble lady to the open-air balcony, and saluted respectfully to a woman with a slender back: "Mother, good day." I am back. ”

"Ziggy, what has Patriarch Friedes summoned you and talked to you about that would make your steps light and your mood happy?" asked the woman, turning, leaning against the glazed railing, and smiling.

Her facial features are beautiful and exquisite, her forehead is full, her nose is straight, her eyes are blue and pure, her red hair is sprinkled on her white and tender shoulders, adding just the right amount of bright color, and a white and flawless spider silk dress outlines the bewitching female curves, and the holy beauty and mature gentleness are blended into a graceful and wise noble temperament.

Grace Clochir Frederick, the noble daughter of the Paladin Clochir family, the empress of the Sassan Empire, the wife of Emperor Frederick, Siegfried's biological mother, and the ruler of the Sassan Empire.

"The Patriarch summoned me and told me of the deeds of the Count of Golden-Eye...... It sounds like His Highness Randall is at odds with Barcelius. Siegfried's tone was lighthearted and tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Oh, sit down and tell me about it. The queen raised her slender willow eyebrows, walked to the round table of the balcony and sat down, and said with interest.

Zigra opened a chair and sat opposite the queen and said, "23 days ago, Count Golden-Eyed led his team into the Giant Wood Forest, and that night, killed the Elder Bear Monster who was following them. Afterwards, the Count of Golden-Eye did not return to the dagger camp to rest, and only asked the accompanying paladin to bring the head of the leader of the bear monster to Duke Barcelius. He claimed that he was pressed for time, and he hurried to the south to hunt the leader of the gnolls, and had no time to socialize. They left the Giant Wood Forest overnight, arrived at Eagle's Nest Mountain early the next morning, rested at Eagle's Nest Mountain for a day, and rushed to the Calf Village camp to meet with the high-ranking knights of the main reinforcements of Gangbys. ”

Grace picked up the cup on the round table, took a sip of warm and fragrant coffee, and said leisurely: "His Royal Highness Randall has a broad mind and extraordinary bearing, which is heartbreaking. After a pause, her beautiful eyes turned to Aiko, and the corners of her mouth smiled and said, "When you heard the news, you were still very annoyed, why are you happy now." ”

The Elder Bear Monster was suddenly killed, and the army of orcs in Giant Wood Village was in chaos. The two highnesses of Barcelius personally took the head of the Elder Bear to attack the Giant Wood Village, and the goblins and the Bear Monster immediately collapsed, and the human army won easily and recovered the Giant Wood Village at a very small cost of casualties.

The killing of the Golden-Eyed Earl by the Elder of the Golden Rank was only circulated in the circles of high-ranking knights and high-ranking clergy, while Duke Baselius led his army to wipe out the orcs entrenched in the Giant Wood Village, and the soldiers, militiamen, young hired men, as well as low-ranking knights and clergymen witnessed it firsthand.

The Battle of Giant Wood Village boosted the prestige of the Barcelius family. Siegfried, as the first in line to the throne of the Frederick family, was certainly not happy about this.

His Royal Highness Randall should be the protagonist, and if he participates in the battle of Juki Village, it will not be Barcelius's turn to be in the limelight. His Royal Highness of the Kingdom of Cambys had no direct conflict of interest with Frederick's royal family, and it was better for the Count of Golden-Eye to gain fame than to cheapen Barcelius. However, Randall's highness left the Giant Wood Forest quietly, fulfilling Barcelius's reputation.

Siegfried understood this to mean that His Highness Randall was close to Barcelius.

In fact, it's nothing, Barcelius is a golden bloodline after all, and he is related to His Royal Highness Randall. Both sides are secular lords, and it is normal for them to be friendly with each other.

However, Barcelius took the village and gave the title of the village to the great lords of the central part of the empire, the Tartus family.

The guardians of House Tartus are the Golden Knights of the Sassan Empire. More than a decade ago, the second son of a vassal baron of the House of Tartus took an energy potion and was promoted to the rank of Bronze Knight, and participated in the military campaign of Sassan's sacking of the northern territory of Dodor. He encountered a group of freemen mercenaries in the Wharton Prairie, but was killed on the spot by the mercenary leader.

Because he used the bells and whistles of the leap slash and was killed by opponents weaker than him, the major families used him as a negative example to educate the new knights. Tartus became the laughing stock of the nobles of the kingdoms for a while, and they were ashamed and offered a reward for the head of the mercenary leader.

That mercenary is Count Goldeneye's number one henchman, Nelson the bear of the Northlands.

Now that the Bear of the Northland is famous, he worships the first paladin Turnans as his teacher, and is also a fierce warrior at the top of the Centaur Hills, who once raided and killed Count Jinliqi in the territory of the Kingdom of Dord, and the royal family of Dordor and Duke Ludwig did not react at all. The aristocratic circles of the kingdoms never openly discussed this matter, which shows that the power of the Queen of Rose and the Earl of Golden-Eye is overwhelming.

Of course, Tartus didn't dare to mention the old matter of the bounty on the bear of the Northland, but the rift between the two sides would not end there.

With Nelson's current status and background, Tartus now wants to resolve this matter, and the guardian of the family must come forward to apologize in person. Although he did not order a bounty on Nelson, and did not even understand this trivial matter, the relationship between the Golden Knight and the family could not be cut, and His Highness's decency could not be dispensed with.

When the high-ranking knights of other families showed their faces in front of His Highness Randall, Tartus could only silently avoid them. The embarrassment and embarrassment are known only to them.

Duke Baselius gave Tartus the reins of the village of Giant Wood a staircase to go down. With this matter, the Guardian of Tartus can come forward to thank His Highness Randall for his kindness in killing the Elder Bear Monster, and give gifts to every member of Randall's personal guard, and by the way, laugh at the family's troubles back then, and make a joke without losing the dignity of the Golden Knight.

If that's all there is to it, it's not a big deal. The point is, Maverick Village, formerly the pioneer domain of Tartus, is now a direct territory of Siegfried. The Duke of Barcelius gave the Dominion of the village of Jumu to the Tartus family, and he was a monarch in comparison.

Had the village been built by a family of Barcelius, and if there were also a rich Mithril mine under the village, would Barcelius give it to Tartus?

If you think about it with your toes, you know that it is impossible!

Duke Baselius's generosity made Siegfried grit his teeth with hatred and helplessness. Anyway, he won't, can't, and doesn't dare to give up Maverick Village.

The eldest son of the emperor went to see Patriarch Friedes today, and when he returned, he swept away the depression on his face and became radiant. Grace saw the changes in her son, and while she was happy, she also aroused her curiosity.

"Mother, six days ago, His Highness Randall easily killed the Golden-Rank Gnoll Lord in the southern mountains and forests of the Eastern Frontier Defense Line. Ziegy said with a smile: "King Dordor and the two Highnesses of the Knights of the Iron Wall held a celebration banquet at the Fort Reedenberg, and His Highness Randall was happy to attend, as was the Rev. Carlomon. It is rumored that His Royal Highness Randall and King Dordor had a pleasant exchange and laughter. The two sides reached an agreement of 1.2 million gold soles to buy the swift bird, and His Majesty Friedrich also presented Randall with a rare silver unicorn mount. After the feast, Randall's personal guard rested for the day at Fort Lydon and set off again to go deep into the eastern frontier territory to eliminate the leader of the entrenched orcs. ”

Queen Sasang smiled without saying a word, her slender and fair fingers pinched the silver spoon, gently stirred the coffee, and waited for the following.

This comparison shows that the relationship between His Royal Highness Randall and Barcelius is cold. Siegfried waved his fist without restraint and said excitedly, "I've already thought about it on the way back." On the one hand, Duke Barcelius handed over the control of Jumu Village to Tartus, buying people's hearts and winning over the central lords, and on the other hand, he deliberately created the illusion that he was very close to His Royal Highness Randall, and could intervene to mediate and resolve the estrangement between Tartus and the Randall family. ”

"Haha, the Count of Golden-Eyed didn't rest in the dagger barracks, and Barcelius was in a hurry. ”

Grace smiled and asked, "Is that all?"

"Of course not. ”

Siegfried lowered his voice and said with burning eyes, "Patriarch Friedes has revealed more details to me......"

"His Highness Randall slew the Elder Bear in the Giant Wood Forest, and Pastor Callomon and the clergy accompanying him all saw his blonde and golden-eyed form with their own eyes!"

The slender silver spoon stopped, and Grace could no longer maintain her graceful bearing, placed the coffee cup on the round table, took a deep breath, her eyes were deep, and said in a majestic tone: "Ziggy, be specific." ”

"Yes. The eldest son of Emperor Siegfried nodded, told the Empress the details that Patriarch Friedes had told him, and added at the end: "Judging from Patriarch Friedes' reaction, the two Highnesses of Barcelius should have been informed of the performance of the Count of Golden-Eyed in the Giant Wood Forest. His Majesty Randall refused to meet with them, making the two dukes anxious. ”

Both the Golden Knight and the Legendary Knight of the Human Realm are called His Royal Highness, because His Majesty is an honorific title for the King, the Pope, and the Pope. The noble Queen of the Rose is only known as Her Royal Highness, and she can only be called Your Majesty when she truly ascends the throne. However, there is a precedent for the Sword Saint Draven, and the Sun Elves can be regarded as the emperor of the Elven race. Count Randall transforms the form of blonde hair and golden eyes, calling it His Majesty's etiquette.

Unlike the Sword Saint Draven, Count Randall is the real power figure in the Kingdom of Cambys, and since he has transformed into a Sun Elf and has since won the unanimous support of the Grand Lord of Cambys, there is no doubt about the political situation in the Southern Kingdom.

Regardless of what the overall situation of Borui, the Rant Empire and the Gangbis cross the river to the south will eventually be, the Northern High Lord must first obtain the approval of the Earl of Golden-Eye and the Queen of the Rose if he wants to set up a foothold for his family on the south bank of the Jinshui River.

In other words, how to divide the land and resources of the Southern Continent is an internal contradiction for the Southern Lords, while Victor and Sylvia are the secular leaders representing the Southern Lords.

According to the principle of reciprocity, whoever is qualified to establish equal diplomatic relations with the Earl of Randall is the secular leader of the lord of the Northern Extension.

Frederick and Baselius both had this qualification, and the sudden cooling of the relationship between Victor and Usein had a huge negative effect on the political influence of the Baselius family.

Siegfried had reason to be happy, but Grace knew her son's thoughts, and sighed and said: "The political structure of the Kingdom of Gombis is stable, and not long ago, Catherine gave birth to the daughter of Count Randall...... It wasn't that Randall was promoted to the Sun Elf, and the Auguste family had to seek foreign help. I once let out the rumors that you will marry the eldest princess Auguste, but it is just a small trick that cannot be put on the table, and no one will take it seriously except for the kingdom of Dodor, which is at war with us...... Zige, you have to remember that the internal and foreign affairs of the Sassan Empire are controlled by the Empress, and the Sassan Emperor can only marry the noble daughters of the Paladin family. ”

The eldest son of Emperor Sasang lowered his head and coughed dryly, changed the topic and said: "Carlomon, they didn't see the process of His Highness Randall's battle with the bear monster, judging from the reaction of the big man Caligula, His Highness Randall deliberately concealed something...... This may be the reason why the Count of Golden-Eyed is cold to Barcelius. ”

"Mother, you say...... Will Barcelius send someone to spy on the Count of Goldeneye and be discovered by him?"

Grace asked rhetorically, "Who can spy on Count Golden-Eyed without him being discovered?"

"...... wizard. A wizard secretly nurtured by Barcelius. ”

Grace was unmoved by her son's speculation, and then asked, "Is there anything else possible?"

Siegfried thought for a moment and said slowly, "Bloodline awakening!"

"His Highness Randall's unusual actions in the Giant Wood Forest have prompted the leader of the bear monster to leave the Giant Wood Village. His knowledge of the bear monster is likely to come from the bloodline memories of the Sun Elves...... The battle to slay the Elder Bear further awakens his bloodline, but it is unstable. He needs time to steady the growth of his bloodline. ”

He arrived that night at Eagle's Nest Mountain, which was not far from the calf camp where the Gambis reinforcements were stationed. Why doesn't Count Golden-Eye go to the Maverick Village camp to rest?"

"Carlomon reported that when the Earl of Goldeneye arrived at the Eagle's Nest, he left the camp with eight secret dead men and the big man Caligula, and wandered outside for a long time before returning. ”

"It reminds me that a few years ago, His Highness Randall also used to wander alone in the Mist Mountains of Neville, and shortly thereafter, he hunted the Golden Gnoll in his golden-eyed form. ”

"We can trust that nocturnal walking, forests, and hunting will help His Highness Randall awaken the blood of the Sun Elves. However, instead of stabilizing his bloodline in the Giant Wood Forest, he ran to the Eagle's Nest Mountain, which was more than a hundred kilometers away. This shows that His Royal Highness Randall does not trust Duke Barcelius, and would rather run to the Eagle's Nest Mountain overnight to stabilize the state of his bloodline than stay in the Giant Wood Forest. ”

The queen stood up, walked to the balcony, looked at the street scene of the aristocratic quarter, turned her back to Siegfried and said: "The 11 pioneering villages of the eastern defense line have all been recovered and converted into strong camps, the garrison militia and mobile cavalry are all in place, and the eastern defense line is still in the theater of war, and His Royal Highness Randall is still in charge...... Lords in the eastern and central parts of the empire can start sowing the second crop of barley. ”

Siegfried was stunned, he didn't expect his mother to think of farming, stepped forward, and said, "Mother, the most urgent thing is to find out the reason why the relationship between the Count of Golden-Eye and Barcelius has cooled. ”

Grace smiled sideways and asked, "Didn't you think that Duke Barcelius sent wizards to spy on Count Goldeneye, and was discovered by the Earl again?"

The eldest son of the emperor said casually: "I said it casually...... Now is not the time of the Chosen One, how could a wizard hide from the Count of Golden-Eye's transcendent sense? Barcelius would not be so reckless. ”

Grace glanced at him lightly and said in an educational tone, "Dear Ziggy, no one can know everything, and even the Great Prophecy may bring unforeseen consequences. Sometimes, the truth doesn't matter to us, like the secret of the Earl of Goldeneye...... You try to probe into his privacy, and unless you are absolutely sure, you will be angered by him as long as you are caught. ”

"Relatively speaking, farming is the most important thing...... To be precise, the recall of displaced people from Barcelius's territory is the most important thing. ”

The Eastern Border Defense Line gathered hundreds of thousands of troops, including five Highnesses, two legendary priests, a gold-level holy warrior leader, and a holy domain powerhouse, which can be said to be impregnable.

In this orc war, it is impossible for the Sassan Empire to lose!

What happens after the war is over?

Of course, it is a horse race, and the distribution of territorial rights. And the lord needs a large population to fill the new territory. As His Highness Randall said, the people equals the wealth of the territory.

In the eastern part of the empire, ruled by the Sassanian royal family, there was only one in ten displaced people. Without abundant manpower, they will only be at a disadvantage in subsequent development.

To win over the displaced people and turn them into tenants, we must first win the hearts of the people. In the current situation, the war prestige of the lord will play a decisive role. The five highnesses of the eastern defense line have made good progress in fighting the orcs and recovering the lost land, but except for the two highnesses of the Barcelius family, the rest are external reinforcements. The exiles born and raised in the Sassanian Empire had no sense of belonging to them, preferring to trust the Barcelius family to shelter them and their families.

The Great Lord of the East and the Knights of Radiance are trapped in the front line of the Eastern Frontier, and there are no knights in Frederick's royal family who can compete with the two Highnesses of Barcelius. But Frederick's royal family had an innate advantage that Barcelius could not match.

They have red soil where they can grow barley.

The replanting of the second crop of barley by the Sasangians showed their confidence in holding their territory, and the eastern lords paid freedmen more generously than before, and those who had fled to the western part of the empire for refuge were naturally relocated.

Siegfried nodded and said, "Queen Mother, I understand...... However, Patriarch Friedus issued a fatwa to clear the eastern and central borders, allowing the women and children of the displaced people and their children to move westward to avoid danger. Now that we have reopened the fields, will the Patriarch make it difficult for us?"

"Friedes is my own, but I hate him. Queen Sasang said helplessly.

Frederick was a descendant of Testil, who held the throne of Sassan for more than 700 years, and was very secularized. In order to ensure control over the Satsang Lords, the Radiant Knights demanded that the Sarsan Emperor must marry the noble daughter of the Paladin family as the empress, and the empress would control the imperial government.

Grace married this generation of Emperor Sassan and conceived an heir to the throne for Emperor Frederick during the knightly apprenticeship stage, thus cutting off the knighthood path. She took an energy potion and barely promoted to the rank of Bronze Knight, and the sacrifice she paid was enormous. It stands to reason that her holding of royal power is also a compensation. It is a pity that she met the powerful Patriarch Friedes. A word spoken by Friedes in the Sassan Empire is more useful than that of her as a queen. Grace backed down at every turn, certainly not liking Patriarch Friedes.

Shaking his head, reining in the unhappiness in his heart, Grace said lightly: "Friedus is known for being fair and rigid, but in fact, he is cunning and cunning. There are some things that he can't do easily, so he has to let us come forward...... What do you think he's looking for you for?"

Ziggy suddenly realized, and then said angrily: "Your Excellency the Patriarch does not want to go back on his word, he hints that we will reopen the land, and maybe he will reprimand me...... This old fellow is more cunning than the wild fox that steals chickens. ”

Grace's eyebrows were crooked, and she covered her mouth and smiled: "His hint is beneficial to us, even if you are scolded, you can't refuse." You can't let your mother be rebuked by the patriarch, can you?"

The eldest son of the emperor said stupidly: "This is what I should do." ”

Grace was in a good mood and said with a smile: "The Patriarch's hint is not so simple. While we don't know why His Highness Randall suddenly showed cold and wary of his cousin, we can tear their relationship further. ”

"Sophia, the famous Golden-Eyed Countess, is currently in Barcelius's territory, organizing the migration of refugees to the south. How many people can the Kingdom of Gombis swallow up? It won't exceed 500,000...... But she just wanted such a person, and the vassal lords of Barcelius were very unhappy and were in trouble everywhere. The work of relocating the displaced people from Gombis is progressing slowly, and it is reported that Sophia has taken her barbarian followers to visit her family one by one who refuse to cooperate with her. ”

"We pushed in the back to help Sophia complete the task as quickly as possible. The queen held on to the railing and said lightly: "You send a skunk to the west." ”

Skunk is a sorcerer secretly nurtured by the Sassan royal family. As the name suggests, his natural sorcery is to cast stench, and he can simulate different smells. Skunk's innate witchcraft is harmless to humans and is mainly used for tracking and jamming. However, the peculiar smell of a densely populated refugee camp is associated with infectious diseases and plagues.

Whether there is a plague in the refugee camp can be found out by the lord at a glance. However, the rumors were terrible, and the refugees insisted on leaving, and the lord family could not stop them even if they wanted to.

So, who casts the non-toxic and harmless, inexplicable stench?

Wherever Sophia went, there was a problem with the refugee camp. It is difficult for the vassal lords of the Barcelius family not to suspect her. The little aristocrats in the countryside are most fond of denigrating the people they are jealous of by taking nicknames. How will Countess Randall, who is known for her beauty, react to the stench?

Ziggy felt that his mother's methods were too insidious.