"Her Majesty. ”

At sunset, Rhodes knelt down on one knee in front of the Ice Queen Caterina and greeted him respectfully.

The fiery red sun set the last of its rays on Katarina, illuminating her snow-white skin in a particularly bright red. Caterina stared up at Rod, and for a moment, Rhodes seemed to see those blood-red eyes that were different from ordinary people staring at him. That feels...... Like a vicious wolf, staring at you in the dark, and you are her meal and prey tonight.

"Rod Lawn, Lord of Blackhammer Keep, Manticore Lion Slayer and Mercenary Buster. You are a hero to the people of Kislev, and on behalf of the royal family, I thank you. You saved an entire legion and saved thousands of lives. You are a hero. ”

Caterina sat on the makeshift throne of Frost and said in a majestic and cold voice. Although it is not like the barbarians, who roar and scream, the sound is unusually clear, enough for thousands of people to hear. Rod guessed it was magic......

"For Kislev's sake, for Her Majesty's sake, this is what I should do. ”

Rhodes replied "modestly".

He looked at the throne beneath the Ice Queen, a huge rock, wrapped in solid ice, presumably a makeshift boulder from the camp, which was made to look like an ice throne with ice magic, and served as a makeshift seat for the Queen's meetings. After all, she is Queen Kislev, and the tsar should look like a tsar......

"Don't be modest, my warrior, it's not the first time we've met. Lord Rhodes, I admire you, for your courage and wisdom, and of course for your unbeatable luck. Regardless, you've saved the Northern Coalition and reclaimed Fort Grizzly. Such feats deserve to be rewarded, and a warrior who shed blood and sacrificed his life for the country and the people should be rewarded. Caterina paused and continued. "I've decided to give you Fort Grizzly. ”

After Caterina finished speaking, Rhodes thought he had misheard, Grizzly Castle was a large castle that controlled the water transportation of the Anka River, and at the same time was a relatively wealthy place. There are about four or five thousand people in the territory, engaged in various industries, and the terrain of Grizzly Castle is very steep, which is difficult for conventional troops to overcome, as long as it is not an enemy such as ratmen and undead, it can be said that this castle is very safe, I don't know how much better than Black Hammer Castle.

But after a brief moment of ecstasy, Rhodes recognized Katerina's intentions. It's not really a reward, it's a test. The identity of his chosen son is already known to everyone, and it is undoubtedly a big threat to Katarina. However, the people's trust in the Chosen One made it impossible for Caterina to do so, and she had to reward herself. Grizzly Bear is a nice bonus.

However, this is only scratching the surface. The deeper purpose is to test. As Benedict, Lord of Grizzly Castle, said – the Ice Queen wants loyal lackeys, not really capable people. Now, obviously, it was time for her to test herself.

Rhodes knew that although Grizzly Bear Fort was a treasure land, he couldn't want it right now. First, if it does, it will inevitably arouse Caterina's greater suspicions, and once the Erlengrad Rebellion is over, it is estimated that the next person to deal with will be herself.

Second, even if you ask for Grizzly Castle, you can't keep it. Grizzly Castle is very close to the capital city of Kislev, so to speak, it is the territory of the Ice Queen, surrounded by her people, who take over in a hurry, and there will be no way to control the castle in a short time, and the queen's people will take advantage of it. In the future, in case of turning against Caterina, then the first one to be besieged is himself. Take 10,000 steps back and say, Grizzly Bear Fort is so close to the Queen's Ice and Snow Winter Palace, it cannot be ruled out that the Queen will summon a blizzard with all her strength one day, and a blizzard will be fatal to the damage to Grizzly Castle.

The northern border is different, it is too far away from the capital city of Kislev, and even if the queen wanted to, the tentacles could not reach that long. The northern realm is basically under the independent jurisdiction of each lord, except for the small annual tribute, and the responsibility of having to owe allegiance to the queen in time of war, and at other times, it is basically in a state of independent management. Goshoya

Such a place is suitable for your own deep cultivation. Moreover, the legacy of their ancestors, for many years, the people of the castle have long been loyal to the Lauun family, not to the Tsar Kislev who is far away. Moreover, retreating to the North can also make the Ice Queen ignore her own existence, after all, the cold and vast northern territory is worthless in the eyes of most people. What kind of troops can be developed there? If you look at the current Northern Coalition Army, you will know that it is a group of bandits who have nothing to fight and brawl and are usually malnourished......

"Your Majesty, Dear Queen, thank you for your kindness, but Grizzly Castle ...... I don't think I'm good enough to run that city. ”

In front of everyone, Rod replied calmly.

Katerina's cold, frosty face was expressionless, but Rhodes could clearly feel a satisfied smile on her pale red lips.

"But you always have to get the reward you deserve. Tell me, what do you want?"

Caterina asked softly. She stared at Rhodes while everyone stared at the two of them.

"Your Majesty, in fact, I just want to go home. When the war is over, I want to be able to return to my castle as soon as possible, the farmer needs to farm, the poor need to house, these are all things that I miss. What I want is a peaceful life, Your Majesty. Of course, the North is now being invaded by foreign enemies such as the Beastmen, and if I can, I hope Her Majesty can help me stop some enemies. And also...... I hope my daughter can come back soon......"

Rod whispered back.

After saying that, Katerina's face looked a little better, of course, Rod's words were a little true, but a few were false. The ideal is farming? That's nonsense, Black Hammer Fort is located in the northern frontier, the land is barren, resources are scarce, and farming is barely enough to maintain the aristocratic life until old age. But it is human nature to hope that my daughter will come home. Moreover, asking for this in front of the queen is actually not a trivial matter. Everyone knows how much the Frost Witch is to the Ice Queen.

Only, the answer must be so. Utterly hypocritical, Caterina is easily recognizable, and utterly true, that is impossible. Half hypocrisy and half truth in order not to make people suspicious.

"I promise, your daughter will come home safely. ”

Caterina smiled.

Everyone heard it clearly, but Rhodes didn't really believe the queen's nonsense. Rhodes knows very well what kind of person Caterina is, and there is always only others who promise her, and no one else who promises her. Dennis may come back one day, but it's not certain what will happen when he returns.

Rod sighed in his heart, and had to pretend to be pious and humble.