The cold night breeze blew the corners of the king's robe, and the faint light of the torches made his face flicker. "I didn't have much political fighting with old Jacques, palace intrigues, he was in charge of the charge, I chose to have fun. So saying, when the king saw the thin garment of the Baron of the Winds, he unfastened his cloak embroidered with gold thread, slapped away the baron's refusal hand, and draped it over the knight, who was at least a head and a half taller than him. "You're so tall, I envy you. The king smacked his lips and continued the conversation earlier, "Neither old Jacques nor I know how to tempt, nor do we want to be like Carinthia, where the deep palace is full of poisoned wine and daggers. I can only choose to be honest with the people I want to be with. ”

He turned around, and the lights in the distance had been extinguished one after another, and weary soldiers yawned and patrolled the streets, their torches floating like ghost fires in the lonely holy city. "I like to look at the night and think about things I shouldn't be thinking about. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'll summon you tomorrow at the royal castle, get a good night's sleep, Baron, and consider my proposal again. ”

The king and his guards stepped down from the guard tower, and the knight tightened his cloak, and by the light of the torches he could faintly see the royal emblem, three pale maple leaves in a triangular shape printed on the comfortable fabric. The baron looked up, and there was endless darkness beneath his feet. The future of the holy city was uncertain, and the young king Mongiza V threw an olive branch to him. The same young baron sighed, he was not used to such a heavy responsibility, and the slightest mistake would be doomed.

Early in the morning, when the most diligent knights had just returned from morning training to wipe their sweat, the knights holding the banner of the three maple leaves rode into the garrison of the Knights. Many knights of the Holy City directly ignored the arrival of the royal knights, and in an embarrassing atmosphere, the baron, who had changed into a white knight's robe, followed the royal envoy and left the Knights' Cathedral.

The streets of the holy city are crowded in the morning, and the hawkers go out early, eager to get a good spot. The nobles whipped their horses proudly, the attendants impatiently pushed away the commoners who stood in their way, and a few pagan merchants put up their signs after their morning prayers.

"My lord, your first visit to the Holy City?" the knight of the royal family saw the baron surveying the busy scene. "Yes, this is my first pilgrimage. The baron replied, and an Asuna child stared at the beef in his hand at the stall next to him with his mouth wide open, "I like it here." ”

"There is no one who does not like the Holy City, Your Excellency Baron de Lildra. The royal knight pointed to the castle on the hill, "We're almost there, Fort Mongiza." ”

Montissa Fort, named after the title of the founding king, covers an area of 40 square meters, condescendingly overlooking the rise and fall of the holy city, looking solemn and majestic from afar.

After a brief inspection by the guards, the two knights passed through the white gate, the White Gate, which had been specially painted white in honor of Mongisa I, who loved white.

The royal castle occupies a large area, but there are not many people coming and going, and in the empty courtyard, the baron looks up at the blue sky, the blue sky in all directions.

It's like a big prison.

The knight leading the way made a gesture of please, and the door to the castle hall slammed open, and the guards stood crookedly, even if the leading knight came over, only slightly restrained.

The baron's face was a little ugly, and he stopped beside the guards who were chatting quietly.

The royal knight had to explain: "They are usually a little slack. This is not the norm, though. He began to reprimand, "If you don't stand up yet, do you want to be laughed at by the Baron?"

However, the other party did not give face: "Lord Baron, the knights standing here are at least the titles of the viscounts." It was a young and handsome knight who spoke, but the deep dark circles under his eyes made him look tired, "Come on in, the little king is waiting for you, honorable baron." I'll ・・・・・・・ if I sent you away."

The baron slammed a kick directly into his chest, interrupting his yawning and laziness.

Those present watched in amazement as the guard knight, who had been kicked out at least two meters, curled up on the ground as a prawn, moaning in pain from his mouth.

His companion tried to move forward, but was pulled by the people around him. Most people know the meaning of the double-headed eagle coat of arms in front of the knight's white robe, in addition to the maple leaf.

Only the winner of the joust is eligible to wear his coat of arms.

Without glancing at the knights who were looking at each other, the baron strode into the halls of the castle.

The meeting with the king took place in a small private drawing-room. A lavishly decorated room that simply piles a lot of luxury goods together.

As the baron examined a piece of gold that was clearly in the style of Arsuna, the door was pushed open.

Waving off his attendants, Mongisa V walked in, stretched out his hand to hold the baron, who was about to kneel on one knee, and half-jokingly said, "Forget it today, I didn't wash my hands." ”

Two people sit facing each other.

"You're not a baron of the kingdom, don't be so restrained. Mongisa V, who wore the crown on his head, said with a smile.

"You are a king after all. The ease of meeting for the first time yesterday was gone, and the baron still felt a little restrained in front of the young man dressed as a king.

Picking up the wine glass on the table, the king drank it all, wiped the corners of his mouth with a silk scarf, and his voice carried an indescribable sarcasm: "A king? I didn't care about these things before, but now I can't care less." I need someone who can do things, not the so-called heroes sent by my dear brother-in-law. "Fort Mongisa is now a playground for the second sons of the family. It's ・・・・・・."

Perhaps thinking of what he had done before, His Majesty finally stopped complaining and began to get to the point: "How did you think about yesterday?"

The baron was about to reply, but the king interrupted him: "What do you think of the situation before you?" The baron shook his head: "I don't know very well. But all the people I spoke with were saying that the infidels were about to wage a holy war. ”

"Holy war?" the King stood up, pulling a map from the bookshelf and spreading it out on the table, his finger with the huge ruby ring resting on a position to the south, "This is Fort Clark, the fief of Cloak Byron, Duke of Clark. In recent times, he, along with the Knights of the Holy City, has been raiding heretics everywhere, either caravans or small tribes grazing into our borders. The situation is getting worse day by day. In the name of jihad, the border conflict alone would lead to war with the Asuna Empire and the tribes. I want you to go to Fort Clark and get the Duke to stop all this behavior that has exacerbated the conflict. The reinforcements summoned by the Holy See will take time, the Holy City will take time, and no one knows the combat readiness and the number of troops of the infidels. You go to Fort Clark, it would be nice if you could figure this out. ”

The king breathed a sigh of relief, and the long unhealthy life seriously hurt his young body: "The duke will not obey the orders of a king who has no real power, but Duke Raymond and a kind priest from the Holy See are willing to help me. God forbid, I want you to go first to a small fortress of the Quds Knights, Rothdorf, the rendezvous point between the priest and you. There have been reports of infidel armies there lately, and your Order will send someone to garrison it. Jean Jacques will put you in the ranks, and remember, as soon as the priest arrives in Rothdorf, you will go with him to Clark Castle and announce my edict. ”

The king took out a scroll and looked at the baron hopefully.

Looking at the young man's hopeful and apprehensive eyes, the baron bent down and took the edict from the king's hand with both hands: "May God the Father bless you, my majesty." ”