Three days later, the Knights of the Holy City received the order to set off. From Rosdorf in the western part of the kingdom, reports came from the infidels that the infidels had recently been infested there. Twenty knights, along with their attendants, were sent to that important fortress by Grand Master Frank Lampard Stiller.

Rothdorf, a nondescript place on the map where several roads meet, was originally a bustling town that was destroyed in a war fifty years ago. The merchants abandoned the area in favor of the safer Clark Fort and Lemonard. The knights of the Holy City built a fortress here, guarding the desolate steppe alone.

Later, it became a place of exile for undesirable knights.

The baron leans comfortably on a stone, an unknown weed in his mouth, and behind him is the ruins of decades of abandonment, while Rostofburg stands like a massive stone statue on the horizon in the setting sun.

The wind of the steppe blew through the deserted plain, and the last caravan had passed a few hours earlier, their ruts swept by the wind and faded away. Several figures seemed to appear in the distance, slowly moving towards this place.

Several horsemen greeted them, and their figures were pulled out in a long shadow in the setting sun. Except for a small number of caravans and mobilized troops, there are few strange footprints imprinted on the land. Due to logistical constraints, under normal circumstances, the garrison of the Knights of the Holy City would generally not exceed a hundred. The steppe tribes, which had been divided a few years ago, were scared by the boring knights, and they left the place far away--- even if they had to take a long detour even when they were in transition.

The baron had finished resting, and those few people were probably emissaries of the Holy See, and there were no lone pedestrians who usually came here. He turned his horse's head and prepared to return to the direction of the fortress.

The rooster knight was sharpening his knight's sword on the whetstone next to the stable, and when he saw the baron dismount, he twisted his head again. The old knight Jean Jacques came out of the hall, and the commander of the fortress stood beside him.

Three strange guests soon arrived at the fortress. Two clergy knights in chain mail, accompanied by an old man with a cloak.

With the help of the knight of the church, the old man dismounted with difficulty. The years have left deep marks on his face, crisscrossed with ravines on his shriveled skin. The old man, who had lost all his hair, had a little crooked black melon hat on his head, which made people want to laugh, and under the two slightly white eyebrows were a pair of half-closed eyes.

He refused the help of the knights around him, and walked forward with a hunched body. He was not dressed in clerical clothing, but in a black robe, and the only thing that showed his identity was a large jeweled ring in his right hand.

The knight began to announce the title: "Bishop Eugene Quint from Dobes, Glorious Cardinal of the Holy Mountain, Patriarch of Cyrille, Mage of Dobes, Attendant of God the Father." ”

A cardinal.

The knights saluted the old man, and Bishop Eugene nodded kindly, but the fatigue between his brows was evident.

Such a journey was undoubtedly a pain for the old man. Jean Jacques and the Commander hurriedly invited the cardinal into the room and let him rest.

The knights began to talk about the cardinal's intentions, but they did not talk deeply. Having lived here for a long time, they have become accustomed to the monotony of life.

And the cardinals will soon be gone.

Bishop Eugene Günter did not rest, he lay on the hard wooden bed, and looked at the two knights with a smile. The commander of Rosdorf bowed his head in shame, the conditions here were not bad, but it was not enough to entertain such a big man as the cardinal. "Then, please ask Knight Jacques to arrange for someone to escort me tomorrow, and ask him to come and see me. ”

The two knights retreated, and soon there was another knock on the door.

The bishop watched the young knight striding towards him, and suddenly remembered how he had just become the bishop of Dobes.

Time flies. Resisting the constant sleepiness, the bishop motioned for the baron to sit down. The bishop's voice was calm: "What is your name, child?"

The baron kissed the jewel on the bishop's finger and replied, "Owen Lildra, Baron of the Pena Valley, Your Excellency the Cardinal." ”

"Good, kid. I wonder how you're going to convince Duke Clark?" the bishop relaxed his posture a little.

To his surprise, the baron shook his head directly: "I don't need anything. I don't know why Duke Clark has been attacking heretics. But the presence of a cardinal, I think, was enough to dispel those terrible thoughts. ”

The bishop was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "It's funny, kid. Our Majesty Mongiza is too anxious to declare his existence. In this matter, he must have bypassed the Duke of Lusignan. ”

The baron didn't answer, he didn't know much about it.

"I'm old. The bishop raised his right hand, the huge ring contrasting with the thin fingers, "Duke Ramonard has decided to support the king, and there can be no more turmoil in the kingdom of the Holy Grace, after all, the infidels are just outside the door." ”

The bishop waved his hand, the conversation draining the last of his energy. Looking at the cardinal who had fallen asleep, the baron quietly got up and left the room.

Soon, the sun completely sank below the horizon, and night came.

The knights of the night watch stood on the sentry in a daze, the moonlight dimmed, and the stars were gone. It's a good day for a sneak attack, he muttered, ready to fix his stomach from drinking water at night.

It cost him his life.

The moment the knight turned, he knocked off a torch, and in that moment of light, he saw his old rivals under the walls and their bows and arrows.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Rosdorf was awakened from his slumber.

The soldiers frantically put their leather armor on their bodies, while the knights urged their attendants to hurry up and put on their armor for him, and several of the eager knights simply wore their nightgowns and swords and ran to the wall, followed by the attendants with chain mail who shouted behind their masters.

Jean Jacques was quick, and by the time the baron burst out of the room, the old knight was already standing on top of the walls and fighting the infidels who had climbed the walls.

"Asuna, damned heretic!: the rooster rider shouted angrily beside him, and several cone-headed arrows flew past his helmet and nailed to the planks of the stables.

Dragged the disheveled little squire Rurik, and the baron roared: "Take your weapon and go to His Excellency the Cardinal, and protect him with your life." With that, leaving behind the squire who had not yet reacted, the baron drew his knight's sword and joined the warband.

Probably due to the need to climb the city walls, most of the first wave of enemies wore only light leather armor, which made them climb the city walls, but also paid a heavy price. The baron's knightly sword cut through the leather armor as crisply as butter, and with a slight tilt of his head, he avoided the slash of a middle-aged steppe warrior, and with a slight force of his right hand, the entire shoulder of the enemy was cut off. Pushing the screaming warrior off the wall with his sword, the baron glanced out at the situation under the wall.

There were a lot of torches lit underneath, and they were as bright as day, and they looked very clear.

However, all the Knights of the Holy City who witnessed this shuddered.