In the cold of winter, the sky is full of snow drifting over Blackhammer Castle. The cold wind pierced through the gaps between the clothes and the armor, making people shiver.

It's been more than five days since the Ice Queen's deadline, and Rhodes has everything he needs to go south and can't delay any longer.

It's going to be a long journey, and Rhodes has a vague sense that this trip to Erlengrad may completely change the current landscape. As for what the process will be and what the result will be, I don't know, after all, I am not a prophet. Looking at the snow-white town, I don't know when the next time I will come back here.

There were 300 men under his wing, most of them Norscans, and a few of them were Blackhammer Infantry. With the threat of the beastmen gone, Rhodes left only about one hundred and twenty soldiers to guard the castle. The rest of the people, all of them, followed them south, to Errengrad, to meet the great rebellion.

Before leaving, as she passed by the monastery of Sarac, the priestess Lyanna hurried out of the monastery......

"Rhodes ......"

She shouted Rod's name at the intersection, and all the Norsca warriors saw it, and the priestess wore a plain linen blouse on a blue background, dragging a long skirt of stone blue, and she had a good figure, but not charming. She wears a crystal clear white gemstone necklace around her neck, and her long golden hair is naturally spread out and draped over the sides of her shoulders, giving her the feeling of a holy goddess.

These northern barbarian soldiers were free and unrestrained, and when they saw the elegant priestess stopping Rhodes at the junction, they whistled behind them, thinking that the priestess was going to kiss their lord. Rod raised his hand and motioned for them to be quiet. He jumped off his horse and approached the monastery with the priestess......

"Lyanna, what's the matter? I'm sorry, I've been busy all this time, and I've neglected you a bit. ”

Rhodes said, looking around the monastery, which had been damaged to a certain extent by the Battle of the Evil Moon a few days ago, and could see that even the doors and windows were repaired by the believers themselves. Rod was a little ashamed, after all, he really neglected this.

And Lyanna didn't seem to blame herself, at least from the look on her face. On the contrary, I was a little worried.

"It's okay, I'm here in the monastery, and I'll lead my brothers and sisters to maintain it well. ”

"You're leaving the castle soon?"

She continued. The words are still gentle, but they can't hide their anxiety and nervousness.

"Well, yes, it's been more than five days since Katarina's appointed date, and if I don't leave, the secret police in Kislev may be coming to greet me. ”

Rod joked, a smile brushing the corners of his mouth, looking relaxed, of course, this was just pretending, to comfort everyone. If a leader behaves anxiously, his subordinates will not be able to maintain a good attitude. Rhodes knows this.

"Lord Lord......"

"Call me Rod, there are not so many useless manners and restraints. ”

"Well, Rhodes......"

The priestess called gently. This made Rod a little unaccustomed...... But her voice has always been like this, with a woman's magnetic ......

"After you're gone, the management of Blackhammer Castle will be handed over to that new nobleman, Laheim, right?"

Lyanna asked earnestly.

"Definitely not, he's just an investor, living in Blackhammer Fort temporarily. The man in charge of the castle is my butler Mulros, and Virgil will also stay here, and in my absence, he will be responsible for guarding the Black Hammer Castle and keeping it safe. ”

Rhodes replied with the same seriousness.

"Oh...... That's good. You can't give the castle to that person. ”

"I won't, this is my castle, and no one can take it. But I'm curious, how do you think that?"

Rhodes asked.

"Alas, in fact, the followers of Sarak more or less have this opinion, whether it is Kislev or the Empire, the nobles are not good people. They will only think about their own interests, for the sake of power and money, they will do anything, the commoners are nothing more than ants in their eyes, and my fear is that after you leave, that nobleman of Erengrad will make trouble. Then many will suffer. ”

Lyanna leaned into Rod's ear and whispered. As if I was afraid that others would hear it. After all, there were others inside the monastery.

"Don't worry, he can't make trouble. All the mines, roads, he only has the right to operate, no decision, when I am not there, Muros takes my place, of course, major matters still need to be sent by the crow, tell me, wait for my reply to decide. Also, the defenders of the castle were temporarily taken over by Virgil, a fine knight who had sworn allegiance to Blackhammer in his father's generation, and his father had been loyal to my father. So, Virgil can be trusted just as much. If Laheim dares to make trouble, he will be kicked out of the castle. ”

Rod replied with a smile. Of course, he also knew that the Kislev nobleman would never leave Blackhammer Castle. He has already invested in the deep pit mine, if he withdraws now, then his early investment will be fruitless, as a nobleman who values profits, Laheim will never leave, this Rod is also very clear in his heart.

"That's good......"

Lyanna muttered to herself. The fine bangs cover part of the eyes, but it looks a little beautiful. Maybe if you have been a religious believer in a certain god for a long time, you will also have the unique temperament of that god. Rod thought to himself.

"I'll send someone to repair the monastery, and if you need anything, just tell Muros, and he'll give you priority. ”

Staring at Lyanna's fair face, Rod said seriously.

Unlike Caroline, Lyanna had a melancholy temperament, so even though she had given her so many assurances, the priestess still only smiled faintly.

"Take care, my lord. ”

She concluded.

......

Bidding farewell to Lyanna, Rhodes finally set foot on the road south. It is said that it is south, but in fact, it is not far, and Errengrad originally belonged to the north of Kislev. It's just that it's farther south than Blackhammer. But the castles of the North are still not far from it. This is why the Ice Queen prioritizes sending the lords of the North to the front lines.

Behind him, the figure of Blackhammer gradually disappeared into the horizon, and finally turned into a small black dot, drowning in the afterglow of the setting sun. Rhodes could not help but order his troops to speed up, this was a force made up of barbarians, but it had strong individual and team fighting power, and it also had more physical strength than regular legions, and Rod knew that if necessary, he could order them to march quickly, and he could cover the distance that a regular army could walk in three days in one day. But now, apparently, it hasn't gotten to that point yet.