With a heavy expression, Mercer Kane, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Tree, stepped step by step out of the marble staircase of the Hall of the Crown, the white and black-rimmed cloak with the golden ribbon on his body also seemed to be a little gray, and his solemn expression did not seem to ease him a little when he saw the golden sun about to set.

I've figured out how the Pipes riot happened, and the cause of the Blood Flag Brotherhood, all of which have been answered on this ominous day, and are something that most people don't want to accept.

The core members of the entire Blood Banner Brotherhood are all victims of the Northern War ten years ago, when in order to deal with the rebellious barbarians in the north, many mercenaries were temporarily summoned, and many veterans who had been disarmed and returned to the field were mobilized to clear them.

The war went quite smoothly, but the commander of the counterinsurgency, who was under the command of His Majesty the King at that time, was clearly a man of great joy, destroying the barbarian tribes and their main forces in one fell swoop, but the further the war progressed, the more he felt that he could not find an opponent - all the barbarian warriors were wandering in the barren mountains and snowy forests, and did not fight him head-on.

The time dragged on as the barbarians finally ambushed his army in a narrow passage through the forest, and the battle took place so suddenly, that the overjoyed general decided to abandon the mercenaries who had been caught in the scuffle, and fled with his main force!

In his later explanation, he argued that he had preserved his strength in order to fight again, but Mercer Kane believed that the commander was still capable, and that he was not the victim of a surprise attack, but had driven the barbarians to the death to fight him—the reason for this was that he did not intend to pay the high commissions of the mercenaries, and intended to kill them all.

The reason is simple, the dead don't have to pay.

Soon, however, the general was left to pay for his greed - the barbarians, who had not been wiped out in one fell swoop, once again wandered the wilderness and began to raid towns and villages in anger, and he had to start garrisoning his armies in castles and fortresses to prevent the barbarians from plundering.

Soon, the conscripted veterans were forced to extend their service from forty to fifty, then to sixty, and the lonely veterans seemed to have no day to see themselves coming home except to fight to the death.

So they were furious, and the end of the Northern War was a riot far more terrible than the barbarian rebellion, and hundreds of veterans were strangled by another counterinsurgency army - the "counterinsurgency" pacified the "counterinsurgency" and became the biggest joke in the city of Turin at that time, but all those who had been to the north could not even laugh a word.

All those who survived were either imprisoned and spent the rest of their lives in quarries and mines that saw the light of day, or were summoned to the Order by the merciful Grand Master Kane, who was at the time in pity, and continued to "shine" on the Blood Cliff as ordinary sergeants guarding the fortress.

And this terrible war operation, after a series of wrong and cruel decisions, finally ushered in a bloody revenge ten years later, and many aristocratic lords who once told that war as a joke can no longer laugh.

Of course, what made Mercer Kane frown even more was the aftermath of Pipe Town. His Majesty the Merciful King pardoned most of the surviving officials and nobles, but the mayor of Pipe Town was sure to change - a riot so close to Turin City, and he, as mayor, was unaware of it and allowed it to happen, no amount of reasons were enough to explain his mistake.

And about Gaio Valens...... Mercer let out a long sigh of helplessness, and the actions of the chief knight that night were obviously unacceptable to many adults, and many of them proposed to severely punish this "bloodthirsty" knight, deprive him of his title and privileges, and send him to a monastery east of the city of Turin to meditate for a period of time, "restoring" his "virtues and pure heart" as a warrior of the Radiant Cross.

Fortunately, however, His Majesty was very sensible, and he entrusted the task of punishment to Mercer himself, and agreed to pardon Gaius Valence for "a crime committed for the sake of the stability of the kingdom".

But this also means that he must deal with it impartially, so that his majesty will not lose face in front of his ministers, which is also something that Mercer is worried about, what can he do to be regarded as "impartiality"?

"Still struggling with the matter of Gaio Valens, Grand Master Kane?" an old, but not at all feeble, voice came from under the stairs, causing Mercer Kane to slowly lower his head and look over.

"Come to the palace so early, Your Honourable Marquis Holard Minest. Mercer walked up to the old man in three steps and two steps, and there was not the slightest hostility in his expression and voice, but he maintained a considerable respect for the elderly Minister of the Interior, the ruler of the Minest family: "Are you here to meet the king?"

"It doesn't look like you're early, I'm already halfway into the coffin, not as good as Grand Master Kane in his golden years. The old man smiled and shook his head, with a bit of old self-deprecation: "A person like you, who has both experience and energy, is the humerus of His Majesty." ”

There was not the slightest spark in the two men's conversations, not even sneering at each other - in fact, it was true, although many people had said that the Knights of the Sacred Tree and the Minest family were at odds, but the two sides usually respected each other and were very friendly, loyally guarding the sea in the west and the mountains in the east for His Majesty, which in the eyes of many people was a sign of the kingdom's stability and prosperity.

But what's inside, I'm afraid only everyone knows it......

"When I came, I heard a lot about Pipe Town, and now a lot of idle fellows are really too much, to treat a knight who is loyal to his country and has no regard for his own reputation!" The old man shook his head bitterly, "Please allow me to mention to you, don't hold the Knight of Valence accountable too much, he doesn't deserve such punishment." ”

"Then I'll thank you for your concern on his behalf. Mercer nodded slightly, looking at the old man thoughtfully. From the expression full of kindness and gentleness, it was impossible to tell whether he really cared, or if he was just talking.

However, it is said that the man who killed Cortés, the leader of the evil organization of the Brotherhood of the Blood Banner, was not the Knight Captain Gaio Valens, but the work of a young squire. Holard spoke slowly, as if by accident, "Edward Witwood - that's the right name, isn't it?"

"Yes, he is the squire of Thernier Gombray, who died tragically, and it seems that he once served your grandson, Alan Kwen and your daughter, the beautiful Lady Angelica. Mercer also "inadvertently" mentioned the phrase: "It is a great honor for him to have the opportunity to serve the Minest family." ”

"Now it seems that it is a blessing for the Minest family to be served by such a promising young man!" "Marquis Holard Minest smiled: "Listen to my indisputable grandson Lusen, it was he who discovered the whereabouts of the Blood Flag Brotherhood, so that the conspiracy of this group of evil guys was exposed in time, so that it did not cause a greater tragedy, what an excellent good boy." ”

"The Radiant Cross blessed him, and the Radiant Cross blessed the Minest family - if it weren't for the timely information sent by Alan Kwen and Lusen Minest, things would not have gone so smoothly, and His Majesty the King should have rewarded them both. ”

"If even such a small thing has to be rewarded, the Minest family is really in decline. Holard waved his hand very modestly: "The one who really deserves to be rewarded should be the kid named Edward Witwood." I guess he already has what it takes to become a Knight of the Sacred Tree, right?"

"He has a lot to learn, but you're right - he's proven his loyalty to His Majesty and the Kingdom of Turin, and his ability to give so far. Although it was only a casual tone, the smugness in Mercer's expression could not be concealed: "I have asked Leonardo to prepare for him, and I have also ordered someone to inform the Radiant Cross Church, and ask them to send a priest to preside over the ceremony, so that he can swear allegiance under the light of the Radiant Cross." ”

"Then please convey to him the blessings of my old man. But when it comes to the Blood Banner Brotherhood, I do know a lot of strange rumors about the riots that night. Holard finally stopped, staring at Mercer Kane's expression without a trace: "I heard that that night, a terrible magical monster appeared, and an extremely evil Dominic wizard, are these true?"

Mercer Kane also stood motionless, looking at the "curious" expression of the old man in front of him, pausing for a moment to refine his words, or whether to trust Edward's judgment or listen to Gaio Valens's advice.

“...... You're thinking too much, there are no magic monsters at all, and there are no Dominic wizards. Mercer flatly vetoed, "It's just a trick by the Avengers of the Blood Banner Brotherhood to deceive people." ”

"That's right. Holard Minest smiled meaningfully: "That's ...... I'm relieved. ”