The first section of the doorman

In the southwestern part of the Central Seven Kingdoms, where the gods of the Star Field are worshipped, is a large basin rich and vast. This is the area known to the world as Stygia. For thousands of years, humans have multiplied here, eventually forming five kingdoms. The land of Stygia is rich in bounty, and its soldiers are brave and good at fighting, and they worship the god of nature. Their system is also very different from that of the Central Seven, which is made up of large and small fiefs (although the Central Seven Kingdoms, which worship the gods of the Star Field, also have fiefs, most of them are governed by the state rather than by lieges). The nobles who ruled Stygian were knights at the lowest rank. Each knight had his own separate realm and people, and owed allegiance to the nobles of the upper ranks. The same goes for the higher barons, viscounts, counts, marquises, and dukes, all of whom owe allegiance to their king. Each nobleman had a great deal of autonomy within his or her immediate domain. In terms of obligations, in addition to protecting the safety of their own territories and paying the necessary taxes, the greatest obligation of the nobles is to obey the call of their superiors and go to the battlefield.

The countries of Stygia rarely established such military groups as the Knights, but their knights were no worse on the battlefield than the Knights. Because the custom of Stygian is an incomplete hereditary system. Normally, the children of nobles either received only two titles below their father's rank (the sons of the lowest-ranking knights were usually unable to inherit any lands and titles), or they had to earn their own position on the battlefield. This custom allowed Stygian to produce feared noble knights. When the knights of Styia charge valiantly on the battlefield, it is enough to make even the most powerful enemies fearful.

After a long confrontation and countless endless battles, there seemed to be a dawn of unity in front of Stygia. Casilos and St. Jean, the royal families of these two kingdoms, have formed a deep friendship during the war with the Greenskins (orcs and goblins), and on the other hand, after a long marriage, they are now almost a family. King St. Jean married his only daughter to King Casillos and retired due to illness, handing over power to his son-in-law.

It is well known that if these two nations one day merge into a single kingdom under one crown, they will gain an overwhelming advantage over their neighbors. And this day, obviously, will not be too long.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the deepening of this crisis. Paro, the northeasternmost kingdom in the Styya Basin, has renounced its worship of the gods of nature in favor of the gods of the Star Field. Immediately, in the name of spreading the teachings of the Church of the True God and waging a holy war, Paro declared war on the neighboring cities of Cassilos and St. Jean. A new war began.

—From The Chronicles of Stygian

Veteran Marcos opened the gates of the city while heating his hands. On a cold winter day, the iron rings on the city gates were so cold that they could freeze a layer of skin directly from a person's skin. This makes the job of opening the door a complete chore.

Gotta find a way to get a pair of gloves today. Marcos thought as he put his stiff hand on his neck to warm up. However, most of his savings have been used to buy combat equipment for his third child, and it is really difficult to squeeze out the money for gloves.

"Hey, Uncle Marcos. "In the crowd entering the city, someone greeted him.

Marcos has been in this position for so long that many people in the neighborhood know him. But few people know that if luck hadn't passed him by, maybe Marcos would have had a chance to become a true knight. The job of guarding the city gates is simple, leisurely, and the pay is not bad, which can make many farmers feel envious. But if Marcos hadn't been hit by an arrow in the knee back then, he would have been promoted to knight by now.

A knight who was promoted by the militia. It may be despised by some blood-conscious aristocrats, but it can pave the way for future generations to become rich and status.

On more than one occasion, Marcos fantasized that he could ride into a castle and be well received by his host. And his children can also go into battle as trainee knights, well-equipped, and fight alongside colleagues of similar status, rather than a small militia that is unknown and no one will look at it more.

The knights paid little attention to the casualties of the militia. Fortunately, they also paid little attention to the rout of the militia. Militias who fled will come back with no punishment, and at most they will be discharged with a big cross (and this is rare). The knights who escaped, in addition to the probationary knights, may also have to go through a lot of trouble, and if they do not pass the "honor trial", they are even in danger of confiscating their territory.

Because it is a winter festival, there are a lot of people entering the city today. One call after another of "Uncle Marcos" pulls the veteran back to reality from fantasy and contemplation. When people get old, it is easy to fall into the reminiscence of the past. Marcus would often recall the day when he was rewarded as a militiaman and promised knighthood.

"Marcos, your bravery is too disproportionate for a militia. When this expedition is over, I will surely report your deeds to him one by one. Well done, young man. Keep it up, being a knight isn't as hard as you think!"

Next, all the knights saluted him. Even the proudest knights in the army congratulated him. At that moment, how glorious, how happy, and how proud he was. But fate always plays tricks on people like that, and the orc archer shatters all Marcos's dreams with a flying arrow.

There is no doubt that the Earl of Thomas (the general) did fulfill his promise at the very end. Slightly crippled, Marcos was given the position of janitor of the royal capital of Floros. Finally, let him take care of his old age, and talk about comforting this unfortunate man.

The sun finally slowly emerged from the clouds, shedding its warm glow on the earth. The light shines on people's bodies, and it is very comfortable to be warm.

The janitor's job is to ensure that the gate is opened and closed on time, while taking care that all the parts on the gate remain in order. Wipe off rust and the like after closing the door to make sure the latch can be pressed accurately. At other times, let him sit on the sidelines and bask in the sun and reminisce about the past.

A small squad of militia was responsible for policing near the gate. Except on special days or important events, noble knights disdained to perform such menial duties. And the militia had a lot of respect for Marcos and called him "Uncle Marcos". Because after all, he was the last to get this position because of his military exploits.

"Uncle Marcos, I've heard that the battle ahead is tight!" said a young man to the veteran.

"It doesn't matter if you're tight or not. Win or lose, as long as the Wolf's Mouth Castle is in our hands, the Paro people have nothing to do. Like most elders, Marcos liked to pretend to be wise and knowledgeable in front of his juniors, so as to win the admiration of these juniors. But it's actually quite easy. Although Marcos is far from being very knowledgeable, he has been dealing with many people for half his life, and compared to this group of young people, neither experience nor insight is at the same level.

"So, the worst outcome of this war will not be any different from the past. The Sister Mountains were an insurmountable danger, and as long as Paro was unable to capture the Wolf's Mouth Castle, they would not be able to achieve any decisive victory. Marcos confidently explained to the young people.

"So will we fight back?"

"I don't know what to do...... It depends on the decisions of the nobles. However, I believe that there is little interest in the counter-offensive above. Unless there is a major victory at the front, ......"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, and a herald appeared from the end of the road. He was dressed in a conspicuous red and white outfit, and he waved something in his hand.

"Urgent!Get out of the way!Get out of the way!," the herald shouted. His shouts worked, and the people entering the city moved out of the way. The heralds rushed to the city gate and were stopped.

"Urgent!" the herald shouted to the militia. "Get out of the way! the Paros are approaching here!" he held a rolled-up document with a red seal on it.

The militiamen got out of the way and watched with confusion as the heralds rushed in.

"Uncle Marcus...... He just said...... The Paros are approaching here?!"

"How is that possible!" Marcos scoffed. "There's always a mess of intelligence on the front lines. Because there are always many hot-headed nobles who do not calm down and figure things out, they pass on military information to the rear. A small detachment is often mistaken for a large army, and a wave of bandits can easily be understood as an outpost of a large army. Anyway, that's what happened! I guess a Paro infiltration force has infiltrated the border. Remember, two days ago, didn't the communications officer from Wolf's Mouth Castle bring a report of 'no anomalies'?"

This explanation is reasonable and in line with people's thinking. Many people were no longer interested in the herald and the information he carried. The Winter Festival is not a big festival, but there are also fairs, parades and other events.

The day passed imperceptibly. In the afternoon, while taking a nap in the sun, Marcus was suddenly awakened by a cacophony of sounds.

"What's going on?"

"Uncle Marcus...... Town...... There's a fire in the city!" shouted a young man.

Marcos froze. From the location of the city gate, thick smoke can be seen billowing into the air in the central area of the city. Winter fires are not easy to deal with, the weather is dry, and fires can spread easily but are difficult to extinguish.

"Are we going to help?" asked one man.

"No need, there are a lot of people in the city, and we don't need to add to them. That being said, Marcos thought the fire was a little unusual. Because the fire did not seem to have erupted in one place, for it was not long before the second and third pillars of smoke appeared. It seems that fires have broken out in different parts of the city. Moreover, one of them is a royal palace.

That's pretty bad. Almost all the members of the royal family are in the city...... I wonder if there will be an accident in the road...... There must have been a big commotion......

While he was still thinking so, he saw a crowd of people rolling in. Countless people, men, women, old men, children, ghosts and wolves howled and rushed towards the city gates.

"Oh no! the Paro are coming!" the people cried and rushed to the city gates.