Section 5 Grandchildren

The group did not linger outside, but walked directly to the castle.

A long trumpet sounded to announce their arrival. The castle gates opened, and a man wrapped in a black robe was waiting for them in the courtyard.

"Irina!" the black-robed man let out an old man's scream.

"Grandpa!" Irina saw the man, and immediately jumped off her mount and rushed over crying. Two people hugging each other. Although they were far apart, Ashrufat's vision was very good, so he could clearly see the old man's hand stretched out from the black robe. Those hands were full of weird little lumps.

Legend has it that King Rangier I of St. Jean suffered from a chronic illness that could not be cured, lost the prestige of kingship, and had to live in seclusion. It seems that the legend is not a rumor.

Thomas wisely stayed near the entrance to the castle, two distances from his grandparents, to avoid disturbing this rare reunion. Thomas took the lead, and the others stopped beside him.

The two men in the distance spoke for a moment, and then the black-robed old man led Irina into the castle's main building.

Watching them disappear at the top of the staircase, Thomas left the castle and led Ashrufat to the camp outside the castle.

"Sir Ishrufat, I'm sure you're tired today, so please rest here for the night, and if you have anything to say, you'll talk about it tomorrow. My old bones can't stand the bumps anymore. ”

At this time, in the rooms high up in the castle, the lit menorah was already lit.

"Your waste daddy is really a complete waste...... "The black-robed old man said coldly,

"Grandpa, please don't talk about my father's ...... like that"

"Shut up! Your shitty father has three times as many troops as the Paro. If he wanted to, it could even be five times or seven times! He also had a strong front-line castle and a vast rear territory that could be attacked and defended! But what was he doing with so much money? The Paros mobilized a large army, and he sent a small army to the front line, and then thought that this was war! Not even a tenth of his army was mobilized...... As a result, the Paro people crossed the sister mountain range and stewed his entire family in a pot of soup...... It's really a dead country and a ruined country. I wonder if marrying my daughter to him is the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. And what did he do to get you out? Your brothers...... Why didn't your brothers come out with you?!"

"I'm ......," Irina was already cowering in fright.

"Okay, okay! Don't talk about the past. Now it's useless to regret it! Now that you're the only one, I have no choice but to teach you the way of this stupid girl emperor myself! Tell me, what did your father teach you? Don't talk nonsense, get to the point!"

“...... Horseback riding, reading, poetry, music, languages, ......"

"Enough is enough!" the black-robed old man interrupted her irritably. "Sure enough, he never considered you an heir...... It's no wonder that you have two older brothers! Your life is originally fixed! You have to grow up as a young lady, and then marry in order to make a certain treaty, or to win over a certain nobleman. Then have a bunch of children for your husband and live the life of a husband and a godchildren. You don't have to touch any political schemes, any intrigues, ......"

"No, I'll be with a brave knight......"

"Brave knight! Hmph, no matter what, fate has changed everything. Now in your family, you are the only heir. All those who are qualified to compete with you for the throne are dead. Now I really don't have a choice but you. From now on, you must forget everything you have learned in the past, and I will teach you the imperial science of light and darkness! This is the path you must face! Like me, you have no choice but to follow me and master everything you must master, or die!"

Irina began to cry softly.

"Don't cry! The king has no blood and no tears! This is the first point that must be learned! I don't have time to teach you theory, just start with practice. Next door is the women's dressing room, which has a variety of clothes and a mute maid. We'll have a banquet in a few days. Go and put on what you think is the best fit for the banquet and come back to me. If you can't satisfy me in terms of grooming, I will definitely use the fastest way to correct you back!"

"Remember, the more luxurious, the better! Dressing up too extravagantly will make your subordinates think that you are luxurious by nature and chill. But you can't dress up casually, the first weapon the queen uses to conquer her subordinates is her appearance. That's your first lesson. ”

Ashrufat stepped out of his small room. He noticed that Thomas did not live in the house, but in a tent like an ordinary soldier. It should be said that he is the only one who enjoys this treatment. Most of the other houses were used to store various supplies, such as bows and arrows, and food.

"Master, the horse must be taken away before they realize that something is wrong. Carrie offered again.

The undead horse is indeed a nuisance. Although this horse looks like a normal horse because it is well made. But it doesn't eat grass, but instead relies on dark magic energy. It may not be exposed in a short time, but it will definitely make the groom feel wrong after a long time.

The right thing to do is to get out of here. But Ashrufat didn't want to leave. In a way, he didn't feel like an irrelevant outsider. Since he had promised to be Irina's knight, he should have fulfilled his duties as a knight, at least until Irina gave up on him.

"Master, I have a good plan. Carrie, in his mind, made an opinion.

A group of militiamen who have done their job are gathering to discuss something. Ashrufat leaned over and heard them discussing the coming war. He was puzzled by the fact that these militiamen were very enthusiastic, and they were not at all afraid of future battles, on the contrary, they were all highly motivated.

If you add up all the soldiers here, it is estimated that it will not exceed two thousand. After all, Thomas is just a lord of a frontier region. But his subordinates didn't seem to worry about their fate at all.

"Who are you?" a voice sounded behind him. Ashrufat turned his head and saw a strange knight standing behind him with three or five soldiers.

This knight was about thirty years old, with a square face and an indescribable murderous aura in his eyebrows. He was heavily armed, fully armoured, and armed with a great hammer. An instinctive sense of danger made Ashrufat unconsciously grip his sword.

"Spy!" the knight shouted, but before the two men could make a move, a third appeared just in time. A young man in a purple cloak ran over and stopped the impending conflict.

"Wait a minute, Lord William Daley. This is not a spy, but Sir Essrufat. ”

"Sir Ashorufat, why haven't I heard of that name?"

"He just came today to escort Her Royal Highness the Princess. The young man whispered a few words in William Daley's ear. The latter nodded, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sir Ashorufat. I don't know anything about you, so when I saw a stranger in the camp, I thought it was a spy. Well, as an apology, I'd like to go to the tavern over there and ask you for a beer. ”

"My name is Leo, Sir Aerufat, and I'm afraid you haven't noticed me. But Master Thomas told me to keep an eye on you. You see, if Master Thomas hadn't been prepared, I'm afraid there would have been some unnecessary conflict. ”

Thomas was so attentive that Ashruphat suddenly felt that he had a better impression of the old man.

Ashrufat easily picked up another large glass. In front of him, William Daley's eyes were already red, his body was shaking, and he was almost dying.

The battle at the wine table was started by this knight. The empty barrel on the edge of the table illustrates how fierce their battle had been. William Daly did have the ability to laugh at the wine table—if he hadn't met Ashrufat.

Leo didn't get involved. He knew very well that even if he joined, he would not make any difference in the ending. This knight named Eshurufat was not impressive, but he drank a staggering amount.

"Again...... Again...... Come again......" William Daly spoke, his tongue out of his mind. He held his glass, and the wine kept spilling from the glass.

"Alright, William Daley, don't drink any more. Leo softly advised.

"No...... Be sure to ...... Dry this ......" said so, but he was already drunk, and could not hold on any longer, and fell on the table, snoring loudly.

"So, Master Thomas...... Only he was ......" Watching William Daley fall, Aehuruphat turned to continue the conversation with Leo just now.

"Well, as long as Thomas is around, there's absolutely no way we're going to lose!" Leo raised his glass to the ceiling. "Let's toast to the invincible Count Thomas. ”

"Many years ago, Cassilos was at war with Paro. At that time, although we St. Jean and Casillos were allies, they were far from being as close as they are now. Cassilos was defeated in consecutive battles and had to call us for help. It's a pity that at that time, we, St. Jean, were busy clearing out the green-skinned orcs, and we really couldn't pull out the army in a hurry. So the king sent Cassilos the smallest reinforcement ever - Lord Thomas alone, with a few retinues at most. As a result. A few months later, Paro's army was shattered. Master Thomas led the Cassilos army to take Paropaus's ass and drive them back to their hometown in one fell swoop. By the way, it also captured the famous Wolf's Mouth Castle. Before Lord Thomas and His Majesty the King retired, Paro did not even dare to breathe. ”

"There won't be a difference this time! As long as Count Thomas comes out of the mountain, Paro's ambition will only be a flower in the moon mirror in the water!"

"Is it really that powerful?" said Ashrufat, a little confused. He had heard similar rumors, but when he asked Thomas this question during the day, why did Thomas seem reluctant to mention the past?

"But Thomas...... The Count, who seems reluctant to mention...... Past glories. ”

He certainly didn't want to mention it. It's an open secret, though. He spent many years on the road, and as a result, he did not have time to take care of his family. Some of the rats who lost to him on the battlefield actually attacked his territory one night and killed his wife and children...... So you see, Master Thomas is still alone. It was his eternal remorse and pain. You must not mention these things in front of Master Thomas, or no one will know what will happen to them. ”