Verse 14 interlude

Many military books record Thomas's strategy of using troops under Saidin's castle, which is a clever use of psychological pressure to force the enemy to retreat, so as to capture the castle without losing a single soldier. This brilliant strategy is a classic and is considered by many to be a work of genius.

Objectively speaking, the greyhounds also performed well. They managed to organize a retreat in the middle of the night and delayed the enemy for a day in disguise. In the ensuing blockade, he was also remarkable, fighting Thomas's pursuing forces in a close battle and finally successfully withdrew. But all these things are not worth mentioning in the face of Thomas's achievements. In fact, it is often described that the greyhound is composed of outcasts and robbers, poorly equipped, disorganized, scattered at the first beat, and flees at the first fright, completely ignoring the swiftness and decisiveness of the previous greyhound.

Despite the small scale of the battle in the mountains, it was accompanied by the fall of Setin. The situation in Saint-Jean became clear.

Because the pursuit of Princess Irina was their first priority, the Paros did not take the opportunity to control all of St. Jean. The vast majority of the lords of St. Jean were unable to act because the dragons were leaderless or because the greyhounds had controlled the main routes of communication (of course, it could be for other reasons). But the fall of Sedin put an end to all wait-and-see. As soon as Princess Irina entered the castle of Sedin, she immediately gave orders for all the lords to swear allegiance to her and immediately led an army to join her (strangely, King Rangier I of St. Jean, although still alive, refused to rule again, and instead handed over power to his granddaughter, Princess Irina). Many people believe that this is because the king is too old to hold the throne. Others believe that the king was sick and could not see anyone. However, these details are no longer verifiable. ）。

Hordes of messengers sprang out of the Sedin, galloping in all directions with letters from the princess and the retiring king. The remaining greyhounds were forced to retreat towards Casilos, but were left in a difficult position and slowed down until they were overtaken by General Thomas. Then, in a battle without suspense, the tired and frightened Greyhound Knights were quickly routed by the attack of St. Jean's army.

However, everyone knows that the so-called "Greyhound Knights" are just a patchwork of troops improvised by the Paro people. The main goal of organizing this force was to pursue Princess Irina, not to capture St. Jean, so they were all lightly armoured, lacking armor, magicians, and even a few cannons. Once the princess is on her feet, eliminating these greyhounds is no challenge at all. Princess Irina's real enemy, Paro's regular army, is still in Cassilos at the moment.

Princess Irina was busy building her court in order to achieve effective rule over St. Jean. Thomas was busy gathering his forces, sweeping away the remaining Greyhound forces in the country, and enlisting the support of the prophetesses. The Paro army was busy further suppressing Cassilos' resistance and stabilizing the rear.

The war paused for a moment, like the stillness of the moment before the storm......

—Excerpt from "History of the Styghian Wars"

"The one you see right away is the Duke of Landwin, the largest and most powerful lord of St. Jean's South, the lord of the city of Paraon. Their family has mastered Pegasus training methods for generations. But in reality he is a high-spirited, stupid idiot. The old man said behind her. "He'll tell you as fast as he can that he's better suited for the position of general than Thomas. ”

When the word "general" was spoken, the sarcasm erupted from the old man's nose so strong that it sounded as if he was giggling.

"He is a fool, and if he really becomes the commander of the army, he is likely to make irreparable mistakes for the sake of impulse. He was too stupid to let go, and too powerful to ignore. But he wasn't stupid enough to do anything to get himself hanged, which was a misfortune. ”

The black-robed old man carefully introduced the personality characteristics of these visitors in every detail. In fact, the old man wants to instill in her the experience and knowledge accumulated over decades of life in a matter of days. Sometimes, she feels like a vegetable goose that is being fattened.

"Remember, you silly girl!" the ivory-handled wooden cane stabbed on her side ribs, and the pain was so painful that she almost wanted to cry. It's worse than the goose, at least the goose won't be poked like this, she thought.

But by this time she was almost in the antechamber. At least the old man knew that he should stop here. The poke on her side still hurts, but she can at least smile.

"Princess Irina has arrived!" the master of ceremonies' voice was loud. The girl walked into the hall, graceful and elegant, with a good demeanor.

All the people in the hall saluted immediately. The bald stranger in the middle was undoubtedly Duke Landwin. His dress has gold-trimmed embroidery and a sapphire collar. Judging by his appearance alone, probably anyone would think that he was the king.

Randwin began to speak. The first thing he did was to announce to the princess the gift he had brought, ten highly trained royal pegasius. But except for this one thing, the rest of his words are nonsense. He was using a variety of words to describe his devotion to the princess and to St. Jean. And his ability to excel – militarily, politically, and personally. If his word is to be believed, then Irina has discovered the greatest man in the world of this era.

Perhaps the greatest man in the entire history of mankind.

When Landwin's tirade finally came to an end, he began to make small demands. This is indeed a "small" request relative to the abilities described in his mouth. He hopes to become prime minister or general. Of course, it's best to work part-time.

"Count Thomas is currently in the position of Grand General, and I think he is doing a good job in his position at the moment. ”

Randwin's face twitched, and then he muttered something that no one could hear. If Irina was not mistaken, he was emphasizing that he was far more capable than Thomas.

At least Thomas wouldn't be so rambling. Irina thought so. When Thomas looked at him, his eyes were far less flickering than Randwin's.

And while she was running for her life, only Thomas was ready to fight and rescued her. Even without her grandfather's harsh comments, she couldn't make this Landwin a general.

"As for the selection of the prime minister, I think it should be put on hold for the time being until the courtiers are formally organized. ”

Landwin smiled. He began to express his admiration and gratitude to the princess at length once again. Although Irina didn't feel that she had done anything worthy of thanks.

The meeting finally came to an end. Before Landwin retired, he emphasized once again that all Pegasus did not have an owner. And he can also provide a batch if the princess wants to.

These words piqued Irina's curiosity.

She couldn't help but want to meet the Pegasus who didn't have an owner. Pegasus is a very noble animal, and has a strong bond with its owner, and will never allow a second person to step on his back, not anyone. When Irina was a child, she wished she could ride a flying horse and soar into the sky. But unfortunately, the Pegasus that arrived at the palace had a master. She could only watch as these beautiful animals carried their owners away.

She hurried towards the passageway, anxious to change into a riding outfit. She deserves a pegasus. She's the heir to the throne of St. Jean, she's ......

The black-robed old man was looking at her there, his eyes shining with a chilling light.

"Follow me to my room. The old man commanded. She had no choice but to obey.

"What are you giving that idiot boring hope for?!, he's going to brag that he's become the only candidate for prime minister, and mess up a lot of things!" the old man roared, smacking her hard with his tough cane.

"Originally, things would not have been so troublesome, everything was caused by your dead ghost father! And your mother who is no different from an idiot! I gave St. Jean to them, what did they do? In their court, there were only Cassilos! The nobles of St. Jean did not even occupy an important position. Now they and their court are all finished!, but the nobles of St. Jean feel the danger, and they need you to arrange the appropriate positions immediately, or they will fear being abandoned again and isolated from the center of power!"

"If you can't get the wholehearted support of the nobles of St. Jean, then you won't be able to win this war! If you make a wish now, then the nobles of Casillos will feel the same crisis in the future! When you march into Cassilos, the nobles will hesitate!"

The girl gritted her teeth. Although it was pumped through clothes, the place where it was pumped by the cane must have been swollen.

She did her best not to let the sound of the wail pass through her throat. I can't cry! I can't let him see my submission! I will be the queen of this kingdom!

"You didn't cry, it's still an improvement. ”

The wooden cane reached into the girl's chin and, despite her resistance, forcibly lifted her face, forcing her to look at the old man's face again.

On the face of the black-robed old man, there were many strange and distorted tumors. If an ordinary person suddenly sees this kind of face, they should not be able to control the urge to vomit.

"You're hating me, aren't you? But you're afraid of me! Hate and fear are two very important feelings. You can't resist me, though the nobles and knights alike are swearing allegiance to you and swearing to fight for you. But your power comes entirely from me. The reason why they curtsy and confess their loyalty to you is simply because you are my granddaughter and the heir of my bloodline. If you rebel against me, you are denying your bloodline. In that case, you're nothing in St. Jean!

"But don't worry, I won't give you up easily. Because you are indeed my youngest blood heir. Now, I'll teach you an important lesson!"

The cane slammed firmly on her cheek. She didn't need to touch it to know that there was a clear red mark on her face. Even if it's not yet, it will appear in half a minute.

"Change your clothes right away. In an hour at most, Countess Rowling will come to see you. She is a very capable woman, and is very suitable to serve as your court supervisor and advisor, guiding you through the various customs of the court, as well as other minor matters. But remember that her daughter, Rowling Jr., is a beautiful stupid goose, and she has little to do with her!"

The black-robed old man left the room. The moment the door closed, her tears flowed uncontrollably. The girl threw herself on the soft bed and whimpered. The blood oozing from the wound should have seeped into the clothing and stuck to the fabric. It will be very painful to take it off.

But she knew that she had to quickly take off the clothes on her body and change into a dress suitable for meeting women. She will also smile and tell others that the red marks on her face are the result of a small accident. Maybe it's more appropriate to say that you have been scratched by a hook.

I am the Queen. She thought to herself in tears, but I can only endure it now!