Section 195 returns

At dusk, Ashrufat finally arrived in the town.

The so-called "Lookout Mountain Running Horse Running Dead Horse" refers to this situation. Although it may not seem like the town is very far away, it actually took a lot of time to get to the town.

A cavalry team of more than ten people did not cause any commotion in this town at all. This is one of the ferry crossings in the river bay, and although it is not the largest, it is also a very important one. In fact, the formation of such a small town is entirely due to this ferry port.

While Ashruphat could travel day and night without getting tired, his men couldn't. Even if his men managed to hold on, the horses would not be able to withstand it.

However, it was easy for a dozen or so people to find a place to rest, as the taverns in the town had enough room to accommodate so many guests. This was partly due to the war, and partly due to seasonal issues, and the number of caravans was greatly reduced.

The lobby was quite lively during dinner. Although it is not a full house, it happens to gather several teams that like to be lively. On the left side of the tavern, a group of people were drinking and playing cards there, and the atmosphere was very lively, and it was obvious from their clothing that they were some caravan mates. In the center of the tavern, another group of armed men were drinking and bragging, foaming at the mouth, apparently a group of mercenaries. In a nearby corner, a few guests quietly enjoyed fruit wine and roast lamb. The guests were also armed and could be seen at first glance as the type of people who had undergone a long period of training and were very good at fighting, but they did not have the rough feeling of the other two groups, but instead appeared quiet and educated. At the feet of these guests, several shields reclined, all painted with striking patterns.

Knowledgeable people can tell at a glance that these are mercenaries - the kind that have not yet found an employer.

Since the lobby was not full, the various groups had previously formed a state of being in a state of each other's own affairs, each doing its own thing, and not interfering with each other. At least at mealtime.

The tavern hosts brought roast chicken, lamb and fresh bread. In addition, there is a small amount of alcohol. Although Ashruphat no longer needs food, he can still feel the extraordinaryness of his cooking. In terms of culinary skills, there have always been two points of view, one is that precious ingredients and exquisite craftsmanship are inseparable, and the other is that ordinary ingredients are used to make extraordinary dishes is truly mastery. This disagreement of opinion has not yet come to a conclusion, but with this culinary skill, there is definitely a reason why this tavern is the only tavern in the town.

Just as Ashrufat had finished his dinner, though he had eaten only casually, a few more guests walked in. These were also out-of-town guests, and it was even more coincidental that the newcomers seemed to know the group of braggart people, and immediately greeted each other, and then joined the bragging table very enthusiastically.

“...... Hey, have you heard, the general Eshufate who destroyed the city of Fornoros seems to be a terrorist cultist. Otherwise, how could he have committed such a crime......"

"Where is there such an exaggeration, just a rough and cruel person. No, he searched and searched and couldn't find Byron's grandson, and he was furious......"

“...... Murder and arson......

The lively discussion of a group of people raised the atmosphere of the entire lobby to a higher level. It turned out that the groups of people drinking and dining at this time were distinct from each other, but now this group of people in the center of the tavern has attracted the attention of all the diners. Even the mercenaries in the corners who had been eating and didn't talk much

"Hey," a man who looked like a caravan guy leaned in, "may I ask what you were talking about about the city of Fornoros...... Is it true?"

"It's really bad, the whole city has been driven out into the wilderness and executed...... There's no one alive in that city now!"

"It can't be, that General Ashrufat......"

"Born as a mercenary! Although I don't mean to look down on mercenaries, you know that all kinds of mercenaries have ......."

Is it already notorious? Ashrufat chuckled inwardly.

One of the guards tried to stand up with the hilt of his sword in hand, but Ashrufat made a gesture to stop the guards.

"After eating, everyone will go back to rest, and tomorrow we may be in a hurry for a day. Ashrufat said lightly.

Now the news of Fornoros City must have reached Eagle Falcon City.

......

Ellen walked along the garden path to her office. The garden has not been manicured for a long time, but no matter how tall the weeds grow, they can't cover the trail because there are so many people coming and going.

It was undoubtedly a wise decision for the little queen to choose this "former regent's residence" as her temporary palace at the beginning, because at that time, the number of people in the newly established court was limited. But as time went on, as the situation changed, although this court became more and more complete and more numerous. Now the makeshift palace is a bit overcrowded. Not to mention anything else, Irene just went to the toilet, and on the way back, he met six waves of people who needed to say hello.

"Your Excellency," said several people who were already waiting at the door of the Prime Minister's office – because the space was so small that there was no waiting room, so guests waiting for the Prime Minister to receive them had to wait at the door.

Well, the temporal palace is too small to lead to this situation - a situation that Allyn doesn't like. It felt like he was barricaded at the door.

One of these men was a member of the court...... An insignificant petty official or something, Elenn has an impression but can't name it. It seemed that he was leading the way, and the others were much stranger. However, from the dress, expression, temperament and other details of several people, it can be seen that these people are some small and medium-sized nobles. There were a lot of such people in Eagle City, so Elenn didn't have any memories of them. As a vassal of the kingdom, Irynne now sees many people every day. Especially this kind of aristocrat who has an inexplicable relationship, relies on those who can't be beaten, and then finds a petty official who is not in the flow as an introducer. In fact, almost every day, such people come to the door to see the prime minister and then try to ask for an official position. At first, Irene could barely handle a few, but now, he was no longer interested.

But no matter what, politeness still has to be there. So both sides politely greeted each other.

"Is there anything you can do?" Aryn asked first. Because he couldn't remember the names of these people, he had to use the neutral title of "everyone".

"Your Majesty the Queen...... Still no news? I mean......"

"Her Majesty has just gone out," Elenn was a little unfazed. The little queen just went about leaving as usual—nothing unusual for the state—to be troubled by what would cause so many people to be uneasy. Is this an alternative distrust of the prime minister?" ”

"But what about the Grand Director Skadra?"

"Of course, he accompanied the queen away. Allyn asked. "Isn't it the duty and power of the Grand Governor of the Court to arrange the Queen's itinerary and take care of the Queen's daily life? Is there anything to question about all this? The Grand Governor Skadera is a very experienced minister, and I have always trusted him in his arrangements. ”

"You know them...... Where have you been?"

"I forgot to ask Skadera about that. Ellynn replied. "But Her Majesty the Queen wants to do a little parade. Of course, maybe it's the opinion of the church. ”

Ellynn gave a small hint. The news of the war on the northern border, that is, the barbarian invasion, had already arrived. Things weren't as bad as the Church's gangs of godlike goats thought, though—at least for the common people of Eagle Falcon, the South's war against Byron was more of a source of attention. At the top, including Allyn and the Little Queen, the entire kingdom decided to deal with the henchmen in the south first, and then deal with the barbarian invaders in the north.

So far, this resolution is correct. Because the armies of the barbarians were never able to break through the kingdom's carefully arranged castle defenses. Although there is also some news of the fall of scattered small cities, the main fulcrum of the defense line, several key cities, are still impregnable, making the barbarians helpless.

"But...... But ......" the leader was clearly speechless.

"In the absence of the Queen, I will assume all powers. Ellen finally put on a more unceremonious tone. "Something is right for me. ”

"Prime Minister, we are here...... Verify one thing. The nobleman finally spoke. "I heard that Her Majesty's crusading army has captured the city of Fornoros?"

"Ah, this, I've got the intel. Eryn was not surprised. Unlike many people, since he came to Eagle Falcon City to take up the post of Prime Minister, he has always believed that it is definitely only a matter of time before the little queen defeats Byron and crushes the rebellion. It's hard to say exactly where this confidence came from, but it turns out to be right. "It is said to be the Count of Ashrufat...... Tunnels dug and the walls of Fornoros were blasted? I really wanted to see Byron again, but nine times out of ten I didn't have the chance. ”

His last sentence was slightly sarcastic. What will happen to the rebels, fools understand. Even if Byron had a fluke, he wouldn't have felt that he could be forgiven. From this point of view, once the city is broken, suicide is Byron's best choice.

"No, not this. We just ...... I just got word from the Chamber of Commerce......" said the nobleman whose name Elenn had forgotten. "Your Excellency...... Heard...... General Aehurufat in the city of Fornoros...... Ordered the entire city to be killed......"

"Ridiculous!" Eryn let out a cold snort. "The Byron will surely be put to death—there is no doubt about it. Byron's rebellious nemesis will also be killed—and they deserve it. Civilian casualties are inevitable in siege warfare – this is inevitable. Those mercenaries will take the opportunity to do some dirty things - this is conceivable. As for the rest, it's just rumors. ”