Section VII Conflict

"I don't know if Lu Dao will choose a lieutenant general from among a few of us. Leo explained to Ashrufat. "Many of the border lords did not arrive because of the rain. In terms of strength, it is more appropriate to choose those lords who have not arrived. But if they refuse to come, it will be a shame. If you choose from the people present, then we all have a good chance. When we get rid of Paro, there is no escaping the status of an earl. It's really exciting......"

A man violently pushed Leo away and stood in front of Ashrufat. None other than Ryan.

"Who are you, and what are you qualified to be here?" asked Ryan haughtily.

"Ryan, this is Sir Essrubat. You should have met once. Leo introduced.

"Sir Ashrufat?" Ryan looked at the other with a questioning look. Ashrufat could only nod his head, indicating that Leo was right.

"Oh, that's right. Lord Ashrufat. Ryan raised his voice and deliberately accentuated the word "adult" to form a sarcastic tone. "Can you tell me what title you have?"

His voice was so loud that it caught the attention of the vast majority of those present. People gathered to see what was going on.

Thomas was in a corner talking to the black-robed king, but he looked up in surprise when he noticed the commotion in the middle of the party.

"Why? can't tell?" asked Ryan sarcastically.

"That's enough, Ryan!" Leo tried to pull him away, but Ryan pushed him away again.

"Knight Leo, I'm just asking this Sir Eshurufat a very simple question. It's not a human thing, is it? Can't you even ask this kind of question?"

"I got the title of Duke from a certain king. Ashrufat replied.

"May I take the liberty of asking about the king's honorific title?" Ryan's words were very polite, and the more polite they were, the more sarcastic they became.

"This ...... It's a bit of a private secret. ”

"A private secret? A king, can't he tell others about his honorific title? Is that the king not at all? Or is the king's throne self-proclaimed and has no land or people?"

Ryan deliberately dragged out his voice so that everyone present could hear him.

Ashrufat felt a slippery coldness in his stomach. But he knew that he could not answer such a question, so he could only remain silent.

"If the king's name cannot be announced, may I take the liberty of asking, Your Excellency Duke Ashrufat, where is your fief?

"Nope. Ashruphat was silent for a long time, and finally spat out two words.

"No mining, simple titles...... Hahaha...... Ha Lu Ha ...... Ha...... Do I have the good fortune to know, Lord Duke Ashrufat, where is your coat of arms? Don't you even have your coat of arms?"

"I have it!" said Ashrufat, preferring a dragon or some other monster in front of him. If there's a dragon or a troll in front of him, he'll at least be able to fight. But on the battlefield of this language, he does not even have the ability to defend himself. Ryan was right. He asked very simple, ordinary questions. But Ashrufat could not answer.

"Yes, the coat of arms of the nobility is not just a matter of finding a painter and drawing two strokes on a piece of paper or cloth. Instead, it should be etched into the cuirass or shield. Oh, I forgot, Lord Eshuruphat is from the Central Seven Kingdoms, where the knights require neat armor and generally do not have personal coats of arms. But your shield should have your coat of arms engraved on it, right?

He shouted the last sentence vigorously, his voice full of naked hostility and provocation.

"Of course he has a shield and a coat of arms. A voice rang out. Thomas appeared in the middle of the crowd. "I've already called someone to get it. ”

Before he could finish speaking, a servant appeared at the entrance with a shield and ran towards the crowd. The shield was a knight's shield with a sharp tip at the top and bottom, and in the middle of the shield, a red dragon was carved into it.

"This is the ...... of Sir Eshurufat," Thomas said, holding his shield and showing it to the crowd. "Blood Dragon Crest. ”

"The dragon coat of arms is usually associated with elves. Only elves have the ability to tame dragons. Thomas explained, looking at the coat of arms. "With blood red as the keynote, it means fighting and blood. Normally, red is the dominant color only if you take significant damage. For example, in a battle in which the king died on the battlefield, the surviving knights would often change the main color of their coat of arms to red. Or the nobles who swore revenge would also paint the main color red. It is related to the elves, and it involves revenge and harm...... I remember that to the east of the Central Seven Kingdoms, there was a small country called Cell, which bordered the Elven Race, and more than ten years ago, Cell, was destroyed by Turan, one of the Seven Kingdoms...... Sir Lane, you really should take some time to study heraldry, or you wouldn't have asked such a stupid question!"

Thomas lowered his shield and looked at Ryan.

When Thomas said this, Ryan was stunned for a while. What he thought was a flawless battle plan suddenly turned into a flawed one. There were boos from the crowd, and the rest of the crowd was talking. The knights cast a disdainful glance at Ryan, or a sympathetic look at Aerufat.

"Apologies to Sir Aerufat, Lane. Thomas commanded majestically.

"I'm sorry...... Sir Ashrufaat...... "It was a long time before Ryan reluctantly spoke.

In another corner of the venue, the old king in black and the little princess stayed together.

"You see, they're in conflict...... Some questioned the noble ......origin of the Sir Essrubat," said the old man in black, to his granddaughter. "This is a good opportunity to test your wit!

"Resolved...... How to ......"

"Use your brains to solve it!" said the old man, angrily, poking the princess with his cane. "I'll give you some hints, though......" he muttered in a low voice.

"That Ashruphat must be rewarded...... He abandoned the Dukedom title of the Paro people and the fiefdom of a province. If such heroic deeds are not rewarded, they will appear mean and unkind, and their subordinates will be distracted. But don't reward too much, or the other knights will be jealous and resentful. And in your hands, there is no actual territory to be used for rewards. An empty promise can lead to widespread dissatisfaction, and a solid promise for the future can cost you a lot of ...... Think it through. Since that Ashrufat could resist such a high bounty, it showed that he was a proud man. The proud need a reward of honor! You see, remember, it's all the knights of St. Jean, and you have to emphasize that you are the princess of St. Jean. ”

Ryan turned around and tried to leave, only to find that the princess was walking this way. Irina passed him by, not looking at him much, but went straight to Ashrufat.

"Count Thomas, borrow your sword and use it. She said.

Thomas turned the sword upside down and handed it to her.

"Sir Aerufat, please kneel. Irina said.

Ashruphat was stunned for a moment, but still knelt down on one knee as Irina had requested.

Irina raised her sword and slammed it Ashrufat's shoulder.

"Sir Eshurufat, I grant you the title of Count in the name of Casillos and St. Jean, the sole successor. I will give you the region of Danden as your fief. From now on, you are my knight, are you willing to fight for me?"

"Yes, I would love to. ”

"Good. Princess Irina looked around. "From now on you are a nobleman of my St. Jean, and no one can question your origin and status. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen. She loudly announced to everyone around her. "I now officially declare war on the kingdom of Paro as the sole successor of St. Jean and Casilos!, loyal servants of St. Jean, will you lend me your strength, follow my banner, and fight with me?"

"Obey your will!" all of them half-knelt and swore aloud.

"Count Thomas. Irina looked at Thomas. "I appoint you as the Grand General of St. Jean, and I am responsible for commanding and commanding all my troops. ”

"Count Ashrufat, Sir William Daly, Sir Lane, Sir Leo. I appoint you lieutenant general, under the command of Marshal Thomas. I hope you can unite to drive out the Paro people and restore the land!"

"There are other kings. I hope you will fight bravely under Marshal Thomas. Marshal Thomas, I hereby grant you the privilege of canonizing knights! Until I declare that I revoke this privilege, you may, in my name, confer knighthood on those who have performed valiantly on the battlefield. I also give you the privilege of executing traitors. Any nobleman who betrays the loyalty of his subordinates, goes against the way of knighthood, and surrenders to the invading Paro army, you can execute and confiscate the territory in my name!"

......

Although the Paros pursued them closely, and on many occasions they were only a thin line away from their goal. But Princess Irina managed to escape from them. Four months later, in the outlying area of Saint-Jean, the princess, with the support of the border lords, officially returned to the country. She appointed the legendary and eighty-year-old veteran Thomas as the commander, and gathered strength to fight against the pursuers.

When the princess raised her army, she had only a dozen knights and a thousand militiamen, and she looked really vulnerable. But this situation did not last long. After learning that the princess was safe and sound, Cassilos and the lords of St. Jean rallied and raised their troops in response. Especially in Casilos, a rebellion against Paro's rule is in full swing. The Paro army found themselves compelled to concentrate all their forces on suppressing the resistance from all over the place. This deprived them of the original, and best of all, chance to eliminate Princess Irina. Their only hope was that the Greyhound Knights, a group of bandits and robbers they had recruited, would be able to crush even the Princess's resistance. In fact, this is also really possible, because this army has a large numerical advantage.

—Excerpt from "History of the Styghian Wars"