Mercenaries and Adventurers

Kil wiped his lips, stood up and followed the two priests.

Bloodfangster was also about to get up, but Keir pressed his hand to let him continue eating. After all, this matter was mainly related to him, and there was no need to involve Bloody Fangster.

Baron Kendall was about to dismount and return to a separate house dedicated to the military camp commander where he had stayed for the past two days to rest, when he saw two Saturnine priests walking towards him.

By the light from the brazier on the side, Baron Kendall recognized one of them as a priest accompanying the army, but he did not recognize the other one, but he was also a young priest of the Church of Saturn.

‘Perhaps a priest from a local church could join in? ’

He thought so, but soon learned otherwise.

"Good evening, my lords. This is a priest who traveled here from the southern province, named Padre Lothar Batal."

As the ecclesiastical force of the Kendal people, Priest Corral introduced the strange priest beside them to the two nobles.

Priest Batal knew that he had to show respect at this time, at least not to offend these two people, so he did a etiquette unique to the Church of Saturn.

He made fists with both hands, separated them left and right, made a gesture of holding something, and then bent down. This etiquette action imitates a farmer's plowing action and is considered a more formal one.

Baron Kendall and Knight Crow also responded with different etiquette according to their status.

"What's the matter? Since this Batar priest is from the southern province, maybe he can tell us about the actual situation in the southern province today?"

As the baron spoke, he guided everyone slowly towards the interior of the military camp.

Kil took two quick steps, returned to the place where he was eating, picked up Priest Batal's traveling luggage with one hand, made a move for Bloodyaster to return to his place of residence after eating, and then trotted to catch up with the people in front of him. people.

-

Everyone was talking as they walked, and the Baron also raised a bright ball of light from a ring to illuminate them.

The separate house where the military camp commander lives is different from the place where ordinary soldiers live. It is close to the wall of the military camp, rather than inside the row of red-tiled brick and wooden houses within the wall.

It was a separate, large, masonry and wooden house next to the wall. Because the baron had a lot of personal guards and attendants, in addition to this house specifically for the baron's temporary residence, there was also a house built for the baron's personal guards and attendants to stay overnight. A tent after another.

These tents tightly surround this single house. If you want to get close, you have to walk along the fence, or you can only approach from a passage left between the tents. This is all to serve and protect Baron Kendall at close range.

The carriages that the Baron had just traveled out of were all driven to the edge of other walls in the military camp, where the logistics carriages of the Kendall army were now parked. The scale of this logistics carriage shocked the local soldiers of Montauka.

But people who know a little bit about military affairs will not be surprised. After all, the Kendal people are an army that came from a very far away place, so this kind of logistical strength is a normal performance.

If there were fewer carriages, it would be strange to knowledgeable people.

As everyone walked into the hall on the first floor of the house where the baron lived, Priest Batal kept explaining his previous encounters.

He himself may have been thinking about the words he said to the nobles and knights above Kiel after he found Kiel, so he did not focus on describing the suffering suffered by the village because the person listening to him at the moment was not Kiel. This warrior cannot use the suffering of the people to gain sympathy.

So after Priest Batal briefly explained the reason why he came here, he mainly described the help of the God of Agriculture and his attitude towards this matter.

Priest Corral also intervened at the right time, saying that he himself had been inspired by the Saturnine on the way south to communicate with him, which would allow him to support Priest Batal's actions on this matter on behalf of the Kendall County Saturnalia Church.

"Oh? Can you represent the Saturnalia Church in Kendall City?"

After entering the hall of his temporary residence, Baron Kendall took off his gorgeous cloak and handed it to the attendant who had been accompanying him.

Although they had just entered the house, the attendants who had preceded the baron's motorcade back to the barracks had already lit up the stone fireplace in the hall of the house, dried and chopped the firewood to a suitable size. The flames were now rolling, radiating heat continuously to Throughout the halls of the house.

Crackling, the surface of the firewood in the fireplace made a crisp cracking sound as the carbonized part of the burning wood crackled.

As the baron spoke, he sat on the high-backed wooden chair next to the fireplace in the hall.

Priest Corral did not follow him to sit down. He bowed to the noble baron first and then said: "Lord, if it is just for this matter, I can represent the Kendal County Saturnalia Church to which I belong."

The Baron and Knight Crow looked at each other and laughed, finding it interesting.

"Then let's talk about it? Kil, come here too. You are a small vanguard of the army. Why are you so far away?"

Baron Kendall waved to Keir at the door of the hall and asked him to come and sit down.

Keir was no longer polite. He just didn't want to get in the middle of these people's conversation, even though the real subject of the conversation was himself.

After putting down Priest Batal's luggage at the door, he strode over, and Kil sat directly on a wooden chair with a backrest next to Knight Crow. This chair was quite old, and its surface was worn smooth by people's clothes, but it was very solid overall. When he sat down on it, the whole chair didn't sway.

The two priests looked at each other and then sat on the chair after Kiel, but they both sat on the other side of the baron's hand.

On the left are the Knights of Crow and Kiel, and on the right are two priests.

Priest Corral spoke first: "Sir, perhaps we can open several more farms on the north side of Kendall City next year." Priest Corral thought for a moment and then said: "The farmers needed for the farms can be provided by the church. Let’s organize it. As for the ownership of the farm, you two can propose it.”

The baron chuckled. This group of people from the Church of Saturn always do this, making small exchanges of interests.

But in fact, this is also possible. Several relatives in the family who do not have specific positions in the city can be arranged here. The provincial people always ask him to arrange positions in the city.

Although it is very normal to arrange relatives in the family to various positions in the city, which can improve the control of the city under his rule, he knows clearly the specific ability level of the relatives in the family.

The main power and influence of the family is Kendall City. Naturally, unsuitable people cannot be placed there. In the management of Kendall City, people with suitable abilities and different backgrounds must be carefully selected.

The farm is more suitable.

The farm is almost a small independent society. All management tasks are easy, but there are all kinds of trivial things all year round, which can easily consume the energy of those in the family.

So as not to bother him all the time.

So Baron Kendall looked at Knight Crow to see what the guide of Kiel's knight's path and the knight who directly managed the training required.

Knight Crow received the look from his old friend and knew that Baron Kendall didn't care about this matter and would be satisfied with a little gain. But he is different. He is very optimistic about the young man Kiel. If this young man can be trained in this war, Kiel will definitely take over part of the territory and power responsibilities in the county.

Then tie them to the chariot.

"Well, does it have to be Keir?"

Knight Crow's words made the two priests opposite look confused.

"what do you mean?"

Knight Crow took the hangover drink handed by the attendant, took a sip and said: "Why do you want to find Keir? He is just an ordinary young man who is training as a knight. The Church of Saturn follows him everywhere Do you have some connection with many family knights in the western provinces or the southern provinces? Why do you want to find a young man like him from the northwest province? "

The knight glanced at the baron, and then said: "Today I went to the banquet hosted by Viscount Montauca with the baron. At the banquet, I met many local young knights. Each one of them was brave and enthusiastic. If they listen When it comes to Changmai Village, I think I will prepare my own sophisticated weapons and horses, and use force and family connections appropriately to rescue the captured villagers."

The baron swung the wooden cup of hangover drink in his hand at the right time: "Just as the bards sang, when the young knight heard about the suffering, he was inspired by the gods. He drew his sword and swore an oath to kill the suffering villagers. He was rescued. After a twists and turns along the way, he met various partners, came up with various methods, defeated various bad guys, and finally rescued the villagers. Ah, a heroic story will be sung in the local area for a long time. "

Everyone present coughed awkwardly.

Knight Crow even felt that the red-faced Baron Kendall was probably still a little drunk, so he urged the baron to take a few more sips of the hangover drink.

Priest Corral smiled awkwardly: "Lord, you are really good at joking. Everyone knows that most of those stories are made up by bards, and some stories with real prototypes have also undergone a lot of artistic modifications. It was just performed and sung for the people to hear. How can real suffering be so easy and easy?"

Then Priest Batal coughed slightly: "Two adults, this is the meaning of the God of Agriculture. We can't guess the arrangements of the gods. Just like my previous experience, the God of Agriculture asked me to wait for someone to come in the tavern here. So, I waited for a long time. There were doubts, speculations, dissatisfaction, pain and other emotions that tormented my body and mind. But in the end, the one who came came. God has his own arrangements for this, and we don’t need to doubt its meaning."

Baron Kendall snorted disdainfully at this church statement, but did not say much else.

Today at Viscount Montauca's banquet, he heard a lot about the war in the southern province.

The people present at that time were all nobles like him. These local people were particularly well-informed, but as long as the news from these people was about the southern provinces, it was not good news that made people feel relaxed.

A group of people fleeing from nowhere came in again, the customs duties increased by another 20%, a caravan lost another group for no reason, and even the investigating personnel disappeared.

It wasn't that he had any intention of retreating, but Baron Kendall felt that he had to be more cautious before and after he arrived at the capital of the southern province to join the war. When the situation is unclear, it is best not to throw your troops into the battlefield.

"The gods have their own plans, hum. Kil, what do you think?"

Knight Crow looked at Kil next to him and asked him.

Keir rubbed his hands and shrugged: "I don't care. The suffering people have to come forward to save them, right? You can't just leave it like that, right or wrong. Besides, I haven't moved for a while, and my hands are a little itchy." "

"You guys, your hands are itchy? You'd better not get involved in bloody killings. As a knight, you must take the initiative to control everything about yourself. Whether it is strength or body, it also includes your own thoughts and spirit."

Knight Crow said a few words, and Kil nodded in recognition.

Kiir then said: "There is a question, what is the number and scale of the enemy, and how many people need to act together to rescue the trapped people?"

Priest Batal saw everyone around him looking at him. He became nervous and tried hard to recall the possible size of the rebel army: "Uh, about, probably, two hundred people, maybe this many?"

"Nonsense!"

Knight Crow scolded, not knowing who was talking nonsense.

"Hmph, then how many people has the God of Agriculture prepared to rescue the people?"

Faced with this question from Knight Crow, Priest Batal was confused. Only then did he realize one thing. God asked him to come here to look for the person who came, and he found it, but what happened next? The god didn't say anything more. It seemed that it was enough to find Keir.

Only then did he suddenly realize how outrageous this was.

In just a short moment, Priest Batal's head was covered with sweat, and he didn't know if it was because he was too close to the fireplace.

"You have nothing to say? If Kil is a formal knight like me, defeating an army of two hundred people is not impossible."

When Knight Crow said this, Priest Batal's eyes lit up again, but he immediately realized that he could not drive such a northern knight with his own interests and positions. This knight probably has the command of the army. Responsibility, it is impossible to really abandon the army and run to rescue the people.

Then, Knight Crow looked at Kiel beside him and asked openly: "Kil, do you think you can deal with an enemy of this size?"

But it was beyond the expectations of everyone present.

Keir's answer was particularly arrogant.

-

"I think it's possible, right? As long as the terrain is complicated and I have enough auxiliary forces to help, it's not impossible to try."

Kil's face was a little red, and the smile he showed when he spoke made everyone who saw it feel a little strange.

Knight Crow rolled his eyes. He felt that Kir might have swelled up after achieving success in knight training.

But Baron Kendall smiled. It was a good thing that his soldiers were so confident. He suddenly snapped his fingers, attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Everyone, we should support Kiir's bravery, right? To be honest, behind every seemingly impossible thing, there are actually three things that support the person in charge to really complete it, nothing else. The key point.”

The Baron held out a finger: "Strong faith and spirit."

Then he extended a second finger: "Adequate preparation power."

Finally, a third finger was extended: “Find the right solution.”

The Baron met the eyes of everyone present and said: "Little Kil is so brave, and since he became active last year, he has defeated many difficult enemies along the way. So he has the heart and spirit."

"As for the solution to your action this time, you need to take measures based on the actual situation, experience and wisdom, insight and ideas, etc."

"As for preparing the strength, someone will come."

Baron Kendall said this, summoning a personal attendant who was leaning against the wall in the hall waiting to be summoned at any time.

"Go to my carriage and get the dagger box on top of the valuables."

"Yes Master."

The middle-aged attendant received the order, and at the same time took the ring token that the baron threw to him when he gave the order, and then walked out of the hall.

"What are you doing?"

Knight Crowe looked at his old buddy with a puzzled expression. Others didn't know what the Baron was doing, except for Priest Coral who was thinking a little.

"I am increasing the possibility of completing this operation! Don't you think that Kil can't defeat those defeated enemies in large numbers by himself? I support him with a magic treasure that can be used in battle. Will you now Do you think something is different?"

Knight Crow was made to smile bitterly by Baron Kendall's move. Unexpectedly, Baron Kendall not only agreed to Keir's temporary departure from the army, but also followed the unfamiliar local priest Priest of Saturn to an unknown place to rescue someone who didn't know how to do it. What a lot of trouble for the many villagers.

Let’s not talk about whether it can be completed. I don’t know when Kiel will finish this series of things.

Knight Crow had no choice but to whisper his thoughts into the Baron's ear.

But the baron waved his hand and answered the Crow knight in the same low voice: "Do you think it will be delayed? No, I don't think so. It is spring now. I think that before the start of summer, the southern provinces will not be able to fight back this year. The southern provinces will not be able to fight back at all. The border nobles in the province suffered a defeat last year and their strength was greatly reduced. They can only count on armies from other places like us who have traveled far away, or the troops in the hands of powerful nobles from other places in the southern province."

The baron made a tangled gesture with his fingers: "If you think about it carefully, how much time does it take to test each other, find allies, negotiate interests, and finally form an army to attack? How many things? The southern border is because of the discovery The war only started because of the large iron ore veins. Outsiders like us can directly seduce them with the right to purchase part of the mined iron ore and the agreed discount, and send them home after the war is over. But other local nobles What? After the war is over, I can’t even guess how many of those border nobles will survive, nor can I tell how many of them were killed by our own people’s conspiracy.”

Knight Crow was silent for a moment: "This war is really a dishonorable place."

"No, the lost honor will be regained on the specific battlefield. No one will be interested in the conflicts of interests and calculations behind it, people!"

The Baron wagged his finger proudly: "They only like grand war narratives, the bloody battles of soldiers, the key battles that affect the situation, and the 'heroes' they boast about. They are curious and fascinated by them."

"In short, the nobles of the southern province will definitely launch a war this year, and it is impossible not to send troops. This is the general trend. But it is hard to say how long it will take. But I guess that little Kil is going out this time anyway, and he will definitely be able to Got caught up."

The baron said with a mocking smile.

Knight Crow sighed speechlessly.

War is like this. The more parties involved, the more troublesome things will be.

-

Soon, while the two priests lowered their heads and whispered, Keir rubbed his hands with a blushing face, and the two noble knights talked in low voices, the baron's personal attendant who had just left returned here holding a wooden box in his hand.

When the attendant was outside the door, he was followed by a baron's personal guard. It was not until he stood at the door that he saw that the personal attendant had indeed brought the precious magic item to the baron himself. The guard then confirmed and saluted and walked away. Return to your post.

"Master, the things are here."

The attendant presented the wooden box and at the same time returned the ring token given to him by the baron.

The ring token is what the Baron always wears on his finger, the ring engraved with his own noble emblem. This thing is generally used as a signature mark on letters. There is a small magic mechanism installed inside. After the ring surface is printed on the paper, it can leave a noble emblem that resembles fire and has a magical flash.

Of course, this ring that represents himself can naturally be used as a token for doing things.

The Baron handed the wooden box directly to Kil: "Open it and take a look. This thing was captured in your previous mission. A magic flame dagger called 'Heartfire'."

Kil opened the wooden box, and sure enough, there was a beautiful magic dagger wrapped in velvet and protected inside.

The surface of the weapon was gleaming, as if it was relieved that it could finally see the light of day again.