The Lord of Ashes

The squadron leader’s voice was loud.

When he knelt on one knee in front of Thain with knightly etiquette, not only Thain was stunned, but even the pedestrians and civilians around him made a "wow" sound.

In the eyes of common people, nobles are mysterious and noble after all.

Earl Bauhinia has a good reputation in the territory and even the entire Lycian Alliance.

But there are very few civilians who have actually seen him.

Since this is Grant City, if the person who appears in front of you is really the Earl...

The nearby civilians couldn't help but kneel down. They knelt on their knees.

And as the word "Count" spread among the people, more and more civilians began to kneel down.

Centered at the city gate where Thain stood, the people of Grant City knelt down in front of him in a fan shape.

The civilians further away did not see what was going on here, but seeing so many civilians and even soldiers on duty kneeling down, this situation gradually affected other areas of Grant City.

An incident that I don't know can be called a riot occurred in the east city of Grant City.

Of course, not everyone is affected. There are always some sober people in the crowd, especially those who have actually seen the Earl of Bauhinia.

A middle-aged man wearing steel chain armor and running down from the city in a hurry was first shocked when he saw Thain's face.

There was a bit of surprise in his expression, but more of it was anxiety and some kind of indescribable excitement.

This middle-aged man is not as young as the squadron leader. He is a veteran who has followed Earl Grant in the north and south for many years.

It's actually wrong to say that he is middle-aged, he is already old.

It's just that his fighting spirit strengthens his physique and he looks stronger, so he gives the impression of a middle-aged man.

This middle-aged man wearing chain armor is the captain of the defense team in Dongcheng District.

After he appeared, he first kicked the squadron leader who was kneeling on the ground, muttered something unknown, and then came to Thain.

This middle-aged man would never mistake anyone. He personally watched the Earl and his entourage leave Grant City three months ago.

Even if he was a real earl, it would be difficult for him to travel back and forth to the center of the Lycian Alliance - Skolway City in such a short period of time.

What's more, Thain is not an Earl!

Although it was clear that the man in front of him was not the Earl, the captain did not lose his respect. Instead, he walked up to Thain and asked politely: "Who are you?"

The captain in front of him somehow felt familiar to Thane when he saw him.

But Thain didn't remember who the other party was at all. Faced with the captain's question, Thain pondered briefly and replied: "My name is Thain."

Thain is his real name, just like Grant's surname. It is a term that Thain will never forget in his memory after he was kidnapped to the Underdark when he was a child.

Thain's answer made the captain in front of him visibly shaken.

Thane saw a look of disbelief and surprise in his eyes.

"Restore order in Dongcheng District immediately. I need to take this gentleman to the castle!" The captain ordered the squadron leader who was kicked over by him just now, and then looked at Thain.

Thain nodded and said to the captain, "Lead the way."

…

The incident that happened in the East City District not only caused the residents of Grant City to talk about it for a period of time, but also stunned the groom of Thain and some of the magic organization personnel who came to Grant City with him.

"It seems that the senior apprentice's identity is not simple. Does he have something to do with Earl Grant?"

A senior apprentice from the Fire Emblem organization muttered to himself as he watched Thain and the garrison captain leaving.

Earl Grant's power and status in the Likian Alliance meant that even a senior apprentice like him had to deal with it carefully.

Facing the muttering of this senior apprentice, another intermediate apprentice who was traveling with him said, "Elder Domwall is already on his way here. This time, the elder will come forward, so there is a chance that he will be drawn into the organization." bigger."

"If that senior apprentice is really only in his twenties and possesses a highly skilled alchemy skill, it's no wonder that the organization attaches so much importance to it."

…

Sitting in the carriage, Thain headed all the way to the north of the city, led by the garrison captain on a war horse.

There are four city gates in Grant City, but only three of them are open during normal times. Only the north city gate is closed all year round.

Because the North City Gate is connected to Grant City’s city-within-a-city, which was built with a huge cost of manpower and material resources.

A large castle was built.

The Earl of Bauhinia and his noble relatives live in the castle all year round.

Also living in the castle are many maids and servants who serve the Grant family, as well as an elite private army that is only loyal to the Grant family.

Therefore, although the castle is just a city within a city, there are also four to five thousand people living in it.

When we arrived at the huge stone castle, we looked at the majestic city wall in front of us and the huge stone lion standing on the top of the castle.

Thain in the carriage suddenly said, "Well, I seem to have some impression of that stone lion."

The huge stone lion carved on the top of the castle building seems to be the shape of a relatively rare monster.

The lion has a white feather on each side of its ribs, and a single horn on its forehead.

Just from the appearance, it doesn't look like an ordinary monster.

"That's the guardian beast of our Grant Territory, sir." the guard captain said respectfully.

He didn't call Thain by his name directly, nor did he give Thain any special title. He just respectfully called Thain "my lord".

In the carriage, Thain was silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, Thain said: "You don't need to be so respectful to me. It can be seen that you are an old man of the Grant family."

"Although I don't remember exactly who you are, there is such a passage in my memory."

Thain paused and imitated the scene in his memory: "Stretch your legs, keep your breath steady, look forward, and try to mobilize the strength of your left hand..."

Before Thain finished speaking, the guard captain riding on the horse outside let out a choked sob.

He is obviously an extremely strong man, and his strength seems to have reached the level of a high-level attendant, but he is actually crying at this moment?

"Yes, Master, I am Old John, and it was I who taught you the initial breathing method." The guard captain jumped off his horse, knelt on one knee in front of Thain's carriage and choked with sobs.

Tears streaked down the guard captain's cheek. It was also at this time that the wrinkles on the guard captain's face became extremely obvious.

This is indeed not a middle-aged man, he is already old.

In view of his many years of service to the Grant family, Earl Bauhinia did not allow him to continue serving in the army, but gave him a sinecure as a garrison captain to spend his old age.