The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 139 Roland's Surprise

"Your Highness, Baron Bader of the Tupt Forest has sent someone to report... that a group carrying the Lagrange Dragon Banner is coming from the east, numbering about a hundred people, well-equipped and seemingly all of high-ranking professionals!" Renault suddenly lifted the tent flap and came in.

"Huh?" Roland, who was playing with the Smurf in his hand, suddenly looked confused. Roland searched his memory carefully and it seemed that he had never sent troops east of the Tupto Forest.

"No way..." Roland's eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed that he had recently signed in and received a story event - the Crusades!

"Could it be the remnants of that Crusader army who fled here?" Roland boldly guessed, and his guess was indeed the truth.

"Prepare the horses, I'm going to take a look!" Roland finally decided to go and see for himself. However, Roland had roughly determined the identity of this remnant army; it should be the Eastern Expeditionary Force of the Duchy of Nyx.

"However, I wonder how Grand Duke Nyx is doing... It would be such a pity if he was killed like in history!" Roland shook his head slightly. After all, Grand Duke Nyx was indeed handsome and could be considered a goddess to many men.

"What are you thinking about, sir? Is it about that army from the East?" asked Caslo, the ace henchman, considerately.

“Yes, that’s true. But I have a rough idea of ​​who this unit is. They are probably soldiers from the Duchy of Nyx…” Roland said casually.

"Huh? The easternmost duchy of the Empire?" Caslo exclaimed in surprise. This was a bit outrageous! The Lagrange Empire had collapsed; how did the tiny Duchy of Nyx manage to survive? Caslo was utterly baffled...

"Hehe~" Roland smiled mysteriously.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of horses' hooves, Roland and Caslo led the Elnino rangers on their eastward journey.

……

"What's going on?" Roland's eyes revealed exhaustion. He casually patted his plate armor, and dust immediately flew off his body. Roland and his men had been riding at breakneck speed all the way and hadn't had a proper rest at all.

"Your Highness, please rest for a while!" Bader advised, looking at Roland's bloodshot eyes.

"It's alright! Where is that army flying the Lagrange banner? I want to see them!" Roland waved his hand, interrupting Badr. He just wanted to see the true strength of this group that had joined him. After all, this crusade once included a knightly order! Roland figured this breakout army must be the Knights of the Bauhinia Cross, since the others didn't have that kind of strength. As for why they weren't on horseback, it was probably because the fierce fighting had reduced them from cavalry to infantry…

"Yes, Your Highness, they are encamped not far ahead!" Badr had no choice but to lead Roland and his party to where Nyx and the others were encamped.

"Hmm! A well-organized camp! Although small, it is fully functional!" Caslo surveyed the camp before him, and when he saw the log walls and the arrow towers standing at the four corners, his sense of identification with this unit grew much stronger.

“They must be one of us. The way this wooden wall is built is unique to Lagrang!” Caslo nodded slightly after noticing the shape and position of the ropes binding the wooden wall with his dragon knight’s eyesight. After all, the methods used by each race and faction to set up camp are not exactly the same.

The group slowly approached and stopped 200 meters from the camp. The reason for choosing this distance was to guard against the heavy javelins and armor-piercing spears that posed the greatest threat to knights! (In fact, archers of the same rank have little deterrent effect on knights; they are unlikely to inflict a fatal blow with a single strike. Conversely, melee classes such as warriors and other combatants equipped with javelins and spears pose a deadly threat to individual knights!)
Roland glanced at Caslo, who immediately understood. He spurred his horse forward two steps and said in a booming voice, "The army ahead! Prove that you belong to Lagrang! The King has arrived in person! If you dare to deceive His Highness, believe me, you will regret it!"

“Your Excellency Knight! Please verify the King’s identity! We need to confirm that you are not deceiving us!” the captain of the guard said cautiously.

"What a nuisance!" Caslo spat lightly. He actually appreciated the soldiers' caution. If they had opened the gate and bowed down immediately after he finished speaking, he would have had to question their identities.

Caslo casually pulled out the dragon flute hanging around his neck. With a melodious tune, a colossal dragon over twenty meters long, covered in blue scales, with wings and four claws, appeared before everyone. Although it differed somewhat in size from a real dragon, its imposing aura and ferocious horns unmistakably revealed that it was a true dragon! In other words, the somewhat roguish-looking knight before them was a genuine dragon knight!
"Dragon Knight!" The captain of the guard's pupils contracted sharply. Now, even if he didn't believe that the person on the other side was from the Kingdom of Lagrang, he could only leave it to fate. After all, a dragon knight riding a dragon could easily solo the Crusade like a dungeon.

“Your Highness, perhaps you should take a look, the dragon knights have appeared!” The captain of the guard jumped down from the wooden wall and came into the tent to Nyx’s respectful address.

“Dragon Knights? Those are the pinnacle of the Empire’s combat power!” Nyx smiled, her eyes narrowing, revealing her strong sense of belonging to the Lagrange Empire.

……

"Grand Duchess Nyx requests an audience with His Majesty!" Nyx emerged gracefully from the camp, curtsying slightly as she lifted her skirt. More importantly, she addressed Roland as "Your Majesty!" This was the exclusive title of the Lagrange Emperor, indicating that in Nyx's heart, Lagrange was still the same empire!
"Your Excellency, please rise. I am unworthy to be called Your Majesty. The Empire is shattered, our territory is pitifully small, and we can barely maintain the scale of a kingdom, let alone an empire!" Roland dismounted and stepped forward, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Is there still a force on this land capable of defeating the dragon knights?" Nyx asked curiously, her face flushed, for in her mind, the Empire's dragon knights were invincible!
"It's not the enemy, it's our small population that's limiting our development!" Roland sighed. After all, only a few refugees joined each day, and the population base couldn't grow, leaving Roland helpless.
“Hmm…” Nyx nodded obediently. She suddenly thought of the shattered duchy and the wandering army. Perhaps the duchy could be reclaimed, but that loyal crusaders… As she thought about it, tears streamed down Nyx’s face.

"Here, wipe it off!" Roland offered a handkerchief in a gentlemanly manner.

"Thank you!" Nyx took the handkerchief, then looked up and smiled at Roland.

Roland froze, as if struck by lightning. Oh no! It was the feeling of being smitten! She was just too beautiful! Her exquisite features were stunning even without makeup, and the faint tear tracks on her face made her even more pitiful!
"Oh no! The king is completely mesmerized!" Caslo slapped himself in the face. How embarrassing! He was, after all, the king of a nation! How could he stare so intently at a woman, practically drooling like a lecherous man…

"How did you end up here? How is the Principality of Nyx?" Roland asked knowingly.

"Waaaaah~" Roland's words only made things worse, as they caused Nyx, who had just stopped crying, to burst into tears again, with tears streaming down her face...

“They…they all sacrificed themselves…they all did it to protect me…” Nyx buried her face in Roland’s arms amidst everyone’s astonished gazes and then burst into tears.

"What the heck! What's going on?" Roland stared wide-eyed at Nyx, who was buried in his chest, then turned to see Caslo looking disgusted.

"Damn it! What's wrong with your eyes? She started it!" Roland retorted.

“…” Caslo.

"Alright, stop crying. Welcome home." Roland gently patted Nyx in his arms, feeling relieved. After all, she was just a little girl, and it was quite remarkable that she hadn't broken down after going through so much.

“Ugh… ugh!” Nyx sobbed.

……

"Oh! Are you shy? You didn't have this expression when you pounced on me just now!" Roland teased.

At this moment, Nyx sat opposite Roland with a blush on her face, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. After all, her behavior just now was too unladylike.

"So, all you have left are these people?" Roland sighed and returned to the main topic.

“They…maybe they’re still on their way…” Nyx’s voice trailed off, even she herself had given up hope…

"A hundred-strong squad of Lagrange Royal Guards! One second-tier fire mage, three second-tier priests... Sigh..." Roland sighed. He remembered that the abridged version of the Crusades in the system had over five thousand men, but now this was all that stood before him. It was too tragic...

“Come back to Swiftstream with me. Although everything is in ruins, it’s safe. We also have allied armies around us, so we can help each other out,” Roland said, patting Nyx on the shoulder.

“Hmm…” A barely audible hum came from Nyx’s nose.

"Congratulations, host, on successfully receiving Grand Duke Nyx and achieving the milestone: First Duke! Reward: 100 Lagrange Royal Guards!"

"Royal Guards? Those sturdy tin cans?" Roland smiled. This reward was quite good! Adding the Royal Guards brought by Nyx, that's a full two hundred! Enough to plug a gap in a major war!

"Alright, let's pack up and go back!" Roland said to Nyx and the others.

"Baron Badr, I have received your loyalty. May you fulfill your duties, protect your territory, and defend the kingdom's lands. You have done well this time! I will have a reward sent back later." Roland did not hold back his praise, after all, these men had indeed proven their loyalty to him!

(End of this chapter)