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

Chapter 202 Tupter Territory
Nyx was enjoying Roland's "lifting her up" service. Standing on the ground, Nyx stretched out her little hands with a happy expression, waiting for Roland, who was riding on horseback, to lift her onto the horse.

"Come on, my little princess!" Roland exerted a little force with his arms and immediately pulled Nyx into his embrace. A strong masculine aura wafted over her, and Nyx nestled gently in Roland's arms, breathing in the sun-kissed scent.

“Alright, my Prince Charming, shall we set off?” Nyx gracefully raised her swan-like neck.

"Of course! Let's go!" Roland laughed and spurred his horse forward. The soft sunlight shone on Roland and Nyx, as if draping them in a golden coat. People on the road stopped to watch the newlyweds, their eyes filled with blessings and joy.

"Look at this picturesque land! Look at these people and farmland! This is all the land I conquered for you!" Roland said to Nyx with a triumphant flick of his whip.

"Pfft!" Nyx, who had never experienced the information explosion era, was instantly amused by Roland's childish love talk and couldn't hide the love in his eyes.

"This is the country and the people I want to protect, this is the smile I want to protect, your smile!" Roland, who had never been in a relationship, seemed to have a sudden epiphany at this moment, and all sorts of cheesy pick-up lines came out of his mouth.

“Yes, I love you too, darling… but could we look at the road ahead…” Nyx said shyly.

"Ouch!" The great king, who was frantically kissing the head of the beauty in his arms, was horrified to find that his warhorse had broken off the path that the soldiers had trampled out to lead to the Tuput Forest and had gone off somewhere else.

"Whoa~" Roland pulled his warhorse back and gently took out his shield to shield Nyx. This subconscious action immediately made the young girl's heart flutter.

Knowing how Balin, the King of Moria, died, Roland was very careful to protect himself and those around him, especially in unfamiliar places. Even an orc could end a careless hero with a poisoned arrow! So Roland instinctively protected the defenseless Nyx.

"Knight! Find the way back! Lead us onto the right path!" Roland commanded. This time he had learned his lesson; life had taught him to bow his head. Even a noble king could be defeated by... getting lost?
"Okay, it's alright now!" Nyx looked at Roland, who was puffing up his cheeks, and gently poked his angry chubby face.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have put you in danger, my love!" Roland gazed lovingly at the beauty in his arms.

All the knights around turned their heads away, their eyes wandering as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem, keep on your way! Don't cause any trouble for me! What if I don't see some delicious food at noon! Humph!" Nyx pretended to be angry and raised her pink fist.

……

“Welcome, Your Highness! On behalf of all the people of Tupte, I welcome you, and as the host of this place, I hope you will give me the opportunity to extend your hospitality.” Badr pounded his chest and bowed.

"Wow! They're so strong!" Nyx exclaimed in a low voice. In Nyx's eyes, these centaurs, each over two meters tall, were practically giants, especially their terrifyingly muscular bodies. Because they lack organs, their bodies are composed entirely of solid muscles, giving them superhuman strength—they are the best soldiers! "Of course! Your Excellency, I believe you will ensure we have a pleasant journey," Roland said with a smile, stating his purpose. That's right! He was here for a vacation! Roland practically said that.

“Of course, no problem. Although there’s nothing particularly unique about the scenery here, the distinctive forest experience and the centaur’s special cuisine will surely give you and His Highness an unforgettable memory.” Badr had also become much more tactful. It seems that after dealing with humans, even the straightforward and xenophobic centaur has become more artful in his speech.

"Niya! Please entertain the two princes for me!" Badr roared into the forest.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, I must go and hunt some game for you." Badr nodded to Roland, then took his massive longbow and led the hunting party off.

"By the Dragon God! Behold their muscles! They are born knights! The finest cavalry!"

“Apart from the Dragon Knights… no other knight can compare to them!”

The accompanying knights whispered among themselves, exchanging their opinions on the centaurs. After all, no matter what kind of human-rider fusion skill or unity skill existed, nothing was as useful as their own bodies! They were original! Moreover, centaurs possessed innate skills comparable to knights' glory, so in the same level and number, human knights could never match centaurs. Unfortunately, centaurs were few in number; this tribe of several hundred was already considered a giant among centaurs. Most centaurs lived and wandered in Middle-earth in family or clan units.

"Your Highnesses, please follow me." The centaur respectfully extended his hand to lead the way for Roland and his companions.

After passing through the tree-lined path, the space finally opened up, revealing a fortress rising abruptly from the seemingly spacious clearing in the forest. The somewhat rudimentary camp was gone, replaced by a 5-meter-high log wall. It was clear that the logs had been rammed into the ground by the centaurs, then bound together with ropes and covered with mud and grass roots, suggesting good defensive capabilities. However, there weren't many centaurs standing guard or training on it, indicating that the centaur population was also precarious. The able-bodied men had all gone hunting, leaving only women, the elderly, and children to farm and raise livestock in the forest. Roland surveyed the entire town and found no more than 10 centaur warriors…

"Forget it, even the richest landlords don't have surplus grain!" Roland originally planned to indulge in the fantasy of being a king and gather his followers to accompany him on an expedition to Moria, but after looking at the centaurs' condition... forget it, they're already struggling to feed themselves, Roland probably can't even collect taxes right now!
However, Roland greatly underestimated this point. Although the centaurs were poor, their powerful physiques were enough to fight against magical beasts! Centaurs had quite a lot of magic crystals, which were even more valuable than gold coins.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, my husband has gone hunting with his hunting party and may not be able to return today. Please forgive his rudeness; he is only doing this because of the livelihood of his people and it was absolutely not intentional." Seeing that it was almost time for dinner and the centaur lord still hadn't made a move, his wife Nia hurriedly came in to apologize to Roland.

“It’s alright, everyone’s just living on bread and milk!” Roland could understand the heavy burden on Badr’s shoulders.

“Thank you for your forgiveness. May I prepare lunch for you?” Nia asked gratefully.

"Yes, thank you for your trouble. By the way, keep everything simple! There's no need to make it too complicated!" Roland said considerately, noticing that the centaurs weren't living a very good life either.

Yesterday's second update! I kept my promise.
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(End of this chapter)