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

Chapter 214 The Arrival of Bahrain
Although Lance really wanted to kill that shameless city guard officer, he ultimately gave up on the idea because of Nina Bonn's innocent eyes (the law of "it smells so good after all"?).

"Your Highness, good afternoon!" Apophis Breo and Marcus smiled at Roland.

"Um, I'd love to know Lance's expression right now..." Roland sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Is there any situation? I've come to inspect the defenses. Yunfeng said that peaceful days won't last much longer." Roland sighed.

“I think so too, sigh…” Marcus sighed.

"The orcs won't be at peace for long. We will inevitably face frequent orc raids in the future. It's a pity we haven't been able to break through Dolgodor! Our territory is still not deep enough. We can only pray that Lulong Fortress can withstand these damned beasts!" Roland nodded and helplessly acknowledged their words. After all, the combined population of humans, elves, and dwarves in Middle-earth is still less than that of the orcs, and the orcs' reproductive rate is even higher than that of elves, dwarves, and humans.

"The age of mankind has not yet arrived..." Roland sighed. The War of the Ring had not yet begun, and mankind was still not the protagonist of Middle-earth.

"Let's wait and see. We have no power to change anything; all we can do is protect our people from harm," Roland said helplessly.

"I'll be going on an expedition to the Moria Mines soon. After I leave, the defense of the entire Swiftstream City will be in your hands, City Defense Officer!" Roland patted Marcus on the shoulder and encouraged him.

"Thank you for your affirmation! I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Marcus said, pounding his chest.

“And what about me, Your Highness…” Apophis Breo asked anxiously, eager to gain merit in the war so as not to betray the honor of his family.

“Hahaha! How could I possibly leave the men of House Lion, the King of the Lands, aside? This time, you will come with me to war! There are plenty of orcs there for you to wield your sword!” Roland laughed.

"By the way, have you married and had children?" Roland suddenly asked curiously. He saw that Apophis Breo was young, but considering that he was an ancient nobleman, succession should be their priority, since the Lion King's family had never been very large.

“Um… Your Highness, I don’t have one yet. If you have a suitable lady to introduce me to, I don’t think I would mind. However, it seems there aren’t any in Swiftstream City…” Apophis Breo was immediately embarrassed, not expecting his king to be so gossipy.

“Alright, then you can stay behind this time. After all, you're the only son of the King's Landing family. If something happens to you, I won't be able to face the Grand Dukes of King's Landing after I die.” Roland thought for a moment and decided it was better not to bring the only son of the King's Landing family along. His family didn't have many nobles to begin with. In this world, nobles weren't just vampires of the people, but masters of knowledge and wisdom. Most nobles were technical talents. Compared to commoners who had little experience in their lives, nobles were definitely the cornerstone of a country. Roland wasn't crazy enough to advocate for equality in this medieval world. That wasn't progress, that was idiocy! Just think about those commoners who only knew how to farm and brew wine—how could they govern a country?

“Why? This is not fair! I am a nobleman! And a knight! I need to prove myself on the battlefield!” Apophis Breo exclaimed.

“You have proven yourself! Proved your heart! Now what you need to do is ensure the continuation of our civilization! I don’t want my few remaining great lords to lie on battlefields that don’t belong to us!” Roland said coldly. He could go to the battlefield because he was the king! And even more so because he had a divine artifact! He could receive comprehensive protection from everyone, while Apophis Breo, who was charging into battle, might not be so lucky.

“Instead of fighting on the front lines, you should train more reserve nobles for me! Our land is vast and needs a constant supply of blood, and you are the most suitable person to do so!” Roland explained.

"Remember, we don't lack soldiers to fight on the battlefield, what we lack are nobles to manage the land! Look behind you! How many nobles of that vast empire still stand before us today?" Roland shouted. "..." Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Yes! The nobles of Lagrange are all lit up!

Roland silently apologized in his heart. Perhaps the system would summon new nobles to assist him in the future, but right now he was short of management talent. He couldn't even send a deputy to Renault stationed at Lulong Fortress. Even so, Renault was still constantly traveling between the two places. He not only had to train the soldiers of Jiliu City, but also patrol the defenses of Lulong Fortress. It could be said that if Roland had another city under his command at the moment, he wouldn't even need the orcs to attack. Just managing the personnel would drive Roland crazy.

“You’re right… So what should I do?” Apophis Breo asked after a moment of silence. After all, the experience of countless Grand Dukes of King’s Landing was enough to make Apophis Breo the most experienced noble in the entire city of Swiftstream. It would be a piece of cake for him to cultivate those emerging reserve nobles! All he lacked was a direction from Roland.

"As for personnel, look among the soldiers. Those who make outstanding contributions will be awarded the title of lord, and you will need to identify who is qualified to receive this honor. By the way, I only need two people, and you just need to teach them basic management skills, etc. You should be able to do that, right?" Roland stated his requirements.

“Of course, Your Highness, wherever your will points, that is where my sword will strike! I’ll go prepare right away!” The decisive Apophis Breo immediately turned and left.

"Wait a minute, remember to go find Renault. He will help you verify the information. Also, let's skip the members of the Holy Light Knights. I can't accept my only knightly order being disbanded. I will compensate them separately!" Roland specifically instructed.

“Yes, my king!” Apophis Breo nodded and trotted down the city wall.

"Marcus, do you think I did the right thing?" Roland asked Marcus beside him suddenly, gripping the hilt of the Dragon Slayer Sword.

“Isn’t it too cruel to deprive him of the right to go to the battlefield? After all, he was a glorious knight… Alas, but I really can’t bear the result of a high-ranking noble sacrificing himself. We don’t have that many talents for me to squander…” Roland slowly handed the document to Marcus, but it seemed more like he was trying to convince himself.

“Your decisions have always been wise and correct, and this time is no exception. You are doing this for the restoration of the Empire and the prosperity of the King’s Landing. He will be grateful to you! After all, we will not lack war in the future.” Marcus comforted him, but his eyes were filled with unease as he looked south.

“Yes! We don’t lack war! This damned war!” Roland sighed as his gaze swept over the few wandering orcs killed by the patrol not far away.

"Your Highness! The dwarves are here!" a soldier suddenly ran up to report.

"where?"

"They're in the north of the city! The men claim to be from Balin and say they have an appointment with you and hope you will keep your promise," the guard relayed honestly.

"Look, war is coming!" Roland shrugged helplessly at Marcus.

(End of this chapter)