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

Chapter 388 Guards
As a branch of the Warrior class, the Guardian is not a niche class. Although it loses the Warrior's high burst damage, it gains the ability to attack from a distance while wearing heavy armor!

The mediocre Guardian is a true all-rounder on the battlefield, effective in any situation! The most mediocre class is no joke! While they may lack the burst damage of a Warrior, the endurance of a Knight, the destructive power of a Mage, the ranged attack of an Archer, and the stealth of a Rogue… they are well-rounded!
I ask you, who else has a skill slot containing most of the skills of ordinary professions at the first tier?
A knight's charge! A warrior's shield wall! A mage's elemental bullets! An archer's charged shot! Even a rogue's lightness and stealth are included! I'm literally crying... Excellent quality at a low price! A complete range! He can do everything! You can use him as a foot knight, a warrior grinding through enemy lines with a heavy shield, or even temporarily impersonate a magic apprentice! At the very least, he can be a one-time archer! The kind that fires three rounds and then engages in melee combat...

There's nothing a Guardian can't do! That's the true testament to the unwavering dedication of the Guardians in The Lord of the Rings! If Middle-earth didn't have the same class-change system as the games, Roland would be kneeling before the Guardians! After all, their class tree encompasses almost every profession! Guardian to Knight! Guardian to Archer! Guardian to Mage! Guardian to Ranger! Guardian to Rogue! They truly live up to the grandeur of the game!
However, guards aren't without their flaws. Being a jack-of-all-trades means mastering nothing! In terms of professional expertise, anyone of the same level can easily defeat them! But their extremely high overall capabilities still give guards a place in the profession! For example, in caravans! Savvy merchants can enjoy the protection and services of a full-fledged profession simply by hiring or maintaining a group of guards... Although they may not be experts in any one area, they are useful, and that's all that matters.

Roland couldn't help but grin as he looked at Ruhr. He wondered if these guards could adapt to the current Middle-earth environment, since those orcs were still quite troublesome!

“Guardians? That’s good!” Renault nodded, as if remembering something.

"Are you just going to let us leave like this?" Renault asked Roland.

"Of course not! At the very least, I'll provide you with a full-fledged army!" Roland smiled.

"Thank God, Your Majesty! You do have some conscience after all..." Renault shook his head helplessly, having nothing more to say about Roland, the sixth son.

"No! Your Majesty doesn't deserve this title... Let's address him later! I feel more at ease with Your Highness! I can't carry the burden of being called Your Majesty right now!" Roland was very clear-headed and quickly refused! Just look at Yuan Shu to see what happens when someone is unworthy of their position!
"Hehe! Your Highness, I suggest you find some allies to work together! Opening up trade routes isn't just a matter for us alone; it benefits the entire Northern Territory!" Renault chuckled, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

“Hmm…that makes sense! Which allies do you think are suitable to invite?” Roland asked.

"The Kingdom of Akvia... is just like us, so poor it's practically filthy! The Valley Kingdom is so poor it can't even squeeze water out of it! Although Irubor is wealthy, it can't produce most of its basic necessities itself! It has to rely on imports! As for the Woodland Kingdom and the Kingdom of Singrei, they both have their own internal systems, and the elves' xenophobia also means they are destined to choose solitude!" Renault analyzed.

“Alright! I will tell Yunfeng to send an envoy to discuss this with them... Until then, you will be in charge of training my royal guards! Get them to work well together! I hope you won’t need them!” Roland said calmly.

"Are you planning to send out the Royal Guards?" Renault was taken aback. He never expected that Roland's persecution had already reached into his own guards!
“Hmm! Is there a problem? Anyway, there’s no big battle to fight! Letting them out to see some blood is good! We can’t just lose our killing skills!” Roland said.

"..." Renault's eye twitched. They really admired you!

"Isn't this a bit of a waste of talent? Why don't we let the knights handle it instead?" Renault advised. He still wanted to try and persuade them to let Roland wreak havoc on the Knights, but not the Royal Guard. As the last line of defense protecting the king, how could they be easily moved?
"No problem! Let the Knights guard the castle! It'll give them a chance to rest and rotate!" Roland decided with a wave of his hand. "..." Renault grinned, hoping the Royal Guards wouldn't blame him for setting them up...

"Alright, you go and gather the guards and get to know them! Ruhr, go back and prepare for the caravan. I want them to be ready to depart at any time!" Roland nodded and instructed the two. Then he lowered his head and went about his own business.

……

"What's going on? You've switched to leading infantry?" Omske was munching on a hamburger—the kind Roland invented! (There aren't hamburgers in Middle-earth...) He almost dropped his hamburger in shock when he saw Reynolds with a group of Royal Guards.

Although Renault spends his days in Lulong Fortress leading a group of infantrymen to gaze at the sun, that's out of necessity! Now, there's a fully-fledged knightly order in Jiliu City! Why would he go and play with infantry instead of leading the knights?
"His Highness's order... is for me to escort the caravan with the Royal Guard! The King wants to reopen trade routes to the Western world!" Renault said.

“Yes! An ambitious king is not a bad thing for a kingdom. A royal family with a pioneering spirit is the style of an empire!” Omske nodded. The Kingdom of Lagrang originated from the mad and thuggish knights of the North, the kind of people who would chase someone for miles over a leg of lamb… Their inherent martial spirit and bloodthirstiness cannot be changed! It would be a strange thing if Lagrang ever had a weak, incompetent king who was afraid of war!

“Well, but the Royal Guards… are, after all, the King’s personal guards!” Renault frowned, glancing at the Royal Guards behind him and nodding at Omske.

"It's alright, His Highness trusts you, just take care of him!" Omske said nonchalantly. He knew that his king was very tolerant (after all, the system guaranteed it!) and not the kind of monarch who was prone to suspicion.

“I’m not worried about King Roland’s suspicions! I’m afraid something will go wrong! One guard is like an extra life for him! These guards are more important than just personal soldiers!” Renault said helplessly.

"Do you know why His Highness always sends out the most elite professional army? Do you really think the kingdom can't muster some ordinary soldiers? How much do ordinary soldiers cost?" Omske smiled meaningfully.

“He loves this country more than we realize! He’s unwilling to pay unnecessary costs, so he always deploys his elite forces! It was like this before, and it’s like this time! Don’t worry! I’ve got Swiftstream City! The knights aren’t sitting ducks!” Omsk’s eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light.

It's past midnight.



(End of this chapter)