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

Chapter 779 Caslo's Sense of Crisis

"No, Your Highness, how come..." Darian Nightblade was a little dizzy. Where did this holy dragon knight suddenly appear from? There aren't many combinations of paladins and dragon knights in the entire history of the empire, right? Because paladins and dragons have very low compatibility, their choices are basically limited to three categories: light dragons, gold dragons, and silver dragons. Gold dragons and silver dragons are basically out of the question, leaving only the rare light dragons. Isn't the probability of that lower than becoming an emperor?
"It's like this..." Roland explained the situation to Darian Nightblade with a sigh.

“…Ruthless!” Darian Nightblade gave him a thumbs up. This guy is a stubborn beast who fought his way back from the river of time! Time to run! We can’t afford to mess with him. We’re just passing through time, while he’s walking through it!
"Hehe!" Maple Forest Orchid laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

"Your Highness? Hello, unfamiliar dragon knight." Caslo walked up, glanced casually at Maple Forest Orchid, and without thinking much of it since it was an unfamiliar face, simply greeted him.

"Hmm?" Caslo, who had already taken half a step, suddenly pulled himself back as if frozen in place, staring intently at Maple Forest Orchid, making Maple Forest Orchid feel a chill run down her spine.

"Who are you? Dragon Knight Commander!" Caslo's confusion deepened, and then he turned to Roland with a wronged look, as if to say, "Explain to me where this wild dragon beauty came from."
"Cough cough..." Darian Nightblade, fearing that Caslo would be beaten to death, quickly pulled Caslo aside and whispered to him.

"..." After Darian Nightblade's explanation, Caslo fell silent again. He glanced at Maple Forest Orchid and walked away without a word. There was nothing he could do; comparisons were odious! While he was still playing in the mud with Ringwraiths, she was already traversing the river of time...

"Hehe, it's nothing. My first dragon knight, Caslo, is a little arrogant, but he's very easy to get along with, hehe!" Roland explained to Maple Forest Orchid with a dry laugh.

"Darian? Is the banquet ready? Go tell the kitchen! I need to give our returning people a welcome feast!" Roland quickly changed the subject. After all, he could tell with his own eyes that Caslo, who considered himself Roland's number one loyal dog, was clearly feeling threatened. He didn't even glance at Roland before a dragon rider commander appeared beside him...

"Uh, we'll have to wait. The kitchen has been taken over by the women and cooks from the Swifthand family. They say the army cooks are making...pig swill." Darian Nightblade said awkwardly, his toes digging into the floor.

"Okay... alright, that makes sense..." Roland blushed and looked at Maple Forest Orchid. He found that the guy was even more embarrassed than himself, so Roland was relieved.

"Darian, please entertain Lord Maple Forest Orchid for me. I'm going to check where Caslo is!" Roland patted Darian Nightblade on the shoulder and instructed him. After all, one cannot favor the new and forget the old; Caslo had shed blood and served loyally for him!

……

"Oh? What's wrong? Are you feeling down?" Roland teased.

Caslo sat blankly on the battlement of the city wall, gazing at the distant swift-flowing river, lost in thought.

"Surely not? A mere Dragon Rider Commander makes you feel threatened? Don't worry, no matter what, the Commander of the Royal Dragon Riders is yours! No one can shake your position!" Seeing that Caslo was still in a daze, Roland could only walk over and pat him on the shoulder, like coaxing a child.

"Really?" Caslo's eyes lit up again. As one of the earliest dragon knights to follow Roland, Caslo was basically without desires. His only goal was to become the future captain of the Royal Dragon Knights! But the sudden appearance of a Dragon Knight Commander plunged Caslo into internal strife.

"Of course! What's his status and what's yours? How could you doubt our relationship?" Roland quickly reassured Caslo. In fact, Roland never intended to be the Song or Ming emperors. The political environment in the Central Plains was quite good, and it was still possible for the emperor and his ministers to share the world. Roland never intended to mistreat the old followers who had followed him. Even Yun Feng, whom Roland regarded as a traitor, had a prime minister position reserved for him. After all, an emperor cannot be too autocratic; no one will play with a tyrant!
"That's good!" Caslo looked at Roland and chose to believe him, then fully recovered. However, he secretly resolved to break through to the sixth rank; after all, the guild leader couldn't be lower in level than his subordinates...

"The City of Swiftflow has replied, everything is fine!" Adolf Heinrich handed the magical envelope to Roland. Just now, in the magic center of Lagrange City, Adolf Heinrich directly contacted Yunfeng, who was far away in the City of Swiftflow, and reported the current situation to Her Highness the Queen.

Essentially, the Lagrange Empire has always been a dual monarchy, with the emperor and empress jointly governing the country. However, successive emperors tended to specialize in only one area, leaving the empire to handle most of the political affairs. The empresses, on the other hand, were quite unassuming; none were like Empress Wu Zetian. These noblewomen preferred sparkling jewelry and clothing to real power, content to be beautiful but powerless figures. As for concerns about powerful relatives interfering in politics? Are you kidding? The Lagrange Emperor wouldn't be afraid of that! They're all family; you can have whatever you want! As long as it's within the rules of the nobility, you can do whatever you want.

As for overthrowing the emperor and taking the throne for themselves? Good heavens! Look at the empire, the throne is practically within their grasp! They've had dozens of emperors without making a move, so do you think the throne is any less appealing? These scoundrels even refuse to enter the electorate! Rather than being emperor and wielding power, they already wield power, and they even have a great general (the emperor) helping them expand their territory and conquer east and west…

The empire has always been tolerant of women, and neither the military nor the political arena excludes women. However, most women are used to living the life of a luxurious noblewoman, and there are very few truly ambitious women. Moreover, there are quite a few families where women are the heads of the household. The royal family has always been managed by the previous or even the previous empress, and the important matters of the royal family are all decided by these old ladies.

"Oh! What did my beloved say?" Roland suppressed his longing and asked Adolf Heinrich instead of taking the letter.

"His Highness said everything is fine and you don't need to worry. He also told you to be careful and not to come back if you get hurt or injured. Um... just die out there!" Adolf Heinrich said with a strange expression after glancing at the letter.

"Alright, I got it! You really need a good scolding!" Roland muttered under his breath.

……

"By the Dragon God! It used to be all pig feed! I declare it all pig feed!" Omske buried his face in the plate, huffing and puffing as he couldn't help but praise.

"And this is..." Maple Forest Orchid, who was placed next to Roland to show closeness, cast an inquiring glance at Roland.

"..." Duke Joelster, standing next to Roland, glanced at Omske but didn't say anything. However, he muttered to himself, "What kind of food does His Majesty eat at home? How could a hero be so hungry?"

“This is a pig newly bred by the kingdom…” Roland said with a dark face.

“???” Omsk raised his sauce-covered face and stared blankly at Roland.

(End of this chapter)