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

Chapter 935 The Empire's Legacy Has Never Been Broken!

Grand Duke Okrian Yasuo's impressive birth lineup made Roland green with envy! But it was just envy for a moment, after all, Roland now held the Truth in his hands, and his authority and strength were not what they used to be!

……

"Greetings, Your Excellency Dragon Knight Commander! I am Oakrian Yasuo of the Gale Clan! Which Emperor is currently in power?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo saw Caslo standing before the Storm Dragon and Whis riding on its back. His gaze lingered on Caslo, and then his pupils suddenly contracted! The faint dragon aura emanating from Caslo and the dragon power swirling around his body made Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo instantly realize that the person before him was an unfamiliar Dragon Knight Commander, and he immediately inquired respectfully.

"The Gale Family?" Caslo's gaze scrutinized Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso. He first examined the grand duke's armor, then the banners behind them—the soaring wind dragon and the imperial red-and-golden dragon flag fluttering in the wind! Caslo nodded in satisfaction. He couldn't verify the authenticity of the Gale Family, but Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's dragon armor was undeniably genuine! Coupled with the soldiers behind him carrying standard imperial legion armor, it all looked undeniably authentic! It was the current kingdom's soldiers who seemed somewhat like a ragtag army…

“I have no way of verifying your identity; I can only leave it to His Majesty to decide!” Caslo said slowly, looking at Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"..." Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso remained calm. However, a hint of disappointment flashed in the eyes of Oakrian Ryukin and Oakrian Norman behind him, as their hopes for the other two to "enter the ministry" were dashed.

However, someone's eyes lit up when they heard this. Sure enough, a person suddenly appeared behind Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso and shouted with joy.

"Your Majesty? Which Your Majesty? Where is Your Majesty?" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz looked around excitedly, like a guard dog seeing its master returning home.

"??? Marquis? Where did you come from?" Okrian Ryukin and Okrian Norman stared at each other, clearly startled by the elusive Marquis Al-Tegran Franz.

“I caught up with His Highness when he was running with you, to see if I could be of any help…” Marquis Al-Tegran-Franz waved his hand, never expecting such a pleasant surprise.

“This is…” Caslo asked, looking at the “beggar” who smelled bad and was covered in tattered rags. He obviously didn’t think this guy was a marquis, after all, the contrast was shocking.

"Ahem! I am but a loyal guardian of the Royal Family! An extension of the Emperor's spirit! A royal henchman—Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, head of the Franz family!" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz straightened up, his eyes filled with pride and glory as he addressed Caslo in a loud voice, his gaze so resolute it seemed to take the shape of the empire!

"Franz?" Caslo's gaze sharpened. Franz, my goodness! "Royal hound" wasn't even an adjective for this family! But Caslo's expression quickly became unreadable as he thought of the Franz family's ancestral spirit and honor, their absolute loyalty to the royal family. Caslo's hand lingered on the hilt of his sword for a long time. He hesitated, wondering whether to kill this guy and frame someone posing as a nobleman. Even if it turned out he was a nobleman, all he'd have to do was offer a toast at his grave and apologize. Did Roland really think he could kill him?

“Yes, yes, yes! It’s Franz! We are survivors of the Fire Seed Project when the Empire collapsed! Some of these soldiers are private soldiers of the Gale family, and the rest are remnants of the Empire’s Fourteenth Border Legion! This is Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, the logistics commander of the Eastern Front!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso noticed the uncertain look in Caslo’s eyes and the subtle movements of his subordinates, and subconsciously stepped in front of Marquis Al-Tegran Franz with a smile.

"Your Excellency, Commander of the Dragon Riders, who is the current emperor? Which branch does he belong to?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso continued to press, for Caslo's somewhat unusual behavior had made Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso uneasy! Could it be that the remnants of the empire had launched some kind of coup after they fell into slumber?

"You'll find out soon enough!" Caslo gave the two a deep look, his mind in turmoil. After all, Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's name alone suggested he was from the Oakrian Gale family! He was a Grand Duke of the East and one of the Electors of the Empire! In terms of bloodline, this family might not be much inferior to that damned Romanian King Roland! The fact that the King's Landing family was honest, loyal, and without ulterior motives didn't mean other families were loyal to Roland…

“Vis! Go back and tell His Majesty everything here! Tell them to prepare to welcome the people!” Caslo emphasized the word “everything” and used the high-sounding excuse of welcoming the people to shut up Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso, who had originally opened his mouth.

"Yes, General!" Even if Weiss was stupid, he could sense that something was wrong. So without saying a word, he pulled on the dragon reins and soared into the sky, giving no one else time to react.

"..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and Marquis Al Tegrand Franz exchanged a secret glance, both sensing something was amiss.

"Is that capital still there?" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz asked, trembling, still clinging to a last glimmer of hope. "..." Caslo shook his head and then nodded. How to put it? The capital was indeed there, but it was definitely not the same as the capital he remembered.

"..." Al Tegrand Franz looked at Caslow's expression and felt utterly hopeless.

“The imperial family…” Al-Tegran Franz said, his voice trembling slightly.

“…” Caslo shook his head at Marquis Al-Tegran Franz.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Oakrian Norman hurriedly helped the limp Marquis Al-Tegran-Franz.

“The Empire is gone… Now it’s the Lagrange… Kingdom!” Caslo sighed softly as he looked at the Marquis Al-Tegrange Franz, whose heart was ashen.

"The royal family..." Archduke Oakrian Yaso's gaze wandered for a moment before he finally fell silent.

“I have failed Your Majesty…” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz murmured repeatedly. A pang of heartache flashed in the eyes of Okrian Norman, who was supporting him. He knew which emperor Marquis Al-Tegran Franz had failed to fulfill his duty to… only that of Emperor Larry, who led the army in the northern expedition to counterattack! However, judging from the words of this dragon rider commander, it seemed that Emperor Larry had also failed.

“No, Your Excellency Marquis, you have not wronged anyone. Live well, for the empire has hope! Like a spark! This is the meaning of your existence! Although the royal family is gone, the royal blood still remains on this land! The current king is… Roland Lagrand!” Caslo comforted Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, who was on the verge of fainting.

"Huh? Lagrange?" Marquis Al-Tegrange Franz opened his eyes instantly, leaped forward, and appeared in front of Caslo's face, startling Caslo so much that his hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

“Yes, King Roland!” Caslo nodded.

"What did you say his last name was?" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz paid no attention to Roland's given name, but only to his surname.

“Lagrange? He’s a direct descendant of the last Romanian king! Is there a problem with inheriting the Lagrange surname?” Caslo asked, bewildered.

"Excellent! Excellent! Lagrange is good!" A flame of hope rekindled in the eyes of Marquis Al-Tegrange Franz. Who said the royal family was gone? The Lagrange line still existed, didn't it? How could the King of Romanian not be a legitimate royal heir?

“…” Oakrian Ryukin and Oakrian Norman exchanged a glance, and the light of relief and excitement in their eyes faded again!

(End of this chapter)