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

Chapter 964 Eastern Open Space
"Uh..." A figure on the bed let out a weak groan.

"Caslo, you're awake?" The beautiful figure sitting beside him moved at the sound of her voice. She rushed over and helped Caslo, who was sitting up.

"Where am I?" Caslo asked hesitantly, rubbing his head.

"You forgot? You were severely wounded in the battle with the Ringwraiths, and His Majesty brought you both back from the battlefield!" A flicker of heartache flashed in Ajax's eyes. Her beloved had been struck at face-to-face by a forbidden spell. Upon hearing this news, Ajax nearly collapsed. She immediately rode Renoir to Lagrange City. Fortunately, the Dragon Knight was indeed tough and resilient; such a severe injury was almost completely healed after a few healing spells. Only the mental shock required rest. It must be said, a sixth-tier priest is truly amazing! An injury that would kill others was cured in the priest's hands in just two days...

“Uh…yes! Uvasa! That bastard! He’s ruthless! How many days have I been asleep?” Caslo threw off the covers and was about to get out of bed when he was greeted by Ajax’s groundhog scream.

"Hiss..." Caslo picked at his ear and withdrew it with a wry smile.

"Dragon Knight Commander isn't that bad... If he doesn't kill me on the spot, he'll only make me stronger..." Caslo awkwardly ruffled Ajax's hair, slightly expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Just lie still! Although healing skills can heal your injuries, you still need to rest! You madman, you took a forbidden spell head-on! Do you know how I've been these past two days?" Ajax's eyes were red, a glimmer of light swirling in them, and her voice became aggrieved.

"Alright, alright, it's my fault! My love! I was wrong!" Caslo almost knelt down when he saw Ajax weeping.

"Ah~ Oh oh oh! I was wrong~ I was wrong, I was wrong!" On the window not far away, a green figure stretched its neck and imitated the voice in a strange and eerie way.

"Kaldo, you've really eaten too many red beans!" Caslo's eyelids twitched.

"Tsk? I saved you and this is how you talk to me? See these two wings?" Kaldo spread his wings to indicate that the new skin on his wing bones, not yet covered by scales, showed that this dragon had once had its wings broken!
“…” Caslo fell silent. He was justified in saving Caslo’s life.

"Knock knock knock!" The awkward atmosphere was broken when the wooden door was knocked on.

"Please come in!" Ajax greeted.

"Oh my! It's alive!" What came into view was Roland's big face, full of mockery and ridicule.

"So everyone's here to have some fun..." Caslo closed his eyes, exhausted! Let this world be destroyed! Feel the pain! Forbidden Spell—Overheating and Pressure Cutting! Activate!
"Since things have come to this, let's eat first!" Maple Forest Orchid, with a rosy complexion, squeezed in. She had recovered completely in just two days, showing no signs of having taken a forbidden spell head-on like Caslo!
"Mmm (smack)! Delicious! (chews) By the way, did you guys stay?" Caslo rolled his eyes and swallowed the roasted venison that almost choked him, then asked the others.

"..." Silence is Lagrange tonight.

"What? They didn't catch him? That bastard has already set himself up for war! He's become a weakling and they still couldn't catch him?" Caslo continued to criticize.

“Space system…” Roland opened his mouth to explain.

“Everyone’s at the sixth rank, who doesn’t have some understanding of space? Without the protection of the war clouds, that thing’s spatial abilities are probably not even as good as an ordinary sixth rank, right?” Caslo asked a soul-searching question.

"You...you didn't go into the dimensional space to catch him, did you?" Caslo asked, revealing the truth of the matter.

"You two are badly injured..." Roland shrugged and didn't continue, after all, he still had to save face for the two dragon knights. "Sigh... we didn't catch them this time, who knows when we'll meet again!" Caslo said regretfully.

“Perhaps we won’t see him for many years… We fear the bow in the shadows more than the sword in the sunlight!” Caslo murmured.

"Take good rest! The kingdom will enter a period of stability. We can't start another war. The kingdom's economy needs to function! If we keep fighting, we'll collapse!" Roland comforted Caslo. In reality, without the system's powerful void blood-generating ability, the Kingdom of Lagrang would have collapsed long ago. Famine alone would have turned the entire kingdom into a hellish place!
"I understand!" Upon hearing this, Caslo obediently lay back down on the bed.

"What about Ajax's defenses?" Caslo frowned. The aerial corridor from Rapid City to Lagrange City couldn't be without the protection of dragon knights; the dragon knights' strength was the foundation of the kingdom's peace!

“Weiss will temporarily take Ajax’s place and patrol the Swiftstream City area. He has already set off!” Roland told Caslo the solution.

“Weis? Ah!” Caslo stared at Roland in shock, his eyes seeming to ask, “You really sent child laborers to the battlefield?”

“Ahem! That’s your student. You should have faith in him. A teenager can already stand on his own! Dragon knights are not hothouse flowers; soaring through the skies is their destiny!” Roland repeated Caslo’s words to Caslo without batting an eye.

Caslo remained silent.

"Don't worry, the power of the Demon Dragon is more terrifying than you imagine! You don't want to witness a Demon Dragon at full power!" Maple Forest Orchid patted Caslo on the shoulder and gave him a cruel smile. How could a Demon Dragon capable of fighting against holy attributes be a simple existence? Among the superior dragons, the Demon Dragon's bloodline is also frighteningly high!
“Alright, where are Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and the others?” Caslo continued to ask.

"They ran away! Those two aren't stupid. With such obvious fluctuations from the forbidden spell, they must have left the battlefield quickly!" Maple Forest Orchid repeated what she had told Roland to Caslo.

"Well, it's good that they're alright. At least the beating wasn't for nothing. Damn it! I'll definitely get my revenge next time! I'm always the one using forbidden spells to hit people, how can someone else use forbidden spells to hit me?" Caslo gritted his teeth, known for his double standards.

"Then we'll wait until you're all better, and we'll slowly deal with those bastards!" Roland nodded to him. He had only said not to send troops, not that he wouldn't send generals! If he didn't have the ability to bring in a large army, couldn't he at least send a flying dragon to his face?
"Hmm, pick the weakest one! I think the Chariot People are pretty good! How about we take them out first?" As they talked, the conversation veered off-topic, turning their visit to Caslo into a discussion about which type of enemy would be easier to defeat.

……

"Where is this place?" Archduke Oakrian Yaso spread out a map on horseback.

"Have we reached the edge of the Dark Forest?" Oakrian Ryukin asked, looking around and then at the map. The distant horizon was already filled with green, clearly the forest was beckoning!

“We should be at the eastern clearing! Shall we go into the woods?” asked Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"Huh? Why are we going into the Dark Forest? It's not under Imperial control anymore! You don't want to be a guest there, do you?" Oakrian Ryukin said, covering his face.

“Hey! I forgot! I thought we were in the Empire…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso chuckled, a hint of melancholy on his face.

“Let’s walk along the edge of the forest! Heading west, we’ll reach the Anduin River! Once we cross the river, we’ll be in the territory of the two southern kingdoms!” Oakrian Ryukin said, pointing to the map.