Knight and Wand

Chapter 166 A noble visitor (asking for another monthly ticket)

Leon called the guards and asked Hawke to take the messenger to the inn to stay. Then he urged his good brother to go back to the house and rest as soon as possible: "Hurry up and take a shower or go to bed, otherwise the hot water boiled by little Lina will get cold."

After saying that, he picked up the two letters on the table.

One letter was specially sent to Adeline herself and was sealed with wax, so it naturally could not be moved without permission. He would pass it on later.

So he opened another letter addressed to him and took a look. In addition to the ceremonial words, it was actually a notice of visit to the local lord.

Lady Adeline's father, Boss Elliver's father-in-law, will pass through the vicinity of Selva with the coalition forces of Lord West in three days.

After a brief rest, the army from the west of the kingdom will continue along the forest road of the Thorn Flower Family and march southward into the Kingdom of Kantadar.

The Western Coalition that responded to the king's call was not small in size, with more than ten thousand soldiers. Among them, 5,000 were the Duke of Wester's army, 3,000 were the Earl Rahman's army, and there were nearly 2,000 troops from the nobles of West Bay County.

These tens of thousands of troops are only the vanguard of Orland's army. They will pass through the large camp expanded by Count Trosa in Selvadong in batches before the main force of the kingdom that is gathering.

Of course, now that Selvatonna has been continuously expanded and connected to a large military camp, with more than a thousand logistical and baggage personnel stationed inside, it also has a specific temporary place name, namely "Makurom", which means "march town".

When the 10,000 vanguard troops from the west of the kingdom passed through the "March Town" one after another, Count Rahman wanted to take some time to come to Selva to visit his daughter whom he had not seen for many years.

As the local lord, Leon naturally had to arrange the reception for a visiting noble.

Fortunately, during this period, many noble lords, big and small, came to visit him when they led their troops passing by. Under the guidance of the two noble daughters, Miss Sally and Ms. Veresa, Leon also became adept at arranging aristocratic banquets.

But unlike receiving ordinary nobles, the welcome for a great lord like Lady Adelina's father who rules an entire wealthy county must naturally be as high as possible.

According to the rules, musicians who played music for the welcoming and banquet accompaniment, as well as soldiers lined up on the road for ceremonial purposes, must also be arranged.

It just so happens that there have been many weddings in the village of Selva recently, and there are many musicians invited by each household. We can hire them to form a simple band.

Thanks to the lack of entertainment in this era, receiving visiting nobles, apart from the troublesome etiquette, the process is much simpler than arranging company activities in the previous life.

It's nothing more than listening to music and having a banquet for everyone to eat and drink together. Considering that the other party is leading troops to the war and has no female family members accompanying him, there is no need to hold a dance party.

After discussing the reception arrangements with Ms. Elena, Leon picked up the letter personally addressed by Adelina and stood up to go to the big house to hand it over to Mrs. Fengjun.

At this time, Azerien, who had just finished taking a shower and dressed himself, walked down the stairs again, carrying the leather box he had just brought home.

The son of the noble, whose hair was not yet dry, returned to the hall and asked Leon who was about to leave: "Leon, have you seen Miss Raya? Is she on vacation today?"

Leon stopped and turned around: "The day before yesterday, I asked Raya to help me draw a bird's-eye view of Selva. She should have been drawing at the North Slope Watchtower these two days. Didn't I say that you washed it very quickly? Aren't you going to rest?"

He could hardly remember how many times he had urged the other person to go to bed.

Azerien smiled awkwardly: "No hurry, I want to give some things to Miss Raya first."

"What is that?" Leon asked in confusion.

Azerien scratched his face and picked up the leather box in his hand. "Nothing. I just bought some painting supplies on this trip. When I was asking about magic materials in Silver Mountain City, I saw a lot of high-quality brushes and paints in the pharmacist's shop, so I bought some for Miss Raya. The quality of what can be bought in Farolis City is too poor, definitely not as good as what she used to use in Rolandar."

“Oh~~~” Leon’s mouth curled up, and his voice suddenly raised octaves: “By the way, I bought it, um~ I understand, I understand~”

He gave a strange smile, his eyes particularly teasing his brother whose intentions were obvious.

The son of the nobles blushed and quickly defended himself: "Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean that. I just said, "Forget it. Don't talk nonsense. I don't want to trouble Miss Raya."

Azerien didn't argue too much. With a look of heat and embarrassment on his face, he hurriedly passed by Leon's smiling eyes, carrying the carefully selected gifts.

This time, the noble son finally realized the embarrassment of when he and Lohak made fun of each other.

Leon looked proud of being an experienced person, and nodded silently as he watched Azerien carrying the gift and walking towards the north of the village.

No wonder he and Raya were often seen talking and laughing a while ago.

The two were from the same hometown, and Miss Raya was a famous little painter in the Holy Land City in the past, so Azerien and she naturally had a lot of topics to talk about.

After all these interactions, it is normal for his brothers to be tempted by love. After all, if it weren't for the tragic experience she suffered after the city was broken, Miss Raya was such a gentle, talented and beautiful girl. In the Holy Land City, there must have been so many men who wanted to pursue her that they would have lined the streets.

Leon sighed. At the moment, Azerien seemed to be completely indifferent to Raya's unfortunate experience. He still had feelings of admiration for her and was willing to pursue her. This was also a blessing for the girl who had suffered so much.

I just hope this destined couple can be together.

In his heart, he wished Azerien's relationship success. Thinking that his good brother's fortune had a direction, Leon couldn't help but be happy for him.

This means that among the three of them, only Lohak is still missing.

But Leon was not worried about him. Ever since that kid rescued his relatives safely, he no longer had the biggest burden on his mind. Now he had a noble status and territory that surpassed his father's. Seeing how anxious he was for himself and Olivia before, he probably cared more about starting a family than anyone else.

Leon stopped worrying about his partner and rushed to Lady Adelina's residence with the letter.
Three days flew by.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day when Great West led his army to arrive near Selva.

A huge army came winding in from the north, and the stream of soldiers looked like a long dragon with no end in sight.

One by one, flags of lords with different colors and emblems slowly moved into the transit camp called Marching Town.

From the day the army was stationed, the demand for fresh vegetables and fruits from the camp logistics officers increased dramatically, and carts of food and supplies from all over Kossos were continuously delivered to the camp in the marching town.

Even if only a few troops would send people to purchase additional high-quality ingredients to provide meals for the elite soldiers, the size of the army was there, and even if they missed a little, the merchants in the city of Selva would make a fortune.

This sudden surge in trading volume made Leon delighted as he looked at the revenue from market tax collection.

It is no wonder why so many merchants were seen joining the army in the Mamor camp.

Where can you find such a large number of regular customers?

Of course, the premise is that you are not the enemy of this army.

Now, the number of troops that have crossed the forest or are about to cross it and gather in Kantadar to fight is increasing.

At first, the Thorn Flower Family sent two thousand soldiers to occupy Glade County. According to the family's internal information, the Wolf Family's army that had come to confront them earlier had taken advantage of the passage and marched south first, with nearly three thousand men.

Some time ago, General Trosa recruited elite troops from other counties in the Greyshank Valley, as well as some transferred back from Mamor, totaling more than 5,000 people.

Together with the 10,000 people led by Great West.

By now, the Kingdom of Orland had gathered 20,000 troops and marched south.

And behind them, there was an army of at least 18,000 Kronian kings assembled by the king.

The army led by Ledwin III was about to cross the mountain pass fortress next to Silver Mountain City and march south.

The nearly 40,000-strong Orlando army and tens of thousands of baggage convoys heading south made the entire County of Kossos bustling with traffic due to the huge demand for supplies in this war.

On the second day after West led his army into Marching Town, Leon received a notice from the messenger, so he, Azerien and Lohak put on formal attire early, arranged soldiers and guards to hold high flags to form a guard of honor, and waited for Count Rahman's troops on the newly built road in the eastern district of Selva.

Even Lady Adelina led the Thorn Flower Knights around her to the intersection to personally greet her father.

Adeline, who was usually graceful and dignified, showed a rare trace of uneasiness on her face. This noble lady even showed some girlish timidity.

Leon heard from Knight Redo that Lady Adelina had not seen her father for several years.

After all, with the traffic conditions of that era, unless there was something serious, the round trip would take about a month, which was not an easy task even for the nobles. The great lords were busy with affairs and would not easily abandon the affairs of the territory and embark on a journey to visit their daughters just because they missed them.

Leon and a group of Thorn Flower knights were waiting behind Lady Adelina.

Soon, an old nobleman with brown hair mixed with white, dressed in a neat corseted dress, appeared at the end of the road with a team of more than a dozen knights and guards, and beside their horses were the same number of Duwana war dogs.

Looking at the burly old noble who was getting closer and closer from afar, Leon glanced at the flag held by the guards behind him.

The pattern on the flag was quite complex, with the main body composed of a standing, roaring war dog with a silhouette of a warrior holding a sword on its back. After remedial lessons, he knew that this was the emblem of the Rahman family.

When the team finally stepped into Selva, the musicians standing on both sides, who were temporarily wearing gray robes with sword-wing emblems, immediately blew welcome trumpets.

The Selva warriors and Sir Redo's halberd bearers lined up closely on the street, blocking the approach of pedestrians. They saluted the visiting noble team with their spears in an orderly manner, welcoming the most important "major shareholder" of the Thorn Flower Family with the most grand ceremony.

It is said that if Elifuer had not received strong support from his father-in-law after marrying Adelina, the territory of the Thornflower family would never have been able to recover to its current size.

The knights stepped forward and saluted respectfully to the great nobleman from the western part of the kingdom with their hands on their chests.

Count Rahman frowned and nodded on horseback, and the knights and servants behind him responded with courtesy and then dismounted one after another.

Adelina walked to her father's side and held her loved one's arm. Her eyes were filled with excitement and longing, but her voice was somewhat complaining: "Father, how old are you? Why are you still going to the battle yourself? Isn't it better to leave it to my brothers?"

Looking at his daughter's eager eyes, Count Rahman raised his eyebrows and glared at her, "I just came to see if you, crazy girl, have been bullied. I heard that you were attacked by an assassin. What is that bastard Elliver doing? If he dares to make you lose a hair, I will skin him alive."

Hearing Count Rahman's rude words, the Thorn Flower Knights on the side looked at each other and pretended not to hear anything, and did not intend to save the feudal lord's face.

After all, facing this old earl, even if Elifer himself was present, he could only bow his head and smile apologetically to his father-in-law at this moment.

"Father, don't say that. Please be respectful to my husband. I'm fine." Lady Adeline frowned and defended her lover with an unhappy expression.

"Well, it would be best if you're okay."

Count Rahman's eyes flashed with unconcealed tenderness. Looking at his daughter who was no longer as jumpy as before and had become exceptionally mature and gentle, he raised his hand and pinched her face. Then he looked to the side with fierce eyes and shouted to Adelina's sworn knight: "Ledo!"

Sir Redo straightened up reflexively and instantly said, "Yes, sir!"

"I heard that you let an assassin escape? Tell me what happened later. Which damn bastard dared to target my daughter? I'm going to chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs!"

Listening to the old earl's arrogant and rude words, Leon on the side sweated slightly.

Although both are great nobles in the kingdom, the impression given by Count Rahman is completely different from that of Count Trosa.

One is a stag sitting on a throne, and the other is a fierce dog barking and ready to tear people apart at any time.

"Who is Leon Pendragon?"

Rahman looked at the three young nobles on the other side. From what he heard in the letter, the other party seemed to be a young knight.

"I am, Your Excellency the Earl." Leon answered with a little trepidation.

Count Rahman narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down. His originally angry expression suddenly relaxed a little and he revealed a smile.

He reached out and patted the young knight's arm: "Good boy, you saved my daughter. The Rahman family never owes favors. I will not treat you unfairly."

"Sir, you are too polite. I have already received generous rewards from Lord Elliver." Leon said politely.

"Whatever reward that bastard gives you has nothing to do with me. Come on, don't just stand here. Take me to have a bite to eat."

Count Rahman interrupted with an impatient wave of his hand.

In Selvadong, Leon reluctantly led the way with the rather temperamental Count Rahman, and led everyone to the decorated banquet hall.

Simultaneously.

Under the horn tower on the north side of the village.

A blonde girl in jodhpurs, long boots and a cloak, accompanied by the captain of the female guards, stopped her horse on the hillside.

Ines held the reins firmly and looked up at the strange emblem above her head that had not yet been entered into the royal records.

She tapped her small chin with the folding fan in her hand, and her green eyes looked curiously at the small village below.

"Is this the territory of the Griffin Knight in the local legend of Kosos?"

The editor asked me to give the readers one more vote to see if I can top the fantasy list. I still need 26 monthly votes, but considering the double event, I only need 13 monthly votes. So I'll give it a try and see if I can blow up the ass of the big guy above.

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(End of this chapter)