Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

The standoff continues at the crossroads.

"Misunderstand?"

Andrei raised his fiery eyebrows, his rough hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "I want to hear what the misunderstanding is."

Henry swiftly dismounted, a movement that caused the surrounding crossbowmen to nervously adjust their aim. He raised his hands to show he meant no harm—even though his swordsmanship could take down the two nearest enemies in three seconds.

"grown ups,"

Henry deliberately used a respectful title, his face displaying the kind of smile that the son of the blacksmith from Skarlitz was best known for—a smile that was both honest and shrewd. "I am Henry of Skarlitz. We are indeed here to deliver a message, and our young master—" He pointed to Hans, who was still on horseback, "is wearing plate armor worth five hundred Grossens and riding a warhorse with a full set of horse armor. He is indeed the heir to the city of Rattel."

"Isn't that obvious?"

Andrei said with dissatisfaction, "I've never doubted that. But judging from his inability to distinguish between a red griffin and a flying fish, he's just an incompetent good-for-nothing young master."

I agree with that.

Henry thought to himself, "Hans always mocks me for being illiterate, yet he can't even remember the coat of arms of the nobles he's targeting. But then again, I think I only recognize Lord Raddy's black bear, the Capon family's yellow coat of arms with a black cross, and the red and white pea shoots of Talmuburg..."

Henry's mind raced. "As I just said, we are nobles. And judging from the insignia on your bodies, your master, the Red Griffin, must also be a powerful noble."

"Of course!"

Andrei loved hearing praise for Lord Peter: "Great Lord Peter Griffin, strong, brave, and kind. He is a redeeming knight blessed by God."

"See, I was right again."

Henry, with an "I knew it!" expression, said, "From the first moment I saw the red griffin, it felt familiar, as if I had seen it on the coat of arms of some illustrious noble family. This Knight Griffin must be a nobleman of high moral character and noble lineage!"

"Hahaha"

Andrei was even more delighted. "That's for sure. Only a great noble family could cultivate such outstanding talent. We suspect that you have the blood of the Duke of Griffin of Pomerania, although you refuse to admit it."

"Oh my god, he's of ducal blood?!"

Henry's surprised yet slightly exaggerated performance made even the young master Hans blush with embarrassment. "My master, young master Rataire, also comes from the noble Lepe family. I think they must have a lot in common."

"That's not necessarily true."

Just moments before, Andrei had been in high spirits, but his expression suddenly darkened as he glanced at Hans, the young master. "Don't confuse our master with the child beside you. Our master is a real man."

How can your face change so easily?

Henry realized he had flattered the wrong person. Young Master Hans also felt insulted; the "Capon" in his name, Hans Capon, was often mocked as a fuzzy chick because it sounded similar to "pickled chicken."

"Barbarian, I challenge you to a duel, to show you the price of offending a noble! I challenge you to a duel!"

Enraged, Hans was about to draw his sword when Henry and his four henchmen shielded him. Looking at Redbeard Andrei's towering figure, nearly two meters tall, and then at Hans's healthy, slender physique, how could this duel possibly end well? What if it devolves into a chaotic brawl while they try to rescue him? Those crossbow bolts can pierce armor!

After calming Hans down, Henry said, "I apologize for my inappropriate analogy. I also hope you apologize to my master for your 'child' comment. After all, he is a nobleman just like your master. Disrespecting him is disrespecting your own master."

Henry was trying to ease the tension, but he was also instinctively protecting Hans, the young master.

"Okay, I apologize. I just think my owner is better."

Andrei shrugged and said casually. Actually, he didn't want to needlessly bring a noble enemy to Lord Peter.

"Great, look, we've reached another agreement."

Henry and the others breathed a sigh of relief. "Our presence here to deliver a message does not mean we are friends with Count von Borghese. On the contrary, we were enemies before."

"enemy?"

Andrei was somewhat skeptical.

Henry continued, "Yes, we belong to the royalist faction comprised of Lord Raddy, Lord Hannah, the guardian of Rattay, and Lord Davis of Talmuburg. We are dedicated to driving out the invading King Sigismund of Hungary and welcoming back our true King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. And von Polgao is a collaborator of the Hungarians, and has fought with us quite a bit."

"Then why did you come to deliver a message to him?"

"This is not a good letter, it is a bad letter. It is our letter of persuasion to von Polgao to follow God's will and the call of Bohemia, to turn back from the evil path, and to stop working for the Hungarians."

"Hungarians are very annoying."

Andrei agreed with this point. Since the Hungarian invasion, many villages in the south had been looted, and the people had fled to the north. Some Cuman mercenaries had also come in pursuit, causing great damage to the local security.

"Great, we've reached another consensus. So we're not enemies at all, we can even be called friends with common goals."

Henry subtly shifted the concept and emphasized the consensus once again.

"Friends with a common goal? If that goal is von Polgao, then you're right."

Andrei nodded in agreement.

"See, my friend. We don't need to resort to knives and guns. Let's put away our bows and arrows, shall we? Didn't you say before that hospitality works for friends?"

Henry continued to put in extra effort to showcase his eloquence.

"Yes, you're right. I can let you in, and you can even have a free drink at our tavern, but behave yourself and don't cause trouble."

Andrei finally confessed.

Henry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and finally managed to smooth things over, "So, my friend, what about our letter?" This was an important prop for this trip.

Andrei shook his head and said, "Although I agree with you, you six cavalrymen are well-armored and armed, and you could practically slaughter half a village's civilians. We must be cautious. I will report what's happening here to our master, and he will make the decision. You can wait at the roadside tavern for now."

"We are good people..." Henry still wanted to plead.

"You can't treat a nobleman like that," Hans protested again, feeling wronged by his treatment.

"I have already shown great leniency by not imprisoning you or confiscating your armor and weapons. Do not test my limits any further. Dismount, young noblemen, unless you wish to be riddled with arrows."

Andrei didn't care what they were saying and gave the order directly, his voice stern.

Hans opened his mouth, but ultimately dismounted reluctantly. The four knights who accompanied him exchanged glances and silently followed suit. Only the hunting dog stood guard at its master's feet, its throat emitting a low whimper.

Andrei nodded in satisfaction and assigned two soldiers: "Go to the mountain camp and report to Lord Peter that six suspicious cavalrymen have been captured, claiming they are to deliver a message to Polgao. Take the message with you."

"Wait!" Hans exclaimed urgently, "That letter is sealed! Don't open it!"

"Don't worry," Andrei grinned, revealing his teeth, "Our Lord Peter is the most principled."

After saying this, he arranged for one of his men to take the letter back to report, while the others led Henry and his six companions to a tavern on the street to sit down. Someone brought them a glass of homemade beer, and even the dog was given a bone.

"What do we do?"

Hans spread his hands and asked, "Without a letter, we can't prove our identities, let alone complete our mission. Wouldn't this trip have been for nothing?"

"I suggest we wait and see. Judging from the behavior of these soldiers, the Red Griffin is probably not an unreasonable or domineering person."

Henry decided to wait until nightfall to see how things went. After all, nighttime was Skaritz's domain.

Old Oz, the guide and cook; Nicholas, the archer and stable boy; and the brothers Tanrad and Conrad, the scouts, all advised the young master not to rush. They suggested waiting and seeing.