Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

June 3, night.

"Ahem, you can go in now, the adults are waiting for you."

"I'm a steward," Ulrich said to Hans and Henry in the corridor with a grumpy face.

Hans Capon gave the man a cold glance, pushed him aside, and went inside. Henry, as a squire, followed closely behind.

Feng Boerga was still wearing his crimson noble coat, embroidered with the flying fish crest, beneath which lay sturdy plate armor. His gray hair was meticulously combed. This man was no slouch in combat, comparable to Old Henry. He sat at the head of the table, greeting his guests.

"You claim to be messengers from Rattay? I'm wondering when you'll actually show up."

The old man was clearly feigning ignorance, pretending to be confused as if he were hearing their names for the first time, and continued sadly, "I was just ambushed, and not only is there no one to heal me, but I also have to inform the mothers of those poor soldiers, letting them know how gloriously their sons sacrificed themselves while serving the lord."

It is not glorious.

Hans and Henry, their armor and weapons removed, inwardly complained. They had witnessed the battle in Troschi village clearly: the lord's side had launched the initial attack, followed by the old count's escape, causing the lord's guard to collapse and be relentlessly pursued by the red griffins. It was a complete disgrace, utterly humiliating.

Out of aristocratic courtesy, and fearing that the old man might become enraged and kill them, Henry still politely bowed to the old count and sincerely wished him a speedy recovery, saying, "I hope you recover soon, sir. My master, Lord Hans Capon, brings you a letter from Lord Hannes, the guardian of the city of Rattay."

Hans Capon also bowed and handed over the perfectly sealed letter.

The old count looked at the mark with little interest, then opened it, glanced at it a few times, and tossed the letter aside, saying, "I hope so. Please take a seat; dinner will be served shortly, and we can talk while we eat."

The old count gave the steward a wink, and the steward immediately clapped his hands. Three cooks brought up food including wine, cheese, white bread, roast chicken, stewed venison, onion rolls, and small egg tarts.

"Tell me why my steward reported to me that you had acted suspiciously and tried to sneak into the castle, but he chased you away. Why didn't you show me your letters and noble insignia?"

von Polgao continued to feign ignorance. Ulrich, however, swallowed nervously. After all, Hans was the future heir to the city of Ratland, a noble lord. He, on the other hand, was merely a steward, seemingly prestigious but actually not a respectable figure. If Hans insisted on pursuing the matter, he would inevitably be punished.

"In fact, the reception I received from the butler was a bit... how should I put it? A bit unexpected, but certainly not a pleasant experience."

Young Master Hans was pondering his vocabulary, trying to elegantly describe the feeling of being about to defecate and urinate.

"Please accept my apologies..." The experienced von Polgar interrupted Hans's description, proactively lowering his stance, and continued, "And the butler's apologies, right, Ulrich?"

"Yes, I am very sorry, Lord Hans. I did not recognize your noble crest at the time and made a decision on my own, which caused you distress. I apologize again."

Ulrich knew that this was the count giving him a way out, so he immediately bowed his head and apologized.

Seeing that Hans still hadn't made a statement, von Polgar continued, "I must clarify for him that he was ordered by me to not allow anyone to enter the castle and to remain vigilant at all times."

It must be said that the old count was truly kind to his trusted confidant, not letting him take the blame entirely. An ordinary person would be secretly delighted to have such a leader.

Having said all that, Hans couldn't press the matter further, so he said, "I understand, sir. In our territory, some bandits have even used trickery to infiltrate Talmu Fortress. We expended a great deal of effort to capture the castle, and I completely agree with your vigilance."

"I'm so glad you understand. Anyway, let's put this misunderstanding aside and get down to business."

With practiced ease, Feng Boergaard cut ties with a few words and moved on to a new topic: "As far as I know, Rattay has never been interested in negotiations, whether with me or with the noble alliance."

"You're right. Our two families have always been on opposing sides..."

Before Hans could finish speaking, the old count interrupted him, saying, "That's because Raddy, Hans, and that traitor Jan Sokol of Lamberg colluded to plunder the Rosenberg family's Bourneau and Zhelava, which was a complete violation of the law and noble honor."

Jan Sokol? The Rosenberg family? Who are they?

Did we also plunder Burno and Zhihrava?

Hans, who was only sixteen and had always been a spoiled brat, was completely bewildered and didn't know how to answer.

Henry, who was loafing around in the village of Skaritz three months ago, was equally clueless. He had no idea about the grudges involved, so he could only bite the bullet and help Hans out, saying, "We both have responsibilities. For example, your lords' alliance kidnapped the king."

Henry was right about this. Before Sigismund imprisoned Wenceslaus IV, the noble alliance led by von Polgao had imprisoned the king for several years, thus establishing a ruling model in which the council of noble alliance members decided on national administrative affairs. Even after the king was released, he was merely a puppet figurehead of the noble alliance.

For a Bohemian of ordinary birth like Henry, the kidnapping and imprisonment of the king was wrong of the nobles. "I do not doubt that you have your own legitimate reasons, just as I do not doubt Radji and Lord Hannah."

"Our biggest disagreement is that they blindly pledge allegiance to Wenceslaus, that drunkard and lazybones, while we, the noble alliance, are doing our utmost to prevent Wenceslaus from harming the empire." Von Polgao's voice grew louder and louder, sounding authoritative and awe-inspiring.

But when Hans and Henry thought of the old count's pathetic state when he faced the red-haired Peter's escape, they suddenly found the old count's pretentious act somewhat ridiculous.

Feng Boergaard seemed to realize that his authority had not intimidated the two young men, so he changed the subject, "But let's put aside our past grievances for now and tell me, Sir Hansworth, what are your thoughts? I'm all ears."

No, didn't you just read the letter? Can't you read either?

Hans unconsciously crossed his arms, wanting to complain, but he held back. He stroked his chin with one hand, turning to a look of reminiscence, and said, "Ahem, to put it simply, Sir Hannah, Sir Radji, and the other lords believe that the situation in Bohemia is out of control, which is not good for anyone. Sigismund cannot bring stability and order."

That's true. The foreign troops brought by Sigismund were plundering Bohemian territory at will for wealth. This was no longer a matter of succession within the Luxembourg family; it was a matter of foreign invasion. The members of the southern noble alliance had also suffered heavy losses and had protested repeatedly in the noble council.

"Perhaps, so what are your plans?" Feng Boer asked.

"Sir Hannah and our lord wish to understand the current stance of the Noble Alliance. Furthermore, are they interested in reassessing the current situation?"

Hans used his words carefully.

"Are you asking if it's possible for me to betray Sigismund?" von Polgar bluntly pointed out.

"To call it betrayal is too strong, Lord Otto. We have come to you because you hold the reins of the Noble Alliance. I believe that some of you lords also want to resolve the current thorny situation. For the Kingdom of Bohemia at present, if we choose unity rather than division, that would naturally be the best outcome."

Henry is indeed eloquent; with his small mouth, he spouts a lot of profound truths.

"Your servant speaks like a diplomat, Sir Hans."

Feng Boer took a sip of wine, a sneer on his face. "Only children talk about ideals; adults only talk about interests." These two young people were still playing word games with him—they were too naive. "The problem is, how do we reconcile fire and water?"

Hans and Henry looked at each other. They were good at conveying messages and talking about grand principles, but when it came to specific exchanges of interests and territorial compromises, they were complete novices who neither understood nor were qualified to make decisions.

Feng Boergao understood this as well, so he didn't continue the debate. He felt he had laid enough groundwork by using the possibility of an alliance to keep the two men hanging, and said, "I think Hannah and Radji are right. This land is in chaos and bandits are rampant. This situation should end."

Hans agreed, "We've had similar troubles in our territory; not long ago we were forced to deal with a band of thugs."

"Then you will understand that debate won't save the territory. We must first take action to manage our own affairs. I have a problem that's troubling me right now, and perhaps you can help."

"What kind of help?"

"You may have heard. Some bastard has wiped out half of my garrison, captured my bodyguard, and even my son. I'm a little unsure what to do."

"Uh, please forgive my intrusion, but what do you mean?"

"I would like to ask you and your eloquent servant to make a trip for me and redeem my son and bodyguard as soon as possible."

"You mean we have to go to the Red Griffin camp to ransom them?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"No, why didn't you send someone you trusted from within the castle? For example, this steward, Ulrich?"

Hans suddenly became interested and took the opportunity to tease the butler.

Ulrich, who was listening nearby, turned green with rage. Given his reputation among the people, if he were captured by Peter the Red, his fate would be no better than that of Gules.

"Ahem, due to some special reasons, it's not very convenient for the people inside our castle to go out."

Even someone as shrewd as Feng Boer couldn't keep his composure when this came up.

"No problem, I'm willing to give it a try. But what about the ransom amount?"

Hans had long wanted to get to know the Red Griffin, and this was a good opportunity to do so.

"Really? This is what I mean by gentlemanly conduct, Sir Hans. The ransom amount is negotiable; just listen to those trivial conditions first, and don't refuse them lightly."

Feng Boergao gave instructions.