Blood tax

Chapter 240 One Three Five Eats Chicken, Two Four Six Flower Girls

Griffith changed into a clean light cavalry uniform.He is now a cavalry officer and can wear a uniform when he can't think of anything to wear or has money for new clothes.

Sonia was wearing a long dress like colorful clouds, and her bare shoulders were lowered to the limit of etiquette.Lifting the hem of her skirt, she briskly ran over and took Griffith's arm and walked towards the hall of Byelan's Hand.

"Griffith!" She pulled the quasi-knight with a thoughtful face and asked him to bring his head closer.

Although I promised my mother not to tell the matter about the title, but it was very uncomfortable to hide it in my heart.Sonia couldn't bear it anymore!
"what happened?"

"You are a candidate for an heir to a noble surname, and you can inherit an ancient family and title!" The girl who had endured for several days was almost biting his ear, "De Ravenelle family."

"Woo, ah!" Griffith didn't know what to say.

"Don't say anything," the girl pinched his arm, "behave yourself!"

All the people who come and go are big nobles.But Sonia insisted that Griffith, who had not yet become a formal knight, accompany her on her first dance.

Griffith, who was full of curiosity and anticipation, kept a cautious posture and put his hands on Sonia's waist.Even so, he still felt the girl tremble slightly.Sonia dances very well, she is the brightest pearl in Beyeland, and tonight's dance partner is waiting in line for her.

Such a gentle and cautious action should not have such a reaction.Griffith panicked, thinking he had misplaced his hand.

However, it seems not.Sonia put her hand on his shoulder obediently, and danced to the melody.

"My brother may marry a big family in Odessa. I don't know what it's called," Sonia whispered another thing, shaking the countess' secrets away. "Our family is in Odessa. There is a large piece of territory on the border of Sa, which is the property of the ancestors and the gift of military exploits in the early years.

"Although we don't usually go there, through this marriage, Dad may be promoted to Marquis. Nolan will inherit the title of the other family. He insists on doing so, and I will inherit the title of the Lamor family."

"Well—" Griffith hummed for a long time.

"I don't know what kind of person will be arranged for me," Sonia said softly, pinching the right hand on Griffith's shoulder lightly, "Actually, I think it's the same for Nolan as the Marquis. It's very troublesome to manage the territory."

"Unless there is a lost ruin there." Griffith chuckled softly.

"One relic is not enough," Sonia shook her head again and again,
"Two!"

The two whispered and whispered, and they continued talking until the opening dance was over.The nobles who lined up were already thinking about a duel with Griffith.

……

Next, an elder addressed everyone and announced the decision to grant Roland the title of Earl:
"We have been greatly helped by the work of the Comte de Sissel. This resolute and courageous knight has done many feats for the kingdom. He brought the revolutionary gunpowder weapon to the kingdom's army, and through the simple The experiments of the musket and cannon showed us the principle of firing. This experiment was carried out under the watchful eyes of His Majesty the King and all the noble senators. The Count himself did not hide any details. If he had any scruples, it was only for safety Consider asking adults to stay a little further away..."

The venerable senator's speech was long and unfocused.It can be seen that he is a very knowledgeable scholar, he knows everything, and wants to tell everyone everything, but the result is that the ladies present yawn again and again.

Finally he finished his lengthy speech, and the attendants announced the long title at the door of the ball hall: "Lord of Bellomont, Defender of the Kingdom, Dragon Slayer, Friend of Elves and Earth Spirits, Roland de Cisse Lord Earl is here!"

All the guests turned their attention to the door, where a tall and burly visitor appeared.

He was dressed like a fashionable young man in Byerland, with the earl's sash on his dark, starched blue coat, and the Knight's Eagle with diamonds and gold oak leaves shining brightly in the lamplight.His embroidered vest, shirt, and boots were the work of the best tailor and shoemaker, and his left hand rested freely on his gold and diamond-encrusted sword.

The hero of Byerland, the protagonist of the familiar story, stood proudly on the red carpet.Every look and every movement of him has the spirit of a conqueror, and the gaze of the eagle sweeps over the sentient beings looking up at him.He stepped into the living room of the palace, as if he was the master of this world and this era.

Years have made his hair thinner, but his firm lines and extraordinary bearing, noble status and wonderful stories make him still a fascinating lover.The years since he left Byelan made his body still as strong and strong as a war horse.When he nodded slightly, the proudest duke subconsciously returned the salute.

The dormant hero has returned to the center of civilization.The lights have been turned on, the curtain is about to be drawn, and the show is about to begin.

……

"His Royal Highness Prince Mark Commodus Anthony,
"Princess Diana de Mirantis."

One third of the way through the ball, the prince arrived with the daughter of the Guardian of the South.

Griffith looked up involuntarily.It was the first time he saw the prince.In terms of age, he is not much older than himself.

"The prince just graduated from Homemonwatts. Have you never seen him?" Sonia held the arm of the prospective knight. "He is engaged to Miss Diana, and he is also a classmate. Today is the official engagement ceremony!"

"Gods, I don't know any of them. I have met the Duke of Mirantis," Griffith thought for a while, then turned his head and whispered in the girl's ear, "At a secret meeting, the Duke said that as long as The prince and the princess can solve all the mysterious crises together with a team of Sutoral. The archbishop present laughed at him."

Sonia turned her head and glanced at him quickly: "This is not the Duke's joke. The two of them have known each other since they were very young. They have taken risks together and handled many cases. They are the most famous couple in Byerland!"

"Even compared to storybook heroes."

Griffith nodded.Suddenly, he thought of a question:
"Prince and Duchess? Handling cases? Why don't they leave these things to the knights and the army."

"Hmm~ I don't know, his mentor, General Maximus, the paladin, has been carefully teaching him military theory and swordsmanship."

Princess Mirantis and Prince Commodus are the protagonists of the banquet.They are perfect like a pair of ceramic villains, and even the pickiest person can't fault it.

Earl Roland left early, and Griffith noticed that he and General MacDonald's wife went to the garden talking and laughing.

After a few laps, Griffith checked the time and was about to go back to his room for a nap before starting his duties.The senior Xiutolaer who was supposed to be on duty injured his arm in a small accident. The superiors drew lots and decided that he would be responsible for the security work in an area of ​​the inner circle of the palace from 12:2 to [-]:[-] am.

Just as he was about to leave, Sonia hurried up and caught him, and led him before the prince and princess.

"Your Highness, Princess, he is Griffith Brandon, the third-level assault squadron leader, the recipient of the Silver Oak Leaf Knight's Eagle Badge, and my Sutoral." Sonia introduced seriously.

The prince nodded kindly to him, and said with a friendly face of a senior and a friend: "The countess told me about you, quasi-knight, you were very active in the battle between Verona and Raven.

"Hidden dangers threaten our country at every moment, but ease wears down our ambitions, and only great causes can awaken noble souls."

The prince stretched out his hand to the prospective knight: "Mr. prospective knight, soon, I will officially start leading the army. This country will be inherited by me, and I promise to lead her to greatness. Would you like to join my team?"

"..." Griffith couldn't answer for a while.He was stunned.That's right, he is a vassal of the Lamor family, and the earl is also a vassal of the king, but he is not a vassal of the king!
Although there is no major problem in terms of the chain of command, if he is to be directly loyal to the prince, how should he explain his loyalty to the Lamor family, the earl and Sonia.

Sonia was looking at him and the prince with sparkling eyes, and she didn't realize the problem at all.

Princess Mirantis stood aside.She looked at the prince, at the countess, and at the chevalier.Fortunately, she was still awake like Griffith.

"Your Highness, there are enough warriors fighting for you. I heard from Sonia that her knight is a good intelligence and staff officer. The previous battles have proved this for us. Please don't misplace his talents. out of place.

"Let him stay behind and spend more time with Miss Lamor."

The princess took her fiancé's arm and pointed out the prince's little mistake with a smile.

Oh--!Well said, this is really the demeanor of a queen!Praise the Duchess!Griffith said repeatedly in his heart.

"Yes, that's what happened!" The prince seemed to understand, but he didn't understand, "We are studying, and we will set up a staff department according to Sir Roland's suggestion, and unify the command. Come and join us when you are free. Let's do a sand table simulation, I am very interested in the battle between Verona and Raven."

"Your will is my action, Your Highness." Griffith beat his chest in greeting.

"Okay, do we have to collect talents all night? Don't you have enough loyal ministers and generals from His Highness?" The princess cast a charming smile on Sonia, "Does anyone remember that this is a ball and not an imperial meeting?"

……

The princess walked away with her prince.Griffith felt a little thirsty, so he and Sonia came to rest on the couch in the corner of the hall.

Fiona and Lana were there too.Count Chalon, who had been away from Bayerland for a long time, came back from the Verona front and was chatting with Count Lamor.

"Sonia, hurry up and announce the answer!" Seeing the two of them approaching, Earl Chalon grabbed Earl Lamor who was about to escape and shouted, "The prince wants to win over your knight, doesn't he?"

"You can't say that, Earl, the prince just hopes that Griffith can serve the future of the kingdom with him." Sonia corrected tactfully.

"Isn't this just solicitation?" Earl Chalon snorted, "Look, I guessed right. The prince is anxious for military power and status, and wants to treat our Senate as air!"

Count Lamor looked at his good friend in silence.

"He is a prince, won't the whole country belong to him sooner or later? Why not?" Fiona asked her father in confusion.

"Tsk, tell me, William." The drunk Xia Long grabbed his friend's arm to prevent him from leaving.But Earl Lamor ignored him, just looked around vigilantly.

Earl Chalon had no choice but to explain himself: "Order, young friends, order is the cornerstone of the existence of the kingdom. Even evil order is a hundred times better than disorderly goodness."

Everyone couldn't understand what he was saying.

The count went on to say: "The first thing I did when I arrived in Verona was to bring my legion to establish order there. There must be a clear boundary for what can be done and what cannot be done. Even if it is burning, killing, raping, How to burn and kill, how to prostitution and looting, there must be a regulation. Lana, don’t you think so?”

"I don't know anything, Earl!" Lana replied lightning, and then quickly glanced at Fiona, and found that she was staring at him.

Earl Chalon drank two more glasses today, and he was in high spirits. It seemed that he was overwhelmed in Verona.He went on to say: "Suppose my soldiers want to eat chicken for one day, three for five, and girls for two forty-six, and rest on Sundays. This is order. It is also a hundred times better than disorder.

"If you're all like the prince, you're in a good mood today, Tuesday. You go out early to find the flower girl. Halfway there, you find that the chickens in this family's house are really fat, so you kill the villagers and eat the chicken. What happened to the flower girl is clear." Besides, what's the matter? As long as Hua girl doesn't eat chicken as agreed today?"

"The earl is using an analogy, which means to create a predictable and stable behavior pattern among all parties to reduce misjudgment and suspicion between each other. It is not really about eating chickens and flower girls." Gerry Feith hurriedly continued the conversation, he could already see that Sonia's and Fiona's expressions were not right.

Earl Chalon glanced at him approvingly, and then said: "The function of order is to make everything that is about to happen known, so as to avoid confrontation caused by fear to the greatest extent. Unknowability is the greatest fear.

"In this way, everyone will know that we want to eat chicken at [-], and we can sell other things by the way, and [-] will also arrange for girls to provide better services to bargain. In this way, everyone can benefit Figure, order becomes the convention, the convention becomes the law, and the world will be peaceful.”

Leaving aside the nasty jokes, Earl Chalon's remarks are quite brilliant.Griffith couldn't help but record it in his heart and study hard.

Fiona stared angrily at Earl Chalon who went to spend the little girl every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

"I'm just making an analogy, daughter," the earl explained with a tongue out, "besides, it's not a big deal, William, the two little knights know that, how could the soldiers on the front line avoid this matter, belch."

"Nothing!"

"I do not have!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Griffith, Lanner, and Count Lamour yelled like a salvo of artillery.

Fiona's eyes turned cold, and she stared at her father covetously: "You're drinking too much and talking nonsense again, stop talking, mom will come and beat you soon."

"How can Cornelia understand the army like I do?" Earl Chalon drank another big glass, "Whether the prince wants military power or finds a flower girl, there must be a charter. If you can't find it today, you must not do it. Tomorrow is the day and you must not let it go, this is called...

"What's the matter, what are you guys doing here? Hehe, what kind of expressions do you have? Could it be that Cornelia is behind me, ah—!"

(End of this chapter)