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

Chapter 355 Holfa Wants to Form an Alliance?
"Alright, then be careful!" Renault nodded to Holfa without saying anything more.

"How about this, you guys rest for a bit! We'll leave around noon, that way you'll reach Swiftstream City before evening! It'll be safer that way," Omske said, glancing at the sky and rubbing his nose.

"..." Holfa.

After all, it's obvious to everyone why the Swan Knights didn't get enough rest. After all, three burly men came up in the middle of the night and gave them a good beating. They got enough sleep, but the emotional trauma would take a lifetime to heal!

……

"What's wrong?" Roland asked, looking at Yun Feng who was rushing over.

“Here comes a message from Lulong Fortress: the Kingdom of Gondor has dispatched two squads of Swan Knights to escort our old friend, Prince Jessie Ava the Goblin King!” Yun Feng waved the intelligence report in his hand.

In fact, Renault had sent a messenger to inform Roland of this matter just as dawn was breaking. If Holfa and the others had been allowed to walk forward with their heads down, they might have disappeared along the way... If the Holy Knights had been allowed to charge, they would have been left searching for these Swan Knights in the ground.

However, to be fair, the Swan Knights' equipment was indeed excellent; they were generally equipped with high-level gear, while Roland's knights were almost all equipped with mid-level gear. In this respect, the impoverished King Roland could not compare to the accumulated wealth of the Dorandos Territory over generations. After all, only they themselves probably knew how wealthy a family that had accumulated wealth over an era truly was.

"Jessie Ava is still alive?" Roland asked in surprise. He still remembered the poor goblin king quite well. Roland felt a little guilty that his own people had lost the guy in Rohan. After all, it was not good to take someone's payment but not complete their request.

“Yes! It seems the King of Gondor has kept his promise!” Yunfeng nodded.

“Not a king! Gondor hasn’t had a king in a long time, but it will soon! Right now, it should be Regent Tegan who is in power!” Roland shook his head. It seemed that this Tegan was someone who could be dealt with. If it were Denethor II (also known as Denethor), it was hard to say whether the old man would be willing to keep his promise to them.

"What do you think?" Yunfeng looked up at Roland, asking him how Roland should treat these guests from Gondor.

“Just treat them with courtesy. Oh, and have Nyx entertain them for me, in the name of Queen Lagrange!” Roland said casually. After all, he was currently leading his knights to be stationed in Delwin Town, ready to fight the vanguard of the Chariot Peoples at any time, and it was impossible for him to go back to meet those Swan Knights from Gondor.

“Okay! I understand!” Yun Feng nodded.

“Tell that girl Nyx that she should make all the decisions. As the mistress of the country, it is her right and duty!” Roland nodded.

"Alright! Your Highness, then I'll take my leave!" Yun Feng bowed, and then disappeared in front of Roland in a flash.

"Tsk! Magic...it's so useful!" Roland shook his head. He was actually quite envious of mages. Weren't noble spellcasters much more appealing than those muscle-bound brutes? Little did he know, years later, Roland would ultimately succumb to the "it's actually pretty good" phenomenon...

"King Roland! Is there a situation?" Verway knocked on the door and came in.

“No, please sit down. Make yourself at home, I won’t entertain you. You’re familiar with this place anyway.” Roland glanced at Verway, then continued studying the map drawn by Caslow and Ajax. This map was somewhat different from the maps he had seen in his previous life, as it included parameters such as altitude.

"Gulp gulp gulp~" Verway didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a cup of strong tea, then gulped it down.

"Tsk? Aren't you elves supposed to be elegant? That rude gesture just now doesn't seem like something an elf would do," Roland teased after glancing at Verwy. "Rude? Grassland elves don't have that many fuss oversights! Are you trying to teach a bunch of precarious grassland refugees manners?" Verwy was immediately amused.

“That’s true! Only those idle, pig-like nobles would bother with those ridiculous, impoverished rules!” Roland nodded in deep agreement.

In terms of nobility, Roland and Vermouth both belong to the military nobility, specifically the nobility with swords. After all, the kings of Middle-earth are only high-ranking nobles. The most prominent characteristic of this type of noble is that they possess armies and considerable fighting power. These nobles often emerge from newly risen noble families during wartime—the kind of unsophisticated individuals looked down upon by the court nobles…

“Waiting like this is too passive. Why don’t I lead my army deep into the wasteland to search?” Verway suggested.

"Well said! That makes sense! Go ahead and die if you want!" Roland rolled his eyes.

"I'm not as bad as you say, okay!" Verway grinned, clearly dissatisfied.

"Your ninety-man band of rangers is only useful for defending cities or in the forest... In open field battles... Don't drag your people into this mess. They've been through so much hardship all these years," Roland sneered.

“If you don’t want your people anymore, you can give them to me! I wouldn’t mind having another group of elves under my kingdom’s rule,” Roland suggested.

"Die... Call me if you hear anything! I'm in the treehouse up ahead!" Verway waved and walked out.

"Hmm." Roland nodded. Even if you didn't say anything, I would still call you. You can't run away, can you?

……

“His Highness grants you an audience. Please come with me!” A royal guard stepped forward and said to Holfa.

"Thank you, please lead the way!" Holfa said with a smile.

"Holfa, the Knight Commander of the Swan Knights of Dorandos, Kingdom of Gondor, pays his respects to Your Highness!" Holfa bowed to the person before him.

“No need for formalities. Are you from the Kingdom of Gondor?” Nyx blinked his big eyes.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Holfa bowed her head quickly, gazing at Nyx’s beautiful face. She couldn’t help but feel a fleeting flutter in her heart. (Roland: My Dragon Slayer Sword is so big and long…)
"What brings you here?" Nyx sat gracefully on the wide throne, gently tapping the armrest with his hand, looking curiously at the knight commander who had come from afar.

"It's like this, I hope to establish an alliance with your country..." Holfa quickly stated his purpose.

"Is this your intention or Gondor's? Can you represent Gondor?" Nyx asked with curiosity, his calm voice revealing an innate aristocratic demeanor and authority.

"I can represent the territory of Dorandos and the House of Doramlos!" Horfa said calmly. It should be noted that the House of Doramlos already carries considerable weight in the Kingdom of Gondor. This large princely family is enough to represent the will of the entire Kingdom of Gondor.

(End of this chapter)