Knight and Wand

Chapter 221 The True Knight

In the Lord's Hall of Avalon Fortress, Leon received what was, in a sense, a real "Dwarf Mission" rather than his previous nonsense to cover up his identity as a remnant of Heraen.

Two months later, when Leon saw Hem, the captain of the Dwarf Hearth Guard who had left, he was secretly surprised at the efficiency of his return from this journey to find his hometown.

It’s not surprising how quickly the other party returned to Castle Avalon.

Leon had already seen the flying beasts they were riding from afar from the rooftop of the fortress this morning.

The "lion scorpion" or "scorpion-tailed lion" has a lion-like head, fleshy wings on its back, and a long tail with thorns at the end. It is larger than a hippogriff but still much smaller than a griffin. Although its flying speed and altitude are far inferior to those of the hippogriff and griffin, it is still a flying beast after all, and traveling in a straight line through the air is much faster than traveling on horseback.

They were being guarded outside the city by several dwarf riders who were accompanying them, so as not to disturb and anger the Deathclaws in the Griffin Tower.

Fortunately, they did not meet in the wild, otherwise the adult griffin would kill all the scorpion lions that broke into their territory, especially when the Death Claws had cubs that needed protection.

With the manticore mount as his means of transportation, it was not surprising that Hem returned quickly.

What really surprised Leon was that the remnants of Heraen actually found the dwarf settlement that the world has been searching for in vain in just one or two months.

He eliminated his estimate of the scorpion's flying efficiency and silently calculated how far Hem and his crew could travel by land in more than a month at their speed.

During this period of time, the dwarves may only be able to reach the areas around the Kingdom of Orland at most.

There is also a Heraen settlement around the northern border, which is also great news.

Leon believed that the information Laura told him was correct. In all likelihood, the ancient Helan people had indeed left as a whole clan.

What the other party found should be another possibility that Laura had guessed at the beginning. That is, the "survivors" like Hem who, due to some unexpected reasons, did not catch up with the ancient dwarf king and his people on their journey.

Sitting on the chair, Leon touched his chin and continued to glance at the strange dwarf warriors who accompanied Hem to meet him.

The most direct evidence is that the feeling of the armor and weapons they wear is very different from the ancient equipment worn by the dwarves of the Edel Mine Team.

The thick and solid heavy armor on these strange dwarves was also of excellent quality. The armor and weapons engraved with the runes of Heraen were obviously of extraordinary quality.

But it can still be found that their armor is very different in style from that of ancient rune furnace guards and furnace technicians such as Hem and Adya, with their gold and bronze color, curved inlaid armor, and layers of exquisite devices.

If I had to describe this feeling, it was as if Leon saw the image of an ordinary dwarf in the art work of his previous life, standing next to the Karaton Skylord in the West Oma era. They didn't look like people of the same generation at all.

These dwarves are probably not from the same time period as Hearn.

Perhaps, they may be the descendants of the earlier "survivors", and perhaps they have never seen the civilization of the ancient Helan people.

If it is six or seven hundred years, even with the lifespan of dwarves, several generations have passed.

".Lord Leon, Ms. Olivia has already talked to us. Since you are facing the threat of war, the Helan people will not ignore the difficulties of their friends. How about this.
Adya and the others will continue to work here until we support some craftsmen from our tribe to come to Avalon and help them complete your weapons order. Those armors are not technically difficult, and it doesn't matter who makes them. When the second batch of craftsmen arrives to solve your needs, they will leave on their own. "Hem assured, patting his breastplate.

"Of course this proposal is acceptable. Please rest assured that I will not force your people to stay." Leon nodded in agreement, but compared to the other party's eagerness to take away the remnants of the dwarves, he was actually more concerned about another important issue.

"Where will you live in the future? Now that you have found your fellow tribesmen, may the Territory of Avalon have the honor of establishing contacts and connections with the Kingdom of Heraen?" Leon asked tentatively.

Hem held his helmet, raised his hand and scratched his beard, glanced at the Steelforge guard beside him, shrugged and replied with some embarrassment: "Sorry, I can't tell you too much. It is the decision of our leader to stop interacting with the countries on the continent. This concerns our safety.

However, as a token of my gratitude for your help, if Avalon needs a lot of weapons and armor, I promise to build a batch for you free of charge and send it to you with my fellow miners in the future."

Leon was pleasantly surprised. Free dwarven weapons must be of great value.

He also inferred a lot from the other party's words.

The number of Heran people who were unfortunately left behind in this world must not be large, otherwise why would their leaders be so wary of the outside world.

However, facing the immediate crisis, Leon still does not want to give up any potential allies he can come into contact with.

He told Hem and others about the real difficulties: "To be honest with you, Mr. Hem, during the time you were away, a disaster was spreading in this area. If it cannot be contained, the entire continent may face a catastrophic disaster in the future. No one can be immune. I still hope to establish diplomatic relations with you and get as much help as possible."

When the dwarves were informed of the news from eastern Kantadar, Leon saw that their big beards could not hide the astonishment on their faces.

Several bearded men were communicating privately in the Helan language, which Leon could not understand, with their voices rising and falling and spit flying everywhere.

Hem frowned with his thick eyebrows, and seemed to be arguing with others, but was still pulled back by his other companions, and his tone sounded particularly serious.

Leon waited patiently.

Hem turned around after a long while and responded, "Ulfgard's egg, I can't believe this news easily, and I can't give you an immediate answer. I have to go back and inform the king before I can make a decision."

"Of course, I expect your king to make a wise choice. I will mark the locations that are threatened by the undead on the map. You have lion scorpions to ride on, so you can go and investigate the truth, but don't go too deep into it. I can't guarantee how many dangers there are in that area that have not yet appeared." Leon warned.
After the dwarves left the hall, Leon leaned back in his chair and thought, but he couldn't think of a better excuse.

No matter where the dwarf settlements still exist in the world, they must be separated from here by at least a piece of northern land. With such a long distance, and with tens of millions of Feru people from the Kingdom of Orland standing in the way, even if the dwarf leader believes in his intelligence, he probably won't be as anxious as he is.

Leon could only hope that the dwarf king of the time was not a short-sighted and mediocre person.

I'll go find Laura later to think of a solution. I wonder if my little teacher can come up with a good idea to impress the Dwarf King mentioned by Hem and get him to pay attention to the crisis happening here.

After dealing with the dwarves, Leon stood up and went to arrange the Knights' expedition.

Within half a month, the army must be assembled and follow Count Elliver to the north of the Usato Mountains to meet up with General Trosa.

The mobilization order issued by Ledwin could not be avoided. Even if he no longer wanted to go south to waste time and life on the battlefield in Usato, as the lord of Orland, he had to fulfill his corresponding military obligations to the king.

According to the size of the fiefdom under his name, providing one hundred soldiers is the most basic requirement, and the knights registered in the kingdom must also respond to the call.

Of course, knights who were unable to enlist could pay a "shield tax" of four gold crowns per month instead of serving.

Corvis is traveling far away with Larian to a foreign land. No one knows where to find his fellow knights-errant. It is impossible to estimate the time of their return. There is an 80% chance that they will miss the assembly, and they will definitely have to pay a shield tax to make up for it.

Akao was delayed because of the mission he was assigned to, so I will definitely pay for him.

The same goes for Olivia. Leon didn't dare let her stay under the noses of King Ledwin and Count Trosa, and he couldn't let her go with him on this trip. He could only ask her and the servant Theresa to stay in Avalon to help everyone manage and guard the territory.

In order to prevent any unexpected events in the territory, Leon would leave several light cavalry and eleven heavy cavalry in Avalon for Olivia to command and dispatch.

Anyway, they are not fighting independently. The army of the Thorn Flower Family has a complete cavalry unit, so it is enough for them to ensure that they have enough infantry.

Brian had to stay as well, not only because of his inconvenient legs due to the long-distance travel, but also because the ongoing recruitment and training of new recruits for the Knights Templar could not be done without the leadership and supervision of the old knights.

As a result, except for a few people who stayed behind to guard the house for their own reasons, all the rest of the Knights of Avalon would have to go out.

Including himself, Azerien, Lohak, Zabron, Filippo and others, a square-flag knight, twelve lower-level knights, eight knight squires, and a hundred soldiers consisting of lancers and crossbowmen will follow Elif's army to the battlefield of Kantadar.

Twenty-one heavy cavalrymen, one hundred professional soldiers, and six or seven small baggage wagons pulled by single pack horses would consume nearly thirteen tons of food and fodder per month while fighting outside, including food and some meat for the soldiers, as well as hay and various grains for the war horses.

Fortunately, after all, it was a national war in response to the king's call, not a war launched privately by the lords. The heavy logistical pressure was not entirely borne by the lords who responded to the call.

The kingdom will bear 40% to 50% of the food and fodder consumption for the armies of the great lords.

The great lord will also be responsible for 40% to 50% of the supplies for the armies of his vassals.

Leon estimated that Avalon would only need to bear about 6.5 tons of food and fodder per month. The rest would be allocated to his troops by the feudal lord. As long as the war did not drag on for too long than expected, the Avalon treasury reserves that had just collected taxes would be able to fully sustain it.
Of the three groups of people who had gone out to order weapons to expand the army, Azerien and Ms. Martha's team had not yet returned, and only Lohak had just returned to Avalon not long ago because his itinerary was closer.

Seeing that there were not enough people for the meeting, Leon did not send anyone to summon him. He only asked the servants about the boy's whereabouts, then left the main castle and walked towards the Midtown Academy, ready to discuss the expedition with him.

The brothers have always been eager to kill their enemies. Although the real culprit who killed the three people's families has not been found yet, it is said that the enemy of this war is the Kantardar army that invaded Serian from the east. I believe that Lohak and Azerien must want to make those troops who invaded their hometown and burned and killed people pay the price with their own hands.

With his big hands holding a bunch of lily of the valley that he had found and picked in the valley early in the morning, Lohak suppressed his excitement and walked briskly.

Trying hard to recall the few verses of poetry his elder sister had taught him, he came to the big house of the academy, looking for the lovely girl he admired, wanting to give her the gift while the fragrance of the flowers was still there.

The "big boy", who was two meters one meter tall and as strong as a tiger, tiptoed up to the second floor, came to the side of the classroom, and looked out the door with his head down.

Unfortunately, the girl was not seen. Inside the house, Ms. Wenresa was teaching some children.

".Looking for Miss Sally again?"

The pleasant voice behind him startled Lohak.

He turned around and saw Miss Margarina, holding documents and smiling.

"Ah, no, no!" The oversized boy was so embarrassed that he wanted to hide the flowers behind him.

However, the other party had just seen it, and this clumsy action was undoubtedly an attempt to cover up one's own mistakes.

"Good morning, Sir Lohak." Margarina smiled softly and pointed to the west of the house, reminding: "Miss Sally is in the backyard, relaxing with the children and practicing dancing."

"Oh! Thank you, Miss Margarina." Lockhart's face turned red at the other party's good-natured teasing, and he quickly ran down the stairs.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he ran outside.

Although he had made up his mind to pursue the lovely Miss Sally, Lockhart did not want this to become known to everyone so as not to embarrass her.

Although the girl was once the daughter of a noble family in her hometown, she is now helpless.

Lockhart didn't want to be the bully in the bard's tales.

Walking towards the backyard of the big house, he looked down at his own physique and couldn't help feeling discouraged.

An unusually tall and sturdy body is indeed something to be proud of as a warrior.

But this muscular physique not only easily frightens Miss Sally, but also makes him look ridiculous when dancing.

Whenever Lohak thought of this, he couldn't help but imagine switching bodies with Azerien.

If he had that elegant and handsome face and figure, it would be so easy to please Sally. While he was daydreaming, he heard a loud commotion before he even walked into the spacious yard.

There were the sounds of teenagers fighting, screaming, and cursing, as well as Sally's anxious shouts.

A boy cursed: ". Bastard! Die, you stupid pig! You lowly bastard!"

The other skinny boy struggled without giving in: "Pig! - Bah! You are the bastard!"

". Pull them apart quickly! Help me pull them apart!" Calling for help from the bewildered children nearby, Sally's pretty face was almost crying with anxiety.

She tried very hard to pull away the boy who was punching and kicking another child.

But heaven and earth are witnesses. Although she is the boys' teacher, she is actually only a 15-year-old girl, only a few years older than these boys. When the two boys started to fight, Sally was unable to pull them apart.

A few enthusiastic teenagers wanted to help the poor little teacher, but when they looked up and saw the majestic figure approaching, they were frightened and their hair stood on end. A shadow like an iron tower suddenly blocked the sunlight above Sally's head.

Without waiting for the flustered girl to look up in confusion, Lohak stretched out his left hand, and with his five fingers as strong as tree roots, he picked up the boy who was pressing on the other boy like a chicken.

The unstoppable and terrifying force made the boy think he was being held by a dragon.

He stopped struggling, turned his head, and saw the familiar face with sword-like eyebrows and fierce eyes. His breathing paused for a few seconds.

".Lo.Lohak, big brother."

The backyard suddenly became quiet, leaving only the two boys' rapid breathing due to excitement.

Sally felt relieved when she saw someone coming to help separate the fighting teenagers.

"Thank you, I'm glad you're here, Sir Lohark." She straightened up and adjusted her skirt, smiling helplessly.

Lohak smiled at her, but his original romantic mood was gone.

Because he recognized the child who was riding on his thin classmate and beating him.

The other party was from Longka under his jurisdiction. He was the grandson of the Longka village official and also a younger brother who had been taken care of by him.

Holding the boy in one hand, Lohak stuffed the lily of the valley, which he had nowhere to put down, into Sally's hand.

Looking at the flowers handed to her, the girl was stunned for a moment before taking them in confusion.

Lohak put down the boy in his hand.

After looking at the other boy with a bruised face, he turned to the grandson of the Longka village official and asked, "Duke, why are you fighting?"

Duke, breathing rapidly, was a little afraid of the lord in front of him, but he gritted his teeth and pointed at the boy he had just beaten.

"That bastard! He's a Kantadar! I'm disgusted by him!" Seeing the eldest brother, the lord from his hometown, the young man seemed to have someone backing him up, and said hatefully.

The boy who was pointed at tightened his cheeks and pursed his lips in anger, but still held back from making a sound. He remembered that he was now under the rule of Lord Orland.

"He is indeed a Kantadar. There are many Kantadars here." Lohak nodded and asked, "Then what? I am asking why you are fighting."

After saying this, he looked at the beaten Kantadar boy and asked in Uriah: "What happened?"

"Sir, he called me stupid as a pig, and I didn't dare to talk back. As a result, he bumped into me, and then we started fighting." The boy with a bruised face and nose did not dare to offend the noble, so he answered honestly.

"You provoked him just to beat up the Kantadars?" Lohak turned around.

Duke already understood these simple words of Uriah. He opened his mouth, his eyes reddened with anxiety: "My Lord, you know! My father! My father was killed by the Kantardars! Only his head with his eyes dug out was sent back. I wish I could dig out the eyes of all the Kantardars to avenge him!"

Listening to the hatred in the boy's mouth, Lohak continued to stare at him: "You mean you want revenge here?"

It seemed that his father's blood feud had stirred up his emotions, which temporarily overshadowed his fear, and he cried out to Lohak with tears in his eyes: "Shouldn't I!?. Shouldn't the Kantadars die!"

Lohak was unmoved. He raised his hand and pointed at another Kantadar boy who was obviously muscular standing behind the boys. "Then why don't you go find him first? He is also a Kantadar."

Duke looked over with red eyes.

Some mute
He was the son of the mayor of a town in the south, and he was as strong as a bull.
As if Lohak saw what the boy was thinking, he pulled out the dagger hanging on his side and threw it directly in front of Duke.

Seeing the gleaming sharp blade rolling to his feet, Duke took two steps back in shock.

"Take it, you can do it, go kill him and dig out his eyes." Lohak said coldly.

The big Kantadar boy who was pointed at took a step back in horror.

Duke's breathing was rapid in his excitement, and he looked up in confusion.

"You have the right to revenge. Now go ahead and kill the one you consider an enemy. I won't stop you, and I won't let anyone else stop you."

Lohak continued expressionlessly, "Not only them, there are many Kantardars here, including your teacher, Ms. Veresa, Ms. Margarina, and her husband, Knight Larian, who is also a Kantardar.
Do what you want to do, starting with the Kantardars in front of you."

In Duke's young brain, even his ability to think seemed to be turned into a mess, and he picked up the sharp noble dagger out of spite.

——Keng!

At the same time, Lohak drew the long sword from his waist.

The cold light so close to him frightened the young man so much that his limbs suddenly turned cold, and the dagger he had just picked up immediately fell back to the ground.

Luohak calmly comforted the boy: "Don't be afraid, I won't do anything until you complete your 'revenge'.
I will not chop off your head until you become a thug who sheds the blood of innocent people."

"I don't understand, sir, why? Why do you favor a Kantadar? Weren't your parents also affected by them?"

Duke burst into tears out of fear, his voice trembling with confusion.

However, before he could finish his words, Lohak half-knelt down with his sword in hand and lifted the boy's chin.

Looking at the boy in front of him who seemed to be the same age as his younger brother, Lohak's voice was as vicious as a demon. He spoke each word with a pause, his face distorted with rage, as if he had turned into an inhuman vengeful ghost.

"My parents died tragically in the atrocities of the Kantardars, Duke. Until now, I have never wanted to tear the flesh and blood of those murderers and thugs apart for even a second. I will crush their blood and bones with my teeth, chew up their flesh and eat them alive."

Duke's cry was instantly stuck in his throat.

Lohak's ferocious expression slowly relaxed, and his voice became still.

"So, after becoming a knight, I swore to not only find the murderer who killed my family but also to chop them into pieces.
I will also chop all the bastards like them who don't deserve to live into pulp with my own hands and send them into the bottomless abyss.
I will take revenge on all these beasts." After saying that, he let go of the boy, supported the sword and stood up, then lowered his head and asked Duke who was staring at him blankly:
"What about you? Are you going to pick up the dagger, kill the innocent classmates around you, become a beast like those thugs, and then be killed by me?

Or will you put aside your resentment of torturing innocent people until you find the murderer who killed your father and pay the blood debt yourself? "

Duke couldn't help but sit down on the ground in frustration after hearing this, and couldn't help sobbing even louder.

".But how can I find them?

By the time I grow up, they may have died on the battlefield." The young man complained to the lord brother.

Seeing the boy make his choice, Lohak's expression finally softened.

"So what? Aren't there endless damned people in this world? Or would you rather beat up an innocent classmate than kill all those bastards who do the same thing as your enemies?" Lohak said, retracting his sword, picking up the dagger and putting it back into the sheath.

He waited quietly for the boy in front of him, and the crying gradually subsided.

After a long while, when all the children around him had been taken away by Sally, Duke finally stopped crying and rubbed his eyes before getting up from the ground: "Brother Lohak, I'm sorry, I embarrassed Longka."

"Still want revenge?" asked Lohak.

"I want to." Duke lowered his head and hesitated for a long time before asking, "Should I not want to?"

"If you dare not think about it, I will slap you in the face on behalf of your grandfather." Lohak glared at him.

He turned around and finally smiled: "How do you want revenge now?"

After being angry and crying, Duke seemed to feel relieved. He looked up at the lord brother and said, "Go find those murderers, and those murderers in the world. I want to be a powerful knight like you, so that I can avenge them."

"Become a knight? Then a knight cannot bully the innocent and weak. You just provoked and beat up a classmate. What do you think about this?"

"I'm going to apologize! No, I have to let him beat me back."

"It's a deal. You can't punch him less. If there are a few purple spots on his face, you will have the same on your face. You have to punch him a few more times! Until he forgives you."

Lohak ruffled the boy's hair and gave him another trick: "If he doesn't dare to hit you, you hit him and force him to hit you back. Do you understand?"

"Yeah! I understand!" The boy nodded.

Seeing Duke stand up and run back to the college building to apologize, Lohak relaxed his tense face and sighed.

Maybe it’s because I have had similar experiences.

He had liked this kid very much when he was in Longka, and he often took care of him during the time he stayed in Longka. According to his grandfather, his father was the previous village official of Longka. He was recruited to the northeastern part of the Thorn Flower Territory and died on the border while resisting the harassment of Kantadar. In the end, only a head was found in the pile of inhuman-shaped corpses.

Thinking of the hatred held by the child, Lohak shook his head. If he had not met his current companions, he would probably have the same thoughts as the other party just now.

However, after meeting so many people, he learned how to categorize his enemies based on their behavior rather than their ethnicity.

Gradually letting go of his thoughts, Lohak clenched his right hand regretfully.

I had intended to give flowers to the girl I liked, but ended up teaching that boy a lesson. I hoped that my ferocious and intimidating appearance had not frightened Miss Sally.

He clapped his hands and turned to leave, when he suddenly saw Leon leaning against the wall at the backyard entrance, staring at him with a smile.

For no apparent reason, Lohak felt a little embarrassed as if he was being scrutinized by someone he knew because of what he had just said.

Leon walked over with relief and climbed onto his good brother's shoulders.

“Now it seems that my worries in the past were unnecessary.

Loharc, you are a true knight, and I am proud to be your friend."

Hearing Leon's earnest praise, Lohak's face became even hotter.

"Don't laugh at me, I just feel that if it were you, you would definitely say that to me." The big guy scratched his face. He was just instinctively imitating the other person's tone.

"No, you don't understand. If I were you, I would definitely not be as good as you."

Leon shook his head sincerely.

The teachers' tea room on the second floor.

Sally gently fiddled with the white lily of the valley flowers in her hand.

She couldn't help but lower her head and sniff the fragrance.

This flower, which rarely blooms in summer, has a rich fragrance and a nobleness that attracts people.
Attached is 3200 words, which can be regarded as a free short story of Lohak. Alas, it is December nd, my birthday, but unfortunately I still can't stop working overtime and writing.

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(End of this chapter)