Knight and Wand

Chapter 239 Recruiting and Court Mages

After changing into a proper dress, we came to the stone fortress in the city which was heavily guarded by soldiers.

After listening to the court attendant's brief explanation of the etiquette of the audience, Leon followed the instructions and walked into the carpeted hall.

Sunlight shone in through the hollow petal skylight, illuminating Ledwin III, who was sitting at the top in half armor and a gorgeous robe, with a dazzling golden glow all over his body.

In the palace hall, there were only the royal guards and the king himself standing on both sides.

Leon walked to the appropriate position and saluted the old dragon who had ruled Orland for more than ten years now.

Since he had lost his left hand, he could not touch his chest in the original way, so he had to use his right hand across his chest instead.

"Your loyal subject, Baron of Avalon, Leon Pendragon comes to see you. May the gods bless you, may your majesty be healthy, and may Orlando prosper."

Ledwin smiled faintly.

Looking at the tall and straight young Knight of the Order of Arms, he raised his hand and said, "Raise your head, Serpent Slayer of Avalon. I have heard of your bravery in wounding the great enemy Valensis. The kingdom needs an outstanding warrior like you."

His emerald eyes swept across the left shoulder covered by the tent, and he signaled to the guards: "Since you are still seriously injured, there is no need to be too formal today. Come, grant him a seat."

A guard immediately brought a chair and placed it in the hall.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Leon did not refuse. It was of course good to be able to sit down and feel relaxed. Although he had been carefully treated by doctors and sorcerers, he could feel that the broken bones and bone fragments in his body had only been repositioned through the circulation of magic elements, but were far from healed.

If it weren't for the strong physique I gained from practicing martial arts in this life, I would be able to endure the pain. If it were me on Earth, I would probably not be able to get out of bed for a year or two.

Ledwin stroked his beard and asked, "Trosa said you came from Serrian, and you actually traveled through the Nightmare Forest to reach the land of Orland. I guess it was your contribution that Elifer was able to discover that the curse in the forest had disappeared."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I was just forced by my experience and happened to be lucky to discover it before others." Leon was not surprised that Redwin could investigate to this extent, and he did not make any excuses to hide it.

The stories of how he and others made their fortunes, the spread of Goliath's poems, various rumors, and the fact that he had rocketed from a commoner to a baron in just half a year. With a little inquiry and thought, it would not be difficult to guess who discovered that the cursed land had disappeared.

"There's no need to be modest. Your good fortune has enabled the kingdom to expand its territory thousands of miles to the south. As a Serrian, you have made such a contribution to Orland. It really makes me feel deeply about the intertwined destinies of the two countries."

Thinking that he had not only expanded a large amount of territory, but also enabled countless direct vassals who were loyal to him to rise up, and had unexpectedly seized the godsend opportunity when the Southern Kingdom was extremely weak and tore the threat from the South apart in one fell swoop, Ledwin began to like the young man below him more and more.

"Destiny?" Leon didn't know what the other party was referring to.

Ledwin nodded and said, “You who are from Serrian, have you ever heard of my ancestor, the Twilight Knight who founded the Kingdom of Kronia?

The legendary hero Gervin, who wielded the Sun Sword and slew the dragon, also came from the Serrian region. The blood of my Drakmar family also has half Serrian blood flowing in it."

Ledwin knew that this was one of the reasons why, although the royal family of Orland had never accepted the Holy Sun Church, they had very few disputes with Serrian and maintained good relations for thousands of years. Gelvin was also an ancient hero recognized in the scriptures of the Holy Sun Church.

Leon raised his eyebrows slightly. He certainly knew where Olivia's ancestors came from. He even knew that the Dusk Knight was the commander of the Sun Guards who was deposed by Laura.

But at the moment, he had no intention of chatting with Ledwin about the ancient secrets of his ancestors. When the topic came to Serian, Leon couldn't help but remind him:

"Your Majesty, I did not have the opportunity to speak to you last time when I accompanied Lord Elifer to the audience. Now I dare to advise you again that we must not underestimate the threat from the east. We must organize forces to resist the disaster as soon as possible.

I was born in the Kingdom of Serrian, so when I heard that the army of Kantardar had retreated a while ago, I hurried over on a griffin and discovered the horrific scene in the east. Although my words are insignificant, I am still willing to guarantee on my honor that I saw everything with my own eyes, and the advice of the lords is absolutely not alarmist. "

Ledwin was not impatient, but waved his hand and said, "I have some understanding of the disaster of desecrating the dead. After dealing with the affairs of Kantadar, I will organize a response.

The Holy Sun Cult's messenger has come to me. I heard that the Oracle of Dinesh has sent tens of thousands of troops to support Serian, and they are also contacting their allies on the continent. How could Orland take this as a joke?"

Leon was pleasantly surprised to hear from Ledwin that the Holy Sun Church had already taken action against the undead scourge. Since Corvis had not returned yet, he didn't know what was happening on the other side of the Western Continent at the moment. It seemed that he was not the only one on the continent dealing with this crisis.

"But I didn't call you here today to talk about this."

Ledwin brought the subject back to the subject, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair and leaning forward slightly.

“Although your proposal was not completed, Aberle’s army was ultimately thrown into disarray by your water attack plan, allowing me to win the battle unexpectedly easily.

I will not overlook your great achievements. You have proven your bravery and wisdom, and I look forward to your further achievements for the kingdom."

Ledwin spoke meaningfully, still counting on the support of the Farolis family. It was inconvenient for him to directly snatch away the other party's favorite general, but relying on the advantage of his status as king, he put forward a compromise plan to recruit them.

"Leon Pendragon, I hope you will join the 'Dusk Blood Guard' and become my Royal Guard Knight. This is not only an honorable title." Afraid that this young man from a hunter family would not understand the importance of this title, which means stepping into the power center of the kingdom, Ledwin patiently explained: "It also means that you can, as a representative of the Thorn Flower Family, sit in on the first-level royal meetings in the palace, and have the power to advise me directly in the throne room."

"Of course, I will not be stingy with my reward. Not only will you receive an annual salary of one thousand gold crowns, but I will also grant you a royal fiefdom of fifty manors in the Kingdom of Kronia."

Leon opened his eyes wide when he heard this, and his heart was indeed moved.

He had a good understanding of Orland's geography, the fiefdom of the king, and the territory under the name of the royal family. It was not the fictitious territory under his current rule, which only had 500 square kilometers but was extremely sparsely populated.

That is the most densely populated and most essential area in the kingdom. Even though it is only one-tenth the size of his own barony, the manpower and annual income there far exceed Avalon's current output.

Not to mention, on top of that, the political value of joining the Dusk Blood Guards as mentioned by Ledwin. Moreover, this was not to bribe him to betray his master. No matter what the reality was, all the nobles in Orland were already loyal to the king at least in name, and there was no need to change sides. He was still a vassal loyal to Earl Elliver, but at the same time, he also became one of the king's close ministers.

Now he nodded and entered the royal court. He would serve as a link between the king and the Farolis family, become a big figure in the Orland court, and one of the dignitaries in the northern kingdom. As for the price, there was no price at all. This was simply an olive branch extended by Redwin out of appreciation for his talent.

He believed that Lord Elliver would not object to him seizing the opportunity to enter the royal court.

After all, as a noble family of the previous dynasty, the Thorn Flower family extremely lacks influence in the royal court. If they can speak for the Farolis family in front of the king and the ministers in the future and help Elifer find out the decisions of the upper echelons of the kingdom, it will undoubtedly break the current isolated situation surrounded by royal nobles.

Ledwin's proposal seemed very suitable. It could not only bring him under his command, but also indirectly bring the royal family and the Farolis family closer together. He could get the best of both worlds.

There is no reason not to accept it.

But compared to the opportunity to rise to the top, Leon realized that facing Redwin's appreciation, this seemed to be a perfect opportunity for him to ask for "Moon Meteor Silver" from the other party.

Is it time to take a chance on the kingdom's greatest treasure that even Princess Ines couldn't ask her biological father for?
Looking at the confident Ledwin on the throne, Leon glanced across the hall and saw that there were no other nobles present except the king's Dusk Blood Guards. In this private meeting, bargaining would not seem to offend the king.
Without further hesitation, he made his decision.

The Neti card that breaks the taboo of life and death is ultimately too significant for both myself and the people around me.

"I am extremely grateful to receive your majesty's kindness."

As Leon spoke, he stood up from his chair, put his right arm on his chest, knelt on one knee and saluted, and said to the throne tentatively: "But I beg Your Majesty, in view of my merits in this battle, to give me a treasure. I am even willing to exchange everything you have rewarded me with for it."

Ledwin was a little surprised to hear this.

"Treasure?" He had not expected that the other party would have other requests beyond such a reward. He was immediately curious about what kind of treasure it was that could be more important than the career prospects of the powerful and wealthy who surpassed millions of people in the north?
Ledwin was not angry due to his good manners, and even joked: "You don't want the 'Holy Sword of the Sun' stuck in the palace, do you? I can't give it to you unless you can go to the Orlandon Palace and pull it out yourself."

Of course it was just a joke. Not to mention whether outsiders could possess the holy sword belonging to their ancestors, even if he was really willing to give it to them, no one in the world could take the holy sword out from the stone base where the Dusk Knight's sword was inserted.

Ledwin admitted that he had also tried it with great anticipation when he was young, but unfortunately, nothing happened.

The previous kings of the Drakmaar family even dug up the land under the pedestal, but the holy sword and the stone base were still floating in the air, as if welded to the air. No matter how powerful the knights of the kingdom for thousands of years were, or the dragons tied with chains, none of them could pull them up. Countless warlocks were invited to study it, but they still could not figure out the principle of the magic that sealed the holy sword.

Leon shook his head. He had never heard of the Holy Sword of the Sun.

"I want to obtain the 'Moonfall Silver' stored in the treasury of the Royal Capital Alchemy Guild. I think you also know that I am a spellcaster. That material is very important to the magic I study."

"Moonfall Silver, you mean the ancient mithril that can take on a myriad of forms and create a variety of magical items?"

Even Ledwin, who knew little about magic and alchemy, slightly put away his smile and frowned.

If this young man really said he wanted the Holy Sword of the Sun, he would smile and nod, giving him the opportunity to go to the palace of Orlandon to pick up the sword, since he couldn't take it away anyway.

But the Moon Meteorite Silver was a royal treasure that would be lost every time it was used. It was also a rare item that could no longer be obtained once it was used up. Ledwin couldn't help but weigh the pros and cons.

As the king was pondering, the hall fell silent.

Gently stroking the golden beard, Ledwin realized that he had forgotten the other party's special status as a spellcaster. This young man was not only a brave knight, but also a wizard who mastered magical powers.

With a frown on his face, he suddenly realized that this was a spellcaster from Serian who was not from the Warlock Society.

Ledwin was naturally clear about the attitude of the Holy Sun Church towards wizards. The "Sorcerer's Society" was an organization founded by many wild wizards in ancient times who fled to the north to avoid being captured by the church, and then together with native northern spellcasters.

The young man in front of him, judging from his life experience, certainly had little to do with the Holy Sun Church. Thinking of the report on Mette's treason not long ago, Ledwin judged that the other party had no connection with the Northern Fortress, and could even be said to have a grudge against him.
Just when Leon thought that the king was going to reject him, Ledwin finally spoke.

"Before answering your request, I would like to know who taught you your magic skills and research?"

"When I was traveling through the Nightmare Forest, I was taught by the spirit of an ancient wizard and awakened my magical talent." Leon answered half-truthfully.

Ledwin nodded. He seemed to have heard Trosa say that when he was traveling through the Nightmare Forest, he did mention that he encountered the ghost of an ancient white-bearded magician.
"Also, I have a knight under my command who comes from the far eastern continent. He was once a prisoner of the Atias Empire wizard and is also a wizard. After I rescued him, I learned most of my magic from him."

Ledwin raised his eyebrows. This young man has a wizard under his command?
The thoughts he had were becoming clearer and clearer.
"How much 'Moonfall Silver' do you need?"

Leon was delighted, as this obviously did not mean a rejection.

He wanted to ask for as much as he could get, but in order to avoid being beaten out by the guards, he had to answer honestly:
"Twelve pounds. Or six pounds will do."

".I can give you six o-pounds, but there are a few conditions." Ledwin leaned back on the throne.

Leon immediately asked: "Your Majesty, please speak."

"You and your subordinate must serve as magical advisors for me, dealing with issues related to magic in the kingdom, and, in the future, train spellcasters who are loyal to the king and the royal family. I will give you certain support.

Secondly, you and the spellcasters you teach are not allowed to join any other wizard organizations, including the Northern Warlock Association, and are not allowed to have any private contact with other wizard organizations without my knowledge and permission. "Leidwin changed his previous recruitment plan and had a new plan.

"You want me to form a 'court magician' to serve your majesty and the royal family?" Leon understood what Leadwin meant.

(End of this chapter)