Knight and Wand

Chapter 301: Questions and Answers in the Academic Hall

"In the Battle of Usato, Your Excellency proposed the 'brilliant strategy' of digging up the river. This action caused a large amount of fertile black soil to be washed away, and countless farmlands cannot be cultivated until today. Your Excellency, do you know how much harm floods can cause to the land? How many people's homes will be destroyed, how many people will be displaced, and how many people will die in famine because of your decision?

And you, with countless honors, have no chivalry in your way, and you have used all means to win, and imposed a heavy price on hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. May I ask if you have no guilt in your heart? Or in your noble eyes, the civilians, or the civilians of Kantadar, are just like ants, not even human beings?"

With a defiant look in his eyes, Adsius uttered a blunt question, and his sharp and piercing voice echoed in the hall.

On the podium, Dean Theodore took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He thought silently in his heart that after he was replaced by His Majesty like the previous dean a few years ago, he should find an easier job in the Royal City of Orlando.

He would rather help His Majesty take care of the cattle, sheep and pig pens than to take care of these jerk scholars who cannot be beaten or offended.

Leon looked at the hundreds of eyes, young and old, staring at him in front of the stage, but his heart was not disturbed at all.

If he couldn't even handle the glances from a hundred or so ivory tower scholars, how could he speak to the tens of thousands of murderous coalition soldiers?

As for the other party's doubts, Leon organized his words a little and asked back.

"Before answering your question, I would like to ask you if you know how many lootings and massacres the brutal grassland allies under the command of the Kantadar rebel Duke Aberle, the tens of thousands of Uriah mercenaries, had caused in Sobonitz and Usato before His Majesty Ledwin led his army through the mountain pass at the invitation of the King of Casso in the south. How many villages and towns were massacred? How many tens of thousands of people died in the disaster?"

Adhyus frowned, unable to respond.

Most of his knowledge and records of the several battles in the southern expedition came from the returning nobles of Kronia. As for the situation encountered by eastern and southern Kantadar before the Undead War, there was no news or written records, so he knew very little.

But he did know from history books about the viciousness and cruelty of the Uriah people.

It was just a rhetorical question, but it was enough to make the scholars sitting on the circular staircase whisper to each other.

Seeing that the other party was speechless, Leon continued without pausing: "I think you have misunderstood the nature of war. War is not a competition to be held in the capital. It is a cruel struggle involving the lives of countless people. As long as more people can be saved, all means of winning should be within the commander's consideration. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the lives of his soldiers and the people who need to be protected in the rear.

The outcome of the Battle of Usato actually directly determined the imminent life and death of hundreds of thousands of civilians on the north bank of the Inner River.

Imagine, if we, the Orland reinforcements, failed to help King Kaso of the south defeat the rebels of Duke Aberle, and we failed and withdrew from Usato, what kind of bloody fate would await the hundreds of thousands of people in and around the southern royal city of Avim? Would the Ulias, who had been on the edge of a knife for more than a year outside the grassland, sheath their swords under the city of Avim?
Have you heard about the tragedy that befell my hometown, Rolandar, and the massacres committed by the Kantadar's Eastern Expedition Army and the Uriahs? Faced with such consequences, can my water attack strategy really be called "using whatever means necessary"?

Or, rather than digging a canal to use water instead of soldiers to quickly decide the outcome of the war, you would rather we sacrifice the precious lives of Orland soldiers and fight to the last man with the rebels of Kantadar and the fierce cavalry of Uriah Steppe?
You asked me if I was unworthy of the honor of a knight, but I still remembered the oath I took when I became a knight, and what the essence of that honor was.

When facing a strong enemy, you must be brave and fearless.

To protect the country, we must protect the people.

When you know injustice, you must stand up for justice.

Please tell me, compared to Abel who allowed foreigners to raise their butcher knives against the people of his fellow Kantadars.

When will I and all the Orland soldiers who participated in the Battle of Usato ever feel ashamed of the glory we received after the victory?

The knights of Orland put aside the hundreds of years of enmity between the North and the South and protected countless people of Kantadar in the land of Avim. When have we ever failed to live up to the oath we swore when we became knights?"

Leon's words were so powerful and resounding that the entire hall fell silent for a moment.

Some scholars pondered over Leon's words, trying to find an angle of rebuttal to determine whether the other party was making excuses for them, but the results of their thinking were impeccable.

If the situation and facts in the war were as the other side said, then no matter what the soldiers and generals who participated in the war, and His Majesty Redwin, thought, at least in terms of actions, the Orland army did stop the brutal rebels from further harming the people of Kantadar in Usato.

“In addition, I also need to clarify that your speculation on the impact of the water attack on the local area after the Battle of Usato is really exaggerated, because the dam-breaking strategy I proposed was actually not completed in the end.

Before the dam lake I proposed to build was filled, the rebel army of the Southern Kingdom learned of the situation and was thrown into disarray. They hastily launched a general attack, and the shallow flood that failed to fill up in the end only washed away part of the land on the eastern side of the south bank of the Neusato River.

I can’t say that digging up the inner river didn’t have a bad impact on the south bank, but it’s definitely not as exaggerated as you say.”

After establishing the legitimacy of the means and war, refuting the accusations against his own morality and reputation, and patiently explaining the true situation of Usato Territory after the war, Leon turned his gaze away from the young scholar who was lost in thought and looked around at everyone present.

"Finally, I would like to ask all the scholars, do you know that when the Battle of Usato occurred, the undead disaster originating from the Territory of Sobornitz had already spread westward, and the war between the living and the undead had already begun?
At that time, if we had failed to defeat the Duke of Aberle in the south in time, quell the civil strife among the Kantadar people, and withdraw the army from the meaningless internal friction between the living of the two countries, then, would it be just a thousand miles of fertile farmland that would be destroyed by the dark cloud of the undead?

Even now, the two territories of 'Roslava' and 'Shannan' in the Southern Kingdom are still a land of death occupied by the dead.

If Orland's army failed to reach Mammor County in time to stop the undead's offensive sweeping across the land, would everyone here still have the opportunity to think about the moral issue of whether the price of victory was worth it?
Don't say that my water attack fortunately failed to work and also led to the defeat of the southern rebels. Even if I really have to flood the entire south bank of the Usato River and bear the infamy in order to win a quick victory and withdraw, I will still choose to do so again!
Otherwise, if we make a wrong move and delay the fight against the real enemy, the number of people who will die in the shadow of the undead will probably increase by millions."

After refuting every question in the silent hall, Leon looked back at Maester Adusius.

"Are you satisfied with my answer, Your Excellency?"

Adsius came back to his senses from the other party's words, his face trembling with inexplicable endurance, and then he clapped his hands to applaud the other party.

"I cannot fault your reply at all. Your words are logical and your values ​​are clear, Lord Pendragon."

The applause from the young scholar was like an introduction. Layer after layer of scholars in the seats raised their hands and applauded sincerely, and the applause spread out like a roar.

Leon was stunned, a little surprised by the scholars' reaction.

Adus sat down very straightforwardly, holding down his bachelor's robe. The next moment, another young bachelor stood up impatiently. "Sir! I heard that you were ambushed by the southern rebels in the Battle of Usato, and even encountered the Peacock Knight who killed the flying dragon decades ago, and severely injured and repelled him. Is this true?"

A young man with a rosy face asked in a slightly excited voice.

Leon came back to his senses from his surprise and looked at the other party: "What you heard is wrong. I never claimed that I defeated the powerful southern knight. Even if Count Valensis was seriously injured and retreated, I only learned it after I woke up from my coma and heard what Lord Deer Horn Baron Kailan said.

In the final analysis, I was just very lucky and barely survived before Baron Kailan arrived. If it weren't for our great knight's timely rescue, I would have died under the sword of the Peacock Knight. "

The young man nodded, smiled, bowed, and sat down.

Another young man stood up and said, "Sir, the two poems written by the great bard Goliad, who is notorious for his bad reputation and is now sung on both sides of the Ruchyna River, are they made-up stories or are they true? Why would a great knight like you befriend such a low-class playboy?"

When Leon heard this question, he didn't want to talk about Selva in detail to avoid involving Olivia, but he suddenly had an idea.

This seems like a scam, no, it seems like an opportunity to attract these precious talents and advertise one's own territory?
"The contents of those two poems and stories. After all, they were not my autobiography. I could not decide whether their contents were consistent with my actual experiences, so naturally they contained both fiction and facts. The disaster that Selva encountered was not uncommon in the war between the two countries, and my best friend and I did help save his lost relatives.

Today, the lady we rescued has become my chief steward and chief financial officer of the territory. Thanks to her and everyone's joint efforts, the village of Selva has gotten rid of the haze and become a prosperous town."

Leon said, his true intentions revealed calmly: "If you have any doubts about Master Goliad's story, I welcome you scholars to go to Selva to verify it in person, come to Avalon Castle as a guest and communicate with the eyewitnesses of that year to verify the truth of those stories and distinguish the true from the false."

Now that Master Goliad was mentioned, Lion couldn't help but help the great poet who had guided Sir Larian to Selva and given him a gift package of talents to clear his name:
"You have a misunderstanding. I am not a friend of Master Goliad. On the contrary, I have only met him twice. But I still have to clarify for him. Goliad is not a mean person. He is a warm-hearted and noble person. I am sorry that I cannot talk about his deeds in detail, but I hope that you will not believe in rumors. Only by investigating, verifying and understanding the truth yourself can you evaluate others. Rumors should be stopped by wise people like you who are well-read."

The scholars were surprised by Leon's high praise for Goliad, which was different from the rumors on the mainland.

At this time, a bachelor asked loudly: "My lord, I heard that you are addicted to sex and collect all kinds of beauties in the castle. Even the servants are only maids. According to those who have been to Avalon Castle, you are surrounded by all kinds of beauties from different kingdoms all day long. Is this also a rumor?"

The calm expression on Leon's face suddenly became unbearable.

"Huh? Of course this is nonsense!"

The only thing was that this gossip, which had been with him since Selva Village, made him wonder where it came from.

Leon coughed lightly, stabilizing his expression to avoid losing composure: "I do have many beautiful friends, but around me, there are hundreds of times more burly knights and warriors. What does this mean?
This rumor not only insults me, but also my relatives and friends. Those beautiful ladies frequently go in and out of Avalon Castle because they are officials of the territory, because that is where the territory's administrative office is located.

Besides, there are more than just a few of them who come and go here on a daily basis. There are hundreds of officials in Avalon, and there are a constant stream of people coming and going to handle official business every day. Could it be that those tall, short, fat and thin men are also the "beauties" I collected? How ridiculous this rumor is!"

"But I heard from the guards that you brought two beautiful blonde girls with you when you visited the academy this time."

Leon frowned: “What’s so strange about this, one of them is my wife, and we just got married.

The other one... You are even more mistaken. That is not a woman, but a distant cousin of my wife, who is also my magic advisor. What is wrong with us visiting the prestigious Royal Academy in Orland together?"

"My Lord, I also heard that you and Princess Ines had a close relationship during the Undead War."

Dean Theodore's fat shuddered when he heard this, and he shouted, interrupting the man's words immediately.

"Alright! That's enough!! You rude guys, Lord Pendragon has answered you so patiently, how long are you going to continue to make trouble? In the name of the dean, I order you to disperse immediately and return to your studies! No one is allowed to talk nonsense again, otherwise I will ask the guards to throw you all into the Tower of Thought for three days!" The fat dean roared in a harsh but weak voice.

Of course, this warning posed no threat to the scholars. Some of them stood up in dissatisfaction. They still had many questions about the Undead War and wanted to communicate with each other.

Theodore ignored these unruly guys and dragged Leon away without caring about being rude.

Leon was not angry with these scholars, but he was also confused about how to clarify the gossip and rumors that followed.

It is easy to argue about the great principles of right and wrong, and the more you argue, the clearer it becomes. But this gossip and scandal that is difficult to clear up cannot be proven, and the more you argue, the worse it will get. Even if you have eight mouths, you still can't explain it.

So, using Theodore's steps, he nodded slightly to the scholars in the hall and followed the fat dean out of the hall.

Arriving at the courtyard outside the Bachelor's Fortress, Theodore breathed a sigh of relief, smiled awkwardly, and bowed repeatedly to apologize:

"I am very sorry, Lord Pendragon. These scholars have been immersed in books for too long, especially the young students who were sent here from their families when they were young. They are even less worldly-wise. Please don't take today's matter to heart."

Leon shook his head when he heard this. He would not get upset over such a small matter.

After the somewhat unexpected meeting, Leon returned to the library.

The young people helplessly watched the Griffin Baron being dragged away by the stupid dean, feeling a little regretful.

However, soon after some scholars who came to watch the fun left, the young people in the hall not only did not disperse, but also engaged in heated discussions one by one.

Maester Adsius was particularly proud, his face flushed with pride: "See, I said that Lord Leon, who was able to write the Code of Avalon, is definitely not one of those reckless people who only know how to kill people."

"That being said, if it is written down and recorded in the archives, private morality still needs to be considered. Lord Leon's explanation of those beauties is still not that convincing."

"Bullshit, which of those idiots in Orlando is not more playful than Lord Leon? If you dare to write a single word on this, I will teach you a lesson. I just learned court wrestling from the masters of the philosophy department."

(End of this chapter)