Knight and Wand

Chapter 93 Walking Together

After Balfe led Leon away, Baron Elliver asked the servant who had returned to the tent to fetch the map.

Spreading it out on the table, he stroked the parchment, tapping on the villages, towns, and fortresses surrounding the Nightmare Forest.

At present, in addition to the knights and soldiers who accompanied him to the expedition, if he summoned the garrisons of the city of Farolis and the eastern fortress, he could try his best to gather a thousand infantrymen and nearly a hundred cavalrymen.

In order to capture cities, this army of more than a thousand people would need at least the same number of civilian laborers and craftsmen.

In order to feed and nourish these additional 2,000 men, without affecting the conscripted troops he was currently leading on the front line of Mamor, Elliver estimated that the money and food on hand would only be enough to sustain this 1,000-man army for one year.

It was enough, even though such a desperate move would use up the last of the food on hand.
Elifer's eyes were burning, and his hand stroked the Kantadar County in the southern part of the Nightmare Forest.

This would be the beginning of his lifelong wish for the Farolis family to rise again.

He never considered informing other lords of this information right now, including General Trosa, who was now leading the Gray Fir Valley army to the south.

Indeed, Elliver knew that if the Kingdom of Orland gathered its true strength and marched its army south from the Nightmare Forest, it would be able to tear off a large piece of territory from Kantadar in one fell swoop.

Even swallowed up the entire northern territory of Kantadar.

But what does such a bright future of the kingdom have to do with the Thorn Flower Family?
Since Elliver took charge of the shattered family, he has worked extremely hard over the years and made countless pledges of allegiance to Redwin III.

But as the remnants of the previous dynasty that stood on the wrong side in the civil war, it was already a great fortune to be able to maintain the last barony in the kingdom with difficulty.

The Thorn Flower Family has done everything they can to avoid being devoured by their surrounding royalist neighbors who are eyeing them covetously.

However, no matter how the labeled Farolis family behaved, they were still firmly shut out by the kingdom's real power faction.

He finally established a good friendship with the king supporters.

But judging from the current war, those royalists still regard the Thorn Flower Family as pawns and cannon fodder.

As pioneers, they made such great sacrifices in the early stages of the war, but only got a few rotten pieces of land on the frontier. The road connecting the new territory was even monitored by that bastard Gunnar who was assigned to Redinburg.

The royal party's intention in making such arrangements is self-evident.

It seems that the personal relationship with Trosa is completely incapable of winning the acceptance of the entire royal party.

Even if they suffer one loss after another, they cannot get respect, and the revival of the family is hopeless.

The Baron pounded the map with his angry fist, suppressing the indignation in his heart with an expressionless face.

However, as long as Leon's news is true, and the Thorn Flower Family seizes this God-given opportunity, they will no longer have to depend on anyone for anything in the future.

Elliver also understood that it was impossible for him to completely monopolize the Nightmare Forest or even the Kantadar land on the other side.

But he can take advantage of the time difference and seize the initiative before anyone else, as long as he consolidates his own territory and connects it into one piece first.

By then, as long as the old dragon Ledwin III wants to go south as soon as possible and seize the opportunity to take over the land of the Southern Kingdom, he will not be able to easily control the Thornflower Family in such a critical position.

After bringing back the well-fed horses, Leon and Corvis waited on the road to the camp for Knight Balfe to go to the Guards camp to select men.

Leon was observing with great interest the layout of the large camp that could accommodate nearly ten thousand people for a long-term siege, when he suddenly noticed a familiar-looking man in armor walking by not far away.

Leon remembered that he still had a treasure in the other person's hand, so he stepped forward and said hello: "Good day, Master Hilgard."

The warlock advisor, who was holding a long-handled warhammer, looked back at the young man in silver plate armor and remembered the little knight he had met in Selva more than a month ago.

"What a coincidence, Sir Leon." Hilgard nodded and saluted, "You have also enlisted to join this war?"

"Maybe in the future, but not yet. I came to see the Baron to handle some business in the territory." Leon answered vaguely, and then asked, "Sir, I wonder if you have repaired my jewel necklace?"

"It may take a few days. In order to deal with the current battle, I usually cannot spare much energy to replenish the magic power of that item." Hilgard said somewhat embarrassedly.

Leon was not too disappointed: "It's okay, but is the thing with you now? My friend wants to see it."

After talking with Corvis about his previous experiences, Leon learned from the boy's guess that the magic necklace that could stimulate the body's potential might also have come from Atias.

"I always keep it with me." Hilgard pulled the necklace out from under the collar of his coat.

Leon turned around and motioned to Corvis behind him to have a look: "How is it? Is this the thing you guessed?"

The blond boy took two steps closer and looked up at the familiar necklace on the neck of the local spellcaster from the Western Continent in front of him. He recognized what it was at a glance.

"Yes, it is indeed the equipment of the 'Magic Knight'."

Hearing this, Hilgard looked at the handsome blond boy beside Leon, wondering what the exotic words in the boy's mouth meant.

Leon had a clue in his mind, so he said to the warlock uncle: "Master, there is no need to let it interfere with your work. I want to get the necklace back now."

"No problem, but do you have any way to replenish its magic power?" Hilgard took off his hood, took the jewel necklace from his neck and handed it back to the other party.

"Well, I know a wizard friend who can help me." Leon nodded without saying who he was.

Hilgard was curious, but before he could ask any more questions, Leon heard the sound of horse hooves and the call of Knight Balfe behind him.

After putting the necklace around his neck and stuffing it into the neck guard, Leon said goodbye to the warlock uncle: "Sorry, Master, let's talk another day. I have important matters to attend to and need to rush back to the territory."

Turning over and riding on horseback, Leon led Corvis to catch up with Balfe's team and rushed out of the military camp.

Hilgard looked at the little knight's back, feeling puzzled.

There are not many sorcerers in the northern association, and they are closely connected with each other. Currently, another sorcerer from Kossos County is also in the military camp. Apart from him, he has not heard of any other sorcerers from the association heading south.

Was it a traveling apprentice who traveled to the other party's territory? But how could an apprentice who had not been assessed as a title charge such a complicated magic item?

Or... Could it be that this young man really has a talent for learning magic and was noticed by a spellcaster?
Hilgard, who had originally held little hope for the boy's self-proclaimed achievement, suddenly became eager.

Even if he is just a small knight on the border now, if these two identities can be developed, a wizard who is both a noble lord of Orland and a member of the association will be of great significance to the Northern Association in expanding its influence in Orland.

You know, there are only a handful of spellcasters with noble status in the association. Although they are respected by the lords of the Northern Kingdom, in fact, the political identity of most spellcasters is still commoners below the nobles. Although they have a unique status, it is still difficult for them to influence the politics and power of the kingdom. Such a situation is undoubtedly a long way from the ultimate goal of the association.

Hilgard stroked his beard, knowing that he should write a letter and ask the fortress to send someone to Selva to take a look.

It was the morning of the third day after Leon left Selva for the military camp.

In the backyard of the lord's residence, the metallic sounds of weapons clashing and armor shaking could be heard.

Azerien, wearing a steel helmet and plate armor, holding a training spear with a blunt blade, was trying his best to deal with the blonde girl in front of him who was also wearing armor and holding a training spear.

The noble boy uncrossed his hands in a "window"-like spear-holding stance, twisting his body and taking a step. The spear tilted to the left as Olivia stepped forward and stabbed her with a dangerous blow.

The block was successful, and he didn't dare to waste a moment. He seized the opportunity and raised his shoulder to stab straight, with the tip of the spear stabbing the girl's visor.

However, Olivia's forward momentum did not slow down at all. At the same time, she simply followed the force of the spear shaft being opened, lifted the end of the shaft held in her left hand, and deflected the counterattack.

During the process, the right hand pushed the grip to the upper half of the spear shaft.

At the moment of making these counterattacks, the girl's steps did not stop for a moment, and she had already shortened the distance and position between the two.

This also determined Azerien's death. The tip of his spear had fallen on the girl's side, and he could no longer pose any threat to the girl in armor.

The moment they entered the dangerous distance, Olivia twisted her body and raised her shoulders, and swung the shortened shaft like rowing a boat, immediately raising the spearhead from the lower right to in front of Azerien.

The noble boy was unable to retreat in time, and as long as the girl pushed her right hand forward, the spear head would pass through the gap in the helmet and pierce into the opponent's face.

The winner was decided, and the two stopped fighting. Several children who had come to watch the excitement applauded.

Even though they couldn't understand the sparring between Lord Azerien and Sister Olivia, the dazzling moves still made them feel exciting.

"You seem a little absent-minded, Olivia." Azerien took off his helmet, let out a long sigh, and wiped the sweat off his face with the wet towel handed to him by the servant.

His absent-mindedness was obvious.

Even in a sparring match of armored martial arts, the young nobleman knew that even with plate armor on, he could not survive more than three moves from a girl as strong as a monster.

But today, in the whole morning of armor and spear training, he was not only able to survive four or five hits occasionally, but even had the opportunity to launch a few counterattacks.

Although that was still not enough to defeat Olivia, Azerien felt that the girl, who was always full of energy, seemed to be in a bad state for the first time.

Could it be that I happened to have my period these days?

Of course, Azerien would not voice this discourteous speculation.

Olivia took off her helmet, raised her hand to untie the hair behind her head and shook it, then tied it into a ponytail again: "Nothing, I'm just in a bad mood."

The girl sighed silently.

The day before yesterday, she was looking forward to having a good chat with Leon and listening to him talk about the thrilling journey of rescuing Ms. Elena.

But when I woke up the next morning and went to look for him, I discovered that he had only stayed there for one night and left Selva again.

She was already feeling a little depressed because she missed the chance to meet up with her long-lost friends. And yesterday, she had an argument with her father at home.
Thinking of her father's tough attitude, the girl's beautiful eyebrows frowned again.

At this moment, little Lina happily walked quickly from the hall to the backyard: "Lord Azerien! Brother Leon and the others are back, and he asked me to call you."

Upon hearing that her friend had returned, Olivia's eyes lit up, and the distressed expression she had originally shown because of the decision her father had told her suddenly disappeared a lot.

Now the two were in no mood to continue practicing, so the girl and Azerien put away their training spears and left the backyard.

Back in the first floor lobby of the residence, the two met again Leon and Corvis who had just finished three days of running around.

"It just so happens that you are all at home." Leon drank a sip of boiled water brought by the servant and greeted his friends.

"How is it? Does the Baron agree to send back our young and strong men from the fortress?" Azerien asked the most important question at the moment.

"Don't worry, Lord Elliver not only released all the soldiers of Lonka and Pleyton, but also gave me a bounty of 500 gold crowns. We don't have to worry about running out of money for the time being." Leon pointed to a small box full of gold coins and smiled at his companions.

He then informed Azerien of what he had gained from the trip.

A total of eighty-six armed civilians were recalled from the eastern fortress.

There were thirty-seven men in Longka, twenty of whom were skilled archers.

There were forty-nine men in Pleighton, and eight of them were from wealthy families in the territory and could ride horses.

Now the Uriah bows and war horses in the territory can be used.

Together with the sixty or so young and strong men in Selva, the three territories can form a total of about 140 people.

As he spoke, Leon asked Lina to bring three more chairs so that the companions who were standing could sit down, and he started discussing with Azerien directly in the hall.

Leon will give the six top-quality Uriah war bows in the warehouse to the best hunter among the Longka archers, and the other archers will go back and buy some Orland longbows to equip themselves.

But to be honest, even the Orlando military longbow seen on the front line was just a stick with a string hung on it, in Leon's opinion, it was simply an archery "pole", and the crude craftsmanship really wasted such good wood.

Compared with the Uriah recurve bow of the Kantadar cavalry, there is a huge gap between the two in terms of materials, production technology, and actual combat effectiveness.

Although the Kantardar cavalry under Dawson are not good-looking men, the weapons they have are really excellent.

As for the extra cavalry armor after arming the heavy cavalry, Leon planned to spend some money to ask Brian the blacksmith to help repair a damaged breastplate, and then put together another set with the extra parts.

Use ten complete sets of armor and select ten relatively old soldiers who have been on the battlefield and seen blood from the territory to wear them.

The remaining infantry were relatively simple. Leon could not afford to equip all the light infantry without decent armor with chain mail. As a substitute, he could only buy more shields.

In this way, the newly formed territory troops under his command, in addition to the three of himself, consisted of a heavy cavalry squad of nine riders in full gear.

It will consist of ten heavy infantry, twenty archers, and one hundred and ten light infantry equipped with shields, spears and some chain mail.

Leon arranged for Azerien to buy longbows, shields and other weapons, and then told him his next itinerary: "Rest for a night. I have to set off tomorrow. Words alone are not enough. I must lead Lord Balfe through the Nightmare Forest safely again to prove to Baron Elliver that what I said is true."

"Crossing the Nightmare Forest?" Olivia asked puzzledly beside Leon.

"Well, I was in a hurry the day before yesterday and forgot to tell you. This time I escaped back through the Nightmare Forest again, but the cursed land has dissipated. Now the forest is an ordinary land except that it is full of undead."

Leon briefly explained to Olivia and reminded the girl not to mention this to anyone.

"So, you just came back and are leaving again?" Olivia's voice couldn't help but sound a little disappointed.

Seeing the girl's disappointment, Leon felt a little apologetic: "Well, I have to go again, but it's not far. I will be back in a few days at most."

Listening to the conversation between the two, Corvis on the side couldn't help but cross his arms, looked at the other party with a playful look, and then glanced at his master.

When the young boy saw the innocent girl named Olivia, the expression on his pretty face visibly dimmed.

He smiled secretly, and suddenly understood.

"My Lord, didn't you say that this young lady is quite skilled in martial arts? Why don't we take her along on this trip?

Now the Nightmare Forest is no longer a cursed place. Ordinary zombie beasts cannot even stop you and me. I think they will not pose a threat to Miss Olivia, whom you praise so much.

Besides, there is Lord Balfe and his cavalry."

Hearing what Corvis said, Olivia raised her head and looked at him in surprise.

go together?

The golden hair on the girl's head seemed to have regained its bright luster.

"Yes, since the cursed land is no longer there, and you said it's not far away, then take me with you. I also want to help you." The girl stared at Leon expectantly.

Leon looked at Olivia's sparkling eyes and said helplessly: "This trip is really not dangerous for you. If you have no objection, I am very happy to have you accompany me, but will Uncle Brian agree? After all, unlike you, I can't tell you about your father's nightmare forest."

Hearing her stubborn old father, Olivia bit her lower lip and hesitated with a frown.

How to convince my father?
Especially my father actually brought it up these past two days.
The girl struggled in her heart for a while.

But thinking about the inexplicable argument yesterday, she suddenly felt a little angry with her father.

A surge of rebelliousness came over me for no apparent reason.

If I can't change my father's mind, this might be my last chance to go on an adventure with Leon and the others.

Olivia closed her eyes and made a decision in her mind.

She has never cheated on anyone.
I'm going to tell a little lie tonight~!

(End of this chapter)