Imperial Crown.

Chapter 63 Second Order Magic (Part )

"My Lord Baron, are you looking for me?" Eric saluted respectfully.

At this moment, Old Gordon and Fiona had already left, and only Raven and Eric were left in the restaurant.

"I've asked you to come here today for three reasons. First, I hope you can be prepared." Raven tapped the table lightly and said, "In half a month, leave on time for the Bloody Highlands."

This news came out of nowhere, and Eric was quite surprised: "But sir, Simon hasn't come back yet."

"Two months and six days." Raven said suddenly.

Eric was stunned: "...What?"

"Simon and the others have been gone for two months and six days." Raven said solemnly, "I have always hoped that they would be able to return safely, but now it seems that the possibility is very slim."

"I'm afraid they are in great danger."

Eric had expected this, so he was not surprised. He just said, "If Simon doesn't come back, we will know nothing about the Bloody Heights. Isn't it too hasty to set off like this?"

Raven shook his head slowly: "There is no perfect preparation or plan in the world. If you pursue the so-called 'perfection' in everything, then nothing can be accomplished."

"Besides, we are already well prepared."

Hearing the firmness in Raven's words, Eric stopped arguing.

"I understand, sir. After I return, I will adjust the conditions of those new recruits to the best!"

"Well, we can give them some information about this matter so that they can be prepared." Raven continued: "The second thing is the specific course of action to be taken next."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we will split into two teams. I will lead my personal soldiers, and you will lead the new soldiers. You will be the main force on the battlefield."

"Ah?" Eric was stunned for a moment, and hesitantly raised his opinion: "Sir, this is not a good idea. Our troops are not many to begin with. If we divide them up further, we will be easily defeated one by one!"

Raven disagreed with his opinion: "This time the attack on Bloody Highlands is mainly for training. If the troops are gathered together, then the personal soldiers will have to cover for the new recruits. This will make the new recruits feel lucky and unable to defend against the enemy wholeheartedly."

"And we have prepared enough war horses this time. Although the riding skills of the personal soldiers are not yet good enough to support fighting on horseback, they can still charge quickly. If it really comes to a critical moment, I can bring my personal soldiers to the rescue."

Eric was still a little worried: "But sir, what if these new soldiers can't resist the charge of the bandits and their morale collapses..."

"That's your problem." Raven stared into his eyes and said, "If they can't even form a good defensive formation after training for so long and collapse at the first charge, then they deserve to die!"

Eric was shocked when he heard this and pounded his chest heavily: "My Lord Baron, I will definitely let you see the results of my training during this period!"

Seeing that his little provocation was successful, Raven raised a smile but suppressed it: "As long as you have confidence."

"And one last thing: Weisdong will join your team in this attack."

"Master Weisdong?" Eric's eyes showed a trace of confusion. He tried to understand the deep meaning of this sentence, but couldn't grasp the key points at all.

Although Visdon is tall and strong, he has lost an arm and is not smart enough. Most importantly, he is the Baron's younger brother.

This kind of person is a troublemaker in the team.

No harsh words can be said, let alone beating or scolding. They have neither fighting spirit nor obedience, and are of no use except making the team's atmosphere a mess.

My Lord Baron should not fail to understand this truth!
Moreover, the attack on Bloody Heights was not an official action of the Empire, and there was no so-called military merit gilding the coin. What was the purpose of this?
Eric swallowed his saliva and said cautiously: "Master Weisdong is of noble status. Otherwise, it would be better for you, the Baron, to take care of him yourself..."

"This is an order, not a discussion with you." Raven's voice turned cold. "By then, he will be wearing my enchanted chainmail, riding a blood-eyed warhorse, with my battle flag flying behind him. Your task is to supervise him and make sure he does not leave the battlefield without permission. You must not let him issue orders at random and disrupt the morale of the army. You can use coercive measures when necessary."

"You are the boss of your team, understand?"

Eric certainly didn't understand.

When he heard the first half of the sentence, he thought Raven wanted Visdon to supervise him, but when he heard the second half, it turned out that he was asking him to supervise Visdon.

Weird, so weird.

Raven's voice continued, "You don't have to think about it, but orders must be carried out. If you don't have anything else to say, please leave."

"Yes, my lord!"

Eric bowed and took his leave, with a gloomy look on his face. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't understand the meaning of the Baron's arrangement.

As I turned a corner in deep thought, a clear voice suddenly rang in my ears: "Mr. Eric!"

"Ah?" Eric came back to his senses and looked carefully: "Jenny, what are you doing here?" "Waiting for you." Jenny said respectfully: "Miss Nancy, please come and see me."

Nancy? What does she want from me?
Eric was a little more confused, but she was the daughter of the Earl family after all, so he couldn't disobey her: "What does Miss Nancy want me to do?"

"You'll know when you get there." Jenny walked ahead: "Please follow me."

Arriving at Nancy's room, Eric stood at the door and bowed respectfully:

"Miss Nancy!"

"Yeah." Nancy was standing in front of the bronze mirror at this time. She turned around and nodded in return. She asked directly, "Tell me, what was Raven talking to you about just now?"

"This is confidential, Miss Nancy." Eric said coldly: "If you really want to know, you can ask the Baron directly."

"Oh, you're quite loyal." Nancy looked Eric up and down. "How come you're so loyal, but you don't even have a knighthood yet?"

This simple provocation could not shake Eric at all. He said calmly: "The reward given to me by the Baron is far more than I deserve."

"Oh, that's great." Nancy showed a sly smile on her face: "A loyal retainer like you would not want to see your lord in danger, right?"

Eric's heart skipped a beat: "Miss Nancy, what do you mean?"

Nancy walked to the window and looked outside Eagle Castle. "It's very simple. Raven never agreed to take me to Bloody Highlands. Life is so boring! Tell me, how can you treat a noble lady like this in the Keynes Empire?"

"Since he neglected me, of course I was very unhappy. I was unhappy, so I did something very willful."

She turned around and smiled: "For example, let's go to Eagle Town and set a few fires to burn some untouchables to death - by the way, your family is also in Eagle Town, right?"

Eric felt his scalp tighten, and a chill ran up his spine and onto his shoulders: "...Killing innocent people indiscriminately is not what an honorable nobleman should do!"

"I'm not a knight. Don't apply your old-fashioned rules to me." Nancy emphasized two syllables, and a ball of fire jumped between her fingers. "What would happen if I did this?"

"What can Raven do to me? Kill me or hang me up as a warning to others?" Nancy giggled. "He wouldn't dare to do that. He would then have to sit in the study with a gloomy face, crying in front of the mirror and looking for his mother, because everyone would know that he is a useless noble who can't protect his own people, and can't even protect the families of his retainers!"

Eric's face darkened, he clenched his fists tightly, his breathing became heavier, and he looked at Nancy with eyes full of hostility, even with a hint of... murderous intent!
"At this distance, I may not be your opponent." Nancy raised her eyebrows: "But so what, do you really dare to kill me here?"

"If you do this, it will still implicate Raven. The Fox family will not believe that this was the idea of ​​a small retainer like you; and your family will not be able to escape the revenge of the Fox family either."

Eric was silent for a long time before he said, "...What do you want?"

"Tell me what Raven said to you," Nancy said, looking him in the eye. "Tell me everything!"

"This way, I will feel better, your Lord Baron's reputation will be preserved, and your family will be able to live well."

Eric was at a loss for a moment, not knowing what to do.

He didn't want to betray the Baron's trust, but Nancy's pressure made it impossible for him to think of any solution.

Or... go find the Baron immediately?
Thinking of this, Eric's eyes lit up. He turned around and was about to move his feet when he heard Nancy say, "Don't even think about asking Raven for help. If you dare to leave now, I will go to Eagle Town immediately."

“Even if Raven catches up with me, he can only watch me do whatever I want!”

Eric's body suddenly froze.

"You might as well think about it carefully." Nancy shook her head, her braids jumping back and forth. "Your son, Tony, is sixteen years old this year. I heard that you have always wanted to train him to be a knight, and you have saved all your income over the years to spend on him."

"If you are willing to tell me, I can give him a potion to test his magical talent. If he really has talent, I can even recommend him to the 'Talent School of Magic'."

As she spoke, a bottle of crystal clear magic potion appeared in Nancy's hand.

"This..." Eric's heart softened when he heard Nancy mention Tony.

The divine potion required to awaken into a wizard is expensive, but it is not impossible to save up enough money if you grit your teeth.

The problem is that the decisive factor in whether a person can become a mage is not potions. If one does not have talent in this area, no matter how many potions one drinks, one will not succeed.

The potion for testing a mage's talent is even more precious than the potion for awakening a mage.

A magician is a far more noble being than a knight of the same rank. Even if he is only at the first rank, he is enough to be a guest of honor for many nobles. If he is willing to serve the royal family, then it can almost be said that he will inevitably become a noble!
Nancy's slightly impatient voice sounded: "My patience is limited. Have you thought it through? If you still insist, I will take action."

……

(End of this chapter)