Chapter 380: The Return Signal
The banquet finally ended. The guests left, and the va.s.sal knights were isolated again.
However, in the hall, the ambushers from the eastern county were left alone with Baron Dylan. They all sat on their chairs with ashen faces, losing their previous splendor.
Beside them, the Swadian infantry with swords and s.h.i.+elds had surrounded them.
Their vicious eyes were filled with indifference towards life.
They were all elite soldiers.
Veterans who had been on the battlefield, seen blood, killed people, and did not take human lives seriously!
These were from the eastern county, so they could be considered elite soldiers who could sense it. Thus, they chose to surrender without hesitation, so that they would not be ma.s.sacred by these veterans here.
Although they were loyal to Countess Agatha of the eastern county,.
But there’s no need to die here.
Besides…
These guys turned to look at Baron Dylan, who was sitting in the corner, still drinking his ale. Their eyes were full of hatred, and they gritted their teeth.
This d.a.m.n Dylan, about to be chopped up and fed to the dogs!
How dare you betray the Countess Agatha!
“That’s…”
The four Grand Knights also gritted their teeth and looked at Baron Dylan who did not even look at them. They could not help but say angrily, “I thought he really joined us. I did not expect that he would let us be captured so easily.”
“But you can resist.”
Baron Dylan said drunkenly.
He had drunk a lot of malt liquor, probably about half a barrel, so his face was already red. He looked at the four Grand Knights of the eastern county and the ambushers, he could not help but smile mockingly. “Don’t… don’t make excuses here. If you could resist, you would have died in battle. If you could talk to me alive, wouldn’t you have chosen to surrender?”
“You!” One of the four Grand Knights had a bad temper and wanted to stand up.
“Calm down.”
However, there was still a calm person beside him who pulled him back.
Looking at the 30 Grand Knights who were holding them captive, a sense of powerlessness that came from the bottom of their hearts suddenly appeared. In fact, they really had no way to refute what Baron Dylan said.
If they could resist, they would have resisted long ago. Why would they wait until now?
However, they did not dare to.
In the entire eastern county, there were less than 10 Grand Knights, including the old and the young, who were carefully nurtured by the n.o.ble families.
There were already four of them.
However, what they were facing.
Was not one or two.
Nor was it three or four or five.
Instead, there were a total of 30 Grand Knights. They were at the same level as them, or even stronger. They were all in their prime. They were Grand Knights with extraordinary powers who had fought on the battlefield!
Then, how could the four of them fight? How could they have the confidence to fight?
They sat on the chairs sadly.
They were helpless.
To the soldiers who had already disarmed and were also sitting in their chairs or corners, they did not have any thoughts of encouraging them to fight their way out of the encirclement. They only sighed softly and smiled bitterly at each other.
They had just entered and were already surrounded. They were completely in the hands of others, so there was nothing left for them to resist.
“A wise move.”
Kant smiled.
He expressed his appreciation for their choice to surrender calmly. “Generally speaking, your actions will allow you to live a long life.”
“Heh.” This joke was almost like a cold joke, but it only made the elites of the eastern county region let out a bitter smile. After all, they were captives and lowly existences. Under extreme pressure, they lowered their heads and chose to live a long life. Of course, they would live a long life.
However, the dignity and honor they once had also disappeared along with their lives.
Those who surrendered had no dignity and honor to speak of.
“Alright.”
Kant chuckled and sat on the main seat. “Let’s get back to the main topic.” Looking at these Grand Kights and the obviously elite ambush soldiers, he calmly asked, “Why did you come to my banquet? If I remember correctly, your Lord, Countess Agatha, should be my aunt.”
“That’s right,” one of the four Grand Knights answered.
In their opinion, they had been betrayed by Baron Dylan, there was nothing to hide at the moment. “Baron Kant, your salt mine is coveted. No one can ignore it. Even your aunt, Countess Agatha, is also eager to get your salt mine.”
Kant nodded. “Very good. I’m very satisfied with your answer. It’s true.”
“Of course.”
Among the four Grand Knights, the middle-aged man who was obviously the leader smiled bitterly.
Looking at Kant and the surrounding guards who were glaring at him, he completely let down his guard. He casually picked up the remaining food on the long table and stuffed it into his mouth to chew, at the same time, he calmly said, “Other than this, the barren Stone Pa.s.s and the forbidden land of the Nahrin Desert have no meaning at all.”
“The truth.” Kant smiled and turned his head to order, “Give him a gla.s.s of malt wine.”
“Yes.”
A Swadian Knight answered.
Soon, he brought a gla.s.s of malt wine to the side and placed it beside the Grand Knight.
“Thank you very much for your generosity, Baron Kant.” The Grand Knight nodded and thanked him. He wolfed down a few pieces of fresh roasted meat and finished the gla.s.s of malt wine in one gulp. Only then did he let out a breath reeking of alcohol, he said with satisfaction, “I’ve only enjoyed a big meal today after coming all the way from the camp of death penalty mountain.”
“Do you want to eat? I can guarantee that you will enjoy these big meals every day.”
Kant said with a smile.
The Grand Knight asked in return, “Can I?”
“Of course in my name.” Kant nodded his head.
“This…”
The Grand Knight muttered to himself.
But before he could reply, the Grand Knight beside him let out an anxious grunt.
The surrounding soldiers who had put down their weapons and surrendered looked at the Grand Knight in shock. Their eyes were filled with disbelief, but deep in their eyes, there was a hint of desire.
Since they had chosen to surrender, they were naturally nervous about their future.
The other three Grand Knights had their own thoughts.
These elite soldiers also had their own thoughts.
“Stay. Even if you resist, you won’t be able to. Moreover, even if it’s that woman, Agatha, how can she be stronger than Kant? Don’t be silly. What’s displayed in front of you now is not a power that Agatha, that woman, can resist!”
However, behind them, Baron Dylan said drunkenly.
He was originally sitting on a chair.
Now, his face was flushed red. Looking at these Grand Knights and the elite soldiers of the eastern county, he could not help but chuckle. “All of you thought that Kant was a good-for-nothing, but who would have thought that in the end, you were all deceived by this young man.”
“Baron Dylan, what do you think?”
Kant asked back.
“I’m willing to serve.” Baron Dylan’s face was flushed red. He shrugged nonchalantly. “In the past, I was loyal to Princess Sofia. Now, I’m loyal to the Pprincess’s son. There’s nothing that I can’t accept.”
“That’s very good.” Kant smiled and waved his hand. “Baron Sylan is very wise, isn’t he?”
“I’m just being sensible.”
Baron Dylan smiled bitterly.
He now understood that as long as Kant had such power, not to mention Countess Agatha, even the entire Dukedom of Leo would not be a match for him. Even if there was a peerless foundation, he would probably compromise.
Kant was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. He was the second-in-line heir.
If an accident really happened…
It would be the same as fighting for the throne. It would be a family matter.
No matter who won, the members of the royal family of Leo were still members of the royal family. Even the bloodline had not changed. The only difference was that the first-in-line heir had left the world forever because of an accident.
This had happened before in the history of the Dukedom of Leo.
Many of the n.o.ble families were used to it.
It was only now that Baron Dylan understood why the truly great n.o.ble families were still silent.
Even if they had sent out secret troops to take over the pa.s.s, the official troops on the surface had yet to appear. Even now, the ambush troops of Countess Agatha from the eastern County territory were only troops that claimed to be from the eastern county territory.
As long as Countess Agatha denied that she was one of them, she would be able to get away.
These were all unspoken rules among the n.o.ble families.
Most importantly.
Kant had already shown his power.
Those n.o.ble families who had no enmity with Kant might have to consider how to deal with the upcoming battle for the throne and who they should rely on to obtain the greatest benefits.
That’s right, they were thinking about the battle for the throne.
Not the rebellion of the Lord.
Kant was indeed exiled back then, but he was given a t.i.tle in name. Moreover, he had not given up his ident.i.ty as the heir in name. If he wanted, if he could, if he had enough strength, he could inherit the t.i.tle of the Dukedom of Leo.
The current Kant indeed had enough strength, so he could if he wanted to.
“Countess Agatha is not that good.”
The Grand Knight smiled.
He obviously understood the reason. He looked at the three Grand Knights beside him and said calmly, “We worked for Countess Agatha for at least 10 years. Now I think we can leave.”
“This… this…” the other three Grand Knights were still in a daze.
“A wise man submits to circ.u.mstances.”
Kant said similar words.
Clapping his hands, he instructed the knights beside him, “Let these friends go and rest. I think there are enough rooms at Stone Pa.s.s for them to rest.”
“Yes.” The knights nodded and made a gesture of invitation at the same time.
The four Grand Knights followed silently.
These were all high-end forces. In Kant’s opinion, there was still a need to recruit them.
After all, he would not mind having fewer Grand Knights. Although he could not really believe it, he could treat it as a knife in his hand. It was really not bad to be able to use it.
Especially when this kind of high-end force was in his hands.
Kant had many royal knights and lion knights.
They were all top-tier troop cla.s.s 6.
However, these troop cla.s.s could not help Kant manage his estate. In comparison, war was more suitable for them. After all, they were troop cla.s.s that came from the world of cavalry.
However, these extraordinary troop cla.s.s of the native world were different. They were originally a n.o.ble.
And they were local n.o.ble.
Submitting to Kant meant that Kant could bring more benefits.
For example, those who were good friends with them, those n.o.bles that could be contacted, could communicate with them. Finally, they would submit to Kant. It was like a new round of enfeoffment, a n.o.ble that Kant had given away.
The core force, which was the troop cla.s.s that rode and hacked the world, was firmly in Kant’s hands.
As for the strength of the local world…
It was to a.s.sist.
Whether it was the high-end force, the n.o.ble lord, or the ordinary civilians, they all formed a protective net around the periphery of Kant’s rule.
When the enemy thought that they had used all their strength to tear this protective net into pieces…
Kant was actually unharmed!
“Let Baron Dylan go back and rest early.”
He waved his hand and gave the order.
Looking at the drunk Dylan, Kant said calmly, “Let them think about it. I think they will make the best choice. After all, they are all smart people.”
“Yes.” The knights also pulled the drunk Baron Dylan away. He did not resist.
“As for you.”
Kant looked at the elite soldiers of the eastern county.
He frowned slightly. These so-called elite soldiers were at most at the same level as the Swadian Infantry. However, their equipment and battle experience were not as advanced as the elite soldiers that had been tested in the cavalry world.
In short, there was no need to recruit them.
“We choose to pledge our loyalty!”
The elite troop cla.s.s instantly understood.
Without waiting for Kant to speak, they immediately knelt down and chose to pledge their allegiance.
However, Kant rubbed the s.p.a.ce between his brows and waved his hand. “Let them go and rest. Since they are here, then don’t leave. If they submit, then so be it. They can always prove their worth.”
“Yes!” The infantrymen watched as the eastern county army left the hall.
Only a huge mess was left.
At the corner, the terrified maids came over. They wanted to clean up the mess after the banquet, but because of the valiant Swadian soldiers around them, they all trembled and did not dare to move.
The banquet here had already ended.
“Everyone, be on guard.”
Kant stood up again.
At the same time, he instructed fatis beside him, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Understood.” Fatis immediately nodded.
“Be vigilant.”
Kant still reminded.
“There won’t be any problems,” Fatis replied.
“Mm.” Kant then left.
He needed to go to his room in the mansion to rest.
Just like how the banquet had ended, the rest of the mess would be left to Fartis to handle. As Kant’s most valued general, he was more capable than Bandake when it came to handling certain matters.
The former captain of the crossbowmen, Bandake, had become the underworld apostle, but his combat strength had increased drastically.
These matters between the n.o.ble families were better handled by Fatis.
Of course, Rolf, who was also a n.o.ble, could do it too.
However, Rolf was more adept at intimidation and threats. The t.i.tle of a villain n.o.ble did not come for nothing.
However, in the current situation, Rolf’s arrival was indeed quite effective. Especially when he rushed out of the Senwaya range. In front of him were flat plains. To this villain n.o.ble, it was like heaven.
The desert bandits, who were as fast as the wind, were not only suitable for the desert, but also for the plains.
They were all cavalry.
And they were the ones who would spread Kant’s reputation.
They attacked and plundered time and time again, bringing most of the northern county territory under Kant’s control.
They let the n.o.ble of the Dukedom of Leo know that the second son of the Duke, who they exiled, had finally returned with absolute power!