"Grandma!" Laura ran to the queen's side and hugged her, looking very scared.
Mira let go of the hilt of the sword and took a few steps back, then began to look up and down at the three women in the row.
"You guys are -" Archbishop Roman seemed to be trying to say something, but she immediately noticed that none of the three people were wearing the holy emblems related to the White Church - non-believers in Suomir and Aurora area? ——In addition, the Queen stretched out her hand to stop and winked, and Roman swallowed and retracted.
This action naturally did not escape the attention of Mira and Henry.
The last person who was so out of tune with the environment that you could easily identify her was Margaret.
And the status of these three people is obviously the same as that of our noble lady.
Women in Suomir like to wear long dark skirts. There is no big difference between the aristocracy and the common people in this regard. However, the fabrics used by the aristocratic class were usually silk and satin, and their drape and luster were far superior to the high-grade linen available to common people. And there are many differences in detail cutting.
Common people on the East Coast mostly buy their clothes from high-quality and low-priced ready-to-wear stores, while aristocrats have their clothes tailor-made. In recent years, influenced by the Laman trend, the upper class prefers waist-cinching designs to emphasize the beauty of human body curves. And this is a significant difference between the clothes worn by these three women and those of civilians.
Others include the design of the hem of a long skirt. The long skirts of civilian women would have narrow openings on the sides, with ropes hanging from them. Because long skirts are difficult to move when working, when they need to work, they will roll up the hem to their knees and then tie it with ties.
A big man who does not need to work, is pampered and has no power to tie a chicken. Due to some unexpected factors, he lost his accompanying servants. Judging from the many scratches on his luxurious clothes and delicate skin, and the sunken cheeks on his unkempt face, it seemed that he had suffered a lot along the way. At this time, they happened to meet three mercenaries from their group——
Mira noticed that the black-haired woman in religious clothing reached her hand to her lower back, and she could easily tell that the other person must have hidden a dagger or something there.
When she started talking to him, the white-haired girl thought this person was a bit naive, but from the looks of it, she was the most vigilant among the three - at least not unarmed and not carrying anything.
This Lamanite woman was in a foreign land and was perhaps the most experienced of the three.
In line with the reactions of Henry and Mira, the other party was also observing the three of them. If they had a little bit of brains, they would have realized how luxurious their outfits were, and without any protection, they would be as defenseless as flesh on a knife board.
The bad reputation of mercenaries in this area, the fact that they are rich senior officials, they are women, they lack escorts, and they are wearing gold and silver - they are as dangerous as they are, and the reason why they haven't run away immediately is , in addition to being too hungry to run, another reason can be easily judged from the direction of their repeated glances.
She is our Luoan girl.
It's rare to see female mercenaries, and it's even rarer to see girl mercenaries with such high achievements at such a young age. There are women in the team, and they don't seem to be slaves or servants of others, but equal traveling companions. Maybe this mercenary team is a reliable partner for justice? ——This possibility made the Queen and the Archbishop hesitate before running away.
Mira judged this, and Henry also judged this.
And Galeva.
He's a dork.
"Galeva, why don't you take out your Holy Emblem to pay tribute when you see His Excellency the Bishop?" Henry turned around and said to the young man. Only then did Galeva react and raised his cloak with a "Wow!" He opened it and took out the holy symbol on his chest. This reminder from the sage has a profound meaning. In addition to breaking the deadlock, it also further dispels the other party's vigilance - because it is impossible for highlanders to have believers, and the name of the innkeeper's eldest son is obviously Suomir. , their laxity is almost obvious.
A teacher is a teacher. Mira thought this in her heart. He completely saw through what the other party cared about, and broke the deadlock with a simple and obscure action.
"We are mercenaries traveling to Aurora. Did you encounter any disaster?" It was not difficult to continue talking after breaking the deadlock. Henry spoke in a very standard Lamani language that was not Suomir-like. As he said that, he walked towards the direction of Galeva.
"Your Excellency, please allow me to pay my respects," Galeva said, making a prayer gesture. Only then did Roman reach out his hand behind his back, and the Queen also let out a long breath.
"Drink some water first, Mira, and get some medicine." Henry's actions completely lowered their vigilance, and after they took the initiative to lend a helping hand, the Queen and the other three people were completely open to it. Chatterbox.
"Yes - I encountered a giant -"
“That’s really unfortunate”
With a tacit agreement to avoid talking about the sword and other things, the sage, the Roan girl, and Galeva began to communicate with the three women they encountered.
————
It is a pleasure to gallop through the mountains of Talwar-Sutta.
After the Great Swordsman's Return, countless Lamanite merchants fled. In addition to a few large-scale chambers of commerce that were successfully retained, many medium-sized ones returned to the empire's territory.
Therefore, the broad avenue is rarely used by anyone except small individual businessmen who want to earn risk funds.
This provides great convenience when the military travels.
Menisto threw off all the Talwar-Sutta garrison.
He didn't bring any infantry. First of all, this mission was about speed, and the infantry couldn't keep up with the speed. Secondly, after being deceived by the Duke's family, he no longer dared to trust anyone except those within his own team.
Her Majesty's disappearance may have been an accident, but it had better be an accident.
If it was not an accident but someone's intention - Mainisto tightened the reins in his hands, and his face under the light helmet was so cold that water could condense.
Two large groups of seventy-two rode like the wind through the winding roads and bridges of Talwar-Sutta. These are all the elites of the Dragon Wing Knights, and the white feathers behind them rustle in the wind. This time they were equipped with light cavalry armor. He has a small shoulder armor and a light helmet, and is not equipped with a four-meter-long lance but only a sword, a large axe, and a spear. In addition, some short bows and light crossbows are assisted.
Considering the wounded that may be encountered, there are also members of the Knights who serve as military doctors in the team.
They travel lightly and every member is well-trained. Although they were ridiculed by the Suomir people who supported the Great Swordsmen for lacking war experience and simply copying the appearance of the Lamanites, the Knights of the Dragon Wings, as an absolutely elite gathering that everyone in the kingdom can now handle, in terms of combat literacy and execution strength Absolutely excellent.
On the first day of the search, they also received another news. The Queen not only set off on her own, but also brought with her the current sole heir of the royal family, Princess Lola, and His Excellency Archbishop Roman of the Heinzwom Archbishop of Yetina. .
Three people who stood at the political and religious apex of the entire Suomir disappeared together - Her Majesty the Queen's naive impulse in this case really caused a pressure on the shoulders of the people below that was comparable to the pressure on the shoulders of the Palohia Plateau. .
Although they don't want to go deep in this direction, if the three of them just don't come back.
Suomir was afraid that there would be a disaster.
The return of the Great Swordsman has already caused vague turmoil in the domestic political situation, and if this happens, the archbishop of the church, the current queen, and the only heir to the royal family all disappear.
The power vacuum at the top of the kingdom created by this will inevitably bring disaster to this country that has been at peace for more than 20 years.
It is Her Majesty's wish that the country become as prosperous as the Padrosi Empire. All aspects of business reform have not yet been truly implemented effectively. More than twenty years have only allowed Suomir to cool down the boiling hot oil. It is necessary for her to become prosperous and live in peace and contentment without being so angry. It still takes a long time.
And if the three of them never come back, all their previous efforts will be in vain.
Manisto recalled the scene of the confrontation with the Duke. His army seems to be much more prepared than expected. This is obviously not to prepare them for the Dragon Wing Knights. After all, no matter how powerful the knights are, they are only one regiment. Without the infantry garrison, they would not be able to defeat a duchy's army.
The reason why the Duke was so prepared, and why they still played with fire and concealed information even though they knew it would cause big problems if it came to light.
Apparently.
It is aimed at this power void.
The country may be at peace now.
But there are countless guys who are secretly trying to make a move.
Her Majesty is lonely, and has few companions, few who are loyal to her.
The Prime Minister is one, and so are most of the people in the Dragon Wing Knights. And the remaining ones, even if some appear loyal, are actually just short-term interests.
The wolves surrounding her are not only those who have just returned home, but also those who have always existed in the country, are eyeing her, and have a long history. Even the power of the royal family and the church cannot easily shake it.
They are all making their own plans.
If the queen, princess and bishop disappeared forever, Suomir.
There will be a civil war.
The major duchies resorted to force against each other for the succession to the throne and control of the church.
This country of snow, which has been bleeding for a thousand years, is afraid that its lives will be destroyed by the struggle between the supreme powers again.
Public and private.
Manisto couldn't let this happen.
"drive!!"
The horses galloped through the mountains and forests, and it only took 12 hours to use various scouts, Manisto, to lock the Queen's direction. The scouts found the knights who died in battle. The experienced old hunters in the scout team judged that they had encountered migrating giants through the faded fish smell. The broken lances and various miserable marks on the ground, as well as a large amount of blood and several lances that were completely stained red and had obviously been pulled out of wounds, made them hastily pack up the bodies and evacuate quickly.
Despite this severe injury, the horrible creature survived and fled.
After it was clear that the queen was fleeing in the direction of Menisto and the others, they sent a letter to notify them, and then withdrew in the other direction.
After confirming the direction, Mainisto and others judged the direction based on the distance the carriage could travel and prepared to go to the confluence, but after running for a whole day, they still did not encounter them. With no choice but to take a shortcut, I wanted to see if I could determine the direction back to the place where the queen disappeared based on the traces that had not completely disappeared.
——And this is the current scene.
With Mira's help, they bathed and scrubbed their bodies with a leather bucket, cleaned and wrapped the wounds, and then changed into unfitting but clean clothes for the three of them. The sage, Henry and three other people gathered in front of the campfire, and was cooking the hare that he had hunted with a light crossbow.
The hare that has gained weight in autumn is very plump and can be roasted deliciously with some seasonings. The smoke swirled straight up into the sky, becoming a clearly visible direction mark for miles around.
The sound of horse hooves sounded.
It's dense and heavy, as any combat professional with a little experience knows.
This is not a mercenary, nor a caravan, but a knight.
Become a knight in scale and organization.
The flag appeared on the distant horizon, followed by gleaming white wings. Henry looked over there with half-squinted eyes, while the Queen and the other three had faces full of joy. Princess Lola stood up and waved her hands vigorously from a distance, and her oversized white linen shirt swayed with her movements.
"Mr. Manisto!" the queen called out, her tone full of surprise.
"I hope you're okay!" The knights stopped neatly, everyone was condescending, and Manisto's eyes swept across Henry, Mira and Galeva, and paused for a moment on the young man's injured arm. , and glanced at the unstrung light crossbow that the sage had put next to him after hunting hares.
His eyes changed as he caught a glimpse of the outline of something beneath the horse's riding jacket.
"Thank you for taking care of this gentleman, we will definitely pay him his salary in the future." The grand leader turned over and dismounted, and then looked directly into Henry's plain blue eyes and said.
"May I ask your lord's name, and who is it?" Grand Commander Weimar Macnisto Longyi paused for a moment, and then said with a full tone of persecution: "Which side are you on?"
"Isn't it common sense to tell someone your home before asking for their name, or are you Suomir people so rude?" Henry knelt down and put the small clay pot filled with oil under the roasted hare, with his head turned. After speaking without replying, he stood up.
He clapped his hands and then stretched out his right hand: "Henry Meyer, as you can see, is just a traveling mercenary."
"I am Weimar, Weimar Manisto, the grand leader of the Dragon Wing Knights." He stretched out his hand with the gauntlet and shook it with the sage.
"You can see it, those ostentatious fake wings." Henry shrugged.
"You still haven't answered my second question, Lord Mel." Manisto held the hilt of the sword at his waist, and the members of the Knights behind him also held onto their spears. Mira noticed this and frowned. She was about to approach the light crossbow, but she saw someone in the knights raised the short bow in his hand and gestured threateningly.
"Tsk——" The Luoan girl who had been robbed of the opportunity stopped where she was, still looking around and thinking about how to change the situation.
"Mr. Manisto, please don't be rude! These people helped me -" "Sir, I'm sorry for being rude, please be quiet." Manisto had some of the following mistakes, but in this case, he had no other choice. . The queen realized the seriousness of the matter, and the whole air became quiet.
"Can't you just take either side?" The sage shrugged again.
"I am just a traveler, coming and going with the wind."
"I would lend a helping hand just out of a small kindness, a small thing, and my own inner satisfaction."
As he said this, there was no fluctuation in his gray-blue eyes.
"..." Manisto opened his face under the visor and faced Henry directly, but for a long time he couldn't see any wavering from the other party. He just stood there, facing more than seventy dragon-winged knights unarmed, but he showed no fear at all.
"Neither enemy nor friend... What a smooth answer." Mainisto released the hilt of the sword, and at the same time the hands held by the two of them also loosened. In an instant, all the other elite Dragon Wing Knights also lowered their guard.
Their training made Mira almost unable to take her eyes away.
And as if he accepted Henry's answer, Manisto finally put down his guard and turned around: "Military doctor, dismount, everyone, camp on the spot!"
The Grand Commander gave the order, and more than seventy people took action quickly.
