The Blood Knight’s Villains

My Villains Episode 357

60. End of Winter (8)

Lunch was a cheese fritter prepared at Kebor’s tavern, ‘Gold Coins and Mule’.

It is a dish that can be eaten as a snack by mixing shredded cheese and wheat flour, making a batter, and then frying it in rapeseed oil. It’s perfect for a packed lunch.

Theodora was also very satisfied. I was surprised at how crispy the texture was even after hours of making it.

I felt it while eating pork rib soup and grilled trout the day before, but the chef’s skill is quite impressive.

Shall we recruit one? I think Hale will like it quite a bit too.

After dinner, we took a short walk around the hill.

Like the highlands, there were few green grasslands, and the yellow plains were wide, and there were mountains and hills, big and small, all around. It is a sight worth seeing.

“I couldn’t find a mountain like that in Baeknyeonseong or the royal capital. Even when I ran through the wide fields, all I could see were castle towers and bastions rising from time to time.”

“I heard that there is a river flowing near the capital.”

“The Temel River? it’s in the west The only place I could go was the cavalry training ground southeast of the capital. My maternal uncle sometimes took me.”

“You seem to have liked riding horses since childhood?”

“Well, it wasn’t like that in Topal. Back then, I was just an ordinary girl from an aristocratic family. Although I sometimes went hunting with my brothers, I rarely took the reins myself.”

…Brothers and sisters.

Yes, General McNeil talked about it at a military doctor’s office one day. Theodora’s father, the Duke of Guelambos, was poisoned and the brothers assassinated.

Swallowing dry saliva, I glanced at it, and the light golden eyes were just soaked in memories.

“Still, it was fortunate that I got used to the words a little bit. After being kicked out of Mittergerland and confined to a convent in the royal capital, horseback riding was the only deviation.”

That’s why I fell in love with horses.

Come to think of it, Haile also liked horses quite a bit. When I saw Altonize, who had been missing in the fog and came back alive, they said that his voice had risen by half an octave higher than usual.

Could it be that liking horses is a basic requirement of all princesses?

Around the time we were thinking about it, we came across a small pond by chance.

No, because the water was dry, it was more like a swamp or puddle than a pond. Perhaps because the pond repeatedly freezes and thaws, it looks like mudflats.

Of course, it wasn’t the thick clay that caught my attention and Theodora’s attention. It was a pile of flowers by the pond.

“…Ranunculus.”

“Ranunculus? Is that what you call that flower?”

“exactly. The cold hasn’t gone away yet, but it’s still in full bloom.”

The white petals are wrapped in layers in a round shape. The outside and inside were white like a lily, but the middle was pale pink like a cherry blossom.

As Theodora said, three days into February, it is still winter, but seeing flowers blooming like this is just amazing.

“…beautiful. Isn’t it?”

Princess Theodora squatted in front of a pile of flowers with her mouth half-open. As if inhaling incense, he took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes at the same time, but I couldn’t feel the special flower scent. However, the faint smell of grass was enough to realize the end of winter.

“Sir Phoenix.”

“yes’?”

“This is a secret between us.”

What are you talking about all of a sudden?

I looked back in wonder and saw that she was praying with her eyes closed.

“-Lord, who breathes warmth into all the earth. I ask for an early spring here.”

The air trembled at the wave from the words. Recently, his sixth sense, which has become especially sensitive, has followed the flow of magical power, or divine power.

jjoong.

A golden column of light shot up.

The divine power contained in Theodora’s body was not that great. However, the divine power that seeped through the fine cracks in the invisible dimension boundary flowed through the air to form a river.

“This”

A huge amount of energy soaked the earth in all directions. Not only the edge of the pond where I stood, but also the rye fields and hills nearby were bathed in golden sunlight.

At this moment, what filled nature was not mana, but the hand of God.

“It’s a ritual of slaughter.”

As the light faded, Theodora, who had been acting as a medium for the miracle, stood up and turned around.

“If Kyung and I keep quiet, we can keep the secret. Are you okay?”

Wearing an afterimage or a halo of light, she smiled mischievously, and looked like she could be embroidered on a tapestry. Overwhelmed again, I opened my mouth and nodded.

“I’ll just go. You should leave in case someone sees the pillar of light.”

Fascinated by her goddess-like figure, I unconsciously looked around at the pile of flowers. The petals were moist as if they had been hit by dew in the dawn of a spring day. Even with the naked eye, I could tell that it was overflowing with life.

Among those vivid ranunculus, a flower that had not been seen before caught my attention.

“kyung?”

“I’ll be gone in a little while.”

The flower was half as tall and black compared to the surrounding family members or colleagues who boasted a bright pink light.

Black Ranunculus. The outer leaves are darker than the night sky, and the inner leaves are whiter than milk.

Is it a mutation or is it a different breed? It is only after receiving the blessing that he looks very pitiful for raising his head toward the sky.

Looking at the flower, there was a person that came to mind. A young woman who hides her skin as white as a jade in a jet-black outfit…

It is unfortunate that her disparate appearance will soon wither away.

I unconsciously reached out and broke the black ranunculus from the root. Then he put it into his bosom.

After the day-no walk with Theodora, I returned to Kaybor.

“…What’s the fuss about?”

I was about to go straight to the inn, but people gathered around Yeongjugwan were making a fuss. I pretended not to know, but I was stopped by the shout of a middle-aged man standing tall over a well.

“Kebor’s affairs must be handled by the people of Keibor!”

“Right!”

“Even if you are a prince, it is impossible to encroach on our land, manor, and rights! Demanding excessive obligations is also violent!”

“Yeah, it’s wild!”

“Get rid of heretics!”

A middle-aged man clenched his fists as he shouted at the slogans that erupted from the crowd.

“Okay, well done! Heresy!”

“Heretic/”

“The prince’s request itself is a problem, much less entrusting the heretical paladin with the land! The Lord will be angry, so you shouldn’t have let that girl into Kebor in the first place!” Theodora, who was standing next to her, flinched. Before getting into trouble for nothing, I sent her to the dorm first and approached the Yeongju Hall to find out the situation.

“lily!”

“Confidence.”

Coincidentally, veteran conductors and other subordinates were gathered nearby. I asked him as I tied my bicorn to the fence.

“What kind of situation is this?”

“The prince has announced that he will use the farmland in the area of Kebor as a battleground. They are a group against him.” “…under.”

Serfs protesting against royalty in a medieval feudal society? does this make sense?

“Are those sane? Even if the liver is swollen, there is a degree.”

The cavalry led by Ulkar are only part of his army, but they are more than enough to push back the Cat settlement. They probably don’t know that, but you dare to stage a protest or something?

“No matter how important faith or whatever is, risking your life for that.”

“Perhaps the aristocrats instigated it.”

“Aristocrats?”

“yes. He must have sent the tenant farmers because he was afraid of the prince to go out on his own.”

“what the.”

In front of the Yeongju Hall, serfs were packed like bean sprouts. The windows of nearby buildings, rooftops, and alleys were also packed together.

It was a huge crowd that looked like a thousand people at a glance. It’s not just the residents of Keibor who came, there must be a mix of refugees from the east.

Just as I was sticking out my tongue at the scale, Randel, the prince’s closest personal soldier, was busy moving somewhere with a few soldiers.

“Uncle Randel!”

“Ah, Sir Phoenix.”

I called him over to ask about the situation, but it seemed like there was nothing left to do.

“Didn’t there be an order from the prince?”

“The delivery was not received.”

“yes? What do you mean by that?” Randall replied with a firm expression.

“Your lord went to the manor house to meet Baron Boanen. But, as you can see, it is blocked by a crowd.”

“Is that why you are stomping your feet like this?”

“Once all the troops were assembled. However, since it is impossible to point a sword at powerless serfs without Your Highness’ orders…

I slightly narrowed my eyebrows.

“Wait, you’re not going in alone, are you?”

“Of course not. You took most of the knights, including Sir Ankir.”

“…at least it’s fortunate.”

Since I, the seventh knight, Ulkar has brought many knights under his wing. Thanks to this, there are now more than 30 knights following the prince, and among those who accompanied the expedition this time, there were 10 of them with outstanding skills.

If the elite knights and their servants were attached, there was no chance that Ulkar would suffer an absurd change. Even the gigantic Sir Ankir is a monster that can easily be eaten by a general-purpose knight.

“…Still, I can’t just let go. Where are all the wizards?”

“Master Epos is with Your Highness, and Master Limond is leading the rest of the wizards.”

“What was that mage grandfather like?”

“If it’s Antrum’s Oggshlizo, Sir Bran will bring it.”

After examining the Yeongjugwan, which looked like a castle reduced to the size of a mansion, the crowd surrounding it, and the surroundings, he opened his mouth.

“Gather them all here.”

“……yes?”

“Soldiers. Don’t spread it for nothing, say gather. The wizards also told me to come this way.”

“But sir, if you want to control them in case of chaos-”

“Control is a matter for the young lord to take care of himself. If anything happens, I will break through that and join the prince.”

I frowned as Randall hesitated with a stunned expression on his face.

“I don’t have time to be like this, man.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to gather at the back of the building? If you see troops gathering, you will feel threatened.”

“We are gathering here because we need to look threatening. It’s better to scare them away than to cut them.”

m uh n

Still, when Randall hesitated, I snatched a low shot in annoyance.

“…I see you’re a little confused, but I’m not giving an opinion, I’m giving an order.”

The friendly soldiers, including Randall, are private soldiers of Prince Ulkar. There was nothing wrong with his knight giving orders in Ulkar’s absence.

Well, if the idiot knight said something like this, he might chew on it, but seeing Randall’s complexion, he didn’t think so.

“…Yes, I will follow.”

This is why people are famous and should be seen. After gaining fame, authority naturally follows.

As Randall led the soldiers and hurriedly disappeared, Fritz with ponytails, who was examining the crowd, opened his mouth.

“What are you waiting for? I think it’s enough for us, but let’s go in and give away a few people who stand out. They will disperse soon.”

“wait. I’m thinking of doing that if I give them a scare first and still don’t disperse.”

“Tzu” Uh、.

He was spitting and grunting.

“My prince has been completely taken advantage of.”

“…You said the prince was captured? What bullshit is that?” “

Isn’t that why he climbs like that

because he’s the champion of the weak and has a nickname that isn’t even funny ?”

That is something that cannot be denied.

Well, no matter how aristocrats and landlords instigated, if the opponent was the Marquis of Eabon or Zacharys, would they have been able to stage a protest like that?

Of course not. Believing the rumors about Ulkar’s benevolence, he did things that went overboard like that.

“I don’t think it’s anything bad. That’s because the prince’s reputation is good.” I don’t like seeing blood on the weak and powerless. Because I feel like my humanity is being cut away.

“But we don’t have to worry about reputation or anything like that, can we?”

But beating up nasty bastards isn’t that hard.

“is not it?”

He looked back at his subordinates and shrugged, and everyone giggled.

“Whatever it is.”

“Because it’s already been cooked enough. It’s ridiculous to pretend to be nice now.”

I laughed along with them, untied the bicorn’s

reins, and rode on.

About a hundred elite soldiers and wizards gathered at a distance from the crowd.

Because the troops from Antrum arrived late, I rode a bicorn and took the lead, having been giving a damn to Cavalry Officer Seto and Sergeant Bran.

There was no need to put on a special performance just to scare them. He just looked around at the crowd with his wrist resting on the long sword.

“…You’re not trying to attack, are you?”

“Please stand. It’s Prince Eun’s army.”

“The one in the lead over there is Poi Nyx, the beheader. He might blow off the heads of about a dozen people as an example… An

ominous chatter spread.

Those who raised their voices fell silent, those who held torches hurriedly put out the fire, and those who were holding weapons in their hands also quickly threw away what they were holding.

The effect is better than expected.

wheein.

Around the time when the front of the Yeongju Hall was surrounded by a silence that did not match the crowd.

The iron-clad wooden door opened, and Prince Ulkar finally appeared.