Lorenburg is a little-known little place in the Western Wilderness, and it seems to be a carefully selected place to stay.
Gilbert left early and went to the standing army to handle matters, while Thales, surrounded by the royal guards headed by Marius, left the carriage and entered the castle in front of him, which was as simple as a hut in the Shield District.
He didn't meet any local nobles who came to see him as a gift. Only the servants who shrank in the distance and lowered their heads tremblingly handed over lights, water, and food, which were then sent to Thailand by the royal guards (strictly separated from the princes and other people).
Beside Els.
Even the sentries outside the castle are manned by the royal standing army on the outside.
Even when Thales subconsciously smiles at a little maid who looks to be only eleven or twelve years old and hastily brings the meal (putting the plate on her head), Mallos' figure will appear at the right time, polite and gentle.
But it undoubtedly blocked his view.
Until the little maid escaped from the hall with a pale face under the fierce eyes of the royal guards who filled the hall.
This made Thales feel heartbroken for a while.
But because he had just arrived and the relationship was unfamiliar, Thales warned himself not to interfere with the actions of the royal guards.
And when Thales walked into this simple and even crude fortress hall, which to some extent only had military functions, and when he sat down at the long table at Mallos's signal, the feeling of heartache reached the point of
reached the peak.
"Old rules, take two people out and try the food first," Mallos stood beside Thales who was sitting without removing his armor or sword, and his calm voice came out in the hall:
"Let the Duke dine in half an hour."
"During this period, other people from the vanguard wing will go to survey the castle, the guard wing will set up defenses as usual, the logistics wing will go to check the kitchen, and everyone else will go to their posts."
Mallos squinted and looked in the direction where the little maid was going:
"And I don't want to see anyone walking into this hall without permission, even a chubby girl..."
“Also, no matter where the Duke goes, be it eating, bathing, resting in the toilet or taking a walk, make sure that at least two people are with him and that the Duke’s figure can be seen at all times. If something happens, the three layers of security on the outside must be able to respond at any time.
"
Thales couldn't help but frown when he heard this.
Marius's words seemed to be very authoritative. Twenty-two of the twenty-four people standing on both sides of the long table took the order and left the hall.
Mallos himself glanced at Thales. His eyes were calm and natural, but seemed to contain some kind of power, causing the latter, who was so hungry that he could not sit still, to sit up straighter subconsciously.
"Take good care of the Duke."
The chestnut-haired watchman left these words in an understatement and walked out of the hall.
The moment Mallos's heels left the door, Thales felt that the air in the hall became softer.
But the good times didn't last long, and the last two people left behind stepped forward without hesitation and took away the plates on Thales' table without ceremony.
Under Thales' horrified eyes, they carefully opened each item (even opening a pie made of unknown ingredients) and took a bite of each item.
Thales stared blankly at the ravaged meal, and even had an illusion:
He returned to the Northland, to Longxiao City, and to the Blood Courtyard.
No, it's worse than that.
At least the Northlanders won't eat his food.
One of them stopped briefly, got up immediately, and walked to the door to stand guard, but the other person...
"Oh, no, this pie is made of pumpkin. It tastes terrible."
The guard member standing closest to him complained bitterly while breaking off another piece of pumpkin pie and giving Thales a bright and sunny smile:
"No, Duke, you won't like this... I have to help you eliminate some, you're welcome..."
Thales looked at the fewer and fewer pumpkin pies and smiled awkwardly.
The knight biting into the pumpkin pie held the air in his hand, made a toasting gesture, smiled and nodded:
"Don't worry, Your Majesty Duke, it's just a routine inspection... Our standing army is camped outside the castle, there is nothing that can threaten your safety."
The knight in front of him said, his smile getting brighter.
When you say that, I feel even more uneasy...
"No, no, no, sir, you can't eat yet. You have to wait half an hour. If I don't foam at the mouth and die suddenly on the spot, you can start eating..." The knight gently held Thales's wrist, using a gentle force that could not be refuted.
The ground pushed him back.
Thales had no choice but to retract his hand that was grabbing the water glass angrily.
He recognized the blond knight in front of him as Dele's "distant relative", Doyle.
"So, uh, Marius is your leader, he's the highest ranking?"
Thales, who was bored waiting to test the poison, could only find something to talk about:
"You all have to listen to him?"
Doyle patted the crumbs on his hands, raised his eyebrows and nodded:
"Yes."
Doyle glanced at the door, and after realizing that Mallos' figure was completely gone, he began to smile, walked to Thales' side, and set the tableware for him:
"The royal guard has a strict and clear division of labor and system, including the hierarchy, which must not be violated."
As Doyle spoke, he kept moving his hands. He arranged the knives, forks, spoons, and different dishes in an orderly manner, in line with the table manners that Thales learned when he was a child.
Strict and clear...
Thales looked at the blond knight in front of him with interest:
"So what level are you at?"
Doyle spread the vegetables evenly on the plate and smiled:
"Take it easy, Your Highness, it's not that simple."
"Unlike the barbaric, rude and primitive Yankees and their funny guards that change every time, the Star Royal Guard has a long and glorious history, and its organization can be traced back to the Emperor's Guards in the imperial era..."
Doyle raised his index finger to the fourteen-year-old prince, smiled brightly, and had a "tell you a story" friendly look on his face:
"As the sacred team that protects His Majesty, the Emperor's Guards, we are divided into six wings according to different powers. Each wing has a chief and a second person in charge."
Six wings.
Thales was refreshed and remembered the former royal guards he had seen in the dungeon.
"First of all, it is the supreme command wing."
Doyle smiled warmly and used a knife and fork to separate two steaks on the plate.
"This is the brain of the whole guard. The first and second two seats, that is, the captain and deputy captain are responsible for commanding the entire guard. They have absolute authority and are only responsible to His Majesty. Before he was assigned to you, Mallos was the person in the command wing.
The Captain Adrian conveys orders and intelligence to the heads of each wing. Well, the level is not high, but the function is not small."
"And after he was promoted to be a watchman..."
Doyle shrugged helplessly:
"So yes, no matter before or after, we have to listen to him."
Command wing.
Captain and Deputy Guard Captain.
Thales thought about little Barney's father, thoughtfully.
"And then there's the guard wing."
Doyle took a deep breath, shook his hair, straightened his body, and seemed to suddenly become radiant.
"This is the main body of the royal guard, and it is also the one seen most by the outside world. It is responsible for the personal protection of the nobles." He took out two pieces of vegetables and pulled them next to the meat:
"Ordinary hero, great protector, I will ensure your safety with my flesh and blood, and pave the way for your glory with my passion."
Doyle's words confused Thales a little.
Looking at the other party's solemn and hopeful expression, Thales narrowed his eyes:
"So, you belong to the Guard Wing?"
Doyle raised his eyebrows and bowed dramatically:
"Exactly!"
Seeing the other person's embarrassed expression, Thales nodded suddenly.
understood.
"This is Danny Doyle," Doyle smiled and pressed his chest:
"Your Majesty, the most reliable one among the six guards under your command."
Thales blinked.
The blond Doyle blinked his left eye, looking cool and suave:
"Or to put it simply, everyone likes to call me d.d."
Thales hesitated.
"d.d?"
The prince repeated with a strange look on his face.
"Don't you have a sister named c.c?"
Or have a brother named v.v?
Doyle was stunned.
"c.c?"
Doyle rolled his eyes in confusion.
"Ahem, it's okay..."
Thales coughed hard twice and said seriously:
"It's just a Northland joke..."
"Oh~" Doyle said with a look of surprise on his face and his tone rose in response.
"So, Doyle," Thales looked at the plate in front of him that was about to be turned into a work of art in surprise:
"When you were little, did they call you 'Little D.D.'
Doyle was stunned again.
"What?"
Thales twitched his eyebrows and shook his head:
"It's nothing. I often tell silly Yankee jokes. Just get used to it."
"Go on."
Doyle blinked in confusion.
"So where am I talking? Yes, another part of the royal guard. The image of the guard that often appears in bards. A cute and charming villain, but one who has the power to make decisions in wartime: Vanguard Wing."
Pioneer wing.
Thales thought of the stubborn Barney and the neurotic Cannon in the dungeon.
Thales arched his eyebrows:
"So, why is Pioneer Wing the villain?"
Doyle cleared his throat and began to arrange the soup bowls and water glasses:
"Let's put it this way, our guard wing has important responsibilities. We can't leave the nobles' side lightly. We also spend a lot of time in public. There are many things. Hey, this is inconvenient to do."
Doyle suddenly stopped talking and his tone became colder:
"So sometimes, when you don't like someone and want his head, or you like a girl but she doesn't want to, such trivial things..."
Doyle stopped what he was doing and his face suddenly turned cold:
"At this time, you can ask the Pioneer Wing boys to run errands."
Let’s see who doesn’t like it…
Which girl do you fancy...
Trivial things?
Running errands?
What?
Thales looked at him with a strange expression and asked:
"real?"
Doyle still stared at him seriously.
Two seconds later, Doyle in front of him suddenly smiled, waved and shook his head.
"Of course I'm kidding!"
"Although bards often describe noble guards as being like nouveau riche thugs, under normal circumstances, how can the Vanguard Wing do such boring things..."
Having said this, Doyle's expression paused.
"You know."
He said coldly, moving closer to the prince, with a mysterious and meaningful smile:
"generally."
Thales was dumbfounded by his performance.
"But you said they have 'wartime decision-making power'..."
Doyle waved his hand:
"Oh, that's not important..."
Doyle cleared his throat again, grabbed the knife, and began to sort out the pumpkin pie that was in a mess due to the poison test and only half of it was left.
"Then, we arrived at the punishment wing, which has the smallest number of people but has a transcendent status."
Punishment Wing.
Thales thought of Luton Belletti, the former chief punishment officer of the royal guard, and nodded.
"For example, if you want us to 'run errands' as mentioned above, but we happen to be caught and take away the stolen goods," Doyle's eyes narrowed:
"Then the Punishment Wing is about to come on stage."
"So... no one in the Guard likes them."
Doyle turned to Thales with a warning look on his face:
"I believe you also heard that even the punishments imposed on members of the royal family are carried out by them."
Doyle put down his knife. At some point, only half of the pumpkin pie was cut into six slices and placed in a circle around the dinner plate. It looked delicate and beautiful, neat and symmetrical.
Thales was surprised when he saw it.
Doyle shook his head, removing all the seriousness from his face like a magic trick:
"Then there is the Logistics Wing, which is literally the most boring part of the Six Wings. There are even a lot of non-staff handymen in there."
Doyle smiled, pulled all the extra and messy leftovers from the main dinner plate into an empty plate, threw it into the depths of the unlit fireplace, and heard a crisp sound.
"To be honest, I still don't know why they keep this department. I mean, to serve His Majesty, who cares whether the room you stay in costs six copper coins or six silver coins per night?"
Logistics Wing.
Well, Your Majesty cares.
Thales said silently.
Doyle exhaled:
"The last one is the worst, the level is unknown, the flag wing is outside the five wings."
Flag wing.
Thinking of the former flag officer Samir who had fallen towards the Sword of Disaster in the dungeon, Thales said strangely:
"worst?"
Doyle snorted coldly:
"It is said that every flag officer has a small notebook in his arms. His usual duty is to spy on us and then report to the superiors."
Thales glared:
"above?"
Doyle turned his arm and fished out a tablecloth from somewhere.
Thales felt his eyes blur, and the tablecloth was wrapped around his chest:
"above."
Doyle walked to the prince's side and arranged the place where the tablecloth and collar overlapped:
"They are like the secret branch of the Guards, cunning and insidious, with no good intentions..."
Doyle said half seriously and half jokingly.
The secrets of the Guards.
Is it.
Thales thought back to the different batches of royal guards in the dungeon.
"So this is the 'Six Wings of the Guard'."
Doyle walked up to Thales and waved his arms as if welcoming a guest.
The prince was surprised to find that not only did the meals and tableware on the table appear in order, but the dishes on the plates were arranged in a unique and beautiful way (it did not look like someone had tried poison at all), and even the clothes on his body were
The tablecloth and collar are neatly wrapped and at just the right angle.
It even got to the point where if he moved even a little bit, the beauty would be destroyed.
"And His Majesty attaches great importance to your guards. Basically, among the twenty-five people around you, there are people in the six wings of the Imperial Guard."
Doyle ignored Thales' expression of worry about "where to start" and counted with his fingers:
"Lord Gray Parson, apart from Mallos, he is the highest-ranking person around you. He is the second punishment officer of the punishment wing. Like his superiors, he is basically the type that everyone fears."
"Deward Straw, the man in the logistics wing, don't look at the smile on his face, but he is actually full of bad intentions. If he wants to tease you during the meal..."
Doyle sighed and shrugged lightly.
"And you met Karen Glover yesterday. The brown-haired guy behind Mallos usually doesn't speak. When he does, even the Earl of Wingburg dares to attack him."
You yourself too.
Thales said secretly in his heart.
Doyle didn't notice Thales's face:
"Glover is one of the pioneer officers. By the way, that guy has facial paralysis. He neither cries nor laughs. We call him 'zombie' in private."
"I heard that Zombie's grandfather once served in the royal guard, and he was still a young man."
Doyle blinked:
"So he has been exposed to it since childhood and knows a lot about the royal guards. He even knows the secrets of the old guards many years ago."
This phrase caught Thales' attention.
"Old Guard?" the prince asked.
"Yes," Doyle glanced at the table and found that there was no place to adjust, then he looked back in disappointment:
"Eighteen years ago, the royal guard in the Year of Blood."
Thales' nerves became tense.
"Although, the old people in the palace are not willing to mention what happened back then, and they won't talk about it even if asked. It is almost a taboo..."
Thales' face darkened:
"Is it."
However, Doyle raised his head and said with emotion:
"But it is said that during the decades of the reign of the late King Eddie, the legendary old royal guard reached its peak in history, both in quantity and quality."
Thales' attention was attracted to him.
"Not to mention other things, just in terms of personal force, they have more extreme masters than the guards of any era."
Speaking of this, Doyle's eyes lit up, as if he was singing a bard:
"If someone doesn't move, that's it. If you attack like a thunderbolt, you don't need a second blow to defeat the enemy;"
"There is a wolf who travels thousands of miles, is cunning and unpredictable, and kills enemies in daylight without leaving a trace;"
"Someone has a knife in his hand, heads are rolling, and he is fighting for three days without moving;"
"There is someone a thousand steps away, raising his arm and drawing his bow, and the soul of the dead under the arrow will hardly miss;"
Doyle exhaled, full of yearning:
"The most exaggerated thing is that it is said that some of the guards at that time could even defeat a hundred with one, overwhelm a crowd with a few, and control thousands of troops. There was nothing that could be done about it."
Doyle's tone softened.
To defeat a hundred with one, to overwhelm a crowd with a few...
Even with thousands of troops and horses...
Thales thought of that powerful but shaky lonely figure, and was lost in thought for a moment.
"Is it."
Thales' eyes moved:
"So, where are the current guards?"
"Now?"
Doyle blinked and curled his mouth.
"And now, most of the people in the Guard were reorganized after the Year of Blood. You know, the people's livelihood is in decline, and both nobles and civilians are having a hard time, and the good super-level seedlings trained on the battlefield and in the army have long been eliminated.
The three newly-minted handsome men have gone away."
"I've heard that the current Chief Vanguard Officer, Staley, is a member of the Extreme Realm, but he doesn't have any famous achievements... because of the Extreme Realm thing, unless you have truly conquered another Extreme Realm, others will admit that you are the same.
,otherwise……"
Doyle shrugged, the yearning in his eyes turning into regret.
"Pity."
"I really wish I was born in that era and could see the unprecedentedly powerful Guards and compete with those lost legendary masters. That would be great."
But Doyle then shook his head.
"No, actually it's not a pity. After all, that is also a shameful guard."
Thales' eyes moved:
"Shame? How to say?"
Doyle sighed slightly:
"Don't you know? The same guard team, during the bloody years, failed to protect and coordinate poorly, and was at a loss in advance and retreat, and finally fell into the Fuxing Palace."
"I also personally ruined...the best era of the Royal Guard."
Poor protection, poor dispatch...
Thales clenched his fists subconsciously.
"It is said," Doyle said with a complicated face, whether it was disdain or helplessness:
"It's just said that there are even some people in that group of guards who are colluding with foreign enemies."
Inside and outside the enemy.
Thales's fists clenched tighter and tighter.
"Watchman."
Doyle was startled:
"What?"
Thales raised his head and asked seriously:
"You just said that Marius was promoted from the command wing to watchman a year ago."
"Which branch of the Six Wings does this position belong to?"
“What are the specific responsibilities?”
When encountering this problem, Doyle was stunned for a moment.
"Watchman?"
He frowned:
"To be honest, during the first eight years I was in the Guard, I didn't even know this position existed until Maris was promoted."
"But there is speculation in the team, you know, watch, watch, so we guess this is a character who stays in the dark, secretly guarding and watching..."
At this point, Doyle turned his eyes and said jokingly: "For example, when the nobles go to Hongfang Street in private, and it is inconvenient to bring a guard, the watchman will follow secretly and wait by the bed..."
Thales originally listened very carefully until he felt something was wrong.
Looking at Thales's expression, Doyle raised his eyebrows:
"By the way, Your Majesty the Duke, you are still young this year, but do you know Red Square Street?"
Hongfang Street?
Without waiting for Thales to answer, Doyle raised his index finger and laughed:
“Oh~oh, I’ve never been there before once I saw it!”
"It doesn't matter. I'll take you to play another day when I'm free."
At this moment.
"Doyle."
A clear yet resonant voice.
At that second, Doyle stopped speaking perfectly, turned around, smiled, and bowed, all in one go:
"Oh look who's here, Lord Mallos! Hey, there's you too, Zombie I mean Vanguard Glover!"
Doyle opened his arms with enthusiasm and looked at the third person without any embarrassment:
"Welcome, Count Castle!"
Sure enough, Watchman Marius and Pioneer Officer Glover appeared in the foyer, while Gilbert followed behind them, looking at Thales and the two with a smile.
Thales only responded with an embarrassed smile.
Mallos showed a perfect and indifferent smile:
"Doyle, I heard that you are very interested in Red Square Street?"
"Oh, you're talking about this..."
Doyle looked like he had "just remembered" and said suddenly:
"Of course, I have just been spreading some common sense to Duke Thales that, um, he should know at his age."
common sense?
Thales sighed and turned away silently.
"Common sense?" Sure enough, Lord Mallos narrowed his eyes, and Glover next to him snorted unceremoniously.
"Exactly."
Doyle turned to Taylor unashamedly:
"Geographical knowledge."
"Regarding the administrative division of Yongxing City, sir, as we just said, Hongfang Street is adjacent to Linhe Street and separates Xihuan District and Xiacheng District..."
Marius and Glover looked at each other, one smiling lightly and the other disdainful.
And Thales could only look at Doyle in amazement, with endless admiration in his heart.
A few minutes later, Thales finally took the knife and fork and was able to eat, while Mallos and others left silently, leaving Gilbert looking at the prince with relief.
"I'm glad to see you and Danny chatting happily, Your Majesty."
Thales smiled helplessly and chopped it off without mercy, destroying the flawlessly arranged main meal that could be called art.
"I don't have any other choice, right?"
Gilbert laughed heartily:
"Relax, Your Highness."
"Whether Marius, Glover or Doyle, they are all from the 'Seven Pages' and are not ordinary local nobles. Your father believes in them."
Thales forked a piece of meat and hummed:
"Seven servants?"
Gilbert nodded.
"During the final battle, King Fuxing had seven followers by his side. The minstrels collectively called them the 'Seven Servants of the Brilliant Star'."
The Foreign Secretary once again adopted the tone of telling a story. Although it was not as exciting and fascinating as Putilai's, it was better than telling a story in a straightforward and straightforward manner.
"After the founding of the country, they took root in the Central Territory, were awarded titles ranging from viscount to baron, and became direct vassals in the king's territory, and their family also became a powerful supporter of the Bright Star Royal Family."
"Six hundred years have passed. Although times have changed and members have changed, in each era, the closest and trusted vassals of Canxing are still called the 'Seven Attendants of Canxing' according to custom. Although sometimes it is more, sometimes it is less.
this number."
"In addition to the six wealthy families and the thirteen famous families, the Seven Shining Stars are also regular members of the royal guard, especially in the past hundred years."
In the past hundred years...
Thales chewed on the word.
"In terms of status and influence, they may not be as good as the Nineteen Nobles, but in terms of their help and significance to your family's rule, the Seven Waiters are definitely better."
Gilbert said seriously:
"So, maintain the relationship with your direct vassals..."
But the prince interrupted him.
"What about a hundred years ago?"
Gilbert's eyes moved.
Thales bit into a piece of steak:
"The Duke of Xihuang told me that he had an uncle who served in the royal guard a long time ago and even helped my grandfather ascend the throne."
Thales swallowed a mouthful and stared at the chopped steak in front of him:
"So, Gilbert."
"When did the members of the six wealthy families and the thirteen noble families gradually disappear from the king's most trusted bodyguards and from the royal guard?"
Porch outside the hall.
"How about it?"
Watchman Marius strolled forward with his hands behind his back, while Doyle followed slowly behind him.
Doyle shook his head, looking calm.
"have no idea."
"It's not as magical and genius as people say. To a certain extent, it's still a bit... dull?"
Mallos hummed a rising tone from his nose:
"Stupid?"
"How to say?"
Doyle glanced behind him and twitched the corner of his mouth:
"He is gullible and unsuspecting."
"I just casually said a few words about remembering the past. Our Duke of Star Lake..."
He shrugged and smiled lightly:
"In just a short while, I almost touched his whole body. And the dagger in his arms couldn't protect him at all. I could break his neck in a few seconds."
"I wonder how he survived the Yankees who were killing him?"
Mallos's expression remained unchanged and he hummed.
"real?"
Doyle breathed a sigh of relief and narrowed his eyes:
"Let me put it this way, if that is a princess..."
There was a joke in his eyes:
"At this moment...she is already blushing, lying in my arms and meowing like a cat."
Mallos frowned.
Doyle remembered something and smiled: "Of course, if he is really a girl, then his character is quite cute."
Mallos exhaled.
"You just don't want to stop, do you?"
"Is there any innocent girl in the capital who has not been harmed by you?"
Doyle whistled and rolled his eyes:
"Well, there are still a few of them."
Mallos curled his lips.
"Go back to your post," the watchman's expression returned to calmness, and his tone became serious:
"Also, stop playing. What you are protecting is..."
Doyle raised his hand.
"Of course, of course, don't worry," the blond guard officer laughed playfully, turned and left:
"I know, I know how important he is, Duke of Star Lake."
"Both for the royal family and for us."
Doyle's figure gradually faded away.
Mallos stopped.
He turned around and looked at Doyle's retreating back.
"No."
Mallos' expression remained unchanged, but he slowly shook his head and whispered:
"About how important he is."
"I am oblivious."
The watchman snorted softly, with a hint of disapproval in his tone: