Even at noon, the study room of Holly Castle was still a little dark. The sunlight came in from the narrow window on the wall, passed through the top of the desk, and left a circular light spot on the floor. A centipede quickly crawled across the stone bricks.
The wall, Sean glanced at it and let it disappear behind the bookshelf.
He has the typical lake blue eyes of the Imperial people, a young and handsome face with clear lines, and a faint smile always hanging on the corner of his mouth. He wears a long exquisite leather coat, shiny wolfskin boots, and brilliant golden trousers.
His hair was tied into a ponytail and hung down on the back of his head. If it weren't for the trace of chainmail peeking out from his collar and the marks left by years of wielding a sword on his right hand, he might have looked more like a young man from a noble family than the grand master of a knighthood.
He picked up the crystal glass on the table, shook it gently, and then took a sip of the bright red wine. The slightly sour grape aroma spread in his mouth, making him relax a little.
Unlike the monks who believe in Protodis, who usually advocate frugality and giving, the philosophy of Mar's believers is that "all things are mortal, and you should enjoy yourself in time." They are not afraid of death, but they do not place their hopes on
Salvation after death. Of course, as a strictly managed military organization, the Black Crow Knights will never damage the body or neglect training because of indulging in pleasure.
"Go and notify the commanders and cadres of each legion to gather in the meeting hall." He put down the cup and looked at the knight squire standing aside, "I will be there shortly."
The knight squire bowed and turned to leave.
Sean stood up and looked out from the study window. At this time, the Ella Hills were still full of green - the leaves of the maple trees had just begun to turn red, mixed in among the large boxwoods and ash trees, like stars.
The mercenaries below the hillside seemed to have gathered together, practicing swordsmanship in pairs, but that did not arouse his interest.
He withdrew his gaze and walked into the dark and slightly damp corridor of the castle. The soles of his leather boots collided with the bluestone floor, playing a rhythmic drumbeat. A row of portraits hung at regular intervals on the wall of the passage. The characters in the portraits
There were half men and women, most of them had serious faces, and a few smiled. Their eyes seemed to pass through the canvas, staring at the figure of the blond man. Those were the previous leaders of the Black Crow Knights, except Sean, since 350
Since the establishment of the Knights several years ago, there have been a total of thirteen members.
Sean silently stared at the faces of the previous group leaders, driving away the uneasiness hidden in his heart.
He walked into the meeting hall and found that all the senior members of the Knights had arrived - it was only a quarter of an hour before he gave the order. Sean nodded with satisfaction, walked across the hall, and sat at the end of the long table.
"You should understand the purpose of calling everyone here." He slowly swept across the audience, speaking in a calm tone, "As for that "Guild", or to be more precise, the crusade order from the Empire - you have
What do you think?"
"Huh? That old man Rogman has a convulsion, what else could it be?" Pierce, the commander of the Second Army, is a sharp-eyed middle-aged man with red hair and a fiery temperament. He breathed out from his nostrils, "He came to attack us before.
There are more than one or two people, what’s the result?”
"That's not the point." Alaya, the commander of the third army, knocked on the table. She was one of the two female army commanders. Her shoulder-length bright silver hair was her most conspicuous feature as a northern Elna person.
"What the leader means is why the empire decided to attack us."
"You want to steal money." Logistics Manager Marco rolled his eyes, "Look at the excuse they used, 'excessive taxation and cruelty to the people'. When have we ever done this kind of thing? Besides, it seems to collect some taxes.
It’s like a heinous crime, and I don’t think about how many years we have been operating this entire territory—"
"No." Alea shook her head, "Let's not talk about whether the empire is short of money. If you just want money, it is much easier to set up a name and add some taxes than to start a war. Besides, although the Knights have a rich income, their expenses are also very high.
It's not low either. If they really come here for money..." She chuckled, "I'm afraid they will find that what they get in the end is not as much as what they spend."
"What? Alea, what do you mean, are they capable of knocking this place down? Or are they capable of forcing us to pay compensation?" Pierce raised his voice, "Can they still find the legendary mercenary king?"
"What's so scary? They're just a bunch of rabble!" Gustein, commander of the Fourth Army, hammered the table hard and almost knocked over the vase on the table. He was over two meters tall, with a strong back and a strong back, even when he was sitting.
Like an iron tower. "Look at me taking a group of people out and killing their shit!"
"Quiet." Sean's voice was not loud, but it was enough to be heard by everyone in the noisy group. The quarrel quickly subsided, and the army leaders turned their attention to Sean, waiting for his opinion.
"No need to be impatient." He put his hand on the table and looked at Gustein, "Those mercenary groups are stationed in the nearby woods, and the war horses cannot be used there. Their personal force is not weak. If they get into a melee,
, we may suffer some losses. Mercenaries usually have little patience. As long as we stand still, they will disperse on their own when they find that they cannot harvest results in a short period of time."
"As for their purpose." He held his chin and pondered for a moment, "Although it sounds a bit outrageous, it might actually be related to another reason they gave."
"Are you saying that you're going to attack us as a 'cult group' - or heretic?" Isaac, the commander of the First Army, frowned. He is eighty-nine years old and has a long gray beard.
The oldest legion commander, he has always been prudent in his dealings. "But I have never heard that Rogman III is a devout believer of Protodis. To be honest, if the Theocracy sent troops here, this reason would probably be more credible.
.”
The other legion commanders nodded in agreement. Sean sighed secretly, knowing that there is no answer to this question yet. As the fourteenth generation grand legionnaire, it is important to ensure the survival of the Black Crow Knights and the safety of its members.
The responsibility he must shoulder. I hope his uneasiness is wrong, Sean thought to himself.
"We will discuss this issue later." He knocked on the table lightly, "Do you have any other noteworthy discoveries about this incident?"
"Captain, have you heard of their commander-in-chief?" The answer was Cathy, who was only thirty-one years old. With her outstanding swordsmanship and courageous command style, she was promoted to commander of the Fifth Army nine years after joining the regiment.
position. She just got married two months ago, and her husband is Harlan, who belongs to her regiment. "It is said that he is a very powerful man."
By the way, Mar's monks will naturally not prohibit marriage. Members of the Knights who give birth to and raise children will be sent to manors in the territory, where they will raise their children until they are about three years old, and then return to their original stronghold. After that, those who
Young children will be raised by the Knights and learn necessary cultural knowledge, etiquette, Mar's teachings, and basic combat skills. When they reach adulthood, they can leave the Knights to live independently, but most of them will choose to become members-this
It is also one of the important sources of personnel for the Knights.
However, in order to avoid affecting the internal affairs of the order, the senior members of the Knights often delay the time of childbirth. Anyway, for the Kamal people, the best time to have children is before the age of sixty. The monks also have experienced medical care
personnel can ensure the safety of mothers and children to the greatest extent.
"Barack Earnhardt, one of the former members of "The Brigade", a man known as the "Wolf Shepherd"." Sean's face darkened as he recalled the information provided by the intelligence agency, but his voice remained calm.
"That is indeed a difficult enemy, but you don't need to be too nervous."
He raised his head and looked at everyone with confident eyes, "No matter how strong Barak is, he is just one person. The soldiers he brought may be able to block our assault, but they will not help to capture the castle."
"That's right. The walls of Holly Castle have been reinforced by divine magic. Even if they use battering rams, trebuchets or mortars, they can't shake the fortress even half a cent." Chief Priest Moore said slowly. Already one hundred and twenty years old,
He rarely expresses his opinions in meetings, but every time he speaks, he can give full confidence to all members of the team, including the senior management.
"Perhaps their original purpose was to besiege this place and then attack our other strongholds and industries. This is probably why they dug trenches and set up obstacles on the hillside." Sean looked at the intelligence manager on the other side of the long table.
, made up his mind. "Penn, take advantage of the darkness tonight to send a few messengers and carrier pigeons to inform members of other strongholds to guard their territories and not to act rashly. As for us -"
He took a slow breath and stood up, "We must let those barbarians understand that Holly Castle's reputation of never falling is no lie."