"Crusaders..." Roland said blankly as he looked at the familiar flag.
"Yes, it's the Crusaders... Some of them actually survived!" Caslo came to Roland and sighed.
"Those are... my people?" Nyx trotted up, carrying the staff Roland had given her, and immediately saw a familiar flag! The redbud cross flag was stained red with blood!
"Let's go out of the city to welcome them..." Omsk sighed. With his eyesight, he could clearly tell that the number of people in this army would not exceed 500, which means that there were only more than 500 people who survived the entire Crusade.
"Creaky!" The door that had been closed was pushed open again. Roland led everyone under the protection of the Knights to face the army that had disappeared for more than a month. Grand Duke Nyx, who had always been steady and dignified, now whipped his horse like a madman and rushed to the front of the team.
…
"Lord Lavian, the city gate is closed! They seem to be guarding against something!" A scouting knight reported back.
"..." Huo Lin looked up at the tattered flag fluttering in the wind beside him and grinned. Could it be that the defenders of the Rapid City were guarding against them?
"No matter what, we have to go and take a look. This is the only remaining land of the empire on the continent... We are homeless except here. I heard from those people that His Royal Highness the Grand Duke is also here." Ravian thought beautifully. Ever since he was discovered by Balder and his men when he passed by the Tuput Forest, Balder, who had seen the cross bauhinia emblem, had been on guard. After confirming that the flag of this remnant army was the same as that of Nyx at that time, the men immediately stopped the remnants of the Crusaders who were wandering around in the wilderness like headless flies, and told them the latest situation of the City of Rapids, and asked them to go here to find the last pure land of the Kingdom of Lagran.
"There are knights coming towards us..." Lavian's face suddenly changed and he said excitedly. The difference between knights and cavalrymen can be easily distinguished by looking at those heavy lances and armor. Lavian would never make a mistake on this point.
"Dragon God! It's a Hundred Knights! The Kingdom can actually organize a Hundred Knights!" Huolin exclaimed, pointing at the banner with a thick tassel. You know, when they learned that the Empire had been downgraded to a Kingdom and only had one city, they were all very nervous. How many troops could a city support? Not all cities were called Lagran City! Even the Northern Capital of the Empire, Jiliu City, would decline after experiencing turmoil. So the appearance of a fully-fledged Hundred Knights was definitely a surprise to everyone!
"Oh! It's His Highness!" Lavian keenly noticed Grand Duke Nyx who was rushing in the front.
…
"Oh God! Thank God! You are still alive..." Nyx covered her cherry lips with her delicate hands and cried inconsolably.
"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness... Fortunately, we can still stand here and see you..." Lavian sighed. It must be said that these people almost couldn't come back...
"How did you break out?" Roland couldn't help but interrupt.
"You are... meeting His Majesty the King." Ravian was stunned for a moment, then he saw Roland's exquisite clothes with a golden holy dragon emblem printed on his chest, and suddenly realized what was going on, and then he quickly saluted.
"It's okay. Get up. You are all heroes of the country. Do you mind telling me your stories?" Roland was very curious about how a fourth-level knight commander led nearly 500 people out of a desperate situation where they were sure to die.
"Actually... it was those injured brothers who used their lives to buy us time... We are not heroes... The real heroes are left on the battlefield..." Ravian stopped the topic here.
"I understand... You are all warriors, and they will pay the price!" Roland patted Lavian's shoulder and said in silence.
"Any plans?" Roland looked at Ravian, the de facto commander of the Crusaders. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted by this force; after all, there were hundreds of them! And Roland couldn't just annex this duchy's army. After all, they were subordinate to the Grand Duchy of Nyx. The sovereign had the right to order them to fulfill their obligations, but couldn't demand their annexation.
"This..." Lavian looked at the pretty Grand Duke Nyx standing beside Roland, and hesitated to speak. He really wanted to complete his mission—restoring his kingdom! But he knew that relying on his own strength was simply a pipe dream. Restoring his kingdom with the help of the kingdom would inevitably lead to its annexation. Even if he succeeded in restoring his kingdom in the future, he would not be able to break away again.
"Stay, Lavian. The Grand Duchy of Nyx has perished. Stop thinking about those unrealistic things. We have shed too much blood. It's time to stop..." Nyx sighed, her beautiful eyes filled with loneliness and reluctance. Roland could clearly see the mist in her eyes.
"Your Highness the Grand Duke..." Ravian wanted to insist, but he couldn't say a word in the face of the facts. Any words seemed pale and powerless in the face of the huge gap in strength.
"Stay and fight with me. Although the Grand Duchy of Nyx has perished, the Kingdom of Lagran still stands on the continent. What you worry about will not happen. I have no intention of annexing the Grand Duchy of Nyx. In the future, Nyx's and my children will inherit that land, and the Grand Duchy of Nyx will be rebuilt! This is my promise to all of you!" Roland said in a deep voice, then firmly took Nyx's little hand and held her in his arms.
"Your Majesty... this..." Lavian was stunned by Roland's actions! Not only are you going to recruit our army... but you're also going to kidnap our Grand Duke? And then you're going to let your son inherit our duchy? Are all the current suzerains so desperate?
"My Lord... this is probably our best option..." Hollin leaned over quietly. Just looking at the expressions of Nyx and Roland, the adulterous couple, he knew they were involved. Even their own Grand Duke had "defection" to the enemy. There was no point in them persisting until the end. Could it be that Lavian himself would become the Grand Duke? A knight who believed in chivalry would not commit such a rebellious act.
"As you wish, Your Highnesses! All the members of the Crusaders! Line up!" Ravian took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the ragged but determined-eyed army behind him. For a moment, he gave people a sense of desolation and old age.
"Your Majesty! The Crusaders, please review them! The entire army should have 100,000 men, but the actual number is 470! Currently, there are 20 professional Cross Bauhinia Knights, 30 ordinary Duchy Light Cavalry, and 420 ordinary Crusader soldiers!" Ravian roared, suppressing his grief, his heart bleeding with every word. The original 100,000 men had wandered for years, but after less than 500 men remained... After the death of the old Archduke, Ravian led the team across the wilderness, gradually rising from a second-tier knight to a fourth-tier Knight Commander. The original number of members of the Cross Bauhinia Knights continued to dwindle, from 100 to 80, then 70... to the current 20. Even the Light Cavalry Regiment, which once had over a thousand men, now consisted of only 30 wounded and exhausted light cavalrymen... This army had been fighting for too long...
"Welcome back to the big family of the Lagran people... warriors of the empire!" Roland was also moved by the tragic heroism of this army.
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