"In order to reward these three counts who fought to the last moment and their descendants, even though the Nord Kingdom replaced the Nord Prince-Elector's Territory, the titles of these three counts were not superseded by the lords of Nord. His Majesty Ludwig conferred upon our three families the supreme honor of perpetual inheritance!"
"This land was obtained by our ancestors with their blood and lives! If I chose to surrender, how could I face the ancestors buried in Moore Cemetery???!!!"
The Guard Captain quickly came in holding an iron plate, upon which Waldemar's head was covered with red cloth: "Count!" Find the newest release on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
The Count closed his eyes.
"Now, only fighting to the bitter end remains!"
"However, Waldemar's suggestion is not without merit, Emil, send my family onto the guest ship. If anything happens to me, ensure their safety!"
The next afternoon, when Laine led the Nord Army back to Mijordenhaven, they were greeted by a collapsed gate, severely damaged moat, and citizens plunged into despair and anxiety.
The joy of initially intercepting the Barbarians had vanished without a trace.
As the army entered the gates, Laine and others were stopped by guards sent by the lord: "Mr. Laine! Mr. Nikolai! The Count has urgent military matters!"
Twenty minutes later, at Albert's count's castle.
Albert was fully armed, with the three-leaf family crest gleaming brightly. His guards formed two rows in the spacious room. Seeing Laine and Nikolai enter, the Count in his forties nodded: "What are the battle conditions?"
"We have successfully blown up Aarhus Bridge. This should delay Bireg's forces until nightfall at least." Laine and Nikolai hastily approached, learning from Albert about the matter concerning Waldemar: "So if Bireg acts at top speed, he will reach Kaltenhaven by tomorrow noon."
"My scouts inform me that the Empire's reinforcements will also arrive no sooner than the day after tomorrow noon." Albert nodded, then turned to his Kingdom Knights.
The one most affected by this was Nikolai, who simply couldn't believe that Waldemar, a fellow knight, would do such a thing.
"Betraying the people! Betraying the country! Betraying our compatriots! My God, what has Waldemar done? Is he sick?" Nikolai was deeply saddened, showing no regard for the fact that his superior was right before him. The Walnut Knight casually found a place to sit down, covering his face with his hand: "I... I really... don't know what to say."
By the end, Nikolai's voice was choked with emotion.
"Now is not the time for you to be sad and pained, my friend. Our urgent task is to decide what to do next. Do we go out for a field battle? Or do we hold firm and fight in the streets? Tell me, White Wolf Knight, if it were you, what would you do?" A flash of pain crossed Albert's face, the Count walked over to his long table and took out a bottle of wine: "Gentlemen, would you like a glass? This is Winford's fine wine 'Lysa Lus'. I'm afraid if we don't drink it now, there may not be a chance to drink it later."
"Of course! A glass is always good." Laine closed his eyes helplessly. The White Wolf Knight understood what the Lake Fairy's prophecy meant.
He and Bireg would definitely have a battle.
Once he thought his plan was foolproof, but reality gave him a slap in the face. Now, he was in a dilemma, a true reflection of the White Wolf Knight.
"No, I'll pass." Nikolai still couldn't recover from the shock of his colleague and friend's betrayal, he slumped back into the chair's backrest: "Give me a few moments of silence, okay?"
"Then let's get started!" Albert shrugged, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Count's eyes were slightly dark, but his spirit was excellent. He took two tall glass goblets from his cabinet and uncorked the wine's stopper.
The sweet and crisp wine differed from normal Winford-produced wines, with its grape aroma being very faint, replaced by an unusual sweet fragrance.
Laine accepted the wine glass from Albert, lifting it to his nose for a swirl: "Rich, full-bodied, long-lasting, delicate and soft, let me think, honey, apricots, lemons... and peaches?"
"I didn't expect 'Great Hammer' Laine to also be a connoisseur of wine? I thought you were like your father Norman, who most favored Kislev's strong liquor, and once drinking, wouldn't stop until your face turned as red as a monkey's backside, then collapsed like a brown bear." Seeing Laine recognize the wine, Albert suddenly smiled.
So, in this moment on the brink of war, the White Wolf Knight and the lord Count each held a glass of sweet wine, standing on the room's balcony, overlooking the entire city.
Under the reflection of the snowy white, Nord's largest and most prosperous port city did not fall into chaos due to the war and the influx of numerous refugees. Under the Count's swift response and command, the remaining garrison quickly controlled the situation, with the paladins and priests of the Justice Church and Life Church collectively mobilizing, the situation was soon under control.
However, the psychological terror was not easily dispelled among them, and groups of people were lying in the open streets. Especially a large number of civilians and refugees near the east gate were moving into the city, people pushing against one another, many accumulating beneath the Count's castle, as if the last fortress within the city could provide them a bit of safety.
The Count's balcony was specially designed, those below could not see those above.