Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 666: 310: Face Fruit_2

Chapter 666: Chapter 310: Face Fruit_2

“Athias…those foreigners from the Eastern Continent?” Valensis’s brow twitched as he recalled the group of powerful and arrogant foreign wizards who had crossed the sea to arrive here.

He shook his head after listening and said, “The robed ones disappeared one by one during the crusades launched by the former King Aviout. Besides the Felcon Family in Western Port, who still have some ties with that distant foreign land, the rest of Kantadar has long lost contact with them. How could they be hiding in King Caso’s inn?”

“Is that so? Lord Arsene, the military maneuver in the Royal City was a spur-of-the-moment operation that only lasted a few moments. We intended to control the situation under the cover of night, yet you and the Western Inn District seemed to have been forewarned, waking up from sleep. If you consider yourself innocent, why not first tell me who it was that, in the middle of the night, awakened everyone before the army arrived?” Leon’s gaze swept over the Kantadar Knights standing ready behind Count Arsene.

Valensis frowned, having just been awakened by the clamor of Western Knights in the inn warning everyone. He indeed found the matter suspicious.

If, as the shouting claimed, the Orland people intended to use the tournament to eliminate the Lords of Kantadar, why not act during the first two days of the tournament instead of waiting deliberately until it had been ongoing for half a month?

Leon already had a plan in mind and chose not to waste words with Arsene. He dismounted and removed his helmet without hesitation, directly approaching the Kantadar people.

Olivia, Kovis, Lokhak, and other Avalon Knights dismounted one by one and followed him.

The Sword Wings banner, once flying under the shadow of the undead, gleamed dimly under the surrounding torchlight.

Leon’s gaze passed over the tense knights, searching for those emblems he clearly remembered.

“Nobles of the Sobonitz Domain! Orland will continue its millennia-old tradition of ensuring your safety during the tournament. Do not allow yourselves to be manipulated; lay down your arms. The Royal City Guards are merely here to search for suspicious individuals and armaments hidden within the inn district.”

Upon hearing Leon’s assurance, the Noble Knights from Ustato Territory accompanying King Caso had not yet reacted. However, the Lords of Sobonitz, recognizing familiar figures like the Marshal of the Holy War Army, the Golden Lion Knight, and the Red Knight, sheathed their weapons and grounded their long-handled weapons without much hesitation.

“We trust your assurance, and please believe us; we have not interacted with the robed ones of Athias. You are welcome to search my station,” said a vassal lord of the Baldim Family, taking the lead.

Leon recalled recognizing the person as not just a lord of the Holy War Alliance but also a “Holy War Knight” ennobled after the Battle of Rolandena.

The title and experience it represented were enough for Leon to trust, and there were four or five more such Holy War Knights among the Eastern nobles who had come.

Remembering the names of all the Holy War Knights, Leon directly asked, “Baron Kuli, Baron Bosencoli…are you familiar with the nobles of the Vellozal Territory? I need you to come with me to help identify them later.”

“Happy to serve, Marshal,” Baron Kuli nodded, “though not entirely familiar, I at least know the emblems of most families.”

Soon, with these Eastern Lords of Kantadar taking the lead, the Ustato Kingdom nobles, gradually calming down, also sheathed their weapons one by one.

Avoiding unnecessary bloodshed, Leon relaxed slightly; it seemed his standing and credibility still had significant influence.

Having stabilized the situation here, Leon glanced at the Peacock Knight who no longer blocked the Royal City Guards from entering the inn, then looked towards the distant, elegantly dressed figure who had been observing from the inn’s balcony since the beginning.

Though it was his first time seeing them in person, their attire indicated they were likely King Caso of the Ustato Territory.

“Count Arsene, to prevent the conflict from escalating, you and His Majesty King Caso must accompany us to the west district of the city to calm the unrest,” Leon said to the Peacock Knight.

…

In the western district of the Royal City, the enraged nobles of the Vellozal Territory hurriedly mounted their warhorses already prepared, following the lead of knights wearing the emblem cloaks of the Felcon Family, swarming onto the streets.

The thunderous roar of over a thousand horses and numerous carriages shook the ground, waking nearby residents within and outside the city.

In the alleys between civilian houses and buildings, awakened citizens peered through window cracks, watching the army and turmoil in the streets. Some were reminded with dread of the civil war eighteen years ago when the current King Lydwen overthrew the former King Viren.

Under the faint light of dawn, the Kantadar knights attempted to break out of Oran Royal City by following other knights, only to be halted by the Royal City Guards arrayed with shields in front.

The procession instinctively slowed down, with hesitant knights in the rear trying to find alternative escape routes in the dim pre-dawn light.

“Break out together!” Amid the clamor of voices and horse whinnies, some knights began shouting and clamoring.

However, the ranks of the Orland formation blocking the street suddenly opened a path.

An attendant from the Ustato Royal Court raised a flag emblazoned with the Kantadar Royal Family’s emblem in front.

The Great Knight with a peacock high crown stood by, and Caso, wearing a regal robe and a Kantadar crown crafted as a replica of the lost original, rode to the front of the formation.

Seeing the old royal banner, many knights of the Vellozal Territory instinctively pulled on their reins to gradually halt their horses.

Only a portion of knights who seemingly ignored the royal banner stopped their horses after running far enough to break from the procession.

Caso felt satisfied with the reaction of the Vellozal nobles. Although the past prestige of the royal banner seemed to only have a half-and-half effect, it at least partly proved he still held enough legitimacy in the eyes of the Western Kantadar nobility.

His appearance here was naturally in response to Leon’s request.

….Caso was quite willing, one might even say, he felt a bit delighted.

He realized that this sudden event might be a rare opportunity to reestablish his authority in the eyes of the Western Kantadar nobility.

Sitting firmly in the saddle, Caso shouted to the knights of the west:

“Wake up! You have been used! Warriors of the Western Kingdom, in the name of the King of Kantadar, I will protect your safety. Immediately sheathe your weapons and return to the inn at once!”

Hearing this assurance and command, many confused Vellozal nobles, looking at the new King Caso, the nominal monarch of Kantadar, fell into a dilemma.

Of course, what made them halt their warhorses was not just concern for past royal authority’s inertia.

Standing beside Caso, the dragon-slaying hero of Kantadar wielded sufficient prestige to make many people begin to consider why the hero stood alongside the Orland army.

Many gradually shook off the puzzling feeling of being led by the nose.

“Don’t be fooled! The Orland people have kidnapped King Caso, trying to make us surrender without a fight!” a burst of shouting rose like noise.

Valensis heard the voice, his gaze sharpening as he looked towards where the provocative shouts were coming from.

When he saw the knight clad in the battle robe of the Salmaya County Manan family, the Peacock Knight raised an eyebrow.

He had some acquaintance with Count Manan himself and recognized his sons, but now, the person guarded by a group of knights also wearing the Manan family emblem cloak was clearly not any member he recognized.