Blood tax

Chapter 141 The Secret of Iseus and Westeros

Holding shields and long knives, a group of rebels ran all the way on three long ladders, heading towards the low wall of Baron Bett's manor.

The flood has gradually receded. Although the ground is muddy, it is much more convenient than a group of people crowded on a raft.

Several defending militiamen spotted them and immediately shot arrows.The leading rebel leader blocked it with his shield, and the feathered arrow was nailed to the center of the shield with a muffled sound.

The trench outside the manor has long been silted up.The floodwaters wrapped in sand, and the branches washed away again, turning the remaining trenches into mires.When the rebel leader didn't pay attention, his calf sank into the mud.

"Oops!"

At this moment of delay, Murat stepped out, grabbed a spear and threw it from the wall of the village, gouging through the wooden shield, and nailing the rebel leader to the ground.

……

"Today is March 3. From last night to now, the rebels have launched six attacks of 21 people, one of which attacked the wall. The rebels dispatched fallen mages to carry out long-range attacks, causing damage to our walls and defenses. posed a great threat.

"The northern wall has completely collapsed. We set fire there to temporarily block the rebels' attack; the western wall is also damaged in many places. We used beams to top it, but the foundation is unstable and may collapse at any time. Murat led The militia repelled them. Two militiamen were killed and four were wounded.

"As the flood water recedes and the defense area becomes larger, I recommend that everyone retreat to the castle and shrink the defense line."

Nona, who was covered in mud and blood, wiped the black hair sticking to the corner of her mouth, and gestured for the location on the map.Her pretty face looked tired because she had no time to rest, and her eye circles were dark like black and white bears in the mountains of the east.

After reporting the current battle situation, she raised her head and looked around at the Hormonwatts students sitting around the table.

Besieged here for three days, the attack from morning to night almost crushed these boys and girls from the capital.Ever since Professor Witzleben, who led the team, suffered misfortune, the owner of the manor, Baron Bate, seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

Moreover, food has begun to run short.It is very difficult for this small manor to provide a decent and refined diet for so many noble students.

"How's the situation on Fiona's side?" Sonia knocked on the Echo Crystal, and the signal was intermittent.Occasionally, when she fell asleep, she would have nightmares, worrying that something would happen to Fiona.

"There is no news. If they encounter misfortune, the rebels will let us know," Nona said calmly, "Miss Fiona has to go to the town to the east to organize reinforcements, and there will be regular contact."

There was silence in the hall of the baron's mansion.

The girls who were traveling together were curled up in the corner like kittens, and Berthier and the boys had bandages on their foreheads and hands, listlessly maintaining their wands.

"Everyone, we should consider retreating everyone to the castle." Sonia said to everyone.

But no one paid any attention to her.Continuous fighting and low morale have made it impossible to make the most basic decisions.

Nona reluctantly saluted Sonia, who was the only one who was still paying attention, and turned back to the front line.

Gotta find a way to cheer everyone up.Is it singing and dancing?Or tell a joke?Sonia puffed out her chest and began to think hard.

At this time, Dedius came back from the manor dejectedly.Kulala, like Lana, couldn't get up after being injured, so he went to rummage through the messy manor by himself, trying to find a hen to stew for her.

Judging by the way he came back empty-handed, he probably didn't find it.

Sonia went out of the castle to see if she could find anything.

The battle that just ended left Beit Manor even more dilapidated, with charred houses and muddy mud everywhere.A few militiamen fell in the far corner, and others hurried past, turning a blind eye.

From time to time, the longbowmen of the rebels will shoot a wave of arrows.At the beginning, everyone was cautiously avoiding them, but later, exhaustion made everyone numb, and they didn't even have the thought of hiding from XZ, and walked with their heads down among the arrows and death.

The baron's butler, Old White, sat on a stone, knocking on his pipe, and watched the noble lady approaching blankly.

"Hello, Mr. White."

"Hello, pretty lady."

Seeing that the butler was still in the mood to speak, Sonia asked politely, "Are there any hens in the manor?"

Old White replied, "Miss, we have as many chickens as if by magic."

That's great.Sonia was very happy but still corrected seriously: "Sir, you can't conjure a hen by magic."

The housekeeper sighed: "Then, we don't have any hens either."

At this time, several servants came with supper.

After all the beef, mutton and bacon, white bread, and capons in the manor were eaten in the blink of an eye, Baron Bate no longer had to worry about entertaining.

For dinner, cabbage and radish stewed in water until soft, with a little shredded pork, thickened with thick thick gravy.This dish is easy to make, sticky and soft, and the locals love it very much.

Sonia ate once last night.Although the baron praised the dishes, Sonia still thought it tasted like the tea she used for divination, which was weird.

Griffith said my tea tasted like troll vomit.Looking at it this way, it really looks like Griffith, so annoying, woo...

Sonia imagined the real vomit herself, and hurriedly covered her mouth and turned around.Fortunately, she didn't eat much, so she had nothing to vomit.

The servants sent the pot of rotten meat and vegetable paste into the castle hall, and the already gloomy atmosphere became even more dignified.

As heavy as a pot of vomit.

"Gentlemen and ladies, come and eat!" Seeing the meal coming, the baron cheered up immediately, and cheerfully scooped up a big spoonful for himself. It was sticky and sticky, and he poured it into the bowl with a gurgle. .

Berthier covered his eyes and turned his head away.

"Attention everyone!" Sonia clapped her hands suddenly, "I want to announce two decisions.

"First, I will shrink all the defenders and retreat to the castle; second, from now on, we will eat rotten meat and vegetable paste for every meal!"

"Why do you eat rotten meat and vegetable paste for every meal!"

Everyone shouted together.

"Great," Sonia said happily, "I knew everyone had no objections to retreating to the castle."

"..."

The current situation is even worse than what happened to the Whispering Forest last year.Although it was dangerous that time, at least no one died, especially no professor was shot in two beside him.

Reinforcements may arrive soon, but everyone huddled in the castle is also on the verge of collapse.

Sonia felt she had to act.Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss Lamor's idea is very reasonable. The wall has been soaked in water for so long, and the foundation is already soft. It will be too late to shrink the troops after it is breached." This is a familiar but unfamiliar voice.

Sonia turned her head in doubt, and found that Viscount Iseus de Crozier, who was unwell and went to rest in the room, returned to the hall.

He wore a silver mask covering his forehead, eyes and the upper half of his face. His figure seemed to have become more upright, his voice was calm and charming, and his temperament seemed to have suddenly matured.

"Viscount, are you feeling better? What happened to your face?" Murat cheered up when she saw her lord finally left the room.

"It doesn't matter, I'm a little allergic to the water and soil here." Iseus waved his hand, stood erect in the middle of the hall, and scanned everyone present, "I just observed the rebels with the spell 'Mirror of Atmosphere' Although there are a large number of them, the terrain has been split by floods, and our reinforcements are constantly destroying their strongholds. It won't be long before the rebel siege will collapse. Therefore, the most urgent task is to stabilize our defense line. "

He seems to have changed?Sonia looked at her familiar classmates suspiciously.She knows that Iseus is very fond of military affairs, but he has never been on a battlefield, and his body is very weak...

The Iseus in front of him seemed to be a different person, with a mature and confident temperament.

The silver mask looked as if it had just been refined from silver. Under the mask, Iseus' eyes were mysterious and far away, but with a sharpness that couldn't be concealed.This kind of eyes is very rare among students in the magic department, but it is quite similar to Shutoral's eyes.

By the way, it is a bit like Griffith, with a cold light shining like a blade!Sonia felt that she had grasped the key point at once, but she couldn't explain what was going on.Griffith reminded to beware of him, but how to beware?

Seeing no response from everyone, Iseus said directly to the sloppy baron, "Your Excellency Bate, this is your territory. Please call the villagers and militia into the castle."

"Yes, I'll make arrangements now," Baron Bate stood up, "I will gather the remaining supplies in the manor first, and then call the militia to retreat to the castle."

"Thank you very much." Iseus watched the baron walk out of the hall, and then outlined a circle with mercury on the long table.

"This is the mirror of the atmosphere?" Sonia asked after seeing the magic circle, "This is a course for senior grades, and it consumes a lot of dust crystals."

"Yes, you can grasp the whole picture of the battlefield from a high altitude. Although it is not very clear and the scope is limited, you can also have a general understanding of the environment we are in." Iseus asked everyone to sit around the magic circle, "We Come and see. This morning, I noticed that Fiona had broken through and made landfall on the east bank."

"Fiona succeeded?!" Hearing this, everyone cheered.

"Not only did she succeed, there was also a friendly army to meet her and wiped out 24 elite rebel soldiers on the shore." Isius paused, then turned to look at Sonia, "From the perspective of throwing guns and combat skills, , it should be Griffith."

Griffith is safe and sound!And also meet up with Fiona!Sonia happily calmed down her agitated chest.

"So, how will they act next?" The others were also in a better mood, "When will they come to rescue us?"

"Come and see, it seems quite interesting." Iseus waved his wand, and a mirror with condensed water vapor appeared on the long table, showing the situation near the manor.

"Griffith gathered a small army, successively captured the rebel camp in the north and the outpost in the east, and severely damaged the rebel camp in the south with trebuchets.

"Hundreds of enemies collapsed under his attack. Look here, this highland is the rebel camp blocking our northeast, and it has been defeated by Griffith's attack."

As Iseus spoke, he moved the mirror, projecting a riverside area not far from the manor:

"As we speak, he is leading an army of a few dozen men against the Ferry de Boulogne. The floodwaters there are receding, and as soon as he holds it there will be a breach in the rebel circle.

"This place is not far from us, and its importance is self-evident. The rebels launched a frenzied attack and had to disperse the forces attacking us. They were repelled by Griffith three times, and they launched a counterattack three times. Before dinner, from A small number of reinforcements from the east have arrived, and Griffith holds the position."

There was a soft cheer in the hall, and several students shook their fists excitedly.

Griffith is awesome!Sonia quietly tapped the ground with her toes under the table.

"So, we have to hold on to this castle," Iseus continued.Suddenly, he stopped and stared at the water near Beit Castle.

"What's wrong?" everyone asked.

"We have guests," replied the Viscount.

Nona rushed into the hall and shouted loudly: "Come and support me, there are mutated monsters outside!"

……

Never-before-seen monsters appeared on the water.

They have lizard-like scale-covered heads and bodies, strong long tails, and sharp claws. They can swim from the water to the castle without taking a boat.Soon, they climbed up the ford and stood up, looking at the castle with ferocious red eyes and growling in low voices, their mouths full of fangs like wolves and vicious dogs.

Their arms are extremely strong, their palms are webbed, their gills bulge and shrink like a frog from time to time, their gleaming scales look like monitor lizards, but their hind legs are short and almost molted, and their long tails like pythons support their bodies on the sand. Snake, the red eyes are the vertical pupils of the dragon.

What is even more striking is that their scales in the water show a dark gray tone, but they turn yellowish brown when they climb on the yellow mudflat.

The unknown monster makes people shudder, like a bad joke played by the gods, kneading the characteristics of many different creatures indiscriminately, exuding a chaotic and evil atmosphere.

Sonia looked at the hideous and twisted monsters in horror, unable to imagine how they could appear here.

She felt dizzy, and her mind was traumatized.However, the craziness she has been in contact with during this period of time has given her resistance, and she has withstood this shock.

There are seven or eight such monsters in the shallows, and further away there are looming and terrifying giant shadows swimming slowly under the water surface. The size is more than ten times that of the monsters on the shore, completely blocking the road to the east. waterway.

"When did it appear?"

"Just now," Nona replied, "there were signs of fierce fighting in the direction of the Boulogne Ferry, and then a group of rebels routed from there. At first I thought the siege was finally cleared, but the rebels quickly returned After rushing over, these monsters also appeared in the water."

"That's their commander." Nona raised her hand suddenly.

There is a small boat farther away, where the figures of two teenagers, one tall and one short, stand tall.Under the muddy water, lurks a dragon-shaped terrifying creature.Its body is larger than its counterparts in the water. Its frightening body is composed of a terrifying dragon head, powerful arms, a towering dorsal fin and a long tail like a python.

It holds a huge trident in its hand, no different from a mythical monster of the deep sea.

"Don't panic, Sonia, they are Westeros special combat forces. Griffith encountered them on Neopolis Island," Iseus said calmly, "They were An army of orphans from Verona, the young soldiers used as test subjects.

"If they came to attack us, they should have killed Griffith directly. However, they didn't do that.

"I'll talk to them, Murat, come with me."

……

Under the protection of Murat, Iseus walked across the muddy ground and approached the monsters.The students were sweating on the castle, watching them like two pieces of meat walking towards the mouths of a group of vicious dogs.

The chaotic and twisted long-tailed monitor lizard roared horribly beside him, ready to charge up and tear them apart at any time.Murat held his halberd tightly, ready to fight to the death.

The two humans among the monsters also came up to the shallows and walked towards them. The leader was wearing a worn-out military uniform, and looked at the Viscount with provocative eyes.

"Hello, I'm Viscount Iseus de Crozier. You must be Sergeant Oscar, and this is Mr. Mika next to you. I've known both of you for a long time."

"That's right, it seems that your information is very well-informed, Your Excellency the Viscount," Oscar said with a slight smile, "Then I advise you and your friends not to make unnecessary resistance and surrender to us immediately."

"Surrender, that's not enough," Iseus laughed, "Our situation is not that bad. My friend Griffith has just led the reinforcements to capture the Boulogne Ferry. was rescued."

"Oh, is that so?" Oscar bared his sharp teeth and ordered to the terrifying underwater creature not far away, "Go and bring the head of our old acquaintance, Griffith's apprentice knight."

"The bluff is avoided," Iseus said calmly, as if he was chatting with a friend, his voice was penetrating, and people couldn't help but want to believe him, "If you didn't reach the end of the road, how could you go to this place? To the side of the rebels?
"I feel the unmatched power and madness, and the chaos that is about to tear everything in front of me,

"You guys, time is running out, right?"

As soon as the words fell, the short Mika had already pounced on him.His figure was as fast as lightning, and a machete emerged from his right elbow, slashing towards Iseus.

"Bah!"

Between swords, lights and swords, Murat resisted with a long halberd, and then swung the halberd down.

Mika stepped forward, lightly pressed on the halberd, and swiped out the silver scimitar with his left hand, sweeping towards Shutoral's neck.

The sharp blade split open the gauntlet, but was blocked by Murat's raised right hand, failing to injure the vitals.At the same time, Murat dropped the halberd, grasped the opponent's wrist with his right hand, and pulled out the dagger with his left hand to stab him in the eye socket.

"That's it!"

Iseus and Oscar shouted at the same time.

Murat and Mika in the confrontation stopped at the same time like two statues.

"Enough blood has been shed, young soldier," Iseus shook his head, "Your life should not be lost for such a ridiculous war. Come, walk with me."

After speaking, Iseus walked to the edge of the empty shallows alone.

Oscar looked at Murat and the others who were still in a stalemate, shrugged and followed.

……

Iseus stroked his silver mask:

"I know that there are ways to suppress your mutation. Although it cannot be eradicated, it can give you more time and possibility."

"Oh," Oscar replied, "that doesn't impress me. My brothers are being tortured by madness and mutation, and they will do terrible things at any time."

"I know," said Iseus inscrutablely, "I know.

"I know the cure."

Oscar looked at him indifferently.

The words of Iseus are calm and sincere:
"Suppressing the qualities of insanity is not easy and is a deadly poison to most people. But a peaceful life can slow down the process and even reverse it.

"You have to resist the distortion brought by madness, and you have to find the coordinates to anchor yourself in the chaos to stop the process of destruction. Then, I can help you to coexist with this power.

"It will take time, let me help you."

"Why can I trust you? The mage master in the rebel army also said that he could help us, who should I trust?" Oscar asked.

"The wizard of the rebel army, even if what he said is true, so what? Do you think they can win?" Iseus asked, "It won't be long before Byelan's reinforcements will arrive. There are not many, and there are no heavy cavalry, so they won't be able to resist for a long time. Even the best treatment plan will be nothing to you at that time."

"This idea is very common." Oscar shrugged his shoulders. "Those aristocratic lords who were killed by us must have thought the same way, but they didn't even last a day."

Iseus took two steps forward, came to Oscar's side, and whispered:

"Don't waste any more time. I don't force you to join us in the battle. You can take your people out of here and watch the outcome from a distance.

"Young soldier leader, you and your people on this chessboard are far more than chess pieces.

"By the time this little rebellion is over, there will be a power vacuum here."

The wand of Iseus streaked across the air, and the muddy water on the ground condensed into models of castles and manors: "The rebellion wiped out the nobles here, and it will take time for the newcomers to adapt. Therefore, I do not intend to give you Gold and silver, I'll give you this."

The young viscount spread his hands.

"This?" Oscar also spread his hands and tilted his head towards the other party, "What is this?"

"Farms and mines in the fertile Velo River valley, peaceful and normal life."

Iseus said: "The rebellion will tear the nobles here. My family will enter this area after the rebellion subsides, with the support of the king and the Senate, and the wealth of the family. Land of the Lord. You, young soldiers, may be my partners if you have no crime to merit.

"Together we can clear the roadblocks. You have your share of the farming and trade income here.

"Oscar, from now on, you will no longer be puppets and tools of others, and you can truly control your own destiny.

"Don't let you stagnate in the misery and pain of the past, no, stop."

Oscar was silent, he paced slowly along the sand table, slid his fingers across the logos one by one, slowly lifted it on the viscount's shoulder, and whispered in his ear:

"Tell me about the mines and manor of Baron Carliss."

　This volume extends some of the clues from the first volume, which are the secrets of the Orcs, the secrets of the incredible House of Wonders, and the decryption and development of the Westeros Boys.All the plot events in this book are not a copy of the past (except for Sonia eating the test paper), but a story line where other people and forces in this world intersect with the growth of the protagonist, and will eventually be independent in the middle and late stages of the book. The big plot event ends.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)