"Eh, why are you so confident?" Hearing the excitement and proud confidence in his chest, even his heart, Holo was very puzzled. Although this person was very powerful, and even she felt he was very kind, this certainty that made her stay without hesitation was not that simple.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter…" A rapid sound of hooves approached from afar, the sound of horseshoes hitting the road even made the green leaves tremble slightly.
Knights, fully encased in steel, rode swiftly like messengers of death on their tall horses, moving at an extremely fast pace, as if resisting invaders.
Kayal recognized them. The unique pattern on their armor was the special family crest of Red Leaf Ridge's nobles. In other words, most of these Knights were Red Leaf nobles! Besides a war order from Red Leaf Ridge, Kayal couldn't find any other reason for them to be organized into a unified army.
Kayal quickly took off his clothes and threw them to Holo to cover her graceful figure. He was left in only a thin, close-fitting cotton undershirt. He jumped out, waving his arms at the passing Knights, while also expressing great dissatisfaction with their lack of vigilance. Although he only had two people now, if he had a hundred, this squad of Knights would be a pile of dog crap. Knights who haven't formed a battle formation cannot add power and defense with their titles. Clashes in narrow paths and at the edge of forests would turn their speed into a pile of dog crap. All it would take are javelins, longbows, and axes to take them all down!
Kayal's appearance was indeed a bit of a mess. His silver hair was disheveled from the tree branches, he was sweating in his undershirt, and his face was slightly swollen from falling off the horse just now. He looked utterly disheveled.
Despite this, Kayal's imposing aura remained. As soon as he emerged from the forest, sharp-eyed individuals spotted him. While it didn't cause a complete pile-up, a sudden, awkward stop was unavoidable—Red Leaf Ridge's regular cavalry units were now entirely composed of half-demon horses. Other ordinary England horses, except for those of excellent lineage used for breeding, were all used for agriculture and could be borrowed by earning contribution points. Riding demon horses, the Knights' tonnage increased. Approximately two tons of horse armor and heavy armor, along with three-meter-long dragon lances, shields, and Knight's longswords, were all carried by the horses. It must be said that a sudden stop was a very difficult task given this tonnage.
The large horses that stopped immediately snorted, exhaling plumes of mist from their two large nostrils in the September weather. Their massive bodies, towering two meters high like giant beasts, all turned around. The Knights did not dismount. Given their tonnage, falling off the horse in battle would result in ruptured internal organs, so heavy cavalrymen all had straps and auxiliary bracing tools to help them maintain their position on horseback.
In other words, dismounting was also very troublesome for them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
All the Knight lances were raised high, the three-meter dragon lances like flagpoles, held aloft.
"Your Highness!" There weren't so many titles in the army. "Little Sage," "Sir," "Teacher," "Master," "Mentor," "Kai," "Lord Kai," etc., were all common people's ways of addressing him. Before having a military rank, Kayal always had only one identity: the Duke's son, Your Highness!
"Where are you going? Has war broken out?" Kayal exhaled and asked urgently.
"No, we came for you." The leader lifted his face guard, revealing a steady, square face. Face guards were originally used to block enemy longbows, but as Knights became stronger in modern times, a title combined with a face guard often became an unparalleled source of pressure. Armies wearing face guards often caused enemies to rout without a fight, and later it developed into a trend.
He was Druaga, the Knight Captain of the first squad of the Red Leaf Knight Order, and the son of Marquis Goons. He inherited his father's long, tea-colored hair, which was tied back. A small, neatly trimmed beard adorned the center of his firm chin, making him even more resolute. Marquis Goons was known as the "Red Leaf Cornerstone," and this Druaga was clearly a chip off the old block.
Loyal and honest, tough and strong, Druaga was of Kayal's generation and could be considered Kayal's cousin. However, no one of this generation in Red Leaf Ridge ever dared to call themselves Kayal's elder: simply put, Kayal's talent could be described as terrifying, and anyone who dared to call themselves an elder of such a person hadn't been born yet.
"Druaga!" Kayal was startled: "What happened?"
Although Kayal meticulously trained five thousand City Guards, the currently not-yet-famous City Guards were like modern armed police. There was a considerable gap between them and professional soldiers like the Knights. Deploying these professional soldiers, in other words, was like launching missiles in his previous life; it was a sign that a country was about to go to war!
"Why are you looking for me? Has the King passed away? Has Father met with an accident? Or has there been a rebellion?" Kayal rattled off several reasons that would warrant their deployment. In fact, Kayal hadn't realized that his contribution and influence in Red Leaf Ridge were second only to his father's. Although this was contrary to his policy of being low-key and close to the people, being close to the people precisely meant not being low-key. In a sense, by winning people's hearts, he also lost certain things.
"No, it's just you," Although it was amusing that Kayal had no self-awareness of his standing in the hearts of the Red Leaf Ridge people, the honest Druaga still spoke in a deep voice. At only 28, his voice was as steady as a 38-year-old's.
"We found your cloak and staff in the alley, so the entire Red Leaf Ridge has been placed under emergency lockdown. Currently, entry is permitted, but exit is not." Druaga said calmly. After seeing Kayal, he was no longer in a hurry. Although Kayal was still disheveled, he was confident that no one could snatch their young lord in front of the Red Leaf Knights.
"Alright, let's head back quickly. We must lift the lockdown and announce the decree as soon as possible." Kayal shook his head and said.
"Yes!" The Knights all raised their lances.
"Holo, come with me." Kayal mounted Druaga's heavy cavalry horse, the cowhide saddle making his backside ache.
"Mm." Holo walked out of the forest and nodded lightly. Her beauty and the vacuum-like jacket made the upright Knights' eyes widen.
She casually mounted Druaga's horse, embracing Kayal from behind. The tall horse, carrying three people, didn't even breathe heavily. With a loud shout from Druaga, it began to accelerate.
Behind them, fifty Knights spurred their horses, like tanks, following Druaga, thundering towards Red Leaf Ridge.