Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Your Highness, Bardel from the Tupet Forest has sent word... he says a group bearing the flag of the Zaltarion Dragon is coming from the east, around a hundred strong, well-equipped, and seemingly made up of high-ranking professionals!" 

Reynard suddenly lifted the tent flap and entered.

"What?" Rynar, who had been playing with a blue elf figurine in his hands, immediately looked bewildered. 

He searched his memory carefully, and it seemed that he hadn't sent any troops east of Tupet Forest, had he?

"No way..." Rynar's eyes suddenly lit up. He remembered a recent event he had signed up for—a storyline event—The Crusade East!

"Could it be the remnants of that Crusader army fleeing here?" Rynar boldly speculated, and his guess was right on target.

"Prepare the horses, I'm going to take a look!" Rynar finally decided to see it for himself. He had already more or less identified this army's origin. 

It was likely the Eastern Crusade forces from the Duchy of Nyx.

"Though, I wonder how the Duke of Nyx is doing... What if, like in history, he got killed? That would be a real shame!" 

Rynar lightly shook his head. After all, the Duke of Nyx was quite a handsome man, a real heartthrob for the homebodies.

"My lord, what are you thinking about? Is it the army from the east?" Caslow, Rynar's loyal and keen subordinate, asked.

"Yeah, it's that. I think I've figured out who they are... they should be soldiers from the Duchy of Nyx..." Rynar casually replied.

"Ah? The most eastern duchy of the Empire?" Caslow was astonished. This seemed a bit ridiculous! 

The Zaltarion Empire had collapsed, and how had the tiny Duchy of Nyx managed to survive? Caslow didn't understand…

"Heh~" Rynar smiled mysteriously.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of hooves, Rynar and Caslow, along with the Elven Rangers, set out on their journey east.

...

"What's going on?" Rynar's eyes showed signs of exhaustion as he casually patted his armor. The dust on his clothes immediately swirled down. 

They had been pushing hard, riding fast, without any proper rest.

"Your Highness, please take a rest!" Bardel, seeing Rynar's bloodshot eyes, kindly urged.

"No need! Where is the army flying the Zaltarion flag? I need to see them!" Rynar waved his hand, cutting Bardel off. 

He only wanted to see the strength of this army that had come to join him. After all, this Crusader army had once contained a knightly order! 

Rynar figured that the army that had broken through must be from the Crusade Knights of the Purple Jasmine. After all, no one else had the strength to do so. 

As for why they weren't on horseback, it was likely due to the brutal battles, forcing them to switch from cavalry to infantry…

"Understood, Your Highness, they are camped not far ahead!" Bardel had no choice but to lead the group towards the location where the Nyx forces were stationed.

"Hmm! A well-organized camp! It's small, but it's fully functional!" 

Caslow observed the camp. When he saw the wooden walls surrounded by logs and the arrow towers standing at the four corners, his sense of recognition for this army grew significantly.

"It should be ours. The way the wooden walls are built is unique to Zaltarion!" 

Caslow, using the vision of a Dragon Knight, noticed the way the ropes were tied to the walls and their placement. 

He nodded lightly, as every race and faction had their own methods of setting up camp.

The group stopped 200 meters from the camp. The reason for this distance was to guard against the most threatening weapons to knights: heavy javelins and armor-piercing throwing spears! 

(In reality, archers of the same level rarely posed a significant threat to knights; they struggled to deal fatal blows.

On the other hand, soldiers with throwing spears and javelins, along with melee warriors, could pose a lethal threat to individual knights!)

Rynar glanced at Caslow, who immediately understood. Caslow stepped forward on his horse and shouted loudly.

"To the army ahead! Prove that you belong to Zaltarion, for the King himself is here! If you dare deceive His Highness, believe me, you will regret it!"

"Sir Knight! Please prove the King's identity! We need to confirm you are not deceiving us!" the captain of the royal guard cautiously said.

"This is troublesome!" Caslow muttered under his breath. He actually admired the soldiers' caution. 

If they had opened the gates and knelt before him without question, he would have doubted their identity.

Caslow casually drew the dragon flute hanging from his neck. The sound of the flute echoed through the air, and a massive dragon appeared before everyone. 

Its body was over 20 meters long, covered in dark green scales, with wings and claws. 

Though smaller than a true dragon, the thick dragon's might and its fierce horns made it clear this was indeed a real dragon! In other words, the knight before them, with a bit of a swagger, was a true Dragon Knight!

"Dragon Knight!" The captain's pupils shrank in shock. 

Even if he didn't believe the man before him was from the Zaltarion Kingdom, he had no choice but to accept it. After all, a Dragon Knight could single-handedly wipe out the Crusaders!

"Your Highness, you may want to take a look. The Dragon Knight has appeared!" The captain jumped off the wooden wall and entered the tent, addressing Nyx with respect.

"A Dragon Knight? That's the Empire's peak fighting power!" Nyx smiled, narrowing her eyes. It was clear she still felt a strong attachment to the Zaltarion Empire.

...

"Duke Nyx seeks an audience with Your Majesty!" Nyx gracefully stepped out from the camp. She slightly lifted her skirt and curtsied, but more importantly, she called Rynar 

"Your Majesty!" This was a title reserved for the Emperor of Zaltarion, indicating that in her heart, Zaltarion was still the great Empire!

"Please rise, Duke. Your Majesty is a title I don't deserve. 

The Empire is shattered, and our territory is barely enough to sustain a kingdom, let alone an Empire!" 

Rynar dismounted his horse and walked forward, his words tinged with a faint bitterness.

"Is there still a force on this land capable of defeating a Dragon Knight?" Nyx asked, her face slightly flushed with curiosity. After all, in her mind, the Empire's Dragon Knights were invincible!

"Not enemies, but rather our limited population is what restricts our growth!" Rynar sighed. After all, the number of refugees joining every day was minimal. 

With such a small population base, Rynar felt helpless.

"Mm..." Nyx nodded obediently. She suddenly thought of the shattered Duchy and the wandering army. 

Perhaps the Duchy could be reclaimed, but that loyal Crusader army... as she thought about it, tears started flowing down her cheeks.

"Here, wipe your tears!" Rynar, a gentleman, handed her a handkerchief.

"Thank you!" Nyx accepted the handkerchief, then looked up and smiled at Rynar.

Rynar was stunned, struck like a bolt of lightning. Oh no! He was smitten! She was way too beautiful! 

Her exquisite features, even without makeup, were beyond comparison, and the faint traces of tears on her face made her even more endearing!

"Oh no! My lord is falling for her!" Caslow slapped himself in the face. This was so embarrassing! 

After all, he was the King of a nation! How could he just stare at a woman like that? And that pig-like look, he was almost drooling…

"How did you end up here? Is the Duchy of Nyx alright?" Rynar asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Wahhh~" The moment Rynar spoke, Nyx, who had just stopped crying, burst into tears once again. The floodgates opened, and tears poured down.

"They... they all sacrificed themselves... they... they all did it to protect me..." Nyx, to everyone's surprise, threw herself into Rynar's arms and began to sob uncontrollably.

"What the hell? What's going on here?" Rynar stared in disbelief at Nyx, who had buried her face in his chest. He turned and saw Caslow looking at them with a look of disdain.

"Hey! What kind of eyes are those? She made the first move!" Rynar defended himself.

"..." Caslow.

"Alright, stop crying. Welcome home." Rynar gently patted Nyx, feeling relieved. 

After all, she was just a young girl, and it was understandable that she would break down after everything she had been through.

"Mm~ mm!" Nyx sobbed.

...

"Yo! Feeling shy? You certainly didn't have that expression when you threw yourself at me earlier!" Rynar teased.

At that moment, Nyx, sitting across from Rynar with a red face, wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground. Her previous behavior had been far too indecent.

"So, is this all that's left of your forces?" Rynar sighed and returned to the main topic.

"They... maybe more are still on their way..." Nyx's voice grew smaller and smaller, as she no longer had hope.

"A hundred Zaltarion Royal Guards! One second-tier Fire Mage, three second-tier Priests... sigh..." Rynar sighed again. 

He remembered that the system's abridged version of the Crusade had over 5,000 troops, but now all that stood before him were these few—how pitiful.

"Come with me to Riverguard. It's still in disrepair, but at least it's safe, and there are allied armies around who can support each other," Rynar comforted Nyx, patting her on the shoulder.

"Mm..." Nyx murmured almost imperceptibly.

"Congratulations, host! You have successfully received Duke Nyx. Achievement unlocked: First Duke! Reward: 100 Zaltarion Royal Guards!"

"Royal Guards? Those tough iron cans?" Rynar smiled. This reward wasn't bad! With the 100 Royal Guards Nyx brought, there would be a total of 200—enough to plug a large gap in a war!

"Alright, pack up. We're heading back!" Rynar instructed Nyx and the others.

"Bardel, I have received your loyalty. May you continue to serve your duty, protect your lands, and defend the Kingdom's territory. 

You've done well this time! The reward will be sent to you later." Rynar was generous with his praise, as these troops had certainly proven their loyalty to him!

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