After discussing matters with Duke Joelster, Yun Feng, and the others for a while, Roland summoned Knight Captain Nogai.
"Your Majesty!" Nogai respectfully dropped to one knee before Roland and offered his loyalty.
"Rise." Roland raised a hand to signal Nogai to stand. The authority around him had reached a level ordinary people could no longer ignore. Aside from the old guard who had followed Roland from the beginning, anyone would be intimidated by his imposing presence. Ever since he had raised his banner in the year 2941 of the Third Age, it was now the end of 2952. Roland had been here for eleven years. He was now a twenty-seven-year-old adult! (Compared to the long-lived Lagrangeans, Roland had actually only lived through one-tenth of his life.)
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Nogai rose stiffly.
Roland showed no particular reaction. As the Kingdom grew larger and larger, Roland, as its king and future emperor, had to become increasingly dignified. Maintaining the proper distance from his subordinates had become crucial. The old men who had rendered the merit of following a ruler to the throne naturally could not be treated the same as newcomers. The MacDougall Family had been fortunate enough to catch the last train of the Kingdom's founding. Otherwise, even as a family of dragon commanders, there would have been an invisible generational gap between them and Roland.
"I have a question. Take a look at these." Roland lightly tapped the railing, signaling Nogai to inspect the things in the courtyard.
Nogai obediently leaned over for a look, and surprise immediately appeared on his face. A group of griffons huddled together weakly, their eyes filled with wariness and fear toward the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Your Majesty, these..." Nogai trailed off.
"These are griffons from the Grey Mountains. I just captured them!"