The Emperor with the Bottomless Appetite
One month later, in Plai, the capital of the Goldflower Kingdom, 150 kilometers to the west, lies the Royal Hunting Grounds.
In autumn, the royal hunting grounds are ablaze with color, and the air is crisp and clear.
A lavishly decorated six-wheeled carriage, escorted by numerous Royal Knights, slowly came to a stop on a wide meadow at the edge of the hunting grounds.
The attendants immediately stepped forward, skillfully set down the footrest, and then almost half-helped, half-supported a middle-aged man with an extremely bulky figure, dressed in gorgeous hunting attire, out of the carriage.
This is none other than His Majesty Heinrich XI, the current monarch of the Goldflower Kingdom.
His face was ruddy, but his breathing was slightly heavy. His large body seemed to require a lot of effort even to stand up, and he relied entirely on two strong servants to carefully support his arms on either side.
He greedily took several deep breaths of the fresh forest air, a contented expression on his face. "Ah... the air outside is so much better! Much better than all the incense in the palace!"
Then, a graceful, blonde, blue-eyed noblewoman, supported by her maid, stepped down from the carriage with great poise.
She looked to be only in her early thirties, with stunning beauty and a noble air that carried a subtle, almost imperceptible sharpness.
She was Queen Katerina von Eisenberg, wife of Heinrich XI.
As the eldest daughter of Earl Eisenberg, a high-ranking official of the kingdom and the garrison commander of Blackstone Pass, her marriage was an important part of the kingdom's power structure.
Earl Eisenberg, who enjoyed the King's deep trust, commanded nearly a third of the kingdom's elite Border Army and wielded immense power.
The last person to alight from the carriage was a blond-haired boy, none other than Prince Sigmund von Heinrich.
"I'm glad Your Majesty is pleased," Queen Katerina said with a smile, putting her arm around her son's shoulder as she approached the King. Her voice was gentle and melodious. "Today is a beautiful autumn day, perfect for hunting. Your Majesty will surely have a wonderful time."
"Haha, you're right!" Heinrich was in a good mood.
Hunting is his favorite pastime, for no other reason than that the process is easy, the result is clear, and it greatly satisfies his sense of accomplishment.
With the help of his attendants, he took a few steps forward, his eyes searching through the sparse woodland in the distance.
Soon, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to a small clearing about thirty meters away. "Look! Your Queen, look! There's a deer over there! Good heavens, it's quite big!"
A magnificent stag stood in the open space, looking around somewhat bewilderedly, occasionally pawing the ground with its hooves.
Heinrich, of course, had no idea that the steward of the royal hunting grounds had mobilized more than a dozen of the best hunters and spent several days to ensure his success in finding and hunting the deer that day.
They carefully drove it from the depths of the forest and surrounded it in this designated area, managing to exhaust its strength to ensure it neither escaped too early nor was able to move quickly when the King fired.
A servant immediately and respectfully presented with both hands a finely maintained flintlock lance decorated with gold and silver patterns, the hammer already cocked and the gunpowder and lead bullets already loaded.
Another attendant quickly brought a forked support rod, which was placed firmly under the barrel of the gun, bearing most of the weight of the gun for the King.
This is a necessary step; otherwise, given His Your Majesty's arm strength and stamina, his arm would likely become sore after aiming the gun for only a short time.
Heinrich nodded in satisfaction and said to his son, "Sigmund, watch carefully, this is how you hunt."
He then pressed his plump cheek against the smooth stock of the rifle, squinted one eye, and clumsily aimed through the rear sight and front sight at the seemingly oblivious stag.
He stared at it for a good half minute, while the attendants and officials around him held their breath and dared not make a sound.
Finally, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A crisp gunshot shattered the silence of the forest, and a plume of white smoke billowed from the muzzle.
The stag in the distance staggered in response, let out a mournful cry, collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before it lay still.
Clearly, a sharpshooter was lying in ambush at extremely close range, delivering a fatal shot almost simultaneously with the King's initial shot to ensure absolute safety.
"Hit! Haha! I hit it!" Heinrich's face lit up with excitement, and he boasted to the queen beside him like a child, "Your Queen, did you see that? One shot, one hit! My marksmanship is still as sharp as ever! Haha!"
Queen Katerina maintained a graceful and charming smile, clapping lightly. "Your Majesty's archery is superb! Absolutely brilliant! This stag is so magnificent; it is an honor for it to be Your Majesty's prey."
Sigmund also praised, "Father, this is more than just 'still sharp as ever.' Your bullets seemed to have eyes, piercing its heart with pinpoint accuracy! Such speed, precision, and composure are something even the most elite snipers in the legion might not be able to match."
The surrounding attendants, officials, and nobles immediately burst into well-timed praises and compliments, creating a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.
Just as the attendants were about to run off to retrieve the "spoils of war," a royal messenger galloped up, nimbly dismounted at the edge of the hunting grounds, and quickly walked to the accompanying royal scribe, giving a brief and urgent report in a low voice.
The scribe's expression tightened slightly, then he quickly walked to the King, who was admiring his "victories" with great interest, and bowed to report in a low voice, "Your Majesty, we have just received an urgent report that the convoy carrying the head of Sauron, presented by Earl Rochefort, along with important prisoners, including the captured Sauron Corps Commander Invag, has arrived fifty miles Prye City. They are expected to arrive outside the city by noon tomorrow at the latest."
Upon hearing this, Heinrich's eyes lit up, and the fat on his face jiggled with excitement. "Oh? It's finally almost here? Great! Excellent!"
He had already learned of the great victory at Carnford in the Northern Territory through battle reports, but to be honest, these days there were far too many so-called "great victories" reported from various places, and nine times out of ten they were either about killing innocent people to claim credit or exaggeration, with a great deal of exaggeration.
He had long since become accustomed to it, even somewhat numb to it.
But this time was different. Earl Rochefort not only reported the results of the battle, but he actually transported hundreds of Sauron heads and a high-ranking prisoner all the way to the Royal Capital!
This undoubtedly greatly increases the authenticity and impact of this victory!
"Seeing is believing!" The King rubbed his hands together, appearing extremely excited. He turned to the queen, Prince, and his entourage, and said in a loud voice, "Let's go! Stop hunting! Pack up, we're heading back to Plai ahead of schedule!"
"I must go and see for myself what kind of 'goodies' Earl Rochefort has brought to me and the kingdom! This is a truly great victory, a rare sight in recent years! Hahaha!"
A hint of interest flashed in Queen Katerina's eyes, and she nodded gracefully. "Such a grand event certainly deserves His Majesty's personal inspection. I'm sure Earl Eisenberg would be very pleased to hear of it."
Soon, the royal procession began busily preparing for their return journey.
With an almost childlike excitement at the prospect of receiving a gift, Heinrich, accompanied by the Queen, boarded the carriage again.
The convoy turned and slowly drove towards the Royal Capital capital, Plai.
Only the deer carcass remained, still bleeding in the same spot.