Return

"We have lost eleven brothers; only nine of us remain."

He struggled to suppress his grief, forcing his voice to remain flat, yet a trace of sorrow always lingered.

Just moments ago, during the pursuit of the barbarians, another knight had fallen in battle, collapsing onto the ground.

"Understood. I will convey this to the Master; he will distribute bereavement payments to the families of those who sacrificed their lives."

Master closed his eyes, struggling not to look at the corpse on the ground, and replied.

"Master." Aurelian returned, riding George.

"My Lord." Master opened his eyes, and he and Darwin bowed.

"How is it? Which of my knights are still alive?"

Aurelian's expression was filled with trepidation; he knew the knights who had followed him had suffered heavy losses, but he had to learn to accept it.

War inevitably claims lives, and war could break out at any moment.

"Nine elite knights have survived, my Lord. I think..."

Aurelian nodded. He knew what Master wanted to say, so he interrupted him directly.

"For those knights who died in battle, I will issue a bereavement payment of one hundred Star Coins per person to their families."

"How can this be!"

All the knights' mouths hung open, and they gasped in surprise.

One hundred Star Coins!

How was this possible? They had never heard of any noble issuing such a large sum of compensation for fallen knights.

In their eyes, nobles were stingy to the extreme; issuing any compensation at all was already a supreme act of grace, so they dared not hope for more.

Aurelian shook his head, feeling deeply disappointed by the masters of this world.

If it weren't for these nobles holding absolute military power, they would have likely been crushed hundreds of times over by the downtrodden masses rising up in revolt.

"Are you surprised? I, however, believe these fallen knights are priceless. Issuing this compensation is the only thing I can do for them now."

Aurelian spoke with great earnestness. He scanned every knight present, and his calm voice fell into the ears of each one, resonating like a thunderclap in their hearts.

Ask yourself, which noble would ever say such astonishing words—that a knight's life is priceless?

"But we are merely knights who have sold our service to you; we are not worth that much. My Lord, issuing one hundred Sun Gold Coins would be enough."

Master, however, shook his head and looked up as he spoke.

In his eyes, it was a knight's duty to die for his lord, and they were not worth such a sum. Although he was conflicted and wanted his men to receive this massive fortune, the ingrained mindset he had held since childhood made him instinctively refuse.

"Master, this is my decision. You have no authority to stop it."

Aurelian said sternly, possessing the majesty of a superior.

Master shut his mouth. That was correct; he dared not interfere with any of Aurelian's decisions, at most offering only appropriate suggestions.

"Very well. As for the remains of the knights, find a way to carry them back; do not be negligent. Those barbarian warhorses are fine steeds; it would be a pity not to bring them back."

"Understood."

Master nodded. Their own warhorses had long since fallen amidst the hail of arrows, and those riderless horses would serve as adequate replacements.

No sooner said than done, Master led the remaining nine knights to round up the surviving warhorses nearby.

Jeanne emerged from the shadows of the forest. Aurelian sensed her magical fluctuations and discovered her immediately.

Seeing that Aurelian was unharmed, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief, her tense spirit finally relaxing.

"What was the result? Did that arrogant barbarian die?"

Aurelian asked impatiently. If the situation hadn't forbidden it, he would have preferred to go himself and kill Dark, the culprit behind it all.

"He has been slain by my hand." Jeanne nodded.

"In that case, let us return to Winter City quickly."

Looking at the egg hanging on his chest, it could be considered to have braved life and death alongside him, but now, Aurelian's eyes were filled with doubt.

Ever since they escaped from the void earlier, the egg had shown no movement.

"It hasn't exhausted its magic and died, has it?"

He could not help but worry. He hoped to return to Winter City first to properly observe the condition of the egg.

Master and the other knights were quite experienced in how to soothe panicked warhorses, and soon, the tall barbarian steeds were gathered together.

They were much larger than ordinary horses, their eyes were blood-red, and there were two protrusions on their heads, as if two horns were about to sprout.

"What peculiar warhorses."

Master and the others each chose a horse that looked outstanding, mounted it, and then led the herd of horses toward Aurelian.

The hooves of these warhorses were quite strange; as they ran across the ground, there was not a single sound of hoofbeats.

No wonder those barbarians were able to approach silently, catching them completely off guard.

Master and the others clicked their tongues in wonder; it seemed they had discovered a treasure. They wondered how Lord Aurelian would handle these Barbarian warhorses, especially since they were currently short on manpower.

Aurelian had been keeping an eye on Master's group, and he, too, had noticed the unique characteristics of these Barbarian warhorses.

"Interesting."

Aurelian was somewhat surprised. Born into royalty and well-traveled, he still could not find any corresponding fragments of memory to explain them.

"These horses have great utility and could have a miraculous effect in battle."

His eyes lit up, but his brows furrowed soon after.

It was a pity that he had no spare men at the moment; the only ones left capable of fighting were the nine surviving elite knights.

He rubbed his forehead with both hands, pushing these vexing matters to the back of his mind to be dealt with later.

It seemed the dream of building a powerful knight legion still had a long and arduous road ahead.

Dozens of jet-black, sturdy Barbarian warhorses galloped across the vast plains, led by a dozen knights in white armor with blue trim, accompanied by a beautiful maid dressed in black and white.

If any unsuspecting person were watching from afar and saw that group of strange horses, they would surely think the terrifying Barbarians were attacking again, that the Star Kingdom was on the verge of collapse, and would flee in a panic.

Unfortunately, this vast land was almost devoid of human settlement; it was a lost land of civilization.

Heading south, they avoided areas where magical beasts roamed and arrived safely at the road to Frost Town, beneath the walls of Winter City.

Hume, the portly administrative officer of Winter City, and the old butler Will led a group of servants to wait on the road outside, with dozens of others behind them.

There were gray-haired elders, as well as women and children carrying baskets; these were the families of the knights under Aurelian, who had also followed him to Winter City.

Their expressions were full of anxiety as they stared fixedly at the northern horizon.