It was still dark, but a large amount of fire suddenly appeared in the silent port.
Nilfgaard soldiers in black armor poured into the dock and began to board the dozens of ships on the inside of the port that were usually guarded by town guards and not allowed to approach casually.
Earl Tulius walked at the back, closely surrounded by guards holding tower shields.
Charimir is also following him, but this duchy knight has now put on a set of dark imperial armor, making it difficult to recognize him even to people who are familiar with him.
Earl Tulius boarded the flagship, stood on the deck, raised his arms and shouted.
"Everyone, the rise and fall of the empire depends on this battle, let's go!"
A roar like a roaring tsunami came from each ship, which shocked the people living near the port and woke up from their sleep, panicking.
Dozens of ships put on the Japanese flag of Nilfgaard, left the port, and headed towards the islands.
A few days later.
Earl Tulius stands on the deck, and the outline of Little Skellige Island can be seen from a distance.
Duchy of the Curved Coast is on the east side of Skellige Isles, so the first arrival of the Nilfgaard squadron is also on the east side of Little Skellige Island.
What surprised Earl Tulius was that there were signs of fortifications on the land on the east side of the island.
And, the Skellige people guarding the beach and behind the fence.
Although it was just a simple wooden wall and trench, even though those Skellige people seemed to be only about five hundred people.
But it also proves beyond doubt that Skellige people know the news.
Who leaked the news?
Earl Tulius The first thing that comes to mind is Charimir.
So he looked over.
The latter happened to look over and meet Earl Tulius's eyes.
Charimir instantly understood the meaning of the latter, which was horrifying.
"Master Earl, it's not me, it's really not me." Although Earl Tulius didn't say anything, he subconsciously started to defend himself.
Although the loyal lord has not yet issued an order, the nearby guards all came over with ill intentions, staring at Charimir with eager eyes.
As long as the master makes a word or the latter makes a slight move, thousands of spears will be stabbed out in an instant, poking it into a hornet's nest.
Charimir's hair stood on end and his body tensed subconsciously.
But he still forcibly restrained the fear and impulse in his heart and stood still without running away.
It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't.
Not to mention that he is now in a burly state.
Even if the gods had mercy on him, he would be lucky enough to jump out of the boat before the enemies surrounded him.
But in this vast sea, where can he escape to?
The distance between Skellige Isles and the mainland is not that far from the map, but it would be unrealistic to actually swim there.
Moreover, with the armor he was wearing, he would probably sink to the bottom immediately if he jumped off the ship.
Even if he was lucky enough to escape back to Duchy of the Curved Coast, he had already messed up the task assigned by Duchess Helena, and he would not be able to eat his good juice when he returned.
Even in other northern countries, it is difficult for him to make a comeback.
To sum up, Charimir's only way to survive is to beg for Earl Tulius's mercy and trust.
After some thought, Earl Tulius was also willing to believe Charimir.
Mainlanders have always looked down on islanders.
This is not only because the land of Skellige Isles is barren, but also because the islands are far away from the mainland.
Even though the archipelago has long since got rid of the tribal system and entered a more advanced feudal system, mainlanders, especially mainland aristocrats (both north and south), always feel that the archipelago people are still not civilized enough.
Although Charimir is not from Nilfgaard, Duchy of the Curved Coast and Earl Tulius, who are both mainlanders, are still willing to believe that Charimir will not lower their noble heads and kowtow to the people of the Islands.
Besides, if the other party really tipped off the information, how could he still come to find me?
What benefits can Charimir get from it?
He is already a knight of Duchy of the Curved Coast. Can he gain anything more by joining Skellige Isles?
Moreover, judging from Earl Tulius's many years of experience fighting the Islands, the people of the Islands hate traitors the most.
Because they believe that since traitors can betray their masters, they will betray them one day (from a certain perspective, this idea is correct).
Therefore, Charimir took refuge in the islands and couldn't even drink soup.
The "traitor" who leaked the information must be someone else.
But for the sake of safety, Earl Tulius said.
"Sir Charimir, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that since things have gone unexpectedly, I hope you can understand."
After saying that, without waiting for Charimir to defend himself, Earl Tulius coldly ordered, "Guard, your Excellency Charimir is tired, send him to a separate cabin to rest."
Charimir's face instantly turned gray.
Originally, he was already prepared to fight together with the Nilfgaard people and receive a certificate of investment.
Who knew that the plan could not keep up with the changes, and Skellige people were actually on guard.
To make matters worse, Nilfgaard people also suspected that they were in love with him.
Even if he was lucky and the Nilfgaard people let him go in the end, his previous plan to join Nilfgaard Army and go to the south and start over again would definitely be aborted.
After all, without any meritorious service on the battlefield, how could you become the captain of Nilfgaard?
It's even possible that Nilfgaard people might not take him back to the south.
It was a mess, and all the hard-planned plans were disrupted.
Charimir dare not raise any objection.
Because at the very least, Nilfgaard people are not ready to kill themselves to sacrifice the flag.
But if the man in black is offended, it will be hard to say.
Watching the guards "escorting" Charimir off the deck, Earl Tulius turned his attention back to the beach of Little Skellige Island.
"Blow the horn and prepare for landing."
Although the Islanders seemed prepared, Earl Tulius decided to land here.
There is no other reason than that he has a total of 1,500 people under his command.
And it was not 1,500 conscripted peasant soldiers, but 1,500 professional soldiers.
Earl Tulius felt that it was not a big problem to suppress the hundreds of archipelago troops in front of us.
Of course, the squadron can also bypass this place and find a landing site elsewhere.
It's just that now it's our own side that's racing against time, so there's no further delay.
Even though the main force of the archipelago fleet is plundering the coastline of Nilfgaard, the major families of the archipelago must still have some troops left behind.
If other families in the archipelago are allowed to react and come to support, their numbers may be comparable to ours, which may actually put ours in a disadvantageous situation.
It's better to fight quickly.