The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 765 His Majesty Roland is about to arrive in his loyal city of Lagrange!

"You won't die for now, but if you do this again, who knows!" Weiss said irritably. Although he used to be a country bumpkin, as a self-taught dragon knight, Caslo had still instilled in him knightly etiquette and integrity. Weiss felt he still had that much face to maintain. He couldn't stand the thought of a forbidden spell hitting his own people. Even if he wasn't the strongest dragon knight, he couldn't be the most amateur one either...

However, after learning about this, Caslo stared at Weiss for an entire afternoon, probably unable to understand why a dragon knight would use a forbidden spell on their own comrade. Isn't understanding the damage range of a skill a basic skill and a fundamental part of a dragon knight's professional ethics? Caslo thought, "You pose no threat to me on high-level battlefields, but in the world of mentors, you can ruin my reputation..."

……

"You've grown up, kid!" Caslo, who had come to help, patted Weiss on the shoulder with great satisfaction after landing. Because he was worried that Weiss, as a novice dragon rider, might have some problems, Caslo had followed after Weiss left. Wind dragons are the fastest flying dragons, so even though there was a considerable time gap, Caslo still kept up close.

"You've arrived. Where is His Highness?" Weiss looked back, assuming that Roland's army had also arrived.

"Stop looking, King Roland still needs some time! Those heavy infantrymen are no match for the Knights! How fast do you expect them to run?" Caslo shook his head speechlessly.

"Ah? So you've come. Is King Roland safe...?" Weiss said in surprise. He couldn't believe that Caslo had actually abandoned Roland and come here!

"Huh? Are you looking down on Verway or Adolf Heinrich...? So many Tier 6s are swarming around him, and he's a Dragon Knight himself. He's much safer than you!" Caslo said irritably. Is this the legendary case of the emperor not worrying about the eunuch? Mind your own business?
"How's the Goblin Knights doing? I saw traces of a forbidden spell on the other side, and those wandering skeletons. Did you make a move?" Caslo looked at him with an air of aptitude, after all, why did he send Weiss to support the Goblin Knights? The best option would have been Caslos himself! The reason it was Weiss was naturally because Roland and Caslo wanted to use this opportunity to train Weiss's abilities; after all, dragon knights aren't hothouse flowers!
“Yes, those Eastern Yi chariot vanguards were defeated and collapsed by the goblin knights while they were crossing the river. I used a forbidden spell to keep them all here!” Weiss nodded. Of course, he didn’t use the forbidden spell. It was just that Weiss was itching to kill something.

"What about the Goblin Knights' casualties? I saw their camp was in disarray, as if they had suffered heavy losses?" Caslo asked疑惑地. Logically, this shouldn't be the case. With the support of dragon knights, how could they have suffered such heavy casualties at the hands of those Eastern Barbarian chariot warriors' vanguard? (Alistar: Thank you so much! Don't send dragon knights to support us next time! You almost sent us to our deaths!) After all, the state of an army's camp can roughly reflect its condition. An orderly and heavily guarded camp at least indicates that the army is well-organized and well-trained! But the Goblin Knights that Caslo just saw in the sky were completely different from their usual state!

"Uh... something unexpected happened." Weiss's face flushed slightly, and he stammered as he spoke. However, Caslo wasn't paying attention to him at the moment, so he didn't notice Weiss's unusual behavior. Caslo was currently preoccupied with the Goblin Knights' current situation and what kind of missions they could take on next. After all, they didn't have much time. Roland's hastily launched Great Expedition had completely caught everyone off guard! It wasn't just the orcs and the Eastern Yi charioteers who were caught off guard, but also everyone in the kingdom.

The year 2949 of the Third Age should have been an ordinary year, but Roland's grand expedition after the autumn harvest etched this otherwise mundane year directly into the annals of history! According to the kingdom's preparations, the Kingdom of Lagrange was supposed to launch its campaign to retake Lagrange City in 2954, ten years later. However, Roland considered that Sauron would openly appear in Middle-earth in 2951, so the two five-year plans were abruptly halted halfway through. Roland made a decision! An early Eastern Expedition!

It's important to understand that the Kingdom of Lagrange doesn't yet have a true capital! Swiftstream City exists merely as a secondary capital; the cohesion and control that a true capital would bring would be unmatched by any other secondary capital! Plus, the Lagrange Empire has the inherent "Emperor Guarding the Borders" buff, so placing the capital on the front lines is perfectly reasonable, right? And Roland just happens to dream of being a king on horseback! See how coincidental this is! A perfect match!

The hasty eastern expedition caught the Eastern Yi chariot people off guard, but it also caught the kingdom's logistics off guard. The most fatal flaw was that the number of soldiers was far less than originally planned. It should be noted that in the two five-year plans, the final eastern expeditionary force included at least ten swift infantry legions! An army of at least 30,000 men! Now the total strength of the eastern expeditionary force is less than one-third of the original plan!
Therefore, Caslo attaches great importance to every bit of his subordinates' fighting strength, let alone the Goblin Knights whose goal is to grind meat!
……

"What? A forbidden spell has hit you on the head?" Caslo jumped up and almost knocked over Alistar's command tent.

"General Caslo, please don't get agitated. It is indeed true. Most of our wounded are due to Lord Weiss's forbidden spell..." Although Alistar was unwilling to support others behind their backs, he still had to report the facts.

"...I'm sorry, Chief Arista, I've wronged you! I will convey your dedication and professionalism to the King. You have fulfilled your duties and done your best! We have let you down. I'm sorry, I apologize to you on behalf of the Kingdom's Dragon Knights!" Caslo, his mental perception spreading, quickly closed his eyes in pain and stood up. Without saying a word, he bowed and apologized. It was an honor for Caslo to become the second dragon knight in history to humble himself before a goblin, and the first dragon knight general.

"No, no! It's our fault for not taking precautions properly, it's not the kingdom's dragon knight's fault!" Alistar said firmly. Look at him! So sensible it's heartbreaking. What do you mean by not taking precautions properly? Is a forbidden spell something that just anyone can avoid? Alistar immediately absolved most of Whis of responsibility with his words. He clearly knows how to play the game!
“A mistake is a mistake. His Highness will be here soon. You can convey your needs to His Highness! I will do my best to help you achieve your desired conditions.” Caslo shook his head, ignoring Alista’s humility. After all, mistakes need to be corrected promptly. Caslo couldn’t be the kind of person who punishes the person who raises the problem when they can’t solve it, could he? What’s the difference between that and an animal?
"Your Highness is almost here?" Alistair's spirits lifted.

“Yes! Great King Roland! The restorer of the Lagrange Empire is about to arrive in his loyal Lagrange City!” Caslo said proudly to Alistar, as if Roland had already sat in the palace of Lagrange City and put on the crown.

I've been busy looking for a job these past few days, so I haven't been in a good mood and my updates have been inconsistent. I apologize to all my readers and shamelessly ask for your monthly tickets and rewards.