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

Chapter 949 Dialogue between the Ruler and His Minister

"There's been no unusual activity at the border, is there?" Roland asked, looking at Caslo.

“…” Caslo, who had only been separated from Ajax for two days, crossed his arms and drifted off into a daze, his eyes filled with confusion and blankness.

"Hey! General Caslo!" Roland threw the bread in his hand at Caslo.

"Smack!" Caslo acted on impulse, his hand reacting faster than his brain, effortlessly catching the bread Roland threw at him.

“It is shameful to waste food, Your Majesty!” Caslo said instinctively, looking at the bread in his hand.

"...I asked you if there's any situation at the border, what are you listening to?" Roland's eyes twitched a few times. Was this guy even listening to him?

"Ah? Ah! Oh oh oh! Everything is normal at the border!" Caslo bowed deeply.

"That's good. It seems those orcs aren't planning on hunting down our people!" Roland said with relief.

"What? A pursuit?" Caslo's mind went blank. How many orcs would it take to fill a force of tens of thousands? These orcs weren't stupid! Grand Duke Okrian Yaso's response was perfect. He clenched his fists and first stunned the orc vanguard, then slaughtered any orcs he encountered along the way! In the end, the orcs still hadn't figured out the true strength of this human force. Calling it an army was a stretch; it was a far cry from being a cohesive force. However, even under these circumstances, it wasn't like the orcs could easily bully Grand Duke Okrian Yaso's tens of thousands of men!

The orcs should be thankful they didn't launch a full-scale attack on this remnant force; otherwise, their counterattack while they were still in good condition would have shattered several of their teeth! Even with the remnants, the outcome is still uncertain!

"How could they be so foolish as to hunt down a force of tens of thousands?" Caslo's eyelids twitched. Given the infamous reputation of the Lagrange Dragon Banner, who didn't know how troublesome the Lagrange brutes were? Would those orcs dare to attack without being absolutely certain? Orcs are disgusting, cunning scum, not brain-dead idiots! Without absolute certainty, they would definitely choose to play it safe against the notoriously fierce Lagranges!

"Aren't orcs all pretty fierce? They pounce on people like mad dogs when they see them..." Roland shrugged.

"Do you think the orcs in the North have the time and space to muster an army that can easily swallow more than 70,000 people?" Caslo shook his head speechlessly. Given how eager Duke Ocrean Yaso was to return home, it would be a miracle if the orc vanguard could even catch him!

"Alright, if there's nothing to worry about at the border, then we don't need to bother with it!" Roland nodded, relieved. He really didn't want to fight with spring planting just around the corner, making everyone feel like he was a warmonger! It's almost a thousand chapters in, and he's still shouting "kill, kill, kill!" He's practically a Chinese warlord, even his farming has turned into killing... Anyone who didn't know better would think Roland's brake pads were broken!

“By the way, there’s something Duke Giorsted asked me to tell you!” Caslo said to Roland.

"..." Roland looked around and found no one in sight, so he stared at Caslo speechlessly.

“There was once a guy who only said half of what he was going to say, and then I cut him in half! So, do you have anything to say?” Roland said with a dark face.

“Um… actually, Duke Joelster asked me to remind you that the person you’re concerned about and Prince Legolas of the Woodland Kingdom left Lagrange City this morning!” Caslo gestured towards the window.

"Gone?" Roland was taken aback at first, then thought to himself, "Fine, fine, fine. So Aragorn, with his protagonist's halo, doesn't even have a shred of human rights in your eyes? He doesn't even deserve a name..."

“Yes, they’re gone!” Caslo nodded. “Good! It’s cleaner that way. Are Assef and his Maple Forest Orchid team well hidden?” Roland raised his eyelids and said calmly.

“Of course! I directly sent them to the northern wilderness to play whack-a-mole under the guise of training!” Caslo nodded quickly.

“Well done! We can recall them now!” Roland said calmly.

“Yes! But I don’t understand why you did this… Are you trying to prevent that person and Legolas from seeing this group?” Caslo asked, puzzled.

“Aragorn is of Gondor’s royal blood! In terms of bloodline, that guy is the King of Arnor and the King of Gondor. In the past, you would have been called the King of the West!” Roland rolled his eyes at Caslow.

"What does that have to do with this?" Caslo asked, puzzled.

"Then let me ask you, who are we cooperating with in Gondor right now?" Roland asked quietly, raising his head.

“The House of Gondor, the Regent’s House!” Caslow said calmly.

“That’s right! You don’t really think the Hulin family has no ambition after all these years, do you? Do you think everyone is as loyal and virtuous as the Marquis of Al-Tegran-Franz’s family? Power corrupts everything… including one’s own heart!” Roland sighed and said with emotion. He had already felt the corruption of power on him, but he did not resist it. On the contrary, he was somewhat enjoying it.

"No way? The Hulin family, with their thick eyebrows and big eyes, shouldn't be like this, right?" Caslo thought of the regent families he had met, all of whom were talented and ambitious (flattery), but they didn't really seem ambitious.

"Power will change them. If Aragorn returns, they are destined to lose their power! A family that controls the kingdom's power suddenly has to share it with someone who pops up from the back alleys... Do you think they'll be willing to accept that?" Roland smiled wickedly. What does the high moral standard of Middle-earth have to do with me? I may not do it, but that doesn't mean I won't think about them from the worst possible perspective. Isn't this the benefit of a rich historical background? Roland can find prototypes for any conspiracy or trickery!

"So they only have two choices: either deny Aragorn's bloodline and kill him on the spot, or obediently relinquish the throne! The balance of power isn't so easy to maintain!" Roland glanced at Caslow. The reason Lagrange could be so unrestrained was because everyone was related, sharing the same bloodline. Those vying for the throne were either already in high positions as pillars of the state (the two fists of the empire), or they enjoyed almost all the rights the emperor had in their fiefdoms (the Grand Dukes and Electors)! Conversely, everyone hoped for a simple royal to sit in that position and share the spoils. After all, what bad intentions could the "General Who Conquers the North" have? He was just a bit reckless...

However, Gondor is clearly not in this category at present. The Regent's family and the royal family have been separated for eight hundred years and have long been estranged. It is only because the Regents have valued their oaths that they have been able to sit on the throne long ago!

“So…” Caslo frowned.

“Whether Denethor II wants to fight or not, we must fight for him! Gondor is the front line against Mordor, and a unified empire in the West is not what we want to see! So he is destined to be King of Arnor, and Gondor and Arnor cannot be one…” Roland said something that even he himself was afraid of. Politics is cold-blooded, and he was surprised that he had become like this.

“I understand, Your Majesty!” Caslo frowned slightly, but showed no other emotion. After all, he was just surprised that these words came from the mouth of a “brute” rather than from the mouth of the Swift Hand.

Don't get me wrong, Caslo is not some saint. His kindness and protection are only open to the Lagranges. Do you think he doesn't know where the vast land of the Lagrange Empire came from?

I'm back! Please vote and tip!