Imperial Crown.

Chapter 452: Overly Cautious
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Chapter 475: Overly Cautious

"Nonsense!" Baldwin shouted, "Hume, Lord Raven is a great earl, and now he is leading his army to attack the Orc Empire. How could he play this kind of duel game with you?"

Then he turned to Raven and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Raven, I usually indulge this child too much. Please don't mind it."

Raven glanced at Baldwin, then at Hume who clearly didn't want to give up. "It's good for young people to be aggressive. I'm a mage after all, and I haven't been feeling well lately..."

"Let's do this, Beta!"

Hearing Raven's call, Beta quickly stood up: "Sir!"

Raven said, "This is Beta, the son of Baron Kate of Snow Maple County in Nord Province. He is currently training under my command."

"Let him replace me as Sir Hume's opponent."

Hume raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, looked at Beta, and pouted, "Tsk..."

He is 23 years old this year, and that Beta looks about the same age as him. This must be the reason why Earl Raven chose this Beta.

But Earl Raven really looks down on me too much!
Hume was born into a marquisate. All the people who taught him since he was a child were the most famous and outstanding mercenaries invited from Cartier. The "Invincible Golden Lion", "One-armed Dragon Hunter Sword Saint", "Kill Three Bears with One Roar" and other famous people were his teachers.

Now at the age of 23, he has already reached the edge of level 3 and has become the most accomplished genius in the entire Mantailide Province.

On the other hand, Beta, a mere descendant of a baron, has no qualifications to be compared with himself.

"Well, since Lord Raven said so, then I agree." Hume snorted and said to Raven:

"But if I defeat him, you, Lord Earl, will still have to fight me!"

Baldwin's face turned ugly. Just as he was about to continue scolding, he heard Raven say:

"Wait until you defeat Beta first."

Martial arts competitions were originally a very common part of the imperial nobles' cocktail parties, so the venue was not changed.

The center of the hall was cleared, and Hume and Beta each put on armor and weapons and stood in the center of the venue.

Beta looked at the marquis's son.

His face was quite handsome, with red lips and white teeth. There was a small petal-like birthmark under his left eye, which made his face look somewhat charming.

"Your name is... Beta, right?" Hume raised his chin. "You dare to stand in front of me. I should praise your loyalty to Earl Raven, but you should keep your life and shine in the territory of the Orc Empire instead of dying under my sword."

"It's not too late to admit defeat and surrender now."

At first, Beta didn't take Hume's posture seriously because of his slack stance, but after hearing what he said, he immediately became alert.

Yes, this is the province of Mantailide after all, the border between the Empire and the Orcs, and frictions of all sizes have never ceased. Young people who grow up in such an environment should not be underestimated.

This reminded Beta of Akori, who once shone brightly in the Nord province, and who also grew up on the orc border.

"Just attack with all your might." Beta slowly drew out his sword: "As a soldier of the Earl, the word surrender is not in my dictionary."

"Good! Only people like this are worthy of being Earl Raven's subordinate." Hume also drew out his sword, held the hilt with both hands, hung it on the right side of his body, and made a standard upper sword posture. Then, surging fighting spirit burst out in his body, and the whole person rushed towards Beta like a mad bull!

Beta frowned.

He had guessed that Hume must be no ordinary person, but this move still caught him by surprise.

Hume behaved like a rookie who had never been on the battlefield, full of flaws!

This made Beta not know where to start for a moment, because in his opinion, if he made these flaws, they would all be traps.

Especially since Hume was still hiding his fighting spirit at this time, Beta was even more hesitant to take risks.

Seeing that Hume, who was covered in fighting spirit, was about to rush in front of him, Beta stepped forward with his feet to avoid the forward attack.

"Good skill!"

Hume praised, half-turned his body, turned around and slashed at Beta's waist with a sword.

Beta had no choice but to retreat again.

Hume turned around completely and launched an extremely crazy attack.

For a moment, Beta was completely suppressed!
Cold sweat dripped from Beta's forehead.

It was the first time he saw an enemy like Hume. The surging fighting spirit on his body formed a piece of armor, as if he had endless fighting spirit in his body; his attacks were extremely fierce, and there were at least 3 or 4 flaws left.

This must be a deliberate loophole. Beta himself can deduce that if he counterattacks based on this loophole, he will definitely be met with an extremely fierce counterattack!
It's okay for one attack, but it's the same for every attack. This is not a skill that can be mastered without actual combat.

"The Marquis family is indeed very profound!"

If you continue like this, you will lose sooner or later.

But since I am Lord Raven's subordinate, I cannot draw my sword even if I lose!
So facing Hume's bull-horn stab with his hands at his sides and the blade heading straight for his throat, Beta stepped firmly on the ground, transferred the power along his legs to his waist, and then from his waist to his shoulders, and slapped the sword spine of Hume's long sword from left to right.

Beta is already prepared. After this sword strike, Hume's best response is to ignore his attack and go straight for the throat. This is when both sides will compete in strength and fighting spirit!
After his fighting spirit was condensed, Beta was waiting to have a head-on fight with Hume to decide the winner.

However, at the moment when Beta's sword touched the spine of Hume's sword, there was a crisp sound, and Hume's sword slipped out of his hand, turned a few circles in the air, and then nailed into the ground with a bang!

The sword in Beta's hand was already placed at Hume's throat.

The judge next to him shouted, "Beta wins!"

Beta was stunned.

This... Hume, is he so weak?

After all this time, it turns out that he didn't reveal so many flaws on purpose, but he was full of flaws to begin with, and he doesn't know how to fight at all?!
Oops……

Beta swallowed secretly.

If he had known Hume was so weak, he would never have chosen this way of fighting!
Even though Beta was thinking a lot before, in fact, from the outside, it seemed that Hume was defeated by Beta in the second after the two sides had fought for less than 10 seconds.

In Baldwin's home court, he was causing big trouble by not giving his son any face!

Sheathing his sword, Beta turned to Raven and said, "Sir, I..."

I didn't know what to say for a moment.

If you take credit for it, that would be a slap in Baldwin's face; if you are modest, that would be the same.

"I, I lost?!" Hume looked at his hands in disbelief, his voice trembling: "I, I actually lost!!!"

As he said that, he suddenly raised his head and strode towards Raven!
Are you going to attack the Earl out of anger?

Beta was startled and tried to stop him, but before he could unsheathe his sword, he heard a thud and Hume knelt down in front of Raven.

"Lord Raven! Today I realized how arrogant I was before."

"Please allow me to join the Eagle Army and follow you to attack the Orc Empire!"

Raven didn't understand the boy's train of thought.

He was ready to challenge me before, but now he has been defeated by Beta. Why has he become so submissive again?

He turned to look at Baldwin in confusion, hoping that Baldwin could stop him a little.

Unexpectedly, Baldwin smiled and said, "Lord Raven, just agree to his request."

Looking at Hume and then at Baldwin, Raven was a little confused:
"My Lord Marquis, what is going on?"

……

Chapter 476: Brother, let’s get some treatment.

The political ecology is often influenced by geopolitical factors.

As an important grain-producing area of ​​the empire, the province of Mantailide ranks among the top in the empire in terms of economy and population, and is extremely prosperous.

On the other hand, as a border province directly adjacent to the Orc Empire, Mangtelid is also the front line against the Orc Empire.

Whenever the Orc Empire encountered any natural or man-made disasters, there would always be a large number of orcs crossing the border and attacking Mangtali, killing all living things they could see and taking away everything they could.

This history has been more than 1000 years old.

Thousands of years of accumulated blood feuds have filled the province of Mangtelid with deep hatred for the orcs, from serfs to commoners, and from commoners to nobles.

And Raven is the only inland noble of the Keynes Empire who has actively wanted to attack the orcs in hundreds of years.

Therefore, Raven's arrival was warmly welcomed by local residents.

"We Mangtailid people admire the strong the most. Whoever can gain merit on the battlefield is a true hero!" Baldwin said:
"Looking at the entire empire, who else besides you, Earl Raven, deserves the title of 'hero'?"

“So, I sincerely admire you.”

Raven nodded slowly.

Over the past few years, he grew from a baron to an earl, and along the way he was constantly intrigued by intrigues. The nobles he met were either plotting against him or being plotted against by him.

In other words, the former Viscount John was a special case.

So when faced with Baldwin's warm welcome, Raven was instinctively wary.

But he forgot that people are all different. There are nobles who will do anything to gain power, and there are also kind-hearted nobles like Baldwin.

For a moment, Raven's face felt a little hot.

Fortunately, there has been no substantive action yet, otherwise he would be too defensive and be regarded as a villain in vain. Sincerity is the best killer move.

"But to be honest, it's not me who admires you the most, but him." Baldwin pointed at Hume and said, "As early as when the news came out that you were going to attack the Orc Empire, this kid wanted to join your team, but was afraid that you would not accept him."

"So, I also had some selfish motives today." Baldwin scratched his chin, a little embarrassed: "I prepared this banquet just to make you agree to him."

"That's not a problem." Raven glanced at Hume and hesitated: "But as far as I know, you only have this one child, right?"

"War is dangerous, I know that." Baldwin smiled bitterly, "But who made me have a son in my old age? I spoiled him since he was young. Even a dragon can't stop him from doing what he wants to do."

"If I stop him, he might quietly follow your team and it will be even more troublesome."

Raven nodded. "It would be unkind of me not to agree to this."

Hume looked up in surprise: "My Lord Earl, so, I can join the Eagle Army?"

"Yes, pack up and report to the military camp tomorrow." Raven said.

Hume jumped up excitedly from the ground: "My Lord Earl, I will never let you regret your decision today!"

"You don't look serious." Baldwin cursed with a smile, and then said to Raven: "You can stay for a while. Since we are going to conquer the Orc Empire, I have some weapons specifically designed for them, which are just right for you."

Raven said, "Then thank you for your concern."

The banquet continued, and both the guests and the hosts had a great time.

For the next period of time, the Eagle Army continued to be stationed outside Hongyan City, receiving various supplies and weapons from Marquis Baldwin, and trying to practice and familiarize themselves with them, so as to avoid not knowing how to use them on the battlefield.

Everyone knew that they would be entering the Orc Empire next, and the Eagle Army was full of anticipation and vigor for the war. The officers and soldiers who had been given leave were also enjoying their final indulgence.

After all, now that we have entered the Orc Empire, we don’t know when we will see our fellow Orcs again.

But Hervey was in a rather unhappy mood.

As Lamb's old friend and Thor's good comrade-in-arms, this young man with a face full of steel-needle beard once participated in the Eivor War and the expedition to the Mountain Territory. As a result, he became one of the 6 battalion commanders of the Eagle Army's 10th Legion.

"Hey, why are you drinking here alone?" The gray dwarf Pinard jumped over and sat down opposite Hervey. "We are about to enter the territory of the Orc Empire. Are you scared?"

"Afraid? I am afraid." Hervey put his wine glass on the table and said unhappily, "I'm afraid that I won't get enough military merits!"

"I don't know what the Earl is thinking. A playboy like Hume should be recruited into the personal guards and kept as a petty official, or he should be given a civilian position and allowed to help Hu Xia."

"Why do you have to put it in my hands?"

Ping Erde turned around and ordered a bottle of wine, bit the cork open with his teeth, and said with a smile: "You can't do this? Use some tricks!"

"That boy has delicate skin and looks like a woman. If we train him hard for a few days, won't he beg to leave?"

"You think I haven't tried it?" Hervey rolled his eyes at Pingerde. "It's been six days now. I have trained this kid hard for six days. The amount of training is more than those veterans of the 6st Legion. He is now qualified as a scout."

"I was ready to kick him out even if the Earl scolded me."

"In the end, that kid actually managed to pull it off!"

Ping Erde was a little surprised: "Oh, that's quite a skill."

As he spoke, his eyes rolled around, he leaned over and whispered, "If you can't drive him away with conventional means, you can use other methods. Do you want me to tell you something?"

"I guarantee that the methods used in the Underdark have never been seen by people on earth."

He Wei was slightly moved after hearing this, but immediately shook his head: "...Forget it, everyone was a recruit. If he can't make it and leaves on his own, it's not my fault. But if he uses those shady means, it will really be my fault."

"I'm not a good person, but I really can't do this kind of thing, to shoot a sneak attack on my own people!"

After hearing this, Ping Erde stopped insisting and took another sip of wine: "What about today? You didn't scold him?"

"How is that possible? I asked him to stay in the camp this morning and he was not allowed to leave without my order." Hervey chuckled, "It's a sunny day today and there's no wind at all. He definitely can't hold on."

"You are the bad one!" Ping Erde pointed at Hervey and said, "Then today, let's have a good drink together, and wish you get rid of that burden?"

"Okay, drink!"

Hervey and Pingold were also evenly matched and their generals met each other in talent. They drank from morning to evening, and then they opened their collars, held their coats, and walked side by side towards the military camp.

"Burp!" Ping Erde burped. "Hervey, your soldiers are disobedient. Why are there still some hanging clothes on the playground?"

"Hanging clothes... ? Who, who dares? I'll break his legs!" Hervey waved his hand and looked towards the center of the playground.

Under the setting sun, there really was a shadowy figure standing there.

Is there really anyone who dares to do this?
He walked forward with a lot of anger, but when he saw the figure clearly, Hervey was suddenly shocked.

It's Hume.

Wearing a set of leather training armor, he stood there straight, with his heels together, toes facing outward, and his hands pressed against his thighs.

The originally fair face was now tanned red, obviously sunburned; the originally rosy lips were now covered with white dead skin, and there were a lot of white salt stains on the linen clothes.

"This kid, has he really been standing here for a whole day?" Hervey shook his head.

"It doesn't look fake." Pinger said: "Hervey, I think this is also a good seedling."

Hervey nodded and walked over to Hume. "Okay, that's enough for today. You can rest now."

As he said this, he patted Hume on the shoulder.

Hume fell backwards.

"Fainted!?" Hervey sobered up instantly.

It is one thing to practice Hume, but it would be hard to explain if something went wrong.

"Give me a hand!" Hervey called to Pingel, carried the man to the shed next to him, picked up the kettle, pried open Hume's mouth and poured water into it.

But the water just kept flowing out and not a single drop could go in.

"Don't waste your energy. This kid has passed out." Ping Erde hugged his shoulders and said, "You have to make him regain consciousness first. Didn't the adults teach you? Call, call..."

"Artificial respiration!"

Under normal circumstances, Hervey would never agree to this.

But he had drunk quite a bit of wine, and was worried that something might have happened to Hume. His mind was fuzzy, so he suppressed his resistance, pinched Hume's mouth open, and lowered his head to move closer.

The two pairs of lips were about to touch.

"Hmm...ah!" Hume suddenly opened his eyes and shouted hoarsely: "Water!"

Hervey straightened up like a spring.

Pingeld smacked his lips in boredom - there was no fun to watch!

Hume gulped down four large glasses of water in a row, then wiped his lips and came back to life: "Huh... Lord Hervey, am I qualified?"

"Qualified, very qualified!" Hervey nodded, and was a little worried about Hume's condition: "How do you feel now? Are you dizzy?"

"I was very dizzy before, but now I'm fine..." Hume said, "By the way, we need to call an alchemist."

Hervey was stunned. "Why are you calling an alchemist? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

"I'm fine." Hume frowned, "I just smelled a foul odor in a daze, and I couldn't stand it, so I woke up."

"That's the smell of a boil bursting on the rump of one of my favorite war horses."

"Someone in our team must have a rotten butt!"

Deng Deng Deng Deng...

The kettle on the table suddenly jumped up.

Pinard covered his mouth, his shoulders twitching and his body shaking, making the whole table shake, and his eyes drifted towards Hervey.

Hume followed his gaze and looked at Hervey: "Sir, you..."

"It's not me!" Hervey stood up and coughed. "You must have had a nightmare while you were unconscious. Go back to your tent and rest!"

Hume didn't understand what was going on, but he was really tired, so he bowed and said goodbye after hearing what was said.

Pinger really couldn't help it. He pointed at Hervey's mouth:
"Brother, treat him!"

Then he left with his shoulders twitching, muttering:

"Rotten ass... poof!"

"Is it that smelly?" Hervey glared at Pindler's back, clenched his palm, blew a breath into his palm, and sniffed hard -

"啕——"

Hervey didn't sleep well that night.

However, starting from the next day, he no longer treated Hume differently and really began to train Hume.

Time passes day by day.

On September 9, the Eagle Army broke camp and entered the Miracle Mountains.

The Orc Empire is right before our eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)