I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 175 The Bewildered Talion

Soon, the spot Talion had chosen was filled with the Rodel Legion, and there wasn't enough room for more people to stand. As the portal continued to flash, people began to move outwards.

Although the area was somewhat cramped compared to the spacious streets of the Royal City of Rodel, the soldiers of the Rodel Legion did not scatter. Instead, they strictly followed the commands of the individual Rodel Knights, changing formations and setting up their battle array in a disciplined manner.

Tanes gave Talion a reassuring look and said, "I'll temporarily send an elite thousand-strong legion from the Golden Tree to support us. Now you don't have to worry about the safety of the Black Gate."

Talion looked at the Rodel soldiers before him, who made no sound except for the clatter of their armor and weapons as they walked. He took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, a relieved expression on his face: "Even if you sent a hundred men, let alone a thousand-man legion, it would relieve a lot of our pressure."

Upon hearing this, Tanes raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Is the Black Gate already this tense? Could it be that the Ringwraiths are leading those Orks?"

Talion shook his head, a bitter smile and a sorrowful expression on his face: "No, ever since you confronted Sauron, the Ringwraiths have disappeared, as if they've vanished. The Orks, however, have gone mad, attacking the Black Gate day and night. Although those rabble aren't particularly strong, their sheer numbers make up for it. The number of Rangers guarding the Black Gate is already small, and with so many areas to defend, our lines have been stretched thin and weakened. Initially, we weren't familiar with the Orks' new offensive rhythm and lost many of our comrades. Later, although we became more familiar, we lacked reinforcements, and my comrades continued to fall during the defense… If it weren't for the ample supplies of arrows, oil, and other provisions sent from Gondor, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold out until you arrived."

After listening, Tanes observed a few seconds of silence for the fallen rangers of Talion, then patted the other man on the shoulder: "As for Gondor, when I met with the Regent, I tried to persuade him to send some soldiers to help the rangers guard the Black Gate, but he refused."

Talion sighed helplessly, forcing himself to stay alert, and said, "I know, Dehel told me about it. No one can be blamed for this. I know about Gondor's situation too. As the Regent said, they are already struggling to defend against the dark forces from other directions. Even so, the Regent has been very generous in providing the Black Gate with a large amount of supplies, and the supplies he has provided are of the highest quality without any corner-cutting, which speaks volumes about his attitude."

Tanes asked curiously, "Why is Gondor the only nation resisting the dark forces that keep trying to invade? What are the other human nations doing?"

Before Talion could speak, Bernal's voice came from in front of them: "What else can we be doing but hiding under the giant Gondor for warmth? Besides, I don't think the Gondor Regent would want to entrust the defense of his country's borders to someone he doesn't trust. There are also a lot of political factors involved, such as how many soldiers other countries should send each year, whether to send elite soldiers or just filler, how much money Gondor will have to spend on this each year, and whether they will take advantage of the country's weak military to invade. In short, just thinking about it is incredibly troublesome."

Talion first gave Bernal a chivalrous salute, then looked at Tanes, trying to get his name from him.

Tanes understood Talion's meaning, and while introducing Bernal to Talion, he also called over Egon and Millison and introduced them to him as well.

Upon hearing their names, Talion's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked excitedly, "[Sword Demon] Bernal, [Sharpshooter] Egon, and [Sword Maiden] Millison, are you three gentlemen who participated in that epic dragon-slaying battle not long ago?"

Tanes blinked in confusion, looked at Bernal and the other two, and asked, "When did you three start using the names he used?"

Bernal sighed, rubbing his forehead. Millison looked at Tanes with some confusion. Only Egon laughed and said, "Haha, it was all those dwarves who gave us that name! Thorin said that to commemorate our journey to Lonely Mountain, he commissioned a bard to write a poem about us. Later, the elves heard it and gave it some artistic embellishment, and that's how our title came about."

Talion nodded admiringly in agreement with Egon, saying, "I did hear your stories in their entirety from the bards. Lord Bernard, who single-handedly fought against several Ringwraiths and even killed them; Lord Egon, whose aim was impeccable; and Lady Millison, who wielded her longsword with the grace of a dancer. I have always admired heroes like you, and I never expected to meet you all here."

He then revealed a completely relieved expression and said, "I didn't expect Tanes to invite the three of you to come and support the Black Gate. Now we don't have to worry about what those Orc scum will do to the Black Gate anymore." Tanes smiled and nodded; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

He originally wanted to summon one or two more Knights of the Round Table from the royal city of Rodel, but then he thought that the friends he summoned were not famous in this world. Although the possibility of them helping was very small, there would still be people who would be dissatisfied.

To avoid such a low-probability event, Tanes prioritized choosing Bernal and his two companions, who had gained fame after the Battle of Lonely Hill.

Of course, the more famous general in the Battle of Lonely Hill was General Ratan, who single-handedly defeated and killed Smaug. However, Thanes needed Ratan in his territory for emergencies, which is why he did not choose Ratan as the supporter this time.

With the demigod Ratan in charge, Tanes was able to leave the Golden Tree territory for so long with peace of mind.

However, after Talion finished his lament, Tanes still told Talion the original names of Bernard and the other two at the border, and told them not to call them by those strange names anymore.

But this also caused Talion new confusion.

Egon and Millison's titles were fine, but Bernal's title of "quasi-king" put Talion in a difficult position.

Because he clearly remembered that the Golden Tree Territory currently had only one king, Tanes. Could this "quasi-king" mean that His Excellency Bernal had the idea of ​​usurping Tanes' throne?
Then Talion glanced at Tanes and Bernal, who were exchanging smiles, and saw that they didn't look like a king and a usurper, which made him even more puzzled.

Tanes and Bernal both noticed Talion's confusion, and the former helped explain: "In my homeland, only the strongest can become king, and the title of 'quasi-king' is awarded to those who have had the opportunity to become king. This title symbolizes that their personal strength is close to that of a king, hence the name 'quasi-king'."

Bernal shrugged at this point: "That's the gist of it. Let whoever wants that damn position sit there. I'm too lazy to compete with Tanes for it, seeing how busy he is every day. Besides, I didn't accept the title of 'quasi-king' in the first place because I wanted to become king... Lord Talion, it seems your people have something urgent to discuss with you."

Before he could finish speaking, a young man who looked similar to Talion rushed over anxiously, and was startled when he saw the golden Rodel Legion.

Talion saw his son, Dehail, approach and asked, "What's wrong, Dehail?"

After catching his breath, Dehail replied, "Ork has started attacking again."

Upon hearing Dijel's words, Tanes and Bernal exchanged a knowing glance, knowing that Rodel's army would soon have work to do.

(End of this chapter)