Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

God knows what she went through before. Just as that person said, she fell into the hands of a pack of hungry wolves who would tear her apart like a rag doll.

"No...don't do this!" Thibault cried out in despair, struggling on the ground.

And just as he began to emerge from his cocoon, someone else appeared.

He stomped on Thibault's kneecap and crushed it. Thibault screamed in agony, looking almost unrecognizable, and the people around him burst into laughter.

"It's so melodious! I love hearing these young noblemen scream!" someone shrieked.

"Kill him! Kill him! I want to taste the flesh of nobles! Is it really that sweet!"

"We're not here to play torture games with you." Amidst the maniacal laughter, a cold voice slowly rang out. His voice was like the chill of early morning air, instantly dispelling all the madness in the room. His voice didn't belong here; it belonged to the mountains, isolated from the laughter.

That was the man who had been riding next to Dominic. He was dressed similarly to the others, but his demeanor was completely different. He was enormous, with blue eyes, and riding a warhorse, he looked like a giant.

If you look closely, you'll find people with similar expressions mixed in with the dark mass of soldiers. They don't laugh, but just stare coldly at Thibault, like solid ice standing in the blazing heat, making them even more terrifying.

“Of course, I have my reasons for doing this, Lord Tomash. We are all doing this for a greater and more noble purpose.” The man known as the King of the Mountain gave the other man an elegant bow.

"Bring his horse over, put our young master on it, and let Young Master Thibault give a letter to those young masters and ladies," Dominic said with a sneer.

"Just say it, the King of the Mountains has arrived!"

*

The procession leaving Lister City resembled a grand ceremonial guard composed of knights, princesses, ladies, servants, and attendants, surging out of the city gates. The procession numbered over two hundred, comprised of nobles, their squires, and the knights protecting them.

Besides the luxurious carriages, the honor guard also carried several flags on their heads, embroidered with their family crests. It seemed they weren't on their way, but rather in a procession, as if they wanted everyone to know their identities.

Hearing that they might encounter bandits on the road, the group of young knights in their twenties were very excited. Although they came from wealthy families and were nobles in Asgard, most of them had received orthodox knightly training, and some of them even possessed blessings. They were still very excited.

Especially in front of the girls, in this procession leaving the city, besides the knights and young masters, there were mostly noble ladies, including even the daughters of dukes. In such a procession, how could these young men from noble families not show off?

A cheer erupted from beneath the nobles' banners.

A whistling arrow struck a running rabbit from a distance of a hundred meters. The knight on his sturdy horse circled around and lifted the rabbit above his head. For the knight on horseback, a hundred meters was just a round trip. He owned a sturdy horse, and his riding skills were superb, but his archery skills were even more outstanding.

Even in the army, such skill in shooting a rabbit from a hundred paces away was exceptional, let alone for a superhuman like him. The bow and arrow were his blessing, and the nobles naturally cheered when they saw him.

For the past month, they had been showcasing their cultural refinement and artistic talents at the resort town of Lister. Now, upon leaving the city and hearing of bandits outside, they felt a surge of responsibility as knights to protect the ladies. Thus, they excitedly displayed their extraordinary strength along the way, and their conversation revolved around how to deal with the bandits they might encounter and what they would do if they did.

None of these boys in their twenties wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the girls; they were all vying to show off their bravery.

"If I were to encounter them, this arrow of mine could hit a bandit in the eye from two hundred meters away," the nobleman who had shot the rabbit said proudly.

“If we encounter bandits, I will have their leader fight me one-on-one. If I can knock him off his horse within three rounds, the bandits will be afraid and flee in a mob,” another nobleman said proudly.

"You don't even need to make a move. As long as they see our flag from afar, those bandits will be too scared to come near. We've only ever heard of bandits hijacking merchants and trains, but we've never heard of them daring to hijack nobles. They're just a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong. We have real superhumans and knights here. They'll run away as soon as they see our flag," another young master said loudly.

What he said made sense. Although bandits occasionally raided near Lister, they were only after money. Most of the time they preferred to hijack merchants and trains, and occasionally ordinary people. But no bandit group had ever dared to provoke a fully armed knight, since they were not an army.

Moreover, many of them were extraordinary individuals, so although they discussed the topic of bandits intensely, most of them treated it as just a topic of conversation and did not feel that they would actually encounter danger.

"not to mention……"

Some nobles looked at the knights who remained on the outermost edge of the procession, warily watching their surroundings.

In fact, they are the defensive force of this noble team.

Judging from the status and position of these nobles alone, they are indeed not to be underestimated. As nobles and scions of prominent families in Lucerne, many of their surnames are well-known in Lucerne and even throughout the New World. Moreover, there is a duke's daughter in this group, so how could they not have guards?

This team's defenses were almost equivalent to a small army. They were equipped with scouts to explore ahead and knights to guard the flanks and patrol the area. Moreover, their guide was Lord Dylan of Lister, who was a local tyrant in Lister. Who would dare to make things difficult for them?

Dylan led them out of the city to Levante, taking the safest route. In fact, their final route was decided after several discussions, and with their militarized defenses, it was almost impossible for them to encounter any danger.

As one of the nobles arrogantly remarked, bandits would flee in terror at the mere sight of their banners, and if they were unlucky enough to be caught, they would be in serious trouble.

"But we can't let our guard down; safety should always be the top priority."

There were also timid conservatives in this group. A young master, riding a white horse, looked around nervously, standing out from the other young knights and drawing boos from those around him.

But there were also rational people who relied not only on the militarized guard of knights and scouts, but also on the knight who always stayed by Carol's side, a man of few words who only occasionally showed a kind smile.

Damian Joffard, a knight-errant to Duke Augustine, was assigned by Duke Augustine to protect Carol's safety.

This man, who looks to be in his thirties and has a stubble beard, was once a member of the Blazing White Knights!

Some knew that this true knight was the team's real reliance. With a dignified Blazing White Knight by their side, they could handle not only bandits but also armies.

However, although Damian is the Blazing White Knight, he is ultimately a squire, and people are most concerned about the other person in the group.

He was a man like a prince on a white horse, with beautiful blond hair, wearing a golden robe, carrying a sword, and exuding an extraordinary and dignified air.

That was Valéry. Unlike those who boasted and clamored about themselves, Valéry was very low-key. But those who knew him well knew that he was also a lion, only he hid his pride in his bones and didn't flaunt it. And he had the right to be proud.

Valery's father was the Marquis of Maurice, and Valery came from a distinguished family, but he always kept a low profile. It wasn't until he was 19 that people learned he had joined the Order of the Omniscient Knights as a trainee knight and would have the opportunity to become a real Omniscient Knight in the future!

Some say that someone who can join the Omniscient Knights at the age of twenty might one day become one of the top ten Omniscient Knights.

Chapter 31 Besieged on All Sides

Despite being admired by many, Valéry remained a relatively quiet figure in the crowd.

His gaze occasionally drifted in Carol's direction, but he wasn't looking at Carol; he was looking at Damian.

In Lister, Valery had seen Damian train, wielding a long spear.

Valery himself was a master of spear wielding, able to wield a spear as tall as himself with incredible skill. Upon seeing this, Valery was immediately inspired to compete and tried to wield the spear as well. However, he found that the spear used for training was extremely heavy, and even as a superhuman, he found it difficult to wield. But in Damian's hands, the spear was as light as a white ribbon.

From that moment on, Valery knew that this was the true strength of the knights of the three great knightly orders, and that he was still far from being as powerful as them.

"Stop! There's a river ahead!"

Someone shouted from the front, and the procession stopped. This was their pre-planned route: cross the river, then pass through the valley, and they would reach the Levant.

"Should we wait for them here?" someone suggested.

Before they left, Thibault and a few others were drinking at the hotel. They said they would follow, but they haven't been seen yet.

The distance from Lister to Levante wasn't far, and it wouldn't be a problem for someone to travel alone. So Thibault and his companions put their luggage on the main group's wagons in advance, while they traveled light, riding only a few white horses, making a shrewd plan.

“We’ll cross the river first, and they can come along our route. We don’t need to wait for them.”

"No need, I see they're catching up."

Some people began to look in the direction of the sound and sure enough, they saw a black horse galloping from the west. Some people were puzzled by the direction of the black horse. Lister was clearly behind them, so how could the horse come from the side?

"What are Thibault and his crew up to?"

The more they looked, the more something seemed off. The person on horseback was indeed Thibault, but strangely, he was alone, and his riding posture was odd.

"Tibert, after drinking, you can't even ride a horse anymore? Where are Mary and the others? Why aren't they with you?" someone shouted at Tibert.

People finally realized that Thibault was acting strangely. Thibault didn't rein in his horse at all. As soon as he rushed into the group, he looked at the people in the group with fear. Everyone in the group saw the look of terror on his face. In an instant, a sense of unease spread through the group.

"What happened?" Valery realized something was wrong.

"Mary, Mary has been captured!"

"They've been caught?"

Valery, who had been at the front of the group, was startled and turned his horse around to stand in front of Thibault.

“The King of the Mountain, the King of the Mountain! He captured Mary and killed Guy and Josué! They’re going to kill us too! They have an army!” Thibault’s voice was thick with sobs.

"Guy and Josué were killed?!" The woman covered her mouth in surprise.

"Mary's been arrested?!"

"Who is the King of the Mountains?" Valéry asked.

"He's more of a bandit king than a king of the mountains," explained Damian, who was familiar with the area.

"Because of the terrain, the banditry in Lister has never been eradicated. The so-called King of the Mountain is the leader of a large band of bandits in Lister. He integrated the bandits in the mountains near Lister and became a force to be reckoned with. But when Lucette began to suppress the bandits, the King of the Mountain's power was wiped out. I didn't expect him to reappear now."

"Is banditry really coming?" someone said uneasily.

People looked up and were surprised to find that the sky had fallen so low, with dark clouds gathering quietly overhead and an ominous atmosphere filling the air. At that moment, they turned their horses around and saw a line of mixed colors appear on the once flat desert. At first, they thought it was a cloud, but soon they heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves.

Damian turned his horse around and came to a nearby, higher, gentle slope, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

A group of people actually gathered together, stretching as a line on the horizon. Looking into the distance, they were undoubtedly bandits, wearing wool and leather coats and tattered cloaks of various colors. The best-equipped among them were only wearing a layer of black ring armor. Many of them were not skilled warriors; they were undoubtedly just a rabble.

But they rode warhorses, carrying weapons and bows and crossbows. In addition to their warhorses, they were also dragging heavy black weapons behind them. Although Lusset was also a major weapons-producing country, everyone in the New World knew that the best weapons must come from Florian.

That was a kingdom of artisans who worshipped the god of artisans. They were born to forge weapons, and looking at those weapons that shone with a black luster as if coated with raw lacquer, Damian even suspected that their weapons were made by Florian.

But what was even more terrifying was the ferocity emanating from these bandits. They looked at them as if they were sheep. When they looked at the men, their faces revealed violence; when they looked at the women, their faces revealed greed. This gaze made everyone in the group feel like they had become sheep.

“Go and call Miss Carol,” Damian said calmly, but his tone carried an undeniable authority, as if he had transformed back into the Blazing White Knight.

Carol had noticed the unusual activity outside the convoy long ago, and when she saw the densely packed bandits lurking in the distance, her expression changed.

“What’s going on…who are they…” Carol said anxiously.

“Most of them are just thugs, but the real problem isn’t them; there are some really dangerous people mixed in with the thugs,” Damian said.

He tried to explain to Carol in simple terms: "Although these people are disguised as bandits, their demeanor still gives them away."

"Among that bandit group were real soldiers and knights. The bandits were the skin and flesh of that army, while the soldiers and knights hidden among them were the skeleton of the army."

“Why would knights attack us… Could they be my father’s political enemies?” Carol asked.

Damian shook his head: "Even the most powerful nobles would not openly send their army to fight here. If I'm not mistaken, they are knights from an enemy country."

"An enemy country?"

Damian nodded: "We don't know which country they are from yet. What I'm worried about is that they might have elites like the Lion King mixed in. If that's the case... I can only do my best to ensure Miss Carol's safety..."

"How could this happen... Why did they ambush us..."

Carol turned pale. The news sounded too unbelievable. They had encountered an enemy mixed with troops from another country in central Lucerne, and these people were actually going to charge at them.

Damian also thought a lot, including military operations and politics, all sorts of conspiracies and schemes.

Based on his experiences in the Blazing White Knights and the news he'd recently heard, the conflicts between nations were already an open secret, and the deployment of troops abroad was a frequent occurrence; they were just waiting for an opportunity to openly break off relations.

At this critical juncture, it is entirely possible that an army could appear in Lusset and launch an attack on the nobles of Asgard.

Damian's level was not high enough, and he didn't know enough to understand the real reason behind it.

But he knew that the enemy he faced was no small matter, even more terrifying than a real army. Since Lusset could not prove that they were soldiers, they did not need to care about international opinion. They could simply blame everything on bandits and act with impunity.

The most terrifying kind of enemy is one that possesses the organization and discipline of an army, yet retains the bloodlust and cruelty of bandits. Can you imagine a group of bandits who have committed countless atrocities suddenly gaining immense power? They would bring disaster to the world.

If these noble sons and daughters were to fall into their hands, the consequences would be unimaginable, even worse than death. They are a group of beings who have crossed the line of human depravity.