Wearing black silk for a foreign woman

"Yes, I saw them leave with my own eyes."

"How much food is left?"

"I don't know, but if I save some food, it should last for five or six days, right?"

A group of knights from Batoran occupied the ruins of the Holy Empire's Velo Colony.

There were originally nearly a thousand people here, but in a very short time, all the civilians were driven away by the knights because there was not enough food.

Most of the food was stored on the grain transport ship and was not transported down. Then it was directly attacked and only a small amount of food was left in the camp. This amount of food was obviously not enough to feed the hundreds of mouths in the camp, so the nobles headed by Ji Yang IX made a move that was completely in line with the nobility.

The extra people were driven away from the camp and expelled to the primeval forest of Aiwozhen Island, becoming refugees again. As for whether the refugees could survive in the primeval forest, that was not a problem for the nobles to consider.

The nobles have the obligation to protect their subjects, but in reality not many nobles can really do this, and Jiyang IX's expulsion behavior is justified. They have not fulfilled their obligations to their subjects, so they have no responsibility to protect them.

"Anyway, they are refugees. I have already mercifully given them a chance, but since they can't catch them, it's not my fault." After expelling all the generals and civilians, Ji Yang IX said as a matter of course.

Except for King Guiyang IX, all the knights who accompanied him did not show any opposition to this practice, and they all thought it was natural. After all the civilians were expelled, there were still 200 professional soldiers left in the city of Vickro.

"How long can our food last?" After expelling the last wave of civilians, Jiyang IX asked his quartermaster.

"If we save a little, it should be enough to last for a week." The quartermaster thought for a moment and then took out the remaining food reserves.

"Can it last another week?" Ji Yang IX nodded.

"What should we do next? Do we need to go back for help?" asked Fred, the older brother of the Holy Grail Knights.

Even though the boat was gone, Fred still found a way to cross the ocean to seek help. He just relied on his superhuman physique to swim back.

"Ask for help!" Jiyang IX immediately said excitedly. "No! Absolutely not! I have already promised in front of my father and the king! Before I find the Holy Grail! I will never go back!"

"Face the difficulties! A knight must not retreat! Face the difficulties with a smile! Overcome the difficulties!"

This was not the first time that Fred had proposed asking for help. Every time when there was a shortage of food and civilians had to be expelled, Fred would suggest it, but all of them were rejected by King Guiyan IX.

At this point in time, bringing so many people to Ivozhen Island to find the Holy Grail was originally proposed by King Guiyang IX to the current King Batoran in front of all the lords. He also swore in public that he would definitely find the Holy Grail.

Although he is young and energetic, he has also blocked his retreat route.

For a knight, honor is more important than life. Guillon IX had already made such a confident statement in front of the king. Even if he did not find the Holy Grail in the end, and he had to go back in disgrace to ask for help not long after he set out, even if he died in Batoran Society, he would never be able to survive in Batoran again. He might not even be allowed to inherit his father's dukedom.

Asking for help is absolutely not an option, even if it means dying.

"I understand." The Morgan brothers had asked the same question more than once, so they were not surprised by Jiyang IX's answer. "If we don't ask for help, what should we do next?"

Fred's voice-over was simple: Now that all the civilians had been expelled, the only ones left were knights and their squires. If the food was not enough, there would be no one left to expel.

There was nothing wrong with expelling civilians, and the Morgan brothers understood that this was what they had always done. But if they were to expel civilians again, they would have to expel soldiers.

This is definitely going to cause trouble.

"Don't worry, I have a solution." Jiyang IX said confidently, not knowing whether he heard the hidden meaning of Fred's words. "Do you remember how you and your brother solved the food problem when you completed the Holy Grail Trial?"

“…donations from residents along the route, and local solutions.”

"That's right!" Jiyang IX nodded. "During the Holy Grail Trial, what to eat should be solved on the spot!"

“Perhaps, the loss of food is the Lady of the Lake reminding me not to rely on my father’s power.”

The corners of Fred's mouth twitched, but he still said nothing.

"Since you two can do it, I can do it too. I believe my brave subordinates can do it too!" Jiyang IX said passionately. "The problem of eating! We can solve it right here!"

"Your will." Fred's mouth twitched and he could only express obedience.

"The messenger of the goddess of the lake has also told us the goal." Jiyang IX analyzed. "Subjugating the beast king here."

"A mere beastman dares to call himself the Beast King! I will defeat him!" Jiyang IX drew his sword and pointed at the forest in the north. "As long as I defeat the Beast King, the Lady of the Lake will recognize me and make me a Holy Grail Knight!"

"Pass my order! Distribute the remaining rations to every soldier! We leave Velcro! Go and defeat the Beast King!"

As the order of King Guiyang IX was issued, the remaining 200 knights and knight followers of Victor began to make preparations for the battle.

After the preparations for the battle were completed, King Jiyang IX gave a speech to all the people who were ready to go, in order to boost the morale of the soldiers.

During his speech, Jiyang IX directly told the soldiers present his goal, which was to defeat the beast king in this place and obtain the real Holy Grail.

As soon as the words came out, everyone present was shocked. Going to defeat the Beast King with just such a small force!?

But after seeing the two Holy Grail Knights beside Jiyang IX, everyone was relieved. What happened to the Beast King? We have two Holy Grail Knights here.

After the morale-boosting speech, Jiyang IX's team set off and headed towards the forest. In the darkness of the forest, there were numerous eyes watching Jiyang IX's movements.

"The enemy is moving."

"Quickly send someone to inform His Royal Highness the Son of God."

In the dark of the forest unknown to Jiyang IX, their every move was watched by the beastmen, and reported to His Majesty the Son of God in the rear at all times.

On the sea, a fleet encountered a ship drifting with the waves.

Chapter 400: Another Fleet

"Captain Calga! The ship floating on the sea has been captured!"

"Well, good job."

On the sea, a fleet was sailing towards the Island of Ivozhen, flying the flag of the Holy Empire.

There were eight ships in the fleet, three of which were heavy warships, and they looked like they were going to fight a war.

This fleet is from the Holy Empire, and its destination is Aiwozhen Island.

Almost half a year ago, on the island of Ivojin, the colonies of the Holy Empire were attacked by beastmen. Both colonies were destroyed, and the governor of the colony fled back to the Holy Empire in a panic. Later, the coastal areas of the Holy Empire were also attacked by Norse pirates. After paying a certain price, the attacking Norse pirates were repelled.

After the pirates were repelled, a fleet was quickly established to support and rebuild the colony under the personal supervision of the Regent, and was led by Marius Calgar, the Regent's chief civil servant.

Although Marius Calgar's title was a civil servant and he was dressed like a civil servant, everyone who had seen Calgar would not think that he was a weak civil servant. With his tall stature and well-developed muscles, even though he was already over 40 years old, everyone who had seen Calgar had no doubts about his fighting ability.

"I am willing to communicate with you calmly, but if you can't listen to me calmly, I also know some skills in using the war hammer." Whenever he met someone who was unreasonable, Calgar would calmly take out the war hammer to calm the other person down.

In fact, the current regent of the Holy Empire, Robert, is a similar type. He can speak calmly, but he can also pick up a weapon and hit people at any time, and he hits very hard.

The Regent attached great importance to rebuilding the colony of Ivozhen Island, so much so that he forced support despite the approaching winter and sent his most trusted general Calga.

While sailing, Calga's fleet encountered an unmanned ship.

When they first saw the ship, many people thought it was a ghost ship, or even vampire pirates, and were ready for battle. However, when they got closer, the crew discovered that it was a ship with a broken cable, lost anchor, and was drifting with the current.

Calgar ordered the ship to be brought under control, and after a series of boarding maneuvers, the crew successfully took control of the out-of-control ship.

"Captain, we have already investigated clearly. This is a ship belonging to the Kingdom of Batoran, the Duke of Aquitaine." Soon, the adjutant in charge of the investigation came back and reported to Calga.

"Yes." Karga nodded calmly. "Where did this ship come from? Any clues?"

"This is the ship's logbook." The adjutant handed a logbook to Calga.

Taking the logbook, Calgar flipped through it with a blank expression on his face. One could only tell his emotional fluctuations from his occasional furrowed brows.

"Humph." Calgar soon found the ship's mission from the logbook. "The Duke of Aquitaine's only son is going to Ivogen Island to complete the Holy Grail Trial, and he's bringing a thousand people with him. Is he going to break the contract?"

"It seems that they have landed in Velo, and there has been no news since then." After turning the last page of the logbook, Calgar closed it. "Why did this ship drift away?"

"The iron chain connecting the anchor has traces of melting. According to the accompanying magician, it should have been cut by a magic weapon that used fire magic to melt it."

"Magic weapons..." Karga frowned slightly. "The beastmen wouldn't use such things, even if they were captured."

"My lord, what you mean is..."

"There are still people on the island. They had a conflict with the knights of Batoran." Calgar looked at the sea with a deep gaze.

"It seems that what His Majesty the Regent said is correct. On Ivozhen Island, not all the subjects of the Holy Empire failed. After that coward Gast fled, some people still persisted." Calgar said, looking in the direction of Ivozhen Island. "Magic weapons are not something that dirty beastmen can use."

"Someone who can create magic enchanted weapons..." Calgar lowered his head and thought for a while. "As expected of the former Saint of the God of Magic..."

"We have to reach Aiwozhen Island as soon as possible. There are still people from the Holy Empire surviving on the island, and they may have clashed with the knights of Batoran." Calga gave the order decisively.

--------

After King Guiyang IX's troops set out, the beastmen hiding in the dark forest immediately passed the news to Lind, who was far away in New Dundalk.

"It really has moved, Ji Yang IX." After receiving the news, Lin De said happily.

"How can you be so sure that he will go into the forest?" Elisa asked Linde curiously.

"Because of food." Linde said as a matter of course. "Half of the food he brought was snatched away by us, and the other half was blown away by the sea current. There is not much food left. The civilians have been driven away, and the next people to be driven away are the personal guards. How could he do such a thing?"

"If he doesn't want to starve to death, he will definitely go into the forest and eat, drink, defecate and urinate there, so he can't just stay in one place and wait to die."

"Am I right, Miss Jeanne?"

"Ah? Ah! Yes, yes, yes!" Opposite Linde, Ranna sat very stiffly on the chair, nodding at Linde continuously.

"Indeed, with eight hundred people coming to the camp all of a sudden, the pressure has become so great..." Alyssa said tiredly. "I really want to sleep in..."

As Lind's secretary and a rare intellectual in the camp, Elisa had to handle a lot of work. Even if it was just a nod or a signature, it was a considerable workload.

Alisa has shouldered a burden that is unbecoming of her age.

"Ji Yang IX has already taken action. Next, we can start the battle, right?" Lin De smiled and looked at Ran Na who was called over.

"Yes, sir." Wearing the beautiful female knight armor given by Linde, the heroic Ranna said respectfully. "Jiyang IX's team is facing a food shortage. Next, they will definitely go to the forest to look for food, mainly hunting, and plundering the beastman tribe in the forest."

"Excuse me, Ms. Fran, can I use the magic of controlling animals at any time?"

"of course can."

"And sir, can you ensure that all the beastman tribes will obey your command?"

"Although I can't guarantee it 100%, but 80% to 90% of the time it should be fine."

"Then we just need to buy time and let hunger consume the enemy's combat effectiveness."

Chapter 401: Preparing for War

Jiyang IX's team was undoubtedly an enemy. Whether they occupied the colonies that originally belonged to the Holy Empire or massacred the new beastman tribes, these were undoubtedly hostile acts.

Therefore, the management of the new Dundalk Territory had a unified view on King Jiyang IX's team: they must be eliminated. The only problem was how to eliminate the enemy.

The army of King Jiyang IX only had 200 people, which was not large. The new Dundalk Territory now had a total of 1,800 people, which was an absolute advantage in numbers. But fighting a war was not just about having more people, not to mention that King Jiyang IX's team was made up of professional soldiers, including 20 knights, and there were two superhuman Holy Grail Knights among the knights.

If the camp used all its strength, it should still be possible to win, but it would definitely come at a great cost. Many people would surely die in New Dundalk, and this was something that Lind could never accept at this stage.

The construction of the camp has finally started to make some progress, but there is a shortage of people everywhere. If a large number of people die at this time, Lind will be so heartbroken that he will faint.

Relying on his status as the Son of God, he could form another coalition like he did when he fought Marat, but Lind no longer wanted to strengthen his status as the Son of God.

Lind's general combat strategy is to defeat the Batoran Knights with the least possible casualties.

Then Ranna really came up with a battle plan that perfectly met Lind's requirements.

During this period, the new Dundalk Territory had been keeping its troops in place, and the people in the camp were still doing what they had to do, without feeling the atmosphere of war at all. Although the militia had also been mobilized and patrols had been strengthened, ordinary people could hardly feel the atmosphere of war at all.

The only thing that can be felt is that the construction of the city wall has been accelerated. Under the action of cement, the city wall is getting higher by the day.

In fact, since Linde led his men to rob King Jiyang IX's food, New Dundalk did not take any action. Linde only sent out the agile wolf beastmen to hide in the dark and observe the movements of the enemies in the city of Vickro.

All the civilians who were driven away were taken back to New Dundalk by the beastmen and started to build their homes. When the last civilian was driven away, Jiyang IX's team finally moved. They no longer stayed in the city of Vickro, but headed towards the forest.

"The enemy has already taken action, and we must also start to act." After learning that Jiyang IX's troops began to move towards the forest, Linde decisively gave orders and the troops prepared to set off.

"Yes!" Wolf Sister Fenrir nodded, turned around and left to convey the order.

"Linde, are you really planning to fight with only the new beastmen?" After Fenrir left, Elisa asked worriedly.

"Yes." Lind nodded.

"You don't even want to bring a human?" Alyssa frowned. "At least bring a magician..."

"The main battle between us and the group of knights was in a dense forest. The beastmen are more familiar with the environment in the forest." Linde explained with a smile. "And bring a magician? Do you think it's appropriate for me to bring your mother along? In the cold and damp forest?"

No, the magician I'm talking about is not my mother, but me. Alisa muttered in her heart, but didn't say it out loud.

"The beastmen have the home advantage in the forest, and the untrained human soldiers have no chance of winning against the professional soldiers of Batoran, Miss." In the office, Ranna explained respectfully to Elisa.

"Do you look down on our soldiers so much?" Elisa looked at Ranna with some dissatisfaction.

"I'm just stating the facts, Miss." Ranna replied to Elisa with unskilled etiquette.

Although saying this may have the effect of boosting the enemy's morale and destroying one's own prestige, during this period of time, Ranna could see that the human soldiers in the New Dundalk Territory, that is, the level of the militia, were no match for the elite troops of King Jiyang IX.

"Okay, stop arguing." Lin De tried to stop them. "Ranna, go back and rest. Get a good night's sleep tonight. You have to go with us tomorrow."