The Boss King actually disguised himself as a novice village chief?!
Chapter 273 - 230: Bloodshed_4

Chapter 273: Chapter 230: Bloodshed_4

Lord Baya could not possibly command Lind’s soldiers.

As a Grand Lord, he couldn’t control either side!

"Peel!" Lind spoke, "Remember, just touch and go."

"Yes!" Peel sprang into action.

Lord Baya also quietly breathed a sigh of relief, Lind’s agreement to the duel saved him from an embarrassing predicament.

The duel between the two Great Knights immediately captured everyone’s attention, many straightened up.

The Knight of Honor with a large black mole on his nose made the first move. He did have some real skill, his attacks were fast and flexible, unlike his burly appearance.

The sword thrust towards Peel’s cheek, in the sunlight the swiftly moving blade covered meters in a fraction of a second, drawing a several-meter-long streak of light.

Peel quickly sidestepped, the dangerous thrust appeared full of openings to him, and he had already moved the instant the Knight of Honor did.

He seemed leisurely, as if he could foresee the future.

By the time the Knight of Honor reached Peel, the sword Peel had already raised was lying in wait across the inevitable path of his opponent’s neck.

The Knight of Honor had no choice but to lower his body quickly, crouching to dodge Peel’s lethal swipe.

In the arena, the sound of clashing blades was incessant, the weapons reflecting the sunlight were dazzling, and the whooshing sound of slicing air accelerated heartbeats.

The two danced upon the tips of their swords, the clanging sounds accurately striking the chests of every spectator.

Peel blocked the opponent’s ferocious and deadly thrusts like a vicious wasp and countered after another block by slashing back with a raised wrist.

A Broken Sword spun into the air and landed askew on the ground.

The battle ended.

The Knight of Honor’s wrist bled, and he knelt on the ground.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, revealing that the relationships among the Knights of Honor weren’t too good.

The man who fell had nothing to do with them; after all, it wasn’t them who had fallen.

Despite being the victor, Peel’s expression was not good.

"Hahaha, it looks like today’s victor has been decided!" Lord Baya said joyfully, although as the lord of Mountain Demon Castle, for some reason, today he felt as if he had no control over anything.

It was about time, at least they could start the wedding now.

Lord Baya felt restless inside.

Peel returned to his seat.

"You’re injured," Pim stared at his cheek, "That man wasn’t very strong."

Suffering an injury in such a minor duel was definitely a disgrace for the Star Dragon soldiers.

"Continual victories have made you arrogant," Pim continued.

"I’ll train harder," Peel nodded.

...

The wedding took place.

Lind still remembered the last time he attended a wedding many years ago, but he couldn’t quite remember who the bride and groom were, only knowing that the ladies at the ball were very beautiful and the gentlemen were dressed like peacocks.

And then he seemed to have chatted with some old noble knights saying "I’ve held you before," back when Baron Ronan hadn’t yet turned into a disgusting snake or become deceitful.

The royal weddings in the Rand Kingdom were quite elaborate; the gold-adoring nation had its own demands on ceremonies.

The entire wedding would take place in the grand hall of Mountain Demon Castle, but before this, Her Majesty the Queen would walk through the lines of people, receiving their blessings.

"Why don’t they have ears?"

Before even seeing the Queen, Lind noticed children by the roadside who lacked ears.

Someone had cruelly cut these children’s ears off, and he noticed that the children assigned as "Flower-scattering Angels" had faces filled with deep fear, as if failing in their task would result in them losing their noses or eyes as punishment.

He turned his head towards Doris, the Recorder Officer still listened intently; her abilities were not as formidable as she claimed.

Lind’s gaze shifted towards Peel and Pim, he blinked, then gestured with his left hand.

This was a secret sign often used among the infantry of the Rand Kingdom, and among the Knights of Honor in the Mountain Demon Castle, not a single one came from the Rand infantry legion. They completely failed to understand Lind’s gestures.

They continued to be noisy, chatting about something loudly, turning a fine wedding into a noisy market.

Peel and Pim quietly retreated and found the sentry.

The sentry, a Rune Messenger, stealthily slipped away unnoticed, the clamor of the noisy knights greatly helping his cause.

Finally, Queen Lania appeared.

Escorted by the cavalry of the Rand Kingdom’s third legion, the proud Royal Guard became mere standard-bearers, as if putting a lion in a cage.

Lind fixed his gaze on Lania, dressed in a golden gown and a white bodice that pushed up her chest, her entire being glittered with gold ornaments.

He stood among the crowd with his helmet in his arms, watching as Lord Baya rubbed his hands walking towards Queen Lania.

However, Lord Baya was quickly stopped. According to protocol, Lania was just his betrothed, not yet his wife, and the two must maintain chastity and must not touch each other.

Although... many had numerous illegitimate children before marriage, the surface etiquette had to be maintained. That was what Lord Baya demanded, after all.

Lania also noticed Lind, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

This wedding was quite sudden. Lania wasn’t opposed to marriage; as a queen, she had long understood what marriage meant for her.

Lord Baya was a suitable match for her, and she was under his "protection."

But these were not the reasons Lania agreed to marry.

The reason pressing her to nod was a sense of duty. She could choose to face death with composure, fighting to the end, but her responsibility as a queen forced her to endure.

Goliath needed to be liberated, her mad brother needed to rest, and the lands of the kingdom needed to be reclaimed.

Lania’s power alone was not enough, and the ever-ingratiating Lord Baya was the best option.

Marriage was merely a chip for restoring the country.

However, seeing Lind here was truly unexpected. She had thought Lind had died in the North.

Their relationship was not good; she had even punched him once.

Their gazes met for a moment, neither wanting to disrupt the wedding.

A priest was invited to officiate the wedding.

It was somewhat comical. It was well known that the deities had abandoned everyone; the priest seemed a bit unfamiliar with his duties, stumbling through them.

The awkward wedding bored Lind.

"My lord," Pim came to Lind’s side and whispered, "Those children’s ears were taken by the Mountain Demon Castle for a ritual that Lord Baya intends to hold."

Lind frowned. "And then?"

Their unsolicited investigation here was already suspicious; without crucial information, the investigation would have to stop, caution being paramount.

The experiences at the Snake People Outpost had been enough of a warning for them.

"The Whispering Hag, someone is saying this name," Peel said. "The Whispering Hag is heading the whole affair, and my lord, someone has gone to Snake Catcher Fortress connected to the Whispering Hag."

"Where is this Whispering Hag?" Lind was now completely uninterested in the wedding.

He was almost certain there was something wrong with Lord Baya.

It didn’t matter that he hadn’t figured out why Baya wanted to harm him; just confirming that he was problematic was enough.

"Have everyone prepare immediately," Lind instructed quietly. "I suspect this wedding might not end too peacefully."

He hoped Her Majesty the Queen could peaceably get married to buy him time to find the Whispering Hag.

Doris moved close to Lind.

"What is it?" Lind asked.

"I found the person controlling the rats," Doris stretched out her hand, pointing. "That old woman."