“My name is Kubard. And you?”

“Merlane.”

The young man replied curtly to Kubard, who had given his name first to not come off as aggressive. But after all, his identity was already clear.

“I am the son of the Zott Clan’s chief Haltash.”

“Oh, the Zott Clan, huh?”

The Zott Clan were a troupe of bandits whose power was based in the central and southern regions of Pars. Kubard had certainly heard of them.

“What are you doing in a place like this?”

“Looking for my sister. I can’t return to my clan until I find her.”

At the end of autumn last year, the Zott Clan chief Haltash, took his daughter, Alfreed, on a plundering trip, but they had not returned. Merlane had gone out searching with a few of his men, and found the bodies of his father and some other clan members on the second day of the journey. However, Merlane did not find Alfreed’s remains. Merlane, who had brought his father’s body back to the clan, was faced with the question of electing the next clan chief.

“Why don’t you be the new chief?”

“Can’t. My old man’s last wish was that my sister’s husband be the next chief.”

“Why ignore the existence of a boy like you?”

“He didn’t like me.”

“Because you’re not cute enough?”

It was only a joke, but Kubard’s sentence seemed to be like a sword stabbed in Merlane’s chest. He did not answer immediately, but tightly pursed his lips, and his expression looked as if he was about to explode because of the dissatisfaction in his heart. This seemed like a rather dangerous expression, and was a stark contrast from his originally relaxed face.

Merlane had been beaten several times by his drunken father. His younger sister Arfreed had tried to intervene, so she was beaten as well.

After sobering up, Haltash would regret beating his daughter, but he never felt guilty about beating his son. Although he acknowledged Merlane’s wisdom and bravery, he also publicly declared that Merlane was not popular and therefore could not become the next chief.

For all these reasons, after his father’s death, Merlane had to bring his sister Alfreed back to his clan, or else he would have to bring back proof that she was dead. Even if he could eventually become the chief, it would be a long time.

When Merlane calmed down, the two travelers noticed a group of people approaching on foot. For a moment, they both began to draw their swords, but they quickly lifted their guard. The visitors were the ones they had saved. There was a mix of Parsians and Maryami, some speaking in Parsian with a Daylam accent, others in Parsian with a Maryami accent.

One of them was a middle-aged Maryami knight, with a black beard on the lower part of his face and a slim figure, who invited the two travelers to his ship in solemn Parsian language.

The two Parsians who were neither old acquaintances nor fellow travelers came to the shore of the Darband Sea. At that moment, a small boat came down from the Maryami military ship and arrived at the shore. A well-dressed Maryami woman greeted them both.

This woman was probably over sixty years old. Her hair was gray, but her muscles were still strong and her skin still shiny, her back was still straight, and she seemed to be a person full of energy and wisdom.

“It’s good to see two brave knights of Pars.”

“And you are?”

“I am the head maid in the palace of Maryam, and my name is Jovana.”

Judging from her aura, even if she said she was the queen, anyone would believe it. Originally, she was an old woman with uncommon majesty, and she was also fluent in Parsian language. One cannot help but suspect that she is not really the head maid, but of a higher status.

“So, what is the head maid’s business?”

“I would like to ask a favor of you two.”

Just as he was about to ask what kind of help, the middle-aged knight who had brought them asked,

“You’ve killed a lot of enemies before, right?”

“Yes, I’ve killed a hundred lions, a thousand people, and thirty dragons.”

After finishing this sentence in a serious manner, Kubard added another sentence as if he suddenly thought of something.

“Actually, I killed another ten just last night.”

“Dragons?”

“No, mosquitoes. I slept by a swamp.”

A lightly insulting smile surfaced on Kubard’s face. The Maryam knights seemed to notice that they were being mocked, and were about to angrily say something, but the head maid Jovana stopped them and asked Kubard,

“Since you have lived such an eventful life, the present situation must be boring for you, right?”

“Huh? Not really. As long as there is good wine, beautiful women, and enemies to kill, living is not boring.”

While Kubard and the maid were talking, Merlane looked away with a disbelieving expression and refused any conversation.

The head maid began to explain what had happened.

Originally, Maryam was a nation that followed Yaldabaoth, just like Lusitania. Under the same God, Maryam and Lusitania should be allies. However, Yaldabaothism is divided into several sects, and the “Western Church” of Lusitania and the “Eastern Church” of Maryam have been in opposition for over 400 years.

Despite their antagonism, it wasn’t more than arguments and slander. Although relations were not good, they still had diplomatic and trade agreements. Two years ago, however, a very dramatic change occurred in the relationship between the two countries.

The Lusitanian army, which suddenly invaded, took control of Maryam in just one month. This was only possible with Guiscard’s thorough planning and excellent implementation. The king of Maryam, Nicolaos IV, was a cowardly man who had never fought in battle. The king and his consort Jelena were under house arrest in the palace, and they had signed a document of surrender, seeking only to save their lives.

However, the Lusitanians broke the pact. The Temple Knights, led by Archbishop Bodin, surrounded Maryam’s palace one night, blocked all the exits, and burnt it to the ground.

“They will survive if it is God’s will!”

This was Bodin’s justification. The life and death of the King of Maryam would be entirely up to God. If God granted favor to the king, a miracle would occur and save the couple.

The miracle had not happened. The King of Maryam and his consort were found as two charred corpses.

Guiscard, the King of Lusitania’s brother, was furious. He did not sympathize with the cowardly King of Maryam, but what country would trust Lusitanian diplomacy in the future if a religious leader would wantonly break a treaty with one of the most important political figures?

During the dispute between Guiscard and Bodin, the eldest daughter of the king, Princess Militsa, and the second daughter, Princess Irina, took the opportunity to escape under the protection of several retainers and fled to the castle of Aclea, located across the Darband Sea.

“During these two years, we managed to hide out in that castle and fought against the Lusitanian invaders.”

To the east of the castle is the sea, to the west is a swamp inhabited by venomous snakes, and to the north is a sheer cliff, so the only place where you could lead an army was from the south. Because of the terrain, the walls of the castle were also deliberately raised to the south. There were two gates, and after passing through these two gates, there was another gate. An enemy who entered the square surrounded by high walls could neither enter the castle directly nor exit the gates quickly, and then the defenders could attack with arrows from atop the walls.

Two years later, the Lusitanian army was able to capture the castle with great difficulty, but not through military force.

They had conspired with some people inside the castle and promised that “if they opened the gates for the Lusitanians, their lives would be spared, and they would be granted status and property.”

After two years of defending the castle, they were tired and demoralized. The betrayers conspired with the Lusitanians one night and set fire to various parts of the castle. After a flurry of confusion and bloodshed, Militsa helped her sister Irina flee the castle in a boat, while she herself leapt from the tower..

“We finally arrived at this place after sailing for five days. However, it seems the Lusitanians have already reached here as well. We hope that you will help the poor Prince Irina and help fight the Lusitanians.”