There were vines all over the quiet forest in the mountains; the trees were growing densely together. Such a complex terrain proved difficult for the knights to move through.
A troop of knights charged directly into the forest, alarming the birds in the trees.
Everyone in this troop of knights was wearing a set of bright and neat armor. Carved on the armor was a strange bird formed by flames. They were led by two young people: one male and one female.
"Sister, we should be able to reach the Kingdom of Blackmoon safely, right?"
The young man leading them had a very frail body. There was also an extreme expression of fear on his face.
"Don't worry, Benin, we'll definitely be fine."
Princess Charise reassured Benin. Although she was also merely seventeen years of age, she had already seen the slaughters of the Royal Family with her own eyes, and the situation had not bode well with Prince Frederick either. In addition to that, she had been on a wild run for over a thousand miles and had experienced countless hardships before she had finally escaped. Therefore, Princess Charise had already become very strong. In fact, the true control over the entire troop was in her hands. This was extremely difficult for a princess who was merely seventeen years old and had led a normal life of luxury and privilege.
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With a grim face, Charise asked in a deep, quiet voice.
A burly man who had been following Charise closely came forward in a hurry to give his report. "Princess Charise, we've charged out from Light City all the way and encountered a few troops of the church's knights who possess rather more powerful capabilities, so our losses have been greater. So far, we only have eight hundred knights left."
Unexpectedly, they only had eight hundred knights left. Charise's heart tightened slightly. She knew very clearly that Uncle Frederick had given them more than two thousand knights, and these knights formed the most elite army troops in the entire Kingdom of Light. The knights of the Firebird Legion!
However, even such elite knights had suffered losses amounting to almost sixty percent of their number. That was enough to show how difficult their journey had been.
Charise lowered her head and saw a ring, as black as ink, in her hand. She caressed it with her fingers gently as determination appeared on her face.
"Uncle Frederick, we'll definitely survive!"
Following which, Charise gave orders to the troop to increase their speed. They were not allowed to stop and had to hurry to the Kingdom of Blackmoon as soon as they could. Otherwise, no one could tell whether the people of the church were behind them in a relentless pursuit.
***
Rustle.
The noises of the densely-packed tree branches moving caused Old Wilson to be on immediate alert. However, when he saw the figure in front of him clearly, he let out a soft sigh and quickly went up to receive it.
"Merlin, what did you see? Is it the people of the church?"
Old Wilson's greatest worry right then was that the great hoard of masters from the church had caught up from behind.
Merlin shook his head. There was a hint of doubt on his face as he relayed everything he had seen in the woods in detail to Old Wilson.
"Father, these knights look really tired. They must've just been through an intense battle and slaughter, they don't look like they're from the church. Perhaps they are also aristocrats who aren't willing to depend on the church."
Merlin guessed that these people were also some aristocrats in the Kingdom of Light, and their positions were definitely not low. Just by looking at the excellent equipment of the knights, it was likely that only Old Wilson's heavy armored knights could daresay that they would win against this other party.
"Did you just say that there's a small bird made of flames carved on the front of those knights' armor?"
Old Wilson's expression was very grave; he was extremely serious.
Merlin nodded. He would not have mistaken such details; the fiery bird on those other people had looked rather similar to the Phoenix from Merlin's previous life so he could remember it very well.
"A small bird made of flames... that must be the Firebird! Baron Parmon, I'm afraid you've also guessed it. That's the Firebird Legion, one of the four great legions under the direct control of the Royal Family of Light! Those knights should be the knights of the Firebird Legion, and the people being protected by them are most probably the later generation of the Royal Family!"
Old Wilson's tone of voice was very solemn. His expression seemed rather agitated.
Merlin knew that Old Wilson had been a military man before. Due to the accumulation of his achievements in war, he had finally been conferred the title of an aristocrat by the Royal Family. Old Wilson had turned from a commoner into an aristocrat who owned territories and all sorts of special rights. Therefore, Old Wilson still possessed a certain loyalty towards the Royal Family of Light. This was also why the church had directly given orders to eliminate Old Wilson back then.
In fact, Old Wilson was not the only one. The church had immediately gotten rid of all the aristocrats who had been conferred their titles by the Royal Family based on their accumulation of war achievements. They would not try to rope them in.
This was because those who had been conferred their titles of aristocracy based on their accumulation of war achievements had gratitude in their hearts and were extremely loyal to the Royal Family. Most of them were unwilling to betray the Royal Family.
Merlin did not feel much for the Royal Family. Even Baron Parman, who had inherited his position as an aristocrat, was not really that loyal to the Royal Family. He merely felt pure hatred for the actions of the church.
Therefore, Merlin and Baron Parmon exchanged looks when they saw Old Wilson's agitated expression, and revealed a hint of a wry smile at the same time. They both knew what Old Wilson was thinking about.
"Father, we still can't be sure now that they are the people of the Royal Family. After all, the church has prepared for so long this time, and even more so, has gathered terrifying forces against the Royal Family. They'd absolutely not allow a single member of the Royal Family to escape, so we should still remain vigilant."
In a tactful manner, Merlin advised Old Wilson not to act rashly.
However, Old Wilson immediately waved his hand and said, as resolute as steel, "People escorted by the Firebird Legion are definitely the members of the Royal Family! Back then, when I was conferred my title by the Royal Family and became a baron, I'd personally been received by Prince Frederick, and the highest ranking commanding officer of the Firebird Legion is Prince Frederick!"
"But Merlin, what you've said is rational as well, so let's just stay put for the moment. Based on what you've said just now, all the members of the Firebird Legion should be very tired now. Perhaps they'd just been through a battle against the church earlier on, and they really need help now. We'll wait here, and after we see the members of the Firebird Legion, I'll be able to tell for myself whether they are the real deal."
After hearing Old Wilson's determined words, Merlin felt a slight headache. Old Wilson had a very resolute attitude; if he really was to confirm that this other party was the members of the Royal Family, he was afraid that Old Wilson would definitely offer them a helping hand.
In that case, this team of theirs would be in even greater danger. The members of the Royal Family would surely be the focus of the church. If Old Wilson were to make a rash decision in the heat of the moment and follow those members of the Royal Family, the entire team's safe arrival into the Kingdom of Blackmoon would become questionable.
Baron Parman also knew Old Wilson's stubborn attitude very well. All he could do was say, in a helpless manner, "Then alright, we'll wait here. But we cannot be unprepared. Let's be on alert and ensure that nothing goes wrong!"
Therefore, under Old Wilson's orders, the entire troop rested and reorganized themselves there. However, his two hundred heavy armor knights were set at the very front, ready to charge at any time.
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