Chapter 97: Act 33 – ‘Bronzesteeldragon’ Retao
After the three left Turiman’s home near Needlewood Avenue, Balthom could no longer hold back and cautiously asked Brendel, “My lord, your elder must be familiar with that wizard, right?”
The young man glanced at the red-bearded mercenary leader, smiled, and did not answer.
Balthom was stunned for a moment, unable to decipher the flavor of his response.
Although he was deeply convinced by the sight of the young knight leading them through countless undead armies, he could not help but harbor some doubts—Brendel’s usual demeanor did not seem to match that of a great noble.
The young man had mentioned inheriting a fief, yet Balthom still found it hard to believe; however, his doubts did not create a sense of alienation. He was wholeheartedly dedicated to working for Brendel, as he felt following this outstanding young man might lead to a brighter future.
He could not help but privately think that nobles were still fond of saving face.
Yet what had occurred in this brief moment had somewhat subverted the mercenary leader’s perception. Unlike Freya, who merely amplified Brendel’s mystical aura in her heart, Balthom truly believed Brendel’s words at that moment:
This young knight had a profound background behind him, and it might even be extraordinary. Ordinary people would not be associated with those high-ranking Highland wizard lords, and those nobles who stood apart would not necessarily bow low even before the king.
Thinking of this, Balthom couldn’t help but glance at Brendel again and scratch his head.
The next morning.
The group finally arrived at the ‘legendary’ Bruglas—
Bruglas could be considered the center of Golan-Elsen’s southern region. The city was built on the gentle slopes of the gray vulture hills east of the Song River, sprawling down the slope gradually.
It has concentric gray-white city walls that rise step by step in layers, and from the vicinity of Needlewood Avenue, it looked like a mold sculpted from plaster, so the local villagers generally referred to Bruglas as the White City.
On clear days, travelers from the Anzek and Dragus regions could see the shining brown rooftops of the city from several miles away, alongside the streets climbing up the slope in terraces.
In the medieval era, this was undoubtedly a magnificent scene, symbolizing the prosperity of civilization—
Of course, Bruglas was not yet a truly large city, but it gathered a densely packed population of thirty-five thousand in this large area east of the Song River, and it was likely the densest region in southern Golan-Elsen.
Bruglas also had most facilities typical of cities—such as shops and workshops lining Black Pine Avenue, a unique landscape formed by rows of wooden houses of varying heights, where travelers and merchants from the surrounding areas gathered, and coaches and heavily laden mules passed by day and night.
Freya and Romaine visited a large city for the first time. Although the two country girls had always thought Ridenburg and Anzek were the limits of imagination, the towering city walls, tidy streets, and bustling commerce of Bruglas still left them deeply shocked.
Bruglas had existed as a military fortress monitoring Madara to the south for many years. Thus, it inherently had a majestic three-dimensional feeling, even someone modern like Brendel would inevitably admire it, let alone the two girls, Romaine and Freya, who had never seen such sights.
The novelty inevitably sparked interest—
Everyone was in high spirits, but the Business Lady and Freya quickly stopped in front of a silversmith’s shop. Girls always liked shiny, delicate little trinkets, and besides, Bruglas’ silver was renowned throughout the kingdom, with its silversmiths boasting superior craftsmanship.
Freya enviously looked at a crescent-shaped brooch, while Romaine took a liking to a small silver box. However, what amused Brendel was that both of them tightly clutched their purses, a common trait among country girls.
The young man quietly pulled Balthom aside to inquire about the prices with the silversmith, and by the end, the last few hundred Tor were spent like flowing water—however, Romaine accepted the gift with a small surprise and happily glanced at him.
As for the future Valkyrie, Freya, with her red face, pondered for a moment before reluctantly accepting the gift and softly whispering a thank you to him.
Brendel was used to Freya’s bashfulness, but when he turned around, he saw Balthom quietly giving him a thumbs-up from the side. Brendel was taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh. This red-bearded fellow certainly had many thoughts; he simply didn’t want the two girls to be disappointed.
After a brief interlude, the group traveled across the entire street and found their destination at the end of Black Pine Avenue.
The headquarters of the Silverwing Cavalry—
In fact, just before they were able to enter, they spotted the sneaky and lively Little Finnis outside. It seemed that the little guy had been living quite well during this time, as he had even gained some weight. Upon seeing the three of them, Little Finnis could hardly believe his eyes and rubbed them in disbelief.
“Big Sister!”
“Brendel!”
“Romaine!”
The boy exclaimed with surprise as he jumped down from a rock at the entrance of the cavalry headquarters, gazing at them as if he were in a dream, “Heavens, I’m not dreaming, am I?!”
Freya instinctively wanted to scold the messy-haired kid upon seeing him, but the words almost escaped her before turning into, “Little Finnis, where’s everyone?”
“They’re all here; we’re all fine, Big Sister!” He then turned to Brendel, saying with admiration, “Brother Brendel, everyone already knows what happened in Ridenburg—the refugees you saved came to Dragus, and then your deeds spread. Brother Brendel, you really fought alongside that super strong mercenary ‘Bronzesteeldragon’ Retao, right—”
“Bronzesteeldragon Retao?” Brendel was taken aback. Although he had anticipated it, he didn’t expect them to give Retao such a title.
“Little brat, what do you know about being strong?” Balthom interjected as he heard Little Finnis, though he was aware that this version of the rumor had been passed down by Brendel among the refugees, not knowing why the young man was reluctant to take the spotlight, yet he couldn’t help but chime in.
“I naturally understand; one person leading hundreds to break through the encirclement of tens of thousands of undead, isn’t that impressive?” Little Finnis replied with confidence, “‘Bronzesteeldragon’ Retao, I heard he is a veteran of the November War, just like Captain Marden, he’s definitely strong! By the way, who are you, Mister?”
Balthom was almost choked, but just as he was preparing to answer, Little Finnis’s eyes suddenly brightened, and he shouted, “You must be the red-bearded Balthom, right!”
“Eh, Little brat, you recognize me?” Balthom was taken aback.
“Of course, I know you! Now in Bruglas, hardly anyone doesn’t know—‘The red-bearded Balthom who terrifies the undead!’ If you don’t believe me, go ask the knights inside; even they know!” Little Finnis said, eyes sparkling.
“Terrifying the undead, that’s quite a title.” Anyone loves compliments, and Balthom was no exception, but just as he was smiling with pride, he suddenly remembered that the young man who had created all these miracles was still beside him, quickly reining in his smile and sternly said, “Hmph, a bunch of foolish students.”
Little Finnis was momentarily bewildered by the scolding. However, being young, he naturally assumed that most extraordinary figures also had strange tempers and thus paid it no mind. Instead, he turned to Brendel and said, “Brother Brendel, you are that impressive, you must also be a crucial member among those mercenaries, right?”
Brendel smiled at the words, ruffled the boy’s hair, and nodded.
“Cut it out, I said that street kids don’t believe me.”
Freya felt quite awkward listening from the side, glancing at Brendel, thinking he was such a liar. However, recalling Brendel’s fearless appearance in the sea of thousands of armies made her heart flutter, and she had to turn her head away.
Meanwhile, Romaine smiled on the side, not knowing what she was thinking.
As the group chatted, news of the so-called ‘hero of Ridenburg’ returning had already spread near the cavalry headquarters. Townsfolk were naturally fond of spectacle, and soon the surrounding streets were filled with people. Some of the young Silverwing Cavalry members couldn’t help but come out in pairs to see what kind of person had fought their way out from among tens of thousands of undead.
After all, these individuals were regular troops of the White Mane Legion, some even having battled against Madara’s forces, so they knew how tough their opponents could be. In fact, the Silverwing cavalry had initially been reluctant to believe those absurd rumors, but as the tales spread day by day and there were indeed colleagues among the refugees from Ridenburg, linked verification led Sir Shonal, commander of the Silverwing Cavalry, to discover that what they faced might indeed be the truth.
After all, thousands of refugees were still gathering around Bruglas at that moment, although no one had ever seen the legendary Bronzesteeldragon Retao.
That was a monumental achievement.
Thus, the perspectives of the higher-ups and the lower-ranking officers were completely different: the former eagerly wanted to contact the other side to clarify the situation, while the latter had unwittingly developed a slight sense of competition.
“Finnis, are they the Ridenburg mercenaries?”
Brendel soon saw a few boys push through the crowd, asking Little Finnis at the side.
“Of course! This is my Big Sister. This is my Brother Brendel. This is…” Little Finnis pointed at Balthom, pausing for effect.
“He can’t possibly be the red-bearded Balthom, right!”
The boys’ expressions shifted, as Balthom’s distinctive red beard was too noticeable.
“Hehe, you’re clever,” Little Finnis exclaimed excitedly, almost wagging his tail in joy. He had long known that Brendel was impressive but hadn’t expected he would be linked with those legendary folks.
Although he had boasted about it for days, no one believed him, and today seeing the boys’ stunned expressions felt absolutely worth it.
However, while he was boasting there, Brendel felt several unfriendly glances from the Silverwing Cavalry over there. He was not surprised by this; the reason he had ordered those rumors to circulate was also to avoid attracting attention, after all, his strength was still quite weak and not suitable to step into the limelight immediately.
Thus, he had initially considered finding someone to serve as a shield, and Balthom was the best choice, but since he needed someone familiar with the area, Retao became a viable option.
However, what Brendel did not anticipate was that even so, it would still cause discontent within the military. He sighed and could only remain vigilant.
The troubles arising from competing over a reputation were not only seen in real life; he had encountered plenty of them in games as well.
…
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