Chapter 532 - Youre in Charge of It All (2/2)

So Roland’s use of Hollevin’s combat experience to provoke the Warriors in Fareins was ineffective.

On the contrary, it made them retreat.

One by one, they shrank back.

Fine!

Roland knew his plan seemed to have gone off the rails a little, but it wasn’t an irreversible mistake; it was troublesome at best.

“Since you are willing to follow orders, things will be fine.” Roland clapped his hands. “Everything can go on as usual.”

The eight of them all looked at Roland, contemplating Looking at the sky, Roland said, “It’s getting late, go back first. We’ll still have a lot of time to spend together in the future. This was just a greeting.”

The eight of them left unhurriedly.

The door of the main hall was closed, and the light inside was much dimmer.

The steward was greatly relieved. He was really worried that a fight would start just now.

Roland waved his hand, dispelling a dozen Hands of Magic, and then said, “Steward, you know where the entrance to the castle’s bas.e.m.e.nt is, right? Take me there.”

“Yes.”

The steward bowed his head slightly and walked ahead.

The entrance to the bas.e.m.e.nt was not hard to find. It was right next to the stable at the back of the castle. There was a small barracks with a hundred elite veterans, a direct unit of the royal family to protect the prince and princess, and under normal circ.u.mstances, they only listened to the orders of the protected person, that was, Stephanie.

Of course… when the appointment letter was issued, they naturally obeyed Roland’s orders as well.

More than a hundred soldiers in silver and white iron armor formed a circle outside the stable, and next to the stable, there was a small black entrance that he had to bend down to enter.

It was narrow inside, a flight of steps high above the ground to keep the rain from seeping in.

Then there was a stone staircase going down.

The entrance to the bas.e.m.e.nt is so obvious? Roland glanced at the steward with a strange look in his eyes. The steward was old and smart and immediately understood the expression in Roland’s eyes. “It was the request of the First Princess.” The steward’s expression was rather helpless. “She said that the castle itself is already a defensive measure, and if there really is an enemy and even the castle is breached, the bas.e.m.e.nt would be useless; but it would be better to build something more obvious, and it will be much easier to put something in there later.”

The veterans who surrounded the area smiled.

They all admired and respected the First Princess Stephanie, and this nonsense idea of hers was quite adorable to them.

The First Princess was very nice and took good care of them. They received the most pay out of all the troops in the territory, and the best equipment and provisions were provided to them first, before the other troops.

Many of them were grateful.

So toward Stephanie, they had no malice, only grat.i.tude, and only two thoughts in their minds: to protect her, and to obey all her orders.

They knew very well what it meant that Roland was able to hold a letter of appointment signed by the First Princess herself, with her fingerprints on it.

The First Princess truly trusted this man. Then they should also trust this man.

Roland didn’t go into the bas.e.m.e.nt but looked at the group of soldiers surrounding him.

Then he looked at the steward. “Did you call them out too?”

The steward nodded. “Let them meet and get acquainted with you, sir. Also, sir, the few military officials in the main hall that you offended, although they didn’t act out on the spot, they may use some rather dishonorable means when they return. So, sir, you need an escort, and they are completely trustworthy and capable of protecting you.”

As soon as the steward said these words, they knelt on one knee, and to the sound of clas.h.i.+ng armor, the leading middle-aged soldier said, “The First Princess’s command is everything to us. You are the new lord she has chosen, so we are your s.h.i.+eld and your spear, sir.”

Roland’s gaze swept over the group.

All of them were above level ten, and three were even at level thirteen.

A small, elite army of one hundred Master Warriors.

Put them in a small country like Hollevin, and they could directly break through the country’s capital without a sweat.

In other words, these people were Stephanie’s real “hidden p.a.w.ns.”

Those strange people in the capital weren’t even p.a.w.ns.

as

Although they knelt for him, their loyalty was to Stephanie, not to him.

But it was enough; Roland didn’t need them to be loyal to him.

Just as long as they would listen to him.

“Rise,” Roland said with a smile.

The group of people stood up at the same time, moving quite uniformly.

Roland thought about it and said, “Steward, I have to trouble you again. This time, invite the tax collector over and don’t disturb the other officials. Then invite the masters of several big chambers of commerce in the city over.” The steward nodded. “It is no trouble, it is the servant’s duty to share his master’s worries.”

After the steward left, Roland looked at the middle-aged soldier who had just spoken. “How many other troops in the capital besides you are there altogether?”

“About three thousand three hundred.” The middle-aged soldier replied after some thought. “But two thousand of them are the militia, not much of a fighting force.”

“I’d like to put you in charge of these three thousand three hundred men. Do you think you’re up to the task?”

The middle-aged soldier’s eyes bulged in surprise.