After Becoming The Tyrant CH 144 The Glorious Kingdom
Time seemed to slow down suddenly.
The arrow feathers at the tails of the jet-black long arrows were still trembling. They had nailed into all the vital points of the black dragon from the tip to the end at the same time. A series of muffled sounds came from under the dragon scales. After the bone arrows sank into the black dragon's flesh and blood, terrifying power exploded from the inside out under its scales.
The black dragon roared wildly and painfully, almost trying to break free from the sabers that the alchemist knights used to fix it in place.
Dragon scales, pieces of meat, and bone fragments were mixed together and splashed upwards, like scarlet and coquettish flowers suddenly blooming in the air.
The alchemist knights held the handle of their sabers, pulled the sabers from the ground, and held it in their hand. The evil dragon was finally able to raise its neck, but it only had time to let out a long, unwilling and spiteful cry to the sky, and then the dragon's head fell heavily on the ground amidst the bloody mist.
The broken dragon wings laid half-closed on the black dragon's scarred body.
The side of the black dragon's head laid on the ground, and now there were only two dark holes left in the originally golden eyes, blood flowing out of them.
It was dead.
Ancient beast-like black-armored knights stood next to the dead black dragon's body. They either carried sabers or huge bows. On the armor weighing thousands of stones, dragon blood dripped down, and the blood flowed down the breastplate to outline a scarlet rose. The dragon flames on the ground had not yet been extinguished, the flames were still raging, and the air was twisted by the heat wave.
On the city wall, the soldiers stared blankly at the corpse of the black dragon lying on the ground. This was the moment when they should have cheered, but an inexplicable heaviness and solemnity filled the air, shaking people's hearts, and the long city wall was silent.
The people watched the flames burn together. In the space distorted by the heat wave, those alchemist knights who seemed to have stepped out of hell were silent like monuments engraved with a thousand years of time.
The warhorses rushed towards each other, and Eleanor's black hair fluttered in the wind.
The battle had reached the moment of life and death. At the moment when the horses crossed each other, both sides swung their swords with all their might. In the smoke and dust, two bright metallic glints flashed past.
Clang——
The warhorse jumped out, and when it landed, it rushed forward several meters. Eleanor's curved blade pointed obliquely at the sky, and the sun set on the tip of her sword, so brilliant that people dared not look directly at it.
A drop of blood flew up along the blade and towards the sky.
Eleanor retracted the arc sword, brushed the blade with her hand, and then pushed it into the sheath.
Behind her, the dragon trainer's throat was neatly cut open, the wound was exposed to the bone, and blood gushed out like a fountain. He fell from his horse and onto his back, onto the battlefield mixed with blood and mud, and his white robe was instantly dyed red.
The black-haired queen pulled the reins, and she looked forward coldly.
At the moment the black dragon shrieked, the head of the Inquisition Bureau withdrew from his duel with the leader of the Kriyan archers. At this time, he led the remnant soldiers to retreat. The Kriyan archers held their bows and arrows and rode their horses behind Eleanor, waiting for her order to pursue or return to the city.
Eleanor looked at the direction in which the head of the Inquisition Bureau retreated, and steered her horse towards the city gate.
The Kriyan archers followed her.
In front of the city gate, on the city wall, a strange solemnity and silence had fallen. When the sound of horseshoes came, the soldiers finally woke up as if in a dream and cheered loudly: "God bless Legrand! God bless Legrand!"
The royal banner was rattled by the wind.
The city gate opened, and Earl Gray led his sons and soldiers to welcome Eleanor, her people and those terrifying alchemist knights.
A group of boys and girls ran out from the crowd, holding a large bunch of flowers in their hands, and dedicated them to the heroes who protected the city. A blond-haired girl stood on tiptoe, trying to lift a wreath she had made.
She was extremely nervous and her cheeks were flushed.
Eleanor leaned down and let her put the wreath on her: "Thank you."
"Can I give them flowers too?"
The little girl mustered up the courage to ask.
She looked at the formidable alchemist knights. They were wearing hideous armors. The pale skeletons formed a terrifying contrast with the black armors. People remained far away from them in reverence and fear, but they only stood under the city wall, silent as statues. Eleanor looked back at the alchemist knights stationed under the city wall, and she smiled slightly.
"Of course, go ahead, lass."
The blond girl with apple cheeks held flowers and walked towards the tall alchemist knights.
The crowd fell silent, and everyone was watching the scene in front of them.
The innocent and bright little girl stood in front of the beast-like skeleton knight, stood on tiptoe, and gently inserted flowers on the plate armor worn by the warhorse. It was like she was giving candy to her younger sisters and younger brothers, she childishly and patiently divided the bouquet, and gifted flowers one by one.
The skeleton knights remained motionless.
The light of the sky fell on the girl and the cavalry, and the blood on the black armor still dripped down on the ground, but the flowers were already tucked on the armor.
The girl and the knights, weapons and flowers.
In the silence, people gradually came out from both sides of the street and greeted the alchemist knights. There were more and more people, and someone plucked the organ and sang a song to celebrate victory.
Eleanor held the reins in her hands, watching the scene quietly.
Blood and gunpowder smoke lingered in the air for a long time, but there was always the fragrance of flowers and sunshine.
She smiled softly, and steered her horse forward.
Why do knights fight? Why was the heroic spirit willing to sleep in the long night?
Because the world was so cold, but also so tender.
………………
During this period of time, too many unexpected things happened to Legrand, and even the legendary dragon could reappear on the earth again, so it was not unacceptable that Queen Eleanor, whose death had been announced more than ten years ago, reappeared.
Compared with these, what was more important was that overnight, people remembered that ancient legend again.
A long time ago, evil dragons roamed the land, and dragon slayers slaughtered the evil dragons. They established an ancient kingdom on the place where the dragon was buried, and that kingdom was called "Legrand".
Legends have become great true deeds today.
In just a few days, stories of dragon slayers and dragon slaying spread throughout Legrand.
The majesty of the royal family reached an unprecedented height at this time. On the streets of Legrand, you could see people holding up banners depicting knights slaying dragons anytime and anywhere. In the tavern, people have new bragging material——
"I saw the black dragon with my own eyes!"
"What's the big deal! I've seen those alchemist knights!"
"My God, they are at least as high as the city gate, and the lances they carry are like giant spears used by ancient giants to hunt mammoths, but they are far more powerful."
"The moment the Queen Mother Eleanor appeared from the horizon, I bet there was no more beautiful lady in this world than her."
……
Nothing could inspire the morale and unity of a nation more than this romantic legend of heroes. In particular, during this period of time, people in the central and eastern parts of Legrand have personally experienced the terror of the black dragon. In the midst of fear and turmoil, people needed spiritual sustenance.
In the past, this sustenance was given by the Holy Court symbolized by the cross, but now it was replaced by the alchemist knights and Queen Eleanor who saved them from the mouth of the black dragon.
These messages were conveyed to the King by the Head of the Households.
The King stood in front of the window and opened the letter from Queen Eleanor. In the letter, she told the King in detail about the strength of the awakened alchemist knights. The King and the Queen Mother once discussed that the alchemists might retain a little consciousness, but judging from the current results…..it was a pity.
The alchemists were ruthless enough to themselves. Their remaining "consciousness" was only the wisdom of fighting, and there was nothing else left.
The King read the scene described in his mother's letter where people presented flowers to the alchemist knights, and he remembered the last words he had read.
Thousands of years later, the alchemists shall wake up and continue to guard their world.
"The head of the Inquisition Bureau gathered the rebels and retreated to Herrid City." The Head of the Households reported the latest news to the King.
The King nodded slightly, and he put down his mother's letter: "It's time for the council meeting to end."
His words were calm and would not be violated.
The Head of the Households withdrew with the secret order that the King had already written. The moment the black dragon collapsed, the second war in Legrand had quietly begun. This was another war completely different from the rebellion of Earl Pligney, and its smoke was invisible.
This was a propaganda war.
Soon, a letter jointly written by a dozen of Legrand's famous poets quickly spread——
"Open Letter to All of Legrand Empire".
"...Legrand is unmatched anywhere in the world. In this land, there are dense forests, meandering rivers, and vast pastures. The warriors here are free and shining.
I don't want to see her become the second Bressi.
I don't want to see our wives, daughters and sisters in constant anxiety, with the shadow of the stake hanging over their heads.
I don't want to see our blood and sweat fall into that ridiculous iron box, and let the frivolity of indulgences mock our hunger and cold.
I don't want to see our faith being turned into a battlefield again and again, and the name of heresy chanted by people with fat bellies.
I don't want to see..."
Kriya's bards traveled all over every county in Legrand. They were in taverns and on the streets, plucking the organ and playing a sad melody. In that melody, they sang to everyone over and over again with hoarse or clear voices.
If Legrand lost this war. Then their brick walls would be overthrown, and every inch of land that once bloomed with the flower of freedom would be covered by the Holy Spirit, holy bones and crosses.
Amidst the sound of the bard's organ and singing, the citizens took to the streets, and an unprecedented joint petition began.
The target of the petition was no longer the King, but the parliament.
The people of Legrand requested the parliament to agree to pass the King's "Wartime Emergency Act", requested the parliament to give all knights the responsibility and honor to fight, and requested the parliament to give their warriors a safe and secure battlefield.
The Legrandians' Legrand, Legrand of the Free Land.
There was no second such Legrand in the world.