Chapter 271 Defense (Two Chapters in One)

The journey from Shanjin Town to Habsburg Manor was not far. After ten minutes or so, the team approached the gate of the manor.

At this moment, the four guards standing at the gate of the manor were very nervous when they saw the large group of people coming. They immediately sent someone to report inside, while the others were fully alert.

However, the guards were relieved when they saw the Kali bird emblem of the Habsburg family on the carriage.

Our own people!

As Ryan and his companions got off the carriage, the guards looked at each other with surprise and said, "It's Maid Shadiya!"

"Oh my God! Miss Claire! Miss Claire is back too!" Several guards shouted in surprise.

But Ryan's changes were really big, making the guards feel both familiar and strange, and they were a little afraid to recognize him for a while.

Soon, a familiar figure walked out of the manor quickly. It was Lloyd, the butler of Habsburg Manor.

Knight Lloyd was surprised to see Claire and said, "Miss Claire, you're back!"

"Long time no see, Knight Lloyd." Claire said with a smile.

When Lloyd saw the tall silver-armored knight standing next to Claire, his eyes suddenly widened and he said in surprise:

"You are Ryan?!"

Before, Ryan was only about 1.8 meters tall, half a head shorter than him, but now, the young man in front of him needs him to look up. Not only is he burly, but he is also at least two meters tall.

It's like a balloon has been blown up!

"Knight Lloyd, long time no see."

Seeing a familiar person finally made Ryan feel a little better. He smiled and greeted him.

"Knight Lloyd, Ryan is now Baron Ryan, and he will be promoted to Viscount soon!" Maid Shadiya said with a smile.

"What!" This shocked Lloyd!

The guards around were whispering:

"It's Ryan! No matter how you look at him, he looks like a different person. Ryan was thinner than me before, but now he's so tall!" A guard on the side gestured and said.

"I didn't expect that our Shining Gold Town would have a big man!"

"The Viscount of the Empire!"

"Too powerful, maybe we can get revenge for our Shining Gold Town."

"Difficult! The cult is too powerful, but according to Ryan's progress, if we wait a few more years, maybe it will be possible."

"Miss Claire, Viscount Selyel, Baron Ryan, let's go into the manor to talk?"

Claire glanced at Ryan and said, "Knight Lloyd, no, we plan to go to the county town immediately."

"That's right! Lord Earl..." Lloyd thought of something, his face suddenly realized, and he didn't continue to invite.

"Then I'll accompany you, Miss."

Claire's luxurious carriage was very spacious, and Knight Lloyd got in. There were just four people, so it didn't seem crowded.

"Okay, by the way, isn't Mr. Perez here?"

"Perez has been assigned to strengthen the county city's defense work."

Soon, the convoy arrived at Meister County City.

When the convoy entered the city, Ryan looked out the window at the familiar streets outside.

The pedestrians on the street were all in a hurry, most of them were frowning or serious.

The number of vendors on both sides of the street was much less than in the past. In addition, unlike usual, children can often be seen playing and fighting on the streets.

The atmosphere of the entire county city seemed very depressing.

Suddenly, Ryan saw a middle-aged man with a flushed face rushing out of the alley in the distance, dancing and shouting at the same time.

Although the other party was some distance away from the convoy, Ryan's keen hearing could still clearly hear what the other party was shouting.

".Believe in the great hunting god, you can get protection. The black flame of destruction will destroy those of you who believe in heresy!"

Soon, the man was pinned to the ground by the security guards.

Soon after, several guards from the Temple of the Goddess Church took the man from the security guards and quickly escorted him away.

"Knight Lloyd, does this happen often?" Claire said thoughtfully.

"Yes, Miss Claire, since the attack, such mentally ill or drunk people have appeared frequently."

The faces of the people in the car suddenly became solemn.

Ryan knew that although this man was quickly subdued, the panic caused to the people was not eliminated so quickly.

The impact of the other party's speech was more far-reaching than imagined.

Even though he was in the carriage, he could still hear many people on the street talking about this scene:

"How many people have been killed today?"

"The sixth? Or the seventh?"

"Hey, have you heard? Not many people survived in the town of Shining Gold."

"I heard! And the town of Monem is basically dead."

"Alas, the empire probably can't do anything about the town next door. I heard that Count Habsburg was seriously injured."

"You said, if this hunting god can really protect us, we..." Suddenly, the speaker's mouth was covered!

"Can you say such things?" The person on the side looked around nervously.

Obviously, the situation in the whole Meister has not been effectively controlled and is still turbulent.

And panic is still spreading.

Meyster County City.

In the mansion of Count Habsburg.

Ryan has met Count Habsburg twice, but both times in the study, and his status is that of a subordinate meeting.

But this time was different.

For the first time, Ryan followed Claire to the bedroom of the governor of Mayest County.

As soon as he entered the room, Ryan smelled the smell of medicine. There were several doctors in white clothes busy inside, and Bishop Xien, an old acquaintance of Ryan, was also here.

He looked serious, and after seeing Ryan, he forced a smile and nodded.

"Father!"

Claire couldn't help but exclaimed, and then ran over quickly.

Ryan's eyes followed Claire's figure and looked at the hunchbacked old man lying on the head of the bed, and he was shocked!

This.

He had seen Earl Habsburg twice before.

He was an elder with meticulously combed hair, a full forehead, a deep and rich breath, and only a little gray hair, but a brilliant spirit.

But at this moment, the old man lying on the bed had a haggard face, age spots, and almost all white hair. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was an octogenarian!

"Claire, didn't I tell you not to come back? You always don't listen to me." Hearing the familiar voice, Earl Habsburg's eyes, which were originally a little dim, suddenly brightened, and he immediately showed a happy and relieved smile.

"Father, I must come back!" Claire, who always showed calmness, had red eyes at this time.

This was the first time in Ryan's memory!

Seeing this state between Claire and her father, Ryan was also very uncomfortable.

At this time, Bishop Xien came over and whispered to him: "Ryan, let's go outside and leave this place to them."

"Okay, Bishop Xien."

"You guys go out too." Earl Habsburg turned his head to look at several doctors and said.

"Yes, Lord Earl." Several doctors quickly left the room.

Claire knew that her father had something to say to her, so she sat by the bed and listened carefully.

"Claire, I guessed you would come back. I prepared something for you, a special giant beast essence potion tailored for you, which is placed in the family secret room."

"You are the one with the highest blood concentration in the family. Once you step into the Great Knight, your strength will be greatly improved."

"Moreover, you are likely to activate the family's blood talent, so this matter cannot be delayed, you must take it as soon as possible!"

"It is far from enough for the Peak Knight to deal with the current situation in Meister County. If you become a Great Knight, I will be relieved."

Listening to her father's earnest advice, Claire held back her tears and nodded vigorously.

"Don't cry, I can't die now! Live another two or three years, and it shouldn't be a problem to see you get married."

"By the way, Claire, I decided to let you succeed me as the patriarch of the Habsburg family and the first heir."

"Don't consider the descendants of those great nobles in the imperial capital. Just find a young man you like and let him marry into your family."

Hearing this, Claire couldn't help blushing, and her mood gradually improved.

"Father, I won't consider getting married for now. Let's get over this difficulty first."

Somehow, when it comes to "marriage" and "marrying into a wife's family", Claire's mind suddenly emerges the image of Ryan in battle.

But the problem is that Ryan has only spent more than half a year, and his strength has reached the current level.

Marrying into a wife's family, is it possible?

Claire's emotions were a bit complicated for a while.

In the corridor outside the room.

"Bishop Xien, long time no see."

"Yes! Long time no see, Ryan, I feel that your breath is stronger, it seems that your strength has increased again." Bishop Xien looked surprised and looked up and down at Ryan.

"Bishop Xien, there is something I need to trouble you." Ryan suddenly remembered something.

I saw Ryan took out the golden conch medal in his arms and handed it to Bishop Xien.

"I have already used up the solidified divine spell 'Exorcism' in the Conch Medal. I may need to trouble you to bless it again when the time comes."

"Of course, no problem, but I need to return to the temple to bless you. Let's do this. I will send someone to deliver it to you later."

"Okay, thank you Bishop Xien."

Half an hour later, in the study.

Ryan and Claire sat facing each other.

"Ryan, the family has prepared a special giant beast essence for me. I want to take it in the family secret room immediately."

"It will take about three days to break through. I would like to ask you to take care of the safety of the mansion."

Huh?

Ryan was a little surprised to hear this news.

Although he could sense that Claire, as a peak knight, had a very solid foundation and was ready to challenge the great knight at any time.

But it was still a bit surprising for him to make a breakthrough during this period of time.

But soon, Ryan thought of something, nodded, and said:

"Don't worry, Miss Claire, leave the defense of the mansion to me, you can break through with peace of mind."

It is normal that it takes three days to break through and stabilize.

Ryan has a system, so he can't generalize.

"Well, thank you! Come on, Ryan, I'll take you to announce this matter." Claire stood up and said.

"Okay!"

"Ryan, there is also your appointment ceremony. The current situation is not suitable for holding a large banquet, so I want to talk about it later, okay?"

"Of course, you are now my guardian knight. Some permissions, such as the library inside the family, you can read freely." Claire said as she walked.

"Of course."

The library?

That's good, Ryan thought to himself.

"By the way, Ryan, when I break through, we can spar again. I believe your Arcadia swordsmanship will improve faster."

"Thank you." Ryan was stunned and said.

The training ground of Earl Habsburg's mansion.

Most of the family knights and guards are gathered here.

"This is Baron Ryan. Now the security and defense of the entire Earl's mansion will be taken over by Baron Ryan."

"Everyone, just like you listen to me, obey Baron Ryan's arrangements."

After Claire made her announcement, she went to the secret room.

And Ryan looked at the people in front of him and nodded slightly in his heart.

The number of defense personnel in Earl Habsburg's mansion is still large.

In terms of strength, they are not weak either. They are all well-trained family knights and guards.

If it is used to defend against raids below the level of Grand Knight, it can be said that there is basically no problem.

But once they encounter a senior knight, or a joint raid by multiple knights, the entire defense force will be insufficient.

This is when Ryan did not consider the sorcerer.

Of course, the Goddess Church also arranged a lot of formations in the Earl's mansion, but generally speaking, without the manipulation of the church's senior officials, most of these formations can only play a warning role.

Moreover, it is also necessary to consider the possibility of enemy insiders in the mansion.

If the insiders are slightly damaged, then how much effect these formations can play is also a big question mark.

Fortresses are always easier to break from the inside.

When Ryan began to arrange defense tasks, many guards in the Earl's mansion were still quite surprised.

Because they found that those colleagues who went to greet Miss Claire seemed to trust the young Baron Lei very much.

Basically, they did what the other party said and executed meticulously.

This made many people a little confused.

"Hey, why are you so convinced by this young Baron Ryan?"

"Yeah, the baron is nothing, right?"

"Do you really think we believe in him because of his title?"

"Don't you know how strong this Lord Ryan is? Didn't you see Viscount Selyer over there, who always follows Baron Ryan's words?"

"Yes! How can this Viscount be so obedient?"

The sharp-eared head maid Xia Diya naturally heard the guards' discussion and immediately interrupted:

"Don't question Lord Ryan's words or discount their execution!"

"In addition, let me correct one thing, Lord Ryan is not a baron, he is already a viscount, but the official appointment has not yet come down."

What?

He is actually a viscount?

He is a viscount at such a young age?

Several guards were horrified.

After understanding it, they realized how strong this young Lord Ryan was.

In the study.

Ryan was talking to a strange young man.

"Are you Ryan who accepted the task of protecting Count Habsburg this time? I've heard of you. You have a nickname 'Meist Battering Ram'!" The young man in a robe smiled and said.

"Yes, who are you?"

"I'm Stuart. Like you, I'm from the Munster Sword Bearer Branch. I belong to the Hurricane Squadron and am currently stationed at the Earl's Mansion."

"In fact, our main task is to ensure the safety of the transportation line from the fishing port town to the county town. Because the airship's capacity is very limited, most of the support materials need to be transported by road."

"Now the Black Flame Cult is interfering with the transportation line very much. Since you are here, I will return to my team."

Ryan nodded.

He could understand this. After all, the task they accepted was to protect the safety of the transportation line. Considering the stability of the overall situation, they were stationed at Count Habsburg's mansion.

Now that he is here, it is normal for the other party to give up.

"By the way, Ryan, are you alone this time? Where are the other members of the team?" Stuart, who was about to turn around and leave, suddenly thought of something and asked in confusion.

"Well, I'm the only one at the moment."

Hearing Ryan's answer, Stuart couldn't help but look at Ryan in surprise and said:

"Then it will be very difficult for you to complete this task. The Black Flame Cult has strengthened its activities in Mayist, and there are quite a few masters."

"If you are alone, I advise you to give up this task as soon as possible and let other teams with complete personnel take over."

"This will be safer for you, for us, and for the entire situation."

Ryan nodded. The other party was kind, and he couldn't say anything.

"I will be careful, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Giving up is impossible!

Don't forget that he has also accepted two other gold-level tasks, which are more difficult than protecting Count Habsburg.

More importantly, the tragic situation in Shining Gold Town and the turmoil in Mayist made him feel very depressed and uncomfortable.

He needs someone to bear his anger.

The Black Flame Cult, the instigator, is naturally the best choice!

Seeing that Ryan didn't seem to listen to his advice, Stuart couldn't help but shake his head and left.

Not long after Stuart left, the guard came to report:

"Lord Ryan, there is a messenger from the Sword Bearer Branch of Munster asking for an audience at the door, saying that he has something important to report to you."

Hmm?

Ryan raised his eyebrows and said, "Please come in!"

Soon, Ryan saw the messenger from the Sword Bearer Branch in the study, a tough man in leather armor.

"Lord Ryan, please show me your badge. The secret letter needs your badge to open it."

Ryan nodded and handed the golden badge to the other party.

After the other party took it, he took the badge and gently drew it on a letter emitting a faint witchcraft aura.

Soon, the witchcraft aura on the letter fluctuated for a while, and then it returned to calm again.

"This is a confidential letter. In addition, Lord Ryan, the letter will self-ignite in five minutes, please hurry and read it." The tough man explained.

"Hmm!"

Ryan nodded, took the letter and opened it quickly, reading it at a glance.

Soon, he wrote down the content.

Ryan didn't expect that the strength of this 'Blood Burner' Laxul was as strong as he had expected, and the mission level has now been adjusted to three and a half stars.

In addition, there was another piece of news in the letter that concerned him.

That is, the special envoy of the Secret Snake Cult will arrive in Meister in the next two days to contact the Black Flame Cult.

In other words, if he wants to take action in the near future, he will probably face two masters of the cult.

Of course, if the other party is strong enough, Ryan may not have to find them, but the other party will attack directly!

"Tell the two Excellencies Yumaz and Olena that I will continue to carry out this mission. Thank you for their concern."

"Okay, Lord Ryan, Lord Olena asked me to ask you if you have any other needs? She and Lord Yumaz will try their best to coordinate for you."

"Hmm" Ryan looked thoughtful.

Now he is facing a thorny problem, that is, if he needs to defend the entire Count Habsburg's mansion, he has too few available personnel.

Even if it was just vigilance and defense, the Earl of Habsburg, which had experienced several attacks, did not have enough personnel to do this.

The two top knights of Viscount Selier were no match for the cult masters.

Ryan couldn't help but think of the twin-tailed girl Veronica.

If Veronica was there, then with her expertise in birds, at least in the vigilance, he could save a lot of energy and focus on the battle.

Now, he can only rely on the blood-feathered horned beast and the greyhound war dog to ensure the vigilance and safety of the main building of the villa.

Ryan thought for a moment and said, "Can you talk to the two gentlemen and ask them to help me coordinate and get Veronica to come to my side? She is my teammate and is currently in the fishing port town."

"Okay, Lord Ryan, I've made a note of this matter and I will report it to the two adults immediately. Do you have any other requests?"

"The second thing is to ask Lord Olena to ask Angus, Vieri and the other five people if they are willing to come to Meister to perform the mission."

He also knew that this matter might be difficult, because the other party was originally affiliated with the army, and this time the empire was in turmoil, it is very likely that they have a special mission.

But these people are new sword bearers after all, so it will be relatively easy to mobilize them.

One of the reasons why Ryan values ​​the other party is that these people are from the imperial army and obey orders.

And he has sparred with them several times, and their personalities and strengths are good. If they can be transferred together, at least the defense aspect can make him a lot easier.

As for Evelyn, he didn't consider it.

Because when he was in the Sword Bearer Division, he heard that the situation in Rosby County was not good. This time, Evelyn returned to Rosby County to carry out the mission.

"Okay, Lord Ryan, is there anything else?"

"No."

--

On the main road near the border of Munster Province in Nome Province.

A luxurious carriage was galloping on the road, and two black-robed people were sitting facing each other.

The collars and cuffs of their black robes were sewn with the Ouroboros logo, and the most eye-catching was the facial features of the two people. One of them had a metal ring Ouroboros embedded in his lips, which looked quite creepy!

The other black-robed man had an Ouroboros pattern in the shape of an "8" painted on his forehead.