The clamor of the outer city had fallen silent.
Arthur's Black Lion banner flapped in the wind atop the walls of Willow Wood City, replacing the Legge Family's green weeping willow flag, signifying the change in control of the castle.
Arthur stood some distance from the towering stone walls of the inner keep, his gaze sweeping over the bottomless moat, scrutinizing the towering, sturdy fortress.
He had anticipated all of this; while things were still tricky, it was much better than he had expected, at least the outer keep had been taken.
The heavy iron gate was tightly shut, and the Legge Family soldiers on the arrow towers, like startled birds, watched nervously from below.
This was a troublesome hard nut to crack, a bottomless pit that couldn't be filled even with countless lives.
Lucien's voice carried the eagerness of battle; he was covered in blood, his own and others', yet his voice was terrifyingly steady: "Lord Arthur, let me lead the charge once!"
Arthur did not turn around, merely raised a hand slightly, signaling for calm: "There's no need for that for now."
His voice was calm, yet it instantly cooled Lucien's boiling blood; Lord Arthur's words were iron law to him.
Arthur finally turned around, no longer looking at the inner keep, as if it no longer existed, and slowly began to speak, arranging things methodically:
"Lucien."
"Take some men to inventory the castle's granary and armory. Collect and guard the Legge Family's provisions, and distribute the weapons and equipment from their armory to our soldiers who are only carrying farming tools and wearing cloth clothes."
Lucien stood tall and responded: "Yes! Lord Arthur!"
Arthur's gaze swept over the crowd, landing on Lucien's adjutant, Hake.
"Hake!"
"Lord Arthur!" Hake immediately stepped forward.
Arthur's eyes were calm, his words steady, without a hint of emotional change:
"You are responsible for cleaning the battlefield. Drag the fallen Legge Family soldiers outside the city, and have the soldiers hand over the heads they are wearing on their waists as military merits. Register their military merits, then incinerate or bury them deep."
"Remember, an uncleared battlefield can easily lead to a terrible plague."
He then called for two riders.
"Send fast horses to Lions Den, inform Evelyn, tell her I have taken the outer city of Willow Wood City. Then go to the Terry Family's old keep, inform Olivier, and have him come; I need a negotiator who understands noble laws."
Arthur paused, a difficult-to-discern smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Only Evelyn and he knew this plan in the entire Lions Den. Evelyn had initially thought his audacious action was very dangerous and didn't believe it could be achieved.
"Tell Evelyn, we might be staying here for a long time."
After arranging all of this, Arthur's gaze turned to the silent Brin beside him.
This burly and majestic blacksmith quietly held his massive longbow.
Arthur pointed to the tower at the top of the inner keep and asked: "Brin, can you and your brothers shoot down the ravens in the sky?"
Brin grinned, revealing a mouthful of molars. He heavily patted the giant bow on his back, producing a dull thud: "My Lord, forget ravens, anything flying in the sky, anything with feathers, as long as it dares to pass over our heads, I can deliver it to you!!!"
Arthur's eyes turned cold, like a biting wind: "Very good."
"From now on, you and your archers will stand guard in shifts, twenty-four hours a day."
"You have only one task: not a single raven must fly out of that inner keep!"
Arthur emphasized each word, enunciating clearly.
"You must make Roger Lygg deaf and blind, so that any plea for help he sends will never receive a reply!"
The smile on Brin's face vanished, replaced by a hunter's concentration: "Leave it to me! My Lord!"
He nodded heavily, then turned and left with his equally silent companions, who also carried longbows on their backs.
The hall of Willow Wood City was quickly cleared. The Legge Family's luxurious tapestries and banners with their family crests were torn down and thrown into a corner. This became Arthur's temporary command center.
Soldiers escorted groups of captives to present them to Arthur. If Arthur hadn't ordered the capture of nobles, the rewards for which would be greater than for their heads, these men would not have kept their heads.
Among them, thirteen knights who lived within the keep and had chosen to surrender directly when the army entered the city and victory was decided were the most eye-catching. Their excellent armor shimmered in the firelight, starkly contrasting with the ragged clothing of Arthur's peasant soldiers around them.
They had witnessed the barbarity of Arthur's army and were already terrified. This was truly an army fighting with savages; they were no different from savages themselves, especially their practice of cutting off enemy heads and hanging them from their waists as trophies. By the Seven Gods, these were people bewitched by devils.
A middle-aged knight, leading the group, forced himself to maintain noble decorum. He stepped forward and said to Arthur, who was seated on the Legge Family's lord's throne:
"Lord Arthur! We are knights! By the Seven Gods! Noble status should be respected!"
He tried to make his voice sound steady.
"Each of us is willing to pay three hundred gold dragons in ransom for our lives and freedom, and that of our families."
Arthur looked at them, his face expressionless, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He did not answer directly, but merely waved to his guards: "Bring paper and pen."
A servant quickly presented parchment, ink, and a quill.
Arthur reclined on the Legge Family's throne, his gaze sweeping over the ten knights, and slowly began: "Very well, gentlemen."
"Please write a surrender document, acknowledging your surrender to me, the Lord of Dreadfort and Vicon Gorge, Arthur."
"Then, sign your names and press your family seals upon it."
The knights' faces instantly turned pale. Writing a surrender document and affixing their seals was not just surrendering; it was trampling their family's honor underfoot, an indelible stain. Afterwards, the Legge Family would use this as an excuse to strip them of their lands, reducing them to wandering knights, and no one would ever grant them land again.
A young knight couldn't help but shout: "Lord Arthur!"
"This is against the rules!!!"
Arthur's gaze slowly shifted to him, and the surrounding soldiers immediately tightened their grip on their weapons, the cold killing intent lowering the temperature of the hall by several degrees.
The young knight immediately shut his mouth, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
Under Arthur's unquestionable gaze, and before the increasingly close, cold blades of the surrounding soldiers, the middle-aged knight finally trembled as he took the quill.
One after another, they wrote the humiliating words, pressing their personal signet rings into the hot sealing wax.
Arthur took the ten surrender documents, carefully blew the ink dry, then meticulously folded them. Then he instructed the guards:
"Take these esteemed guests away, have them remove their heavy equipment, and find a clean room for them to stay in."
He added another sentence.
"Remember, treat them well, don't let them go hungry."
The knights were led away, and silence returned to the hall for a moment.
Soon, two of the most important guests were brought in by the soldiers.
First was Roger Lygg's wife, Lady Veil.
This well-preserved noblewoman was expressionless at the moment, her luxurious gown stained with dust, yet she stood proudly, her eyes fixed on Arthur, not uttering a single word.
Arthur slowly descended the steps from the lord's seat, finally displaying noble etiquette. This woman might be used to threaten Roger Lygg, and his tone was calm and gentle:
"Lady Veil, please do not be alarmed. My war is not against ladies; you will be safe here."
He then ordered the guards beside him,
"Go find a few nimble women from the surrendered servants to take good care of Lady Veil."
Lady Veil did not know what she was thinking, remaining silent, only staring intently at Arthur, as she was led away by two maidservants.
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