"Are we just walking in like this?"
Although Éomer knew Mike possessed Beyonder abilities, he couldn't help but worry seeing him walk straight towards Edoras's city gate.
Sixty years ago, when Mike helped Thengel return to Rohan, he had three hundred Gondor elite soldiers assisting him.
"It's fine. No one can stop me from going where I want to go," Mike said nonchalantly.
At his current level of strength, numbers, or rather, human wave tactics, were utterly useless against him.
One person being worth a nation was not just an empty boast.
"Alright." Hearing Mike's overbearing statement and seeing his sister's adoring expression, Éomer could only helplessly follow along.
At the same time, he quietly tightened his grip on the sword at his waist.
As King Théoden of Rohan's nephew, Éomer was definitely "born on the starting line."
However, this young man did not neglect his studies because of it; he not only possessed excellent command abilities but also had considerable personal combat prowess.
Éomer was prepared that if the situation turned sour, he would protect his sister's escape even if it meant his own death.
"Prince Éomer and Princess Éowyn, you're wanted for treason. Apologies, please forgive our offense."
Upon seeing the Éomer siblings appear, the guards at the gate immediately produced two wanted posters.
And some people held chains, intending to shackle the two.
Without a doubt, this was another scheme by the treacherous minister Gríma.
"Wait, we are here precisely to see King Théoden. I will explain the Éomer siblings' situation to him in person then," Mike called out to the guards, but he did not make things difficult for these ordinary soldiers.
"How… How dare you!" The guard captain was about to shout "How dare you!" when someone interfered with official duties, but upon seeing the person's face clearly, his expression changed, and he asked, "You… You're The Healer, Mr. Mike?"
"It is I," Mike nodded.
"It really is you!" The guard captain's face showed an excited expression.
During the coup sixty years ago, Mike, as the greatest contributor to saving Rohan, was conferred the title of Rohan's Honorary Imperial Advisor by the previous king, Thengel.
To commemorate this event, Thengel later erected a statue of Mike within Rohan.
This statue still stands in Rohan's square today.
Coupled with some of Mike's portraits still preserved among the common folk of Rohan.
Therefore, it was not surprising that the guard captain recognized Mike.
What the guards didn't expect, however, was that after sixty years, Mike still looked so young.
"Please wait, I will immediately inform the King of your return, which is excellent news." After the initial surprise, the guard captain made his decision.
As for the matter of the Éomer siblings, it had been completely forgotten by him.
"No need for such trouble. King Théoden seems to have a problem, and I happen to be going to see him in person," Mike stated his purpose.
"This…" The guard captain's face showed a conflicted expression.
This clearly did not conform to the rules; even if Mike was Rohan's Honorary Imperial Advisor, he could not trespass into the royal palace.
However, the guard captain could also sense that King Théoden's temperament had drastically changed in the past year or two, indicating a definite problem.
Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, the guard captain still followed his intuition and cleared the path.
And bowed, saying, "Mr. Mike, if King Théoden truly has a problem, please, you must help him."
Throughout Rohan's history, while its royal family members occasionally had issues, most of its soldiers were loyal to the kingdom and its people.
This had to be Rohan's good fortune.
The other guards at the city gate who recognized Mike instantly made way, shouting with fervent expressions, "Please help Rohan, Mr. Mike—!"
...
Subsequently, relying on his reputation to enter Rohan, Mike, along with the Éomer siblings, proceeded unhindered all the way to the royal palace.
Looking at Éomer now, he was filled with immense admiration for Mike.
A true man should be like this!!!
"Stop! Who are you? How dare you bring these two criminals, Éomer and Éowyn, and force your way into the royal palace?!" In front of the palace, the advisor "Wormtongue" Gríma, leading a royal guard squad, blocked Mike and the others' path.
This treacherous minister who had bewildered King Théoden had long, greasy hair, and his skin was an unhealthy pale; as he spoke, his tongue flicked over his lips like a venomous snake.
Clearly, this eloquent and treacherous minister had received news in advance.
His gaze towards Mike now contained malice mixed with a hint of apprehension.
"You're Gríma?" Mike glanced at Gríma, detecting a trace of dark power on him.
However, the most urgent matter now was to see if King Théoden's condition was salvageable.
As for the treacherous minister Gríma, he could be dealt with at any time; it was not a major problem.
So Mike, ignoring Gríma's obstruction, continued to walk into the palace with the Éomer siblings.
"Stop! I told you to stop!!!..." Gríma saw contempt in Mike's eyes. After their exchange proved fruitless, he furiously commanded the royal guard squad, "All of you, go! Seize this madman who dares to trespass into the royal palace, and those two traitors, too!"
Unfortunately, not only Gríma recognized Mike, but the loyal royal guards also recognized Mike.
Compared to Gríma, who became a royal advisor through flattery and cunning words, the royal guards were more willing to trust Mike, who had once saved Rohan.
Thus, it was seen that the royal guards not only did not block Mike but even actively cleared a path for the three of them into the palace.
"Damn it!! You useless good-for-nothings!!!" Seeing his empty threats were useless, Gríma immediately began to curse the royal guards.
As for Mike's title, The Healer, Gríma had heard much about it. Therefore, he dared not gamble whether the other party could detect the problem with King Théoden after entering the palace.
Consequently, after cursing the royal guards for a few moments, Gríma had no choice but to step forward himself, attempting to grab Mike.
Éomer, who was constantly vigilant, saw this and quietly drew the precious sword from his waist, wanting to cover their retreat alone.
Then he saw Mike, walking ahead, wave his hand without looking back, instantly summoning a golden chain that bound Gríma, who was about to reach out.
"King Théoden's condition should be related to you. You might as well come along too," Mike continued forward after speaking.
Throughout the entire process, he did not even spare Gríma another glance.
As if the other party was just a roadside.
And Gríma, with his hands bound behind him, seemed to be under a "word-is-law" spell; his feet uncontrollably followed the steps of Mike and the two siblings.
His expression had already turned to one of terror.
"Uncle, what happened to you? It's me, Éowyn, say something!"
As soon as they entered the palace, they saw King Théoden of Rohan sitting on the throne like a puppet, his face pale and his eyes dull, almost indistinguishable from a dead person.
Éowyn, who had been raised by the King, immediately rushed forward, murmuring sadly, "He wasn't like this when we left. It's been less than a month, how could he…"
Well, the only difference between King Théoden and a dead person now was probably that he still had one breath left.
"What exactly did you do to the King?" Éomer's face also showed sadness, and then his gaze towards Gríma was murderous.
When the siblings went to the Lonely Mountain for aid, they had been severely obstructed by Gríma.
As a result, after all their hardships in finding "reinforcements," they didn't expect King Théoden to have already fallen victim to foul play.
"No, it wasn't me. I don't know what happened to King Théoden either. On the contrary, during this time, I have done my best to prevent civil unrest in Rohan…" Gríma's eyes darted, and he shouted, "It's you two siblings! King Théoden has always treated you well, yet you left Rohan when he was sick and needed you."
It must be said that Gríma truly lived up to his title of "Wormtongue"; his ability to shift blame was indeed excellent.
In just a few words, he not only cleared himself of suspicion but also threw the blame onto the Éomer siblings.
Of course, his actions were not for the Éomer siblings but rather out of fear of Mike.
After all, people who could casually summon golden chains were rare in Middle-earth.
"Don't worry, King Théoden is just poisoned; he can still be saved," Mike explained to the remorseful siblings, then condensed white light in his hands and cast it towards King Théoden.
As for Gríma's words, he wasn't listening at all.
Meanwhile, King Théoden, after being treated by The Healer's Power, gradually regained color in his pale face.
After the faint trace of dark energy on him was purified, his eyes were no longer dull.
"Cough—"
Immediately after coughing up a mouthful of foul blood, King Théoden instantly "came alive," "What happened to me? I feel like I had a very long nightmare."
"Éomer… Éowyn…"
King Théoden, who had just regained consciousness, was still a bit slow-witted. Then he saw a familiar figure, "Uncle Mike, is it really you? How did you come to Rohan?"
Yes, from Thengel's generation, King Théoden did indeed have to call Mike 'Uncle'.
"If I hadn't come, you would have been slowly poisoned to death," Mike said irritably. "Also, besides being poisoned, your mind has been tampered with."
Generally speaking, even for Sauron, it would not be easy to silently attack a monarch.
King Théoden's current predicament was clearly related to his close relationship with the treacherous minister, Gríma.
In summary, his suffering this time was entirely self-inflicted.
"Poisoned?" King Théoden seemed to understand something and looked at Gríma, who was behind him, looking as if he had lost his parents. He shouted, "Men, seize Gríma and throw him into the death row! He will be executed on a chosen day!"
King Théoden was not foolish; he had merely been deluded by the treacherous minister before. Now that he was clear-headed, many things naturally became clear to him.
As Gríma, still crying out his innocence, was escorted away by the personal guards, Éomer and Éowyn also breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great vendetta had been avenged.
"Uncle Théoden, how are you feeling now? Your appearance earlier really scared me. Thankfully, Mr. Mike was here..." Immediately after, Éowyn went to her uncle's side, playfully, and did not forget to mention Mike's contribution.
"I feel much better," King Théoden said with a smile, comforting his niece, then looked at Mike solemnly and thanked him, "Uncle Mike, you've troubled yourself again this time. We will never forget your kindness to Rohan."
Being called 'Uncle' by a white-haired old man was actually quite awkward.
So, Mike changed the subject and asked, "The person who poisoned you has been found, but do you remember who tampered with your mind?"
It was precisely because his mind was tampered with first that King Théoden did not notice Gríma administering the slow poison to him.
And the double attack of mental control and slow poison was also the reason King Théoden slowly became a "puppet."
"I only remember that I seemed to have a very long nightmare. I remember most of what happened in the dream, but I just can't think of who would have poisoned my mind," King Théoden said, shaking his head after trying hard to recall.
Just like a "lucid dream," King Théoden remembered everything about being "manipulated" by Gríma before. At that time, he could hear and see, but his body was not under his control.
However, he had no impression whatsoever of who had enchanted his mind.
"Is that so? That makes it a bit difficult," Mike said. He had an impression of the scent of Sauron, so he could sense that the dark aura on King Théoden earlier was not from Sauron's direct action.
In other words, there was another person with dark power hidden in Rohan.
If this person hiding in the shadows was not found, King Théoden or those around him could be harmed again at any time.
Unless Mike stayed in Rohan as a "nanny."
But this was clearly unrealistic, as the allied forces on Lonely Mountain were still waiting for Mike to return.
"Is the situation very serious?" Éowyn looked at Mike's thoughtful expression and couldn't help but worry.
"No, it's just a bit troublesome," Mike said. "However, as long as they still have designs on Rohan, they will reveal themselves sooner or later."
For ordinary people, the methods of the dark forces were truly impossible to guard against.
Therefore, Mike decided to do a good deed to the end and stay in Rohan for a while longer, until the mastermind behind it was caught.
On King Théoden's side, perhaps sensing Mike's intention, he once again solemnly expressed his gratitude to him.
Afterward, for safety's sake, he looked at his excellent nephew and said, "Éomer, I now appoint you as the Second Marshal of Rohan, with the authority to command all of Rohan's armies..."
"Should anything happen to me, you will be the next King of Rohan."
Clearly, Éomer's action of seeking aid from Lonely Mountain this time had gained King Théoden's approval.
It made this king, who had no descendants, unable to help but entrust his "after-affairs."
...
At the same time, the White Wizard Saruman, having concluded the Holy White Council, now arrived at Mordor, this den of evil.
"Dark Lord, how much longer until your power recovers? The Fellowship of the Ring, formed by Gandalf and others, has already departed from Rivendell and may soon reach Mount Doom." Saruman, in his white robes, passed through the Orc army and arrived before Sauron, who resided in Barad-dûr, the High Tower of Mordor.
The Barad-dûr, located in Mordor, was the fortress of Sauron, and also the place where many Rings were forged, possessing absolute evil power.
Since Sauron's return from the void, he had been recuperating there.
As for why the White Wizard Saruman would appear here, it was, of course, because he chose to cooperate with the Dark Lord, who possessed the characteristic of [Immortality].
Yes, out of jealousy that Gandalf had also been promoted to White Wizard, and out of an obsession to gain the "respect" of all people in Middle-earth, Saruman ultimately chose to collude with the dark forces.
In other words, Gandalf's plan to secretly bring the Fellowship of the Ring to Mount Doom had actually been under the surveillance of the dark forces all along.
"Returning from the void was not without cost... My power still needs some time to recover." Sauron, shrouded in black mist, sat on the throne of Barad-dûr, behind him a giant flaming vertical eye—the Eye of the Dark Lord.
It could help Sauron observe situations tens of thousands of meters away.
"Is that so? Since you cannot leave Barad-dûr for now, then we will need more fresh blood to counter Gandalf's Fellowship of the Ring," Saruman suggested.
"Tell me your opinion?" After two beatings, Sauron, seemed to have learned patience.
"I suggest we develop that Lord of Lonely Mountain, Mike, into our ally," Saruman offered a specific suggestion.
Although he had some disagreements with Mike, he still highly acknowledged his strength.
Moreover, if Mike also joined the dark forces, he would undoubtedly become Saruman's junior.
It must be said that Saruman's move was quite malicious.
"No, given our current situation, it is not suitable to provoke him yet," Sauron shook his head, rejecting Saruman's suggestion.
"Why?" Saruman pressed, displeased.
"I said, no means no," Sauron said in a low voice.
Compared to Galadriel, the Elf Queen who had exiled him, Sauron hated Mike more for beating him so brutally, as if to humiliate him.
However, as the first victim, Sauron was very clear about the energy surrounding Mike.
Even at his peak, he might not be the opponent's match, let alone now.
Therefore, before fully controlling Middle-earth, Sauron did not intend to directly confront that unfathomable Lord of Lonely Mountain again.
Of course, he could not directly explain such a self-deprecating matter to Saruman.
After all, the two were only temporary collaborators.
In summary, this made Sauron's current behavior seem quite strange.
"Alright then." Although he didn't understand why Sauron, suddenly threw a tantrum like he had lost his mind, Saruman still maintained the basic integrity of a collaborator. He then suggested again, "Since we cannot win over the Lord of Lonely Mountain, then to invade Middle-earth, we must find another way..."
"Furthermore, I have found that the human forces are not united, so I suggest we first defeat Rohan and seize that land for ourselves."
"This will not only open a passage to Middle-earth but also isolate the armies of Gondor and the allied forces of Lonely Mountain, which can be said to kill many birds with one stone."
Taking Rohan would allow them to divide the battlefield, leaving Gondor and Lonely Mountain isolated, thus providing an opportunity to defeat them one by one.
Next, Saruman also casually mentioned the contingency he had arranged within Rohan.
Yes, the matter of King Théoden of Rohan was orchestrated by Saruman himself.
"A good suggestion." After listening to Saruman's second proposal, Sauron, said in a low voice, "I will leave the attack on Rohan to you to lead, and then I will send the Orc, Bolg, to assist you..."
"At the same time, I want you to help me create more Uruk-haik"
After joining the dark forces, Saruman, using his wisdom, helped Sauron, develop a stronger type of soldier—the Uruk-hai.
Compared to Orcs, these new monsters were larger, stronger, and had no weakness to sunlight.
"As you wish." Saruman accepted the task, but before leaving, he did not forget to remind the Dark Lord, "As we agreed before, after taking Middle-earth, I will need half of the control."
It could be said that what Saruman desired, even to the point of embracing darkness, was power.
He wanted to prove to everyone that Middle-earth, under his control, would only be better than it was now.
From this perspective, Saruman had a bit of the meaning of enduring hardship and humiliation to achieve a goal.