Chapter 019: Blood-Clad Cavalry
Marcus couldn’t tell if Du Fan had understood his thoughts, so he continued, “I heard the Duke is also a white-robed priest—presumably extremely devout. I think perhaps we should first…”
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “No need. I am first and foremost a duke, then a priest. I’ve come to Odinburg today for important matters, not for anything else.”
Hearing this, Marcus showed an understanding expression. He was about to say something when, suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves came from the depths of the street ahead.
As a descendant of the Wu Yun family, Du Fan had been able to discern information from horse hooves since childhood. Hearing these rapid hooves, he immediately realized it must be a group of highly elite cavalry. Though not as formidable as the Holy Church’s Templar Order, they were likely on par with the cavalry of the Northern Legions.
At this thought, Du Fan’s expression changed. Although his army was called the Asura Legion, in actual combat, facing such cavalry, they would probably have no choice but to flee in panic.
It was truly rare that the Lanxi Empire had brought such elite troops here without engaging in battle…
Soon, from the distance, a group of blood-clad cavalry rushed toward them. Passersby and soldiers alike quickly stepped aside, showing respectful expressions—clearly, they held these cavalry in high esteem.
From afar, the armor of these cavalry members appeared extremely peculiar. Thick plates covered their entire bodies, leaving almost nothing exposed except for their eyes. Each cavalryman wore a long sword at their waist, a crossbow on their back, and held a battle spear several meters long in their hands. Strangely, all these weapons and gear were blood red. This crimson color, combined with the fierce appearance of the cavalry, created an astonishing aura of killing intent. It wasn’t the kind of killing intent possessed by the strong, but rather the kind that arises only after countless battles and remains constant—emitting a sense of menace at all times.
Marcus’s expression shifted slightly, showing a strange look, while Du Fan observed the cavalry quietly, eager to see what they were here for.
As the cavalry squad rushed toward them, Du Fan’s bodyguards paled in fear. But at that moment, the lead knight suddenly raised his hand, and the blood-armored cavalry halted abruptly in perfect unison. Just this alone showed the prowess of these soldiers. The lead knight wasn’t wearing blood-red armor but instead silver armor that emitted a faint silver glow. The armor was covered in various magical runes, clearly far from as ordinary as it appeared. His helmet covered his head from top to bottom, with only a face-like shape left, revealing two dark holes where eyes should be. Du Fan could feel a gaze filled with murderous intent and coldness piercing through the helmet and lingering on him for a long time. After a while, the murderous aura gradually faded. The knight in silver armor suddenly grabbed his long sword at his waist and tapped it lightly against his horse’s thigh. His horse slowly stepped forward toward Du Fan and his group with a clacking sound. Then the knight gently removed his helmet and smiled faintly, saying, “Duke, I never expected we’d meet again!” Upon seeing his face clearly, Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. It was none other than Prince Leopold, with whom Du Fan had some acquaintance. But now, his hair was loosely tied at the back, his expression a mix of smile and sneer, and an aura of killing intent radiated from him—clearly very different from before. Du Fan had fought against Prince Leopold before and roughly knew his strength. But seeing him like this, he immediately realized that the prince must have held back greatly during their previous battle; otherwise, even if he had won, he would have paid a heavy price. While Du Fan’s mind raced, Leopold wore an extremely eerie smile and said softly, “Duke, I think we really shouldn’t be meeting right now, should we?” Instinctively, Du Fan sensed a hint of coldness in Leopold’s tone—this unhidden murderous intent was even more terrifying.
Fortunately, Du Fan wasn’t an ordinary person either. He simply smiled slightly and said, “Your Highness, you can’t blame me for this, can you? If I hadn’t done this, I doubt you would have given me a chance to gradually grow stronger.”
A pleasant curve formed at Leopold’s lips as he wore a half-smile, then he said softly, “Enough. This isn’t the time to discuss this. Anyway, it’s already happened… and it must be resolved…”
Speaking of which, this prince radiating murderous intent glanced around before continuing, “Also, Duke, I must apologize for not being able to come out personally to welcome you today… But since you’re here, I can’t guarantee much else, but at least I can assure you that as long as I’m here, no one will dare touch a hair on you…”
“Then, please, Duke!”
With that, Leopold made a slight gesture inviting him forward.
Immediately, the group of Blood Armored Cavalry brought by Leopold scattered in all directions at his signal, surrounding Du Fan and his party. Their cautious demeanor made it seem less like Du Fan had arrived in Odinburg and more like this cavalry unit had penetrated the Gavin Empire.
Du Fan sneered inwardly. It seemed not everyone welcomed him here for peace talks. With such caution, Prince Leopold must have heard some rumors. Otherwise, given his low-key nature, he would never let anyone see his elite cavalry.
Without hesitation, Du Fan simply patted his horse’s flanks and rode alongside Leopold. Marcus immediately stepped back, clearly no longer having a say at this moment.
Du Fan glanced casually at the Blood Armored Cavalry before suddenly smiling faintly and saying, “Your Highness Leopold… judging by your elite troops, they’re surely on par with the cavalry of my Northern Legion!”
Leopold replied calmly, “Duke, you overestimate me. During the Gavin coup, though I wasn’t there, the Northern Legion turned the tide with just ten thousand men—how could they be compared to ordinary armies? Don’t be fooled by the might of my Blood Armored Cavalry. After all, these two thousand are my true core forces. They can’t compare to your Asura Legion of two hundred and fifty thousand—just one spittle from one of your soldiers could drown out all my Blood Armored Cavalry.”
Du Fan shook his head indifferently and said nothing more. This meeting with Prince Leopold gave him a truly strange feeling. He had thought he had figured out Prince Leopold’s character well and was quite confident about the peace talks, but now, seeing him act in such a manner, Du Fan began to doubt himself. With such elite troops at his disposal, if he were determined enough, he might indeed be able to stay here! It seemed he had overestimated his own strength this time. There was no conversation along the way; under the leadership of the Blood Armored Cavalry, the group slowly made their way toward the lord’s residence in Odinburg. Along the way, every soldier they encountered showed both respect and fear toward these Blood Armored Cavalry members. Clearly, Leopold’s forces enjoyed a high reputation among the armies of the Lanni Empire. Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the lord’s residence, only to find a group of Black Armored Cavalry guarding all sides. Leopold whispered, “My elder brother lives in this residence… He is the main commander on this expedition, with me as his deputy. So, you’ll need to negotiate with him regarding these peace talks… But please rest assured, Duke, with my men here, he certainly won’t dare play any tricks!” With that, the fifth prince waved slightly, and the Blood Armored Cavalry dispersed. He then led Marcus ahead to the entrance of the lord’s residence, dismounted swiftly, and stood there. Seeing Leopold’s attitude, Du Fan suddenly snorted. He glanced at Count Christopher and smiled lightly, saying, “Count Christopher, it seems these peace talks aren’t as simple as we thought! Judging from Leopold’s attitude, Prince Garfield probably doesn’t want to negotiate anymore… Please advise me on what to do next.” Christopher shook his head slightly and said, “Duke, you are the chief negotiator here, and I am your deputy. It shouldn’t be my turn to make decisions, should it?” Du Fan wasn’t angry; he just touched his nose and glanced at Young Master Randy, who still had his head bowed, a half-smile appearing on his face… These peace talks seemed much more interesting than the last time!