Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 50: I Love Memes

Chapter 50 - I Love Memes

Morning arrived. The journey continued.

Lia’s skin was strangely glossier and healthier than usual. As for me, I was a bit sleepy, but my body felt light and comfortable. Though my hips and back were still sore.

As for the princess, she had been avoiding eye contact since we woke up. Lenitia didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day.

It was obvious that she knew what we had done. I pretended not to notice anything.

Our journey continued uneventfully for another three days, aside from the nightly cavalry skirmishes. We regrouped with Bickar’s original unit along the way.

On the fifth day since our departure from Garuda Stand, precisely at noon, we finally stood before Frogine Fortress gate.

The high stone walls, towers, ballistae, deep moats, and traps around the fortress were even newer and more durable than Garuda Stand’s. Mechanical crossbows were positioned behind the small openings in the fortress walls, aimed directly at us. One wrong move, and we would end up as porcupines. Three layers of gates and a drawbridge prevented us from getting closer to the entrance.

The metal gates ascended, and the drawbridge extended, creating a path for us. A towering knight clad in dragon-emblazoned armor emerged from behind the opening gates. Leading his bodyguards, the knight approached us.

I raised my head to look at his face.

That was Louis Zen. The game’s developers had designed this monster based on "Lu Bu" from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other related game series. His face, influenced by social media and memes, had the distinct outline of a "Chad" and the aesthetic of the Fist of the North Star anime series.

But man, he was huge.

Louis Zen’s gaze swept over us. He frowned at Lia and Lenitia for a moment and shifted his gaze to me. The corners of his mouth rose slightly as he nodded.

"Well done, Bickar."

Bickar bowed. "It’s my duty."

Louis Zen turned to Cash Fraus and Slavus Cupiditus. He looked away from the hubris young master and nodded at Slavus.

"Welcome to Invidia. Bickar has already informed me about your arrival."

Slavus whistled. "I didn’t notice a message bird. How did that sketchy knight tell you?"

"Bickar is a spirit user. He’s our best agent."

"That explains a lot." Slavus laughed and saluted Louis. "Then I’ll be working with you. Don’t bully my lord, alright?"

"I never bully people."

Louis opened his palm and gestured for us to enter the fortress. We followed the men inside.

The interior fortress was the same as in the game. Because of the maze of walls, gates, and trap corridors, we climbed the walls and navigated through the wall-walk.

Fortunately, these walls were wide enough for horses to walk around comfortably. The only negative aspect was the height, which could startle someone with acrophobia.

Upon arrival at the castle, Louis ordered us.

"Follow Bickar to the guest room for now. I’ll have a meeting with these gentlemen first. We’ll talk after dinner."

Lenitia bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Louis glanced at Lia’s horse and stared at it for a while. He inhaled deeply and turned away.

"I’ll also arrange a proper stable for that dragon horse. Otherwise, some greedy men might steal it. Bickar, be sure to protect their horses, especially that one."

Lia raised an eyebrow and dismounted. She passed the horse’s reins to one of Bickar’s men and walked next to me. I also got down from my horse.

Lia whispered in my ear. "Say, that giant won’t steal my horse, right? He was ogling my baby for a long time."

"Nah. He has a horse of the same caliber. He’s just comparing them."

"Are you sure? How did you know?"

"Before Louis Zen became a general, he was known for being a skilled horseman and his horseback archery. He had like thirty fine warhorses as spares when he was active as a knight. Now that he has become a general, he has his ’collection’. Right, Sir Bickar?"

My voice was low, but it was loud enough for Bickar, who was walking in front of us, to hear. He turned to me and smiled.

"Thirty is old news. He has sixty-seven warhorses now. Seven are the same as that breed."

Hearing sixty-seven, my hands moved by instinct, gesturing the brainrot meme. "6-7?! 6-7?!"

"Yes! Sixty-seven! Impressive, right?"

I nodded and grinned widely. "Yes! 6-7!"

"...What’s wrong with your hands?"

"Nothing. I’m so impressed that I get too excited."

"I see! Hahahaha! You have a weird habit."

We soon arrived at the residential area for high-ranking knights and noblemen. The stone roads were four lanes wide, designed for horse carriages. No trace of wheel tracks remained on the road.

Our destination was a humble three-story villa, covering about five hundred square meters. The property lacked a swimming pool, but its striking features, including a pristine front garden, a stone road for carriages, and a marble building with a Roman design, set it apart in the neighborhood dominated by brick mansions. The residence was completely enclosed by imposing marble walls, functioning as a compact fortress, though it was not equipped with watchtowers or battlements.

The soldiers in front of the gate unlocked the doors and let us inside. Bickar, however, chose not to follow us to the mansion.

"Please rest here. We apologize for our lack of preparation. We will arrange for servants to be sent to you before the sun sets."

Bickar excused himself and left us alone. Lenitia, Lia, and I looked at each other and turned to the villa.

"Finally, we’re alone." Lia let out a long sigh of relief.

Lenitia grumbled. "Let’s explore the place first. Don’t go around and... mate like rabbits in heat!"

Lia and I flinched, but we laughed it off. Lia snuggled to Lenitia and whispered to her, but I could still hear it.

"Did you peek at us, Your Highness?"

"S-shut up! I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"It’s fine, Your Highness. You can take it as bridal education. For future reference, of course."

"LIA!"

Lia burst into laughter and ran away while the angry princess started chasing after her naughty attendant.

While the two silicone women played in the garden, my eyes scanned for potential crates and objects to break. Marble stone pillars, Roman-like art statues, and tables looked tempting, but breaking such objects might anger Louis Zen.

While wandering in the front garden, a training ground and a garrison area for servants attracted me. At the training site, wooden racks full of wooden weapons, training dummies, and an archery setup looked spotless as though someone had been cleaning them.

"Must... destroy..."

Saliva escaped the corners of my mouth. I pulled a wooden sword and raised it over a training dummy. With a swing, I hit it.