Temple Sword

Chapter 104 The Messenger

"Father!" Yi Lei shouted from a distance, and the farmland and dozens of people who were farming appeared in front of his eyes. "Father! Come here!"

Seeing the father wearing the same sackcloth clothes as the peasants, even his children were puzzled.For though he is a knight lord, he works in the fields like everyone else.

Antal wore the simplest socks and unpainted linen shirt. From the outside, he was not much different from his peasants.

He's been up early in the morning to check every job in person, without stopping for a moment, and he's done his share of the work.

Antar fell trees, chopped wood, and sowed corn, and he was so absorbed in his work that at first he did not hear the boy's cries.

"Father!" The little boy ran to him, tugging at the dirty mid-thigh shirt to keep his father's attention.

Antal turned around and looked at him with a smile, his face was covered with dust, and the sweat on his forehead carved a long and narrow gully.

"What's the rush, boy?" he asked, and reached for the cowhide jug hanging from a string slung over his shoulder.Gripping the carved cork between his teeth, he pulled it from the neck of the jug, and gulped down the fresh birch spring water.

"Hundreds of cavalry are coming here," gasped the child excitedly. "It's the king's banner!"

The manor almost spilled the water, he did not expect visitors, especially from the court of Timisoara.

He immediately stopped what he was doing, put his hands tightly on Yi Lei's shoulders, and walked quickly towards the west gate.He had to wash his face, the thought flashed through his mind, and in a moment he had to put on his best holiday suit.In any case, he could not dress like a peasant to receive royal emissaries.

On the way, Antal and Yilai came across Kortar and Sepke who were fighting, and the latter two stopped their duel immediately after seeing their master, and tried to stand upright.

But Antar, who was immersed in his excited thoughts, didn't notice these two little guys. He kept asking his son: "Are you sure there are only 100 people? They are still holding the king's flag?"

"Varos said so." Ireh replied.

Antal nodded. His guard captain had never lost a miss, and he was better at it than anyone else.

However, he didn't understand at all, what is a team of royal knights doing in Slavonia?
"How far are they from here?" Antal asked again as the two passed through the west gate. "Where do they come from?"

"From the northeast, Varos says they'll be here in an hour."

"This time should be enough for us to prepare..."

"I've already notified Mom with Bograka." The boy's eyes sparkled, and his breath came fast with the fast pace. "The guards are also ready, they all know about it."

"You didn't disappoint me, my son." Antal smiled at his child, and then his face became serious again, he still couldn't figure out why people from the royal family came to see him.

He is really proud of his son.Other lords might chide the captain of the guard for not reporting to him himself, but Antar had given his captain a clear order months ago that when his son was not studying or training, his captain should work hard Show him how to be a good soldier.

This includes that if they see someone coming from the tower, they should ask the boy to pass the message to him.Antal would then ask all the important questions, a good sentinel should know the answers, and if the boy answered all the questions well, the captain would be praised and rewarded accordingly.

Yi Lei also saw the importance of this matter, and when no one asked him to do so, he immediately notified his mother and family, which made Antal very proud.

"Eric, let's see if their nails are dry while I'm changing!" After crossing the threshold of the manor, Antal handed the child over to the servant in front of the door, stepped up the steps quickly, and entered Upstairs bedroom.

His wife Agnes was already there waiting for him, holding her husband's best clothes.Although Antal employed many people on his estate, he did not employ a dedicated servant to dress him.

He had taught his boys how to dress, girdle, and arm a knight in battle, though not once in the past nine years had he had to don an iron suit.

With the battle of Rozgoni over, he has put the war years of his life behind him, and now he just wants to see his fields grow fat, enjoy the warm embrace of his wife, and see his son Grow into a strong man.

His ancestral sword hadn't tasted blood for a long time, and neither had the magnificent lily sword he once got from the king, which hadn't eaten the flesh of a living person for nearly ten years.If he had to wash blood from his hands once in a while, it was at best from the morning blood from the slaughtered cow.

As a young man, he never imagined that he would end up content with a farming lifestyle - but he loved it and was happy to work like other farmers, and he didn't miss his former war life.

"Who's coming?" Agnes asked, her blue eyes widening in anticipation. "Are they really from the court of Timisoara?"

"I don't know." Antar replied, stripping off his clothes and throwing his dirty clothes in the corner. "I didn't receive any information in advance, and they didn't inform me."

"What are they looking for you for?"

"I wish I knew the answer too..." Antal sighed.

He walked to the washbasin in the middle of the room and quickly washed off the dirt on himself.He didn't spend much time cleaning himself, his once-long hair had been cut off so he didn't have to bother washing it off after a busy day.

This time, he just splashed water on his face carelessly to clarify his thin face set off by the mustache and short beard, and then wiped it casually with a towel.

He took the clothes from his wife one by one, and quickly put them on himself, blue woolen leg socks, clean underwear, and the same snow-white coat, and then his favorite hat, made of reddish-brown sheared from the finest wool, and finely trimmed with snow-white linen.

His wife gave him a lily-embellished sash from which hung his purse, cutlery and simple handkerchief.

"I was able to get it into the third hole before." Antal looked at the strap as he looped the end of the strap around the buckle. "When did my belly get so big?"

"You look healthier than ever." She kissed him on the cheek, then hung the heavy aristocratic necklace around his neck, made of copper lilies, a status Symbol of man.

"Really? I look all right?" The knight pulled on his buffalo booties and stood up himself.

"You are more handsome than the king himself," Agnes said with a smile.

"If you stand by my side, they won't even look at me." Antar took her hand. "As far as I know, compared to you, the queen is just an ordinary dishwashing cook in the kitchen."

"You idiot!" She covered his mouth with her hand, "No one can hear you say that!"

(End of this chapter)