"Should we disperse these villagers around us?"

Seeing the crowd of villagers gathering on both sides of the road, numbering nearly ten thousand, Hakuto quietly inquired.

Horn shook his head, "No need, just find a few of the Defensive Army to maintain order, and make sure no trampling incidents occur."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

Looking at the Salvation Army's formation slightly shifting, Horn felt that his control over the army had taken another step forward.

He even felt as if the army was a part of his body, as though he could command them effortlessly.

Sitting on the soft cushioned seat of the carriage, Horn lowered his head to look at his calloused hands, lost in thought.

"Brother, look." Jeanne pointed to a place by the roadside not far away, "That's the camp of the Royal Constitution Knights."

"The camp of the Royal Constitution Knights..." Lifting his head, Horn saw a camp by the road with black smoke rising, scorched marks everywhere, "You haven't yet told me how you defeated them."

"It rained that day, they were all inside hiding from the rain, either drinking and gambling or asleep, completely unexpecting our arrival.

I led the Holy Gun Cavalry straight in, they didn't have time to armor up or mount their horses, I electrocuted dozens, and the rest surrendered."

Horn was lost for words, he could anticipate that the defeat of the Royal Constitution Knights would be foolish, but he didn't expect it to be so foolish.

However, it was quite in line with Horn's stereotype of the Falan people, casual, indulgent, and fond of drinking.

"What about those Royal Constitution Knight prisoners? Why haven't I seen them?"

Jeanne's expression turned a bit unpleasant, "Last night, those escaped Royal Constitution Knights came back and rescued their remaining comrades."

Riding a warhorse, Jeska, with a single eye, looked at Horn, holding a single eye bandaged with gauze, "Interestingly, those Falan prisoners were held together with the temple knight prisoners, yet they only rescued their own, even beat up a few temple knights."

The qualities of Falan people, both loyal and petty, were vividly displayed in this incident.

"Let them escape then." Horn shrugged indifferently, "We don't have much interest entanglement with these Falan people."

Having clarified the situation with the Royal Constitution Knights, Horn questioned Jeanne again, "After defeating these Royal Constitution Knights, did you immediately take over Joan of Arc Castle?"

"No." The spring breeze lifted one corner of Jeanne's cape, she reached out to smooth the wrinkles, "If it were so, I would have reached the battlefield long ago.

They signaled Joan of Arc Castle with wolf smoke, and we fought a battle with the temple knights outside the city and won.

Some Night Guards and Extraordinary Knights tried to escape into the castle to hide, but the citizens and laborers of Joan of Arc Castle formed a guard to block them off.

I took the opportunity to charge and break through them, and the rest of the knights and armored soldiers fled in all directions.

After taking control of the castle and capturing the church, I led the War Monks towards Pavia nonstop, luckily making it in time."

Bouncing along with the pothole-filled dirt road, Horn almost vomited, inwardly cursing: "Mad, one day I will surely fill you with mortar."

After hearing Jeanne's account, Horn, barely holding back nausea and dizziness, grasped the key point quickly: "Those citizens formed a guard to help you attack the knights? They had the courage?"

It wasn't that Horn looked down on the citizens, but that most of the brave and spirited individuals of Joan of Arc Castle had followed him to Daze Village.

From Horn's understanding of them, they might act on impulses, but without an organizer, they mostly fought individually.

"It was organized by the Child Soldiers and the monks of the Saint Father's Association." Jeanne revealed the mystery, "But they did actively participate in the guard."

"At least there is some courage, the Saint Master has three parts of fire?"

"Is that what you call three parts of fire? Doesn't she kill millions of heretics at the drop of a hat?"

"Uh..." The off-topic Horn was tongue-tied for two seconds, not expecting Jeanne to catch his slip.

"Your Eminence, we've arrived at Joan of Arc Castle." Jeska promptly stepped out to mediate.

In the open space along the main road outside Joan of Arc Castle, the original stalls of small vendors had all been pushed down, leaving a large area to welcome Horn.

The citizens had hired many laborers, standing by the roadside waving flags and flowers, a necessary step for visiting bishops.

Despite the strong desire for independence, the citizens knew it was unrealistic.

Their military power couldn't even defeat the temple knights, let alone the Salvation Army that "defeated" the Imperial Knights.

In the subconscious of most citizens, the Salvation Army was merely driving away the Imperial Legion rather than defeating them outright.

It was, after all, the Imperial Legion, not to mention killing them, they would feast on ten Imperial Knights being knocked down.

Citizens knew that given the current situation in the Thousand River Valley, for a long time, they would have to submit to Horn.

In the end, it's just changing the flag, after all, the running of the city still depended on them.

Several representatives of the citizens, the heads of major artisan guilds, and a few esteemed elderly selected by laborers stood respectfully by the roadside, awaiting Horn's arrival.

The men hadn't arrived yet, but the tens of thousands of villagers first startled these citizens.

"Quite the spectacle." The citizen representative Sede tilted his head, speaking softly to the head of the Stonemason Guild, Bunaford, "Hiring these villagers must have cost a lot."

"Who cares, it's not our money." Bunaford snorted twice.

"Who says it's not our money, have you forgotten how he acted before?" Sede sighed, "In the absence of heroes, a farmer became famous."

"Could the Imperial Knights or Dane be any better?" The old laborer nearby couldn't hold back, "At least the man reasons a bit."

"I'm just saying, why so worked up? Ready to lick the farmer's boots?"

"You!"

"Keep it down, don't want to be overheard, do you?" Another citizen representative reminded.

The sound of uniform and forceful footsteps arose, and Sede immediately clammed up.

"Hurry up, don't delay."

Standing up from beneath the shade, they lined up at the road junction, wearing professional fake smiles, welcoming Horn's arrival.

Just as a few months ago, they welcomed the Imperial Legion here.

Sure enough, entering their view was the Salvation Army, everyone wounded, wearing matching attires, but covered in dust and grime.

The wheat-colored face, simple and foolish gaze, rude gestures, vulgar speech...

Even in fine clothes, they're just peasants.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

"Is this it..."

"Laughed."

Whispering sounds arose among the citizens present, even mixed with a few indistinct snickers.

Is this the soldier that defeated the Imperial Knights?

They thought they hid it well, but the confusion and contempt in their expressions could not be concealed.

The Black Hat First Corps remained unaffected, marching proudly to clear the way for the War Monks in the rear.

Their steps showed no change at all, having heard the snickers yet deemed them laughable to respond to.

When the people behind the Black Hat First Corps appeared, those laughs were abruptly cut off in the throats like a duck with its neck throttled, turning into ridiculous "ho ho" sounds.

Over twenty prisoners of war, covered in blood and dirt, marched on either with downcast or sorrowful faces.

They wore slave collars around their necks, their hands chopped off, wearing nothing but a pair of trousers.

When occasionally meeting the eyes of the War Monks escorting them, they would shrink back like mice seeing a cat.

And it was precisely this group of prisoners that made the citizens feel as if the world was collapsing.

Those were the Imperial Knights, the lofty Imperial Knights!

Citizens repeatedly rubbed their eyes, afraid they saw wrong, some even calling out a knight's name.

They could clearly see that knight shivered all over, yet dared not raise his head.

Before they could react from the shock, another cart arrived, neatly displaying 20 lime-preserved heads.

Though somewhat deformed, they could still be recognized as the Imperial Knights!

"One cart, two carts, three carts..." A roadside citizen murmured, "Three carts, sixty Imperial Knights' heads, plus more than twenty prisoners—"

The noisy crowd was as quiet as a library.

Eighty-plus Imperial Knights, the pinnacle of the Kingdom Extraordinary Knight, all fell at the feet of the Salvation Army.

Those were said to be each guarded by Angels, the Imperial Knights!

How many times they swaggered on the streets, while the citizens had to endure in silence, even accompanying them with smiles.

Now, they are displayed on manure carts, for people to view.

"Annihilated?"

"I didn't see wrong, did I? My eyes must be mistaken, someone help me see."

"Eighty, really eighty of them."

If Madlan were here, he would surely make it clear to them.

It's not just eighty, but all 100 Imperial Knights, none missing, all present.

It's just that some had their heads blasted by leather cannons or burned by lightning, so they weren't preserved for display.

When those black-clad soldiers marched past again, this time the citizens dared not even meet their gaze.

"Mr. Sede, that's Lord Bo Ao Lie's head! He's the company commander of the Imperial Knights!"

"What Lord Bo Ao Lie! That's Devil Bo Ao Lie, watch your words! Citizen!" Sede suddenly turned and reprimanded his follower behind him.

With a grin full of wrinkles, Sede chucklingly rubbed his hands and approached Victor: "Captain, my Holiness the Pope? We have prepared a fine meal, waiting."

"His Holiness the Pope is in the back." Victor gestured behind him, just as two strong War Monks carried Horn's wheelchair down from the cart.

Sede instantly rushed like a starving dog seeing rotten food, kneeling down with a thud.

Like scrambling for food, he bowed and repeatedly kissed Horn's feet.

Horn was startled by him, and the guarding Monk, shocked, lifted him from the ground and tossed him over.

The dirt-covered Sede felt no shame, stood grinning, "Your Holiness, it's me, Sede, remember?"

"Sede?"

"Yes, Sede, the judge of Joan of Arc Castle."

"Oh—" Horn gave him a meaningful look, "So, it's you."

"Your Holiness's arrival, we brought the best chefs from Joan of Arc Castle, set a banquet for you..."

"We'll skip the meal," Jeanne interrupted Sede impatiently, "We go into the city first, still things to do."

Under the protection of the First Imperial Guard Corps, Horn and the Holy Gun Cavalry slowly advanced along the usual path.

The villagers followed behind them, crowding into Joan of Arc Castle alongside the citizens.

Many in the Salvation Army were familiar with every brick and stone here, after all, that night of bloody battle was unforgettable.

Arriving at the city square center, atop the Joan of Arc Castle flew the flag of the Salvation Army, atop the City Hall tower waved the Pope Country's flag, and on the church was the sun gear flag of Pope Horn.

Sitting in the wheelchair, raised high by the War Monks, Horn surveyed everything before him.

The square teemed with villagers, alleys were crowded with citizens and acquiring laborers, even rooftops held many residents of Joan of Arc Castle.

"Faithful citizens, this place is no longer a territory of the Thousand River Valley Church."

A forefinger pointed to the sky, Horn solemnly declared, "From this moment, Joan of Arc Castle and the Kush Territory fall under the banner of the Pope Country! A direct domain of the Holy Father!"

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