Of the three generals who would later become known as the "Iberian Trifecta", Casillas was the youngest, but he was also recognized as the most talented. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 The Iberian Expeditionary Force led by him completely washed away the common sense impression of "the incompetence of the Iberian army" during the First Continental War.

However, at the end of the continent kilometer 345, even his lord, William Grant, did not see the young man's future development for the time being.

"Why was I sent out to run errands alone? And it's still to meet a bad old man. Casillas grumbled to himself.

It's the last days of the last month of 345 years, and even though it's as warm as Iberia, the sky is beginning to see snowflakes at this time. Tiny snowflakes filled the sky, like dandelion seeds brought up by the spring breeze, and the white elves danced in the wind, making people ignore the slightest chill they bring.

Casillas' destination on this trip was Numancia, to be precise, he was sent as an emissary to Osasuna to visit Juan Sánchez, Marquis of Numancia. Because it was a relatively secret mission, Casillas had to set off alone to that strange place.

Riding along the wide avenues, Casillas felt a little bored and lonely, because of the weather and the season, the roads were now very few travelers. The surrounding wilderness and woods were unusually silent, which made Casillas, who had a lively personality, feel very uncomfortable, and now there was not even a person to quarrel like Canisares.

"Hurry up and get to Numancia City, you can find a place to drink." Casillas muttered, urging the horse to hurry away.

Just when the young knight decided to settle for the status quo completely, unexpected events interrupted his plans once again. A horse rushed out of the woods on the side, and Casillas was startled, thinking that he had met a strong man on the road. But it turned out to be obvious, it was a frightened horse. If that's all he wants, he can easily stay and watch the excitement. And now he immediately whipped his horse hard, and tried to catch up with the startled horse, for there was another man on it.

The startled horse ran wildly in no direction, and after a while he left the avenue and rushed into the woods in the other direction. Casillas chased after him, and although he approached the startled horse several times, the interference of the trees prevented him from moving further. In the course of more than ten seconds, he could see the horse man clearly, it was obviously a young lady, dressed in a winter hunting suit, perhaps some aristocratic lady.

Soon, the two horses rushed out of the woods one after the other and came to a relatively open place. Casillas quickly glanced at the terrain around him and immediately picked a course of action. He rode his horse up the dirt slope on one side, "Ride! "Drove the horse vigorously. Seeing that the young lady could no longer control her own balance, it was only a matter of time before she was taken off horseback.

After about 100 more fads, the two horses were already moving in tandem, and Casillas slowly freed his feet from his stirrups and carefully stood on his horseback. He took a deep breath and leaped hard. In mid-air, he was sideways, as nimble as a cat, and sat right behind the lady.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, where are the reins? Where's the reins? Casillas groped his way through the other, "Here, all right, huh-huh-" He tugged hard at the reins, struggling to keep the horse under control.

For a seasoned rider like him, dealing with such a surprise horse can be a piece of cake, although it takes a lot of work. Soon, the horse, which had been running a little out of strength, fell silent.

"Alright, alright, it's okay this lady, ouch!." Casillas cried out, for since the lady usually rode sideways, she had fallen into Casillas's arms when he jumped over. The one who was rescued now looked up to see who had saved her, but he just slammed his head on the other party's chin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you, I'm sorry." The party responsible for the incident apologized.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's not as hard as Canisares' fists, haha......" Casillas rubbed his chin and looked around.

What a beautiful young lady, Casillas thought to himself. Due to the lack of nutritional supplements for his eyes for many years, he felt that he should take this opportunity to make up for his eyes. Although it was said that they could still see Miss Lazaranmaker in the first few months, since Isabella had already been designated as the object of Lord Grant among the people under them, she was still very restrained in admiring the beautiful women.

"When are you going to see it?"

Finding that the other party had blushed and lowered his head, Casillas had no choice but to laugh and get off the other horse's back with a playful smile. The people have been saved, the beauty has been admired, and it is time to leave to get down to business. Casillas whistled into the distance, beckoning his mount to come back to pick him up.

It didn't take long for the sound of horses' hooves to sound from both sides, and it seemed that the young lady's companion had also come to him.

Casillas stepped on his horse, looked in the other direction, and asked, "Mademoiselle, is there someone you know?" ”

"Ah, yes." The girl was still blushing and glanced up slightly.

"Well, I wish you good luck in the coming year, be careful in the future, goodbye." With that, Casillas rode his horse in the direction of the main road.

"Hey, wait a minute, I haven't asked for your name yet." The beautiful young lady found that her savior had left, and hurriedly cried out to him.

What a strange person, I thought it was the same guy as Boca.

"Juana, are you alright?" A group of aristocratic youths rode up from behind, panting.

"I'm fine, someone saved me." It turned out that this young lady was the granddaughter of the Marquis de Sanchez.

"Who is it?"

"Before I could ask him, he was gone, but he looked like he was supposed to be a knight."

"You send me back, it's enough for today." Now Mademoiselle Marquis has no interest in staying with these boys any longer.

"Yes, yes, I see, I scared you today." Viscount Boca had no choice but to promise again and again that he had wanted to get closer to this beautiful young lady of noble blood through today's hunt, but who would have thought that he would encounter such a thing behind his back. Obviously, it will be extremely difficult to invite this young lady in the future, which makes him quite frustrated.

When Juana walked into the drawing-room in a huff, the Marquis de Sanchez was enjoying afternoon tea while listening to the clerk arrange his itinerary for the afternoon and this evening.

"After afternoon tea, the representative of the textile guild in Seville would like to be able to discuss with you the tax rate for next year."

"After that, Baron Ursas hopes that you will decide on the type and style of armament of the newly recruited light cavalry in the Stander area."

"Then, the elders of this city, I would like to hear your opinion on the New Year's celebration."

"A little before dinner, I think you can meet with the envoy from Osasuna."

Hearing this, the Marquis interrupted the clerk and asked, "Someone has already been sent from Osasu's side?" ”

"Yes, Lord Marquis, he has just handed in the paperwork, and we have arranged a place for him to live."

"Where did you arrange for him?" The Marquis lifted the teacup and took a sip.

"We let him stay at the Freedom and Justice Hotel."

"What!? Let him move out and book him a first-class room at the 'Dalaran' inn. Do it now, or others will say that we don't have the hospitality that nobles should have. The Marquis put down his teacup and took out his handkerchief and wiped the tea on his beard.

"Yes, I'll do it."

"Wait a minute, show me the schedule."

"Yes." The Registrar humbly handed over the schedule with both hands.

The Marquis took the quill and, after drawing in circles on the parchment for a while, returned it to the clerk.

The clerk glanced slightly, "Lord Marquis?" ”

"Do as I say, I want to see the messenger as soon as possible. The others told them to wait a while. ”

"I see." The clerk saluted the Marquis and the Marquis, who had been waiting for a long time, and withdrew.

"Ah, my little lark, why did you come back so soon?" The marquis sent off his official business, and immediately changed back to the appearance of a kind elder to greet Juana.

"Grandpa~" Juana shouted in a coquettish voice, and the voice was very cute.

"What's wrong, what's wrong, who bullied you?"

"I almost didn't come back to see you today."

"What's going on?" The old marquis was unfazed by his granddaughter's coquettishness, "Didn't you go hunting with Viscount Boca and them today?" Don't they let you have fun? ”

Juana then added fuel to the old marquis's account of the danger she had experienced, and then told the story of her rescue even more thrillingly, in turn giving Casillas a special compliment. How could the Marquis of Sánchez not be able to read his granddaughter's thoughts, although he was very resentful, even angry, that Viscount Boca had allowed his granddaughter to be in such danger, but such emotions later gave way to his curiosity about the young knight.

"Grandpa, who do you think he will be?" After talking about her experience, Juana put her arms around the old marquis's neck and asked affectionately.

"Huh." The Marquis stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.

"Grandpa~" Juana thought that the marquis already knew the identity of the man, shook the old man a few times, and shouted coquettishly.

"Okay, okay, I don't know which family's son he is, there are so many big and small nobles around us, I've never heard of a family's son with such good skills." The marquis couldn't stand his granddaughter's strength, "Of course, my grandfather is too old to remember hundreds of people so clearly. Seeing the disappointment on Juana's pretty face, the Marquis hurriedly added another sentence.

"So, I still hope to be able to formally thank him in person?" Juana's large, beautiful eyes instantly glowed with excitement.

"I heard you say, he finally came here on horseback, and it is possible that the son of a remote gateway came to the city to visit his relatives and attend the New Year's celebration. If he's a nobleman, you'll be able to see him at the New Year's Ball at the latest. The Marquis helped his granddaughter to analyze.

"So what kind of dress will I make? The jewelry should be so good-looking, and the clothes ......"

"I see my young lady, it's time for you to make two new dresses, I remember the last time the caravan passed through the locality, didn't you leave two pieces of fine material? You don't want to use them during the harvest festival, but now it's time to put them to use. In the afternoon, I will have the butler accompany you to Mr. Swift's, and let the best tailor of the South take the idea for you. ”

"Grandpa, you're so nice." Juana threw her arms around the marquis's neck again and kissed his wrinkled cheek several times without hesitation.

"Hehe, if the other party is an outstanding young man, try to win him over."

"Grandpa~~"

"Hahaha......"

Iker Casillas, meanwhile, had just thrown his simple luggage onto the greasy-looking sheets. After he visited the city hall of Numancia, the officials took him to the "Freedom and Justice" inn. Sure enough, the standard of the entire inn is as unappetizing as the sign on the outside. The only connection between the condition of the inn and its name is probably that they are similarly lacking in material life.

However, Casillas was not going to complain about this, on the contrary, he found a lot of comfort. Although the roof is leaky, only the bed is directly above the intact area; While the sheets are disgusting, at least there is no equally uncomfortable quilt; Although there were both living rats and dead cockroaches, the latter was quickly carried away by the "funeral team".

"Ah, think of it now, Canisares, they must be munching on the delicacies brought by Countess Lazaranmaker, and the cows drinking the fine wine of the Wyvern Valley, roasting on a browning fire, and sleeping in a clean, soft bed." Just as Casillas was counting the good life his companion might be enjoying at the moment, a knock at the door interrupted him.

Casillas opened the door and saw the official who had just sent him to the inn, who was now stomping his feet at the door, waiting for him to open the door for him.

"Ah, hello. Sorry to disturb your rest again. ”

"It's okay, just say anything you want." Casillas had no intention of inviting the other into the house, because the room was not necessarily much better than the hallway.

"Due to our negligence, could you please deign to move to another hotel?"

"Look, I've just settled here." Casillas thought to himself: Isn't this the worst inn here?

"This ...... I know that this has caused you a lot of inconvenience, but I hope that you will be considerate of us. The Numancia official immediately became nervous, thinking that the other party was angry at their previous negligence, so he deliberately tried to make things difficult for himself at this moment.

"Okay, okay, is there anything else?" Casillas has decided to resign himself to fate.

"Lord Marquis wants to see you as soon as possible, so if you're willing to change hotels, you'd better hurry."

"I see, please wait for me."

Then things were simple, and when Casillas saw the beautiful roof of the "Dalaran" inn, he felt that it was time for him to run this time. Sure enough, he had the key to the best room in the house, and the facilities in the room were overwhelming for the young knight who was used to staying in the barracks.

Soft and warm queen bed, separate fireplace with neat piles of firewood, clean and bright glass windows with warm velvet floor-to-ceiling curtains. It's a world away from the place before.

Casillas, after a brief period of excitement, settled his simple luggage and followed the official to visit the Marquis Juan Sánchez, the target of his trip.

"Lord Marquis, Mr. Rui Casillas from Osasuna is already waiting outside." The clerk reported.

"Invite him in."

One minute later, Casillas followed the clerk into the marquis's study.

"Hello, dear Mr. Casillas." When the marquis heard the sound, he took the initiative to greet him.

"Hello, Lord Marquis." Casillas humbly saluted the marquis.

"You surprise me, my sir." The Marquis said, and when he had finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and motioned for Casillas to sit on the couch beside him. Casillas complied with his master's wishes, but he was quickly thinking about why the Marquis had said this, and whether it was not surprising that the news of his morning rescue had reached the old man's ears. But the Marquis's next words dispelled his thoughts.

"Please bring me and this young gentleman two glasses of cider, the same one from last year." The Marquis instructed the clerk, then turned around and sat down beside Casillas. For the two people with a huge difference in status and age, this move of the Marquis can be said to be a great favor to Casillas.

"You just said that I surprised you, forgive me for taking the liberty of asking, what do you mean?"

"Don't mind," said the Marquis, smiling, "you see, your age is obviously the main factor in my astonishment. Of course, I don't mean to disdain young people. Since you are a subordinate that the famous William Grant can trust, you must have something unique about you. You're certainly too different from anyone I've usually met your age, so forgive a lonely old man for his sighs. ”

"Okay, let's get straight to the point, the nagging of the elderly is better to stay away from you as far away as possible. General Grant, oh no, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call him Count Grant now. What advice did he give me? Let's hear it directly. The Marquis's first negotiating skill was successful, and he wanted to make the young man in front of him see him as an amiable elder, as Casillas had already thought.

"Yes, my lordship, my lordship, I would like you to put pressure on the Count of Villarreal to return to us the taxes of the few villages that were supposed to belong to Osasuna. It's no secret that you have a lot of prestige throughout the South, so Grant wants to use your authority to solve this problem as efficiently as possible. Although Casillas had a slight affection for the old marquis, it was not enough to affect his normal performance.

"You see, these problems involving interests cannot be solved in a sentence or two, and what hound is willing to spit out the fat that has already eaten in his mouth?" When the Marquis said this, he paused deliberately to observe Casillas's expression, but unfortunately the young man already looked a little urban, so he continued: "The question is not the slightest triviality in the villages, but whether Master Grant can get his neighbors to have a good opinion of him. ”

"So, what do you mean?"

"Lord Grant should also show some sincerity, and his neighbors will naturally repay him with sincerity."

Casillas was lost in thought, and before setting out, he had asked William and Suarez how he should deal with the Marquis of Sanchez, after all, the other party was a famous old fox on the continent. And his lord and military advisor told him very irresponsibly that he had to think about all this for himself, and they didn't know the bottom.

"Well," Casillas thought to himself that he was "breaking the jar," "I don't think Count Grant would have admitted that those villages belonged to Villarreal." ”

Interesting young man, the Marquis thought to himself. There is not necessarily a connection between "verbal non-recognition" and "actual desire to recapture", but many people are willing to link them together to form a causal relationship. Casillas relied entirely on his own to think of answering this, and he didn't count how effective it would be, but judging from the scene, he seemed to be doing it right.

"Good, good, the legitimate interests of the lord should be protected. I will continue to help you persuade the lords of Villarreal. The Marquis smiled, "Oh, there's something else, you must have heard of the woollen textiles of Seville." ”

"Uh...... I'm not very good at economics. ”

"It's okay, the industry associations there keep complaining to me about raw materials and tax rates. It is said that Osasuna has good pastures, and they have always been willing to move part of their property there. Of course, because the previous count was Stefano, everyone knows what kind of person he is. That's why the elders of the guild hesitated, and now it's General Grant, and I heard that the former Taifu is also there to take care of the new earl's estate, I think you can talk to those merchants. The Marquis patted Casillas on the shoulder.

"It sounds like a beautiful thing, and if the Marquis can make it happen, it will naturally be good for everyone."

"Grandpa, I'm bringing you cider." A young female voice like a yellow bird rang out in the doorway.

"Oh, come in." The Marquis said to the door.

Juana grinned and walked in with the maid with the plate, and Casillas was obviously stunned when he saw her. Of course, in the eyes of the Marquis de Sanchez, Casillas's expression should be more of a young man's enthusiasm. So he introduced Casillas to Casillas: "This is my granddaughter, Juana. ”

Just as he was about to continue to introduce his granddaughter, Juana let out an exclamation, put her arms around the marquis's neck, kissed him, and said, "Oh my God, grandfather, you are so amazing, how did you find him?" ”

"So you're the Marquis......" Casillas relieved.

"Call me Juana, you are my benefactor, and you will be my faithful friend." Juana let go of her grandfather and generously stretched out her hand in front of the other party.

"Rui Casillas, I'm here to help." Casillas had not forgotten etiquette, and in fact, a well-bred knight would probably reflexively kiss a hand as perfect as possible in such a fair-skinned, soft-lined hand.

"Hah, I can probably guess what happened, but I'd rather hear from two young men." The Marquis said as he picked up his glass from the plate, "Well, we have a good wine to accompany the conversation, don't we?" ”