Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks

Petra City.

It's much closer to Eira Port, and Baron Argon received the news of Eleanor's abduction from Languedoc almost as quickly as Count Losa, who had Fulk personally deliver the message.

"Lady Eleanor is a very devout and charming woman. I once met her at a banquet in Kaler Castle. Sir, we should not just sit back and let her be taken by the heretics."

"Indeed, sir, Zain Aladdin is as greedy as a jackal. I heard he has persecuted Christians on a large scale within his domain, seizing their lands and occupying their homes. It's too dangerous for Lady Eleanor to fall into his hands."

The knights each voiced their opinions, trying to persuade Baron Argon to send out troops.

The baron pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "We should indeed do something, but the Count has already sent word claiming he will dispatch troops to punish Zain, yet he hasn't summoned us to fight. This implies that the Count is confident enough to defeat the enemy on his own."

The knights exchanged looks.

"But I've heard that Count Losa and Lord Reynard's relationship is not amicable. Could he be intentionally..."

"Silence."

Baron Argon said solemnly, "The Count is a noble knight. Even though he doesn't get along with the Amalric siblings, he still risked his life on the battlefield to save them. You shouldn't use such a cynical mindset to speculate about him."

Back in the day, Losa resolutely decided to return to rescue the fallen knights on the battlefield, which included the famously estranged Amalric brothers.

This act earned him great prestige and was the reason why he was granted the title of count without strong opposition.

"I apologize, sir. I shouldn't have speculated that way about Count Losa, but although he is an outstanding general, Count Losa doesn't have a large army. Without summoning us for assistance, can he really defeat the heretics?"

Baron Argon contemplated for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "If it's just a field battle, I am confident in the Count. However, if it's a siege..."

He didn't continue.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was somewhat significant.

Zain Aladdin, besides owning Alandler and Eira Port, was blood brothers with the lord of Yakaba Villages, and they had a great relationship, serving as allies to each other.

Together, they could muster at least two thousand regular troops.

A knight speculated, "Perhaps the Count only intends to engage in a skirmish with Zain, and if he wins, he could use the captives to exchange for Lady Eleanor."

"Indeed, Lord Losa's Winged Cavalry is more elite than the heretics' Mamluks, and they move swiftly. If I were Lord Losa, I would just need to raid a few of Zain's villages consecutively, and I should be able to force him to release Lady Eleanor."

Baron Argon also found this reasoning logical: "May the Heavenly Father protect him, and may Count Losa successfully claim victory. If he falls into peril, we can then find the right opportunity to send in reinforcements."

To be fair, even if Losa issued a Summoning Decree, Baron Argon wouldn't be inclined to respond. After all, it wasn't his fiancée who was abducted.

He was already at odds with Reynard because Reynard had once meddled in Petra's succession.

It was only out of consideration for his knights' sentiments that he had to put on an appearance of wanting to rescue Eleanor.

Such was also the attitude of many lords within the domain.

If it wasn't a major incident like an invading foreign enemy, they were unwilling to deploy their troops.

…

Meanwhile, Reynard at Kaler Castle.

Was pacing back and forth within the castle, his face filled with rage.

By this year, he would be fifty, and the reason he was eager to marry a new wife shortly after Lady Stephanie had passed was to secure an heir as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if he died, the domain would revert to his former wife's kin.

"Damn it!"

"If I were still the Count of Transjordan, if I hadn't lost so many knights and soldiers fighting Saladin, how would a petty character like Zain dare to offend me like this?"

Reynard cursed furiously in the Lord's Hall.

Once upon a time, he was the uncrowned king of the entire Dead Sea area.

Zain Aladdin, to him, was nothing more than a minor character. But now, Zain had turned the tables, humiliating him instead.

At that moment, a knight entered the hall: "My lord, the lord of Hebron, Losa, has deployed his forces."

The knight carefully chose his words, avoiding addressing Losa as the count.

"Losa has deployed his forces?"

A strand of shame and anger appeared on Reynard's face: "Damn it, is he trying to rescue Eleanor to prove to all the vassals that he also has the ability to protect them?"

"This was supposed to be my right and duty. He's barely become a count, and already he's in a hurry to show off his authority?"

His loud roar echoed throughout the vast hall.

The knight lowered his head, not daring to respond.

Since the death of Lady Stephanie, Reynard had become somewhat neurotic.

Soon, the anger on Reynard's face turned into a cold sneer: "Fine, let him deploy his forces. What kind of significant victory can he achieve with just over a hundred elite troops under his command?"

"Issue the order, summon all knights and soldiers. After this thief Losa loses his battle, we'll prove to everyone that Transjordan is still under my command, Reynard!"

The knight solemnly replied, "Yes, my lord!"

…

Eira Port.

Scattered white sails moored in the harbor.

From the castle here, you can just see the vast sea in the distance.

A messenger hurriedly came in to report the news.

Zain Aladdin sneered: "Good timing, this Frankish lord, has defeated Zahir and Adil before, renowned far and wide, even King Saladin must retreat because of his bravery."

"If I defeat him, I will surely rise in fame and gain a great deal of prestige."

"Then I will unite with my brothers to head north, open up the connection between Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula, and the kingdom of the Franks will be surrounded by us completely. The entire Zoroastrian world will salute me as a hero!"

Zain Aladdin harbored no doubts about his victory.

He did not even think to call on his brothers for help, for he had already found out that the power of this newly appointed Count was rather ordinary.

The Mamluk personal guards under his command, though not comparable to those of the local governors, were still an extremely elite force.

Numerical advantage, compounded by the enemy coming from afar.

Zain Aladdin couldn't help but laugh: "Ha, I simply cannot fathom how I could possibly lose? The great undertaking that even King Saladin couldn't accomplish is about to begin with me!"

...

The sky darkens.

The Hebron Lord's Hall in the night, under the moonlight, appeared as if covered in silver frost.

Hiss—

Wisps of white smoke curled upwards.

In a secret room of the castle.

Furin Jira held a green glass test tube, pouring the solution into a large cauldron, and when the solution dripped onto the fire beneath the cauldron, wisps of white smoke would arise.

She was attempting to concoct a potion with intense corrosive properties, named—Acid Bomb.

Bang—

The cauldron suddenly cracked.

The solution inside splattered outward.

Furin quickly transformed into a bat, dodging to the ceiling.

The solution flowed wildly, like highly poisonous royal water capable of consuming a human body, rapidly corroding the ground.

"This shouldn't be happening."

The bat transformed by Furin Jira shouted loudly: "Lord, help me check which process went wrong? Once it's formulated, it should stabilize!"

Furin Jira's talent was Blood Magic Specialization.

And not Blood Magic Master.

In aspects of arrays and alchemy, although she had inheritance, her mastery was rather basic.

Losa pinched his nose and walked into the room.

Felt a rush of sour stench, quickly shut the door again: "Furin, you've asked the wrong person. My Blood Magic is inherited from you, what you know, I may not, and alchemy, which you aren't skilled at, I know even less. You should ask Kurs."

Kurs, dressed in formal attire, appeared like a ghost behind Losa, startling him into a jump.

"Kurs, can't you stop being so elusive?"

Kurs smiled and said: "Apologies, Lord, I just wanted to arrive on the scene quickly, so I used the ability 'Shadow Jump'."

"However, you said to ask me, but it's better to ask you because except for 'Blood Shadow', in any Blood Magic, I can nearly say I'm completely clueless."

He pushed open the door, softly said: "Miss, please come out, I will clean up here."

Furin Jira hurriedly flew out, spoke with annoyance: "Today must be unlucky, that caused my experiments to continuously fail."

Kurs's lips slightly curled up into a somewhat affectionate smile.

This smiling tiger, though always maintaining a courteous smile, only when facing Furin Jira possibly shows his true expression.

"Miss, is there a chance… I'm just suggesting a possibility, without offense—your talent in Blood Magic does not include alchemy. Have you forgotten how you blew up a castle, leading to ancestor's wrath and forbidding you from researching any magic potion?"

Furin Jira's face darkened: "That was decades ago, ancient history, don't bring it up anymore, and Acid Bomb is just a very ordinary magic potion, not that destructive."

Losa's face darkened even more: "Furin, didn't you say you've studied alchemy before?"

Had he known Furin Jira had such a remarkable record, he would never have agreed to her request to set up an alchemy laboratory in the castle.

The decoration of Hebron Castle remains quite exquisite, Reynard previously spent heavily on it.

If it were blown up because of Furin Jira's alchemy research, that would be ridiculous.