After a while of slashing, the remaining orcs rolled and crawled into the woods. Roland stopped the pursuit decisively, gathered the knights under his command, and continued on their way.
"Encounter: Completed. Reward: Royal Guard Paladin *1. You can summon him at any time."
"Wocao!" Roland almost shouted in excitement.
The Royal Guard Paladin is one of the most coveted units in the Lord of the Rings game. However, this was the Third Era, and the Royal Guard Paladin in the game only appeared in the Fifth Era. Its rarity is second only to super-professionals like various dragon knights. The Royal Guard barely mustered enough knights to form an army, never reaching the lowest number of 100. At their peak, they had 87 members, which dropped to less than 50 after the Battle of Jiliuhe. The most famous attribute of this legion is "holy." The entire unit comprises real paladins, unlike the Holy See knights who use light knights as paladins. Their equipment is luxurious, featuring dragon armor, dragon swords, dragon spears, and dragon shields forged with dragon blood holy steel. They even possess dragon bows, with dragon main tendons for strings and dragon arm bones for bow arms. The quality of this legion's equipment rivals that of dragon knights, with the saying, "Dragon knights rule the sky, and paladins rule the earth."
Now, Roland had a Royal Guard Paladin under his command. He was moved to tears, suspecting the Lord of the Rings system had granted him a rare birthday gift. The Royal Guard Paladins were even rarer than dragon knights. Many players had tried to recruit (or abduct) a Royal Guard Paladin but rarely succeeded.
Roland resisted the urge to summon the Paladin immediately, opting to continue marching instead.
"Let's take a break," Roland said, looking at the map and addressing Gandalf and Thorin.
"Alright, we can replenish supplies. There won't be many opportunities for resupply in the future," Thorin agreed.
"Master Baggins! We can stay at an inn tonight. You can sleep on a soft bed instead of the ground," Roland teased Bilbo, who was riding a pony.
"Oh, really? That's great. You don't know how crowded it is sleeping on the ground in a tent!" Bilbo complained.
"Hahaha, you have Gandalf to thank for pulling you out of your cozy home," Roland laughed.
"God! What was I thinking, agreeing to this adventure..." Bilbo lamented.
"Because you have a restless heart!" Gandalf interjected.
"Hahaha, the wizard is right!" Roland laughed again.
Roland eagerly anticipated meeting his Royal Guard Paladin in Bree. He had already chosen to summon him, and the system thoughtfully set the knight to wait for him in Bree. Wait, Bree? His knight in Bree?
"Oh no, it better not be Aragorn, the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings..." Roland thought in shock.
…
Lost in thought, Roland saw the outline of the town of Bree.
"Alright, everyone, we can enjoy some comfort!"
…
"My lord, Royal Guard Paladin Reynold reporting for duty!" A tall, silver-haired, handsome man, appearing about thirty years old, approached Roland.
What? Roland was now filled with questions. The Royal Guard Paladin was excellent, but Lord Reynold? This knight commander might be too much to handle.
"Why did such a formidable character come under my command? Can the system discuss a different choice?" Roland lamented internally.
"Welcome, heroic paladin! You are welcome to join us," Roland greeted the knight with a smile.
"I hope his troublemaking tendencies haven't followed him here... Otherwise, the Battle of the Five Armies might gain a few more enemy troops," Roland thought, remembering Reynold's penchant for attracting enemies.
"Reynold, can you still release your divine aura?" Roland suddenly remembered the most important aspect.
"Of course, Lord! If you wish, I can release it now," Reynold replied respectfully.
"That's good," Roland sighed in relief. The holy aura of the Royal Guard Paladins was invaluable, enhancing the combat capabilities of friendly forces within a certain range. In the world of Lord of the Rings, this was a rare and powerful advantage.
"Reynold!" Roland called out excitedly.
"Sir!" Reynold responded immediately.
"Carlos and the archers will protect me, and the knights will be under your command," Roland instructed. Reynold commanding 100 knights was a trivial task. Roland had no commander buff, and Carlos, a dragon knight, lacked experience in commanding ground knights. Reynold, with his halo skill, was a beacon of hope for Roland.
"Alright, Lord. May the light of the lord shine on you and me," Reynold said humbly.