That afternoon, after arranging all the tasks, Norn left the injured William and Patrick to recover and set off with Sasan to visit his uncle inside Ascalon Fortress. Upon hearing that he was Norn Adler, the guards at the gate immediately stood at attention and respectfully escorted Norn to a monastery.
At the entrance, Hospitaler knights in black tabards with white crosses were constantly coming and going, and intermittent screams could be heard from within. Recalling some rumors he had heard before, Norn rushed inside.
By a sickbed, Norn finally found his uncle. Seeing that Otto was not missing any limbs, Norn let out a sigh of relief. Otto, with his left hand bandaged, relaxed his previously worried brow upon seeing Norn.
Otto smiled and patted Norn on the shoulder, then inquired about the situation. Norn vividly recounted how he had used gunpowder to clear a path, how he had charged into the enemy's center, and how Sasan had captured the opposing general. Of course, he omitted his own hesitation and nervousness.
However, Otto's expression turned serious as he said, "Norn, never be so reckless again! With such a small force, if the reinforcements had been delayed, you would have been doomed!"
"If you had died, the Adler family would have been left without an heir! What about the people under your rule? What about William and the others?"
Faced with Otto's lecture, Norn simply nodded in agreement, hastily promising not to do so again (though he knew he would).
At the end of the lecture, Otto still sighed, "Young Norn, you have accomplished something that many people cannot do in their entire lives, something I could never do."
Norn just smiled foolishly, savoring the recognition from his elder. However, a sudden large movement tugged at his wound, causing him to wince in pain.
Seeing Norn's injury, Otto hurriedly wanted to call for a physician, but Norn stopped him. Recalling how he had passed by the surgery room and seen a group of physicians pinning down a wounded soldier, one of them wielding a rather blunt saw to amputate the soldier's limbs in a gory scene, Norn had quickly fled.
"Calling those quacks to treat me would be like asking for an early death," Norn thought to himself, but he quickly assured Otto that it was just a minor flesh wound and there was no need to trouble the physicians.
Relieved to confirm that Norn's injury was indeed minor, Otto turned to Sasan and got up to express his gratitude.
"I've just heard everything from Norn. The Adler family will always remember your loyalty!" Otto said solemnly, taking out a silver cross necklace from his bed.
"Take it, my child." Otto handed over the cross he had always carried, "I know it doesn't align with your faith, but it can save you a lot of trouble in daily life."
Sasan accepted the gift with her head down, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of Norn. She seemed to think of something, and a fleeting smile crossed her face.
At the banquet that evening, several chefs were busily slicing roasted mutton and pork, while attendants hurriedly refilled the nobles' plates and poured more wine. The victorious nobles ate and drank heartily, displaying their remarkable appetites.
Although Norn knew that in this era, being able to eat and drink heartily was also a way to show one's prowess, seeing the nobles' voracious appetite, as if they wanted to "devour a whole pig in three bites," still made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, after a day of fierce battle, Norn was also very hungry and couldn't resist grabbing a roasted chicken and gnawing on it.
Some nobles were boastfully exaggerating their achievements of the day. One claimed to have taken so many heads, another boasted about capturing so many prisoners, and when they got excited, they would even brandish their meat knives as if they were back on the battlefield.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please hear me out," Duke Renaud rang a bell, raised his cup, and stood up.
"The first toast is to the king, who led us to victory against Taj al-Din's army."
"Long live the king!" The nobles drank heartily.
"The second toast is to Baron Norn. If it weren't for him drawing Taj al-Din's attention, we might still be cooped up in this fortress."
The nobles laughed at the joke, and then a flood of compliments was directed at Norn. While constantly receiving toasts, Norn wondered why Duke Renaud, whom he had snubbed earlier in the day, was now leading the praise.
Norn quickly realized that the nobles were all extremely shrewd. They wouldn't praise him for no reason. They simply saw his potential and wanted to build a good relationship with him at the banquet. After all, kind words cost nothing, and if they could gain a promising ally this way, they would be overjoyed.
Many nobles even kept trying to sell their daughters to Norn, hoping to tie him to their families. Although Norn's uncle was a Templar Knight and he himself was close to the Templar Order, he was still young. With years of gentle persuasion, they believed Norn's stance would eventually shift towards them.
Norn could only respond with light-hearted banter, accepting toasts but avoiding any commitments.
While Norn was struggling with the endless toasts at the banquet, Taj al-Din was alone in his cell.
His special status spared him from shackles, and he was allowed to move freely within the somewhat clean cell. However, the noise from the nearby feast constantly reminded him of his status as a defeated general.
This made Taj al-Din feel extremely dejected. Yesterday he was the commander of an army, looking at the besieged Ascalon Fortress with great satisfaction, but today he had become a prisoner, unsure of his fate tomorrow.
"Clank" The heavy chains were unlocked, and the dilapidated cell door groaned as it was opened. A Templar Knight holding a torch entered the dark cell.
Blinded by the sudden light, it took Taj al-Din a while to regain his sight. He squinted at the newcomer.
"How could you be so disrespectful to our guest?" Knight Everard waved his hand, and a servant promptly brought in a soft couch and food and drink.
Taj al-Din swallowed his saliva at the sight of the steaming roasted meat. Although hunger was constantly tormenting him, he still firmly said, "You will get nothing useful from me."
Everard smiled at the stubborn prisoner, but he directly tore off a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, eating with his mouth full of oil.
Watching this, Taj al-Din's throat moved involuntarily. Unable to bear it any longer, he roared, "Enough! If you came here just to insult me, then I tell you, you have succeeded! Now leave!"
Everard spat out the chicken bone and waved his hand, "Respected warrior! I just want to prove that we will not use poison to end a warrior's life."
Seeing that the other side still remained silent, Everard put on a fawning expression and slowly said, "Now that the kingdom is in imminent danger, if we are defeated in the end, we would like to ask for your help, Lord Taj al-Din, to mediate the situation."
Taj al-Din looked at Everard in surprise, and after a long while, he hesitantly said, "Is this your personal opinion, or..."
Everard did not directly answer the question but said, "After the lord pays the ransom, we will immediately release you. This meal is just a send-off for you."
Taj al-Din squinted at the other side, watching the other side seemingly not like deceiving him. His eyes flickered, keeping thinking, and finally sat on the couch, directly grabbing the food and drink with his hands and eating and drinking.
Everard always looked at the other side with a fawning expression, but his back was like a fox staring at a fat chicken.