Edward was very grateful for Rostislav's words.
Regarding his choice to go to England to ascend the throne, Edward was, in fact, quite hesitant.
On one hand, the temptation of the throne and the arrival of a powerful minister like Harold made him believe that ascending the throne was a matter of course.
However, on the other hand, he had been away from England for too long; his childhood memories there had completely faded, and he felt more affinity for Hungary and Rus'. Taking his family to such a strange land so abruptly truly worried him.
But in the end, the temptation outweighed the worry; the allure of the throne was simply too strong.
Edward had initially thought he had no connection to the throne, but now the throne had suddenly fallen before him. How could he not be tempted?
He was the first in line to the Wessex Family throne; no one in all of England had a more legitimate claim than him.
As for the Confessor, who shared his name, that man loved God far more than the throne, and his wife was a member of the Godwin that disgusted him, so he could not have descendants.
This was also why Harold and the others convinced Edward so quickly. However, on another note, Edward was also somewhat moved by seeing Zhe'erji, the illegitimate son, causing trouble.
This illegitimate son dared to strive for power; he was a legitimate heir, so why not give it a try?
So he decided to return to England with Harold. The throne of his ancestors was waiting for him there, beckoning to him.
"Thank you very much, Prince Rostislav. I will always remember your kindness. Also, I must trouble you to send my family to England; I must go to London first."
Edward was so eager to go to England mainly because Harold urged him. Harold urgently needed Edward to return to England to consolidate his position in the English court.
And Edward was happy to do so; he had no objection to going to England to confirm his claim to the throne. He knew that such matters could not be delayed, and the sooner he went, the better.
"Of course, no problem, my friend. Additionally, I will mobilize the people in your territory and, by the way, assemble a mercenary force for you. It would be too undignified for you, as the heir to the English throne, to not have a retinue."
Rostislav readily agreed to Edward's request. Although he did not know how far Edward could go in the future, investing in this heir to the English throne was not wrong.
In this regard, Rostislav inherited his grandfather's attitude: treat these exiled Princes with courtesy no matter what, then provide as much assistance as possible, and if feasible, make significant investments in them, investing for the future.
Speaking of which, Rostislav was actually continuing Yaroslav's strategy. Edward was able to marry Yaroslav's daughter precisely because of his status as heir to the English throne.
And thinking of this, Rostislav couldn't help but admire his grandfather. All four of his daughters married Kings: the French King, the Norwegian King, the Hungarian King, and now this heir to the English throne.
Moreover, the most important thing is that, except for the French King, the other four married his daughters as exiles, which means Yaroslav was gambling with his daughters, and he won every bet.
This seems simple, but it is very difficult to achieve. There are countless exiles in Europe, and not everyone can ultimately obtain a throne. Investing in exiles is tantamount to gambling, and his grandfather won every bet.
This move transformed him into the 'Father-in-law of Europe,' and Rus' was able to truly shine on the international stage, announcing their existence to all corners, and distant kingdoms also came to know of Rus'.
"I am truly grateful to you, Prince Rostislav."
Facing Edward's gratitude, Rostislav merely waved his hand; it was just a small favor.
"I think we should say goodbye, Prince Rostislav."
With most matters settled, it was indeed time for him to leave.
And Rostislav also nodded. There is no endless feast in the world. Since that is the case, let us bid farewell. He wondered where they might meet again in the future.
Thus, the party of the heir to the English throne departed. Rostislav watched their receding figures and suddenly felt a touch of melancholy.
Since coming to this world, it was his first time meeting someone whose influence would be so profound across the entire world. That feeling was truly extremely subtle.
Especially since he knew the impact of their future actions, while the other party was completely unaware.
However, Rostislav did not linger too long on such emotions. Although he liked to ponder, he would not immerse himself in it.
Soon, as the Anglo-Saxon figures disappeared, Rostislav also turned his horse's head and continued on his way back to Rus'.
— — — — — — — —
Compared to when the Norse arrived, the journey was now much more chaotic.
Large groups of armed people were no longer a rare sight but a common one, and people's faces were filled with worry, worrying about the war.
The pagan uprising had affected the entire country. This country, which had finally found peace after the civil war, was once again plunged into chaos, and even the bandits, who had been suppressed for a time, became more numerous.
Along the way, battles between Christian armed groups and pagan armed groups could be seen from time to time. Although they were only skirmishes, when they could be encountered everywhere, it meant that the situation had become intense.
The Norse, of course, helped the Christian armed groups, and this help earned them much gratitude.
But Rostislav knew that the victories in these battles did not affect the overall situation, and that gratitude could not change the reality they would face next.
Only when Yaroslav, Zhe'erji, and King Bela decided the victor would all this end. These lands would still be tormented by war for a long time.
Since no one dared to provoke the large Norse contingent, they soon arrived at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains.
Unfortunately, the mountains were still frozen solid, and the Norse could not cross the pass yet.
They had to wait for some time at the foot of the mountains, and during this period, they heard many reports of battles. As they had expected, the fighting quickly intensified.
The most important news was that King Bela had already defeated Yanos's main force, but this pagan leader and his subordinates had joined Zhe'erji's army. Now Zhe'erji had become the leader of the Hungarian pagans.
Additionally, during this time, many refugees appeared near the Norse camp. Many of them had returned to Hungary after hearing the news of the end of the civil war, only to find that fighting had resumed shortly after their return, so they had no choice but to embark on their escape again.
Some people decided that once they reached Rus' this time, they would not leave again. When would this damned war in Hungary finally end?
The Norse waited at the foot of the mountains for a full month. After that month, the ice and snow in the mountains finally melted, allowing the Norse to cross the pass they had been unable to cross.
And after crossing the pass, they arrived at the outpost where they had previously stayed. It was still crowded with mountain dwellers escaping the winter and refugees preparing to return to Hungary.
Then the Norse informed them of the renewed fighting. The Carpathian Mountains people showed no particular reaction to this; they even immediately began discussing organizing troops to support the King, as their tribes had relied on royal authority for their development and naturally fully supported the suppression of pagans.
As for the refugees, they looked as if they had eaten bitter gourds. Why had the war started again? Would it ever end?
But there was no choice; they could only leave Hungary again and flee to Rus'.
Thus, the Norse's contingent grew larger and larger, with more and more people.
After bidding farewell to the outpost, within a few days, the Norse finally reached their national borders. And when the first Norse town appeared before the people, everyone cheered.
This journey was truly full of emotions; it was truly too difficult, with both conspiracies and wars.
And after experiencing all of this and returning home, one truly feels that there is nothing better or safer than home.
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