"Your Majesty, welcome to the
Just as Count Kenmais had said, Lorist was in an extremely awkward position. Although the current Kingdom of Andinaque did not recognize the Norton Family as nobility of the kingdom, that decision had been made by Queen Kerry herself and had nothing to do with the
Just like the founding emperor of the Krisen Empire several hundred years ago — exiled to the Northland by his liege lord and stripped of his noble title. The furious Count Krisen had immediately squandered his family fortune to raise soldiers and declare war on his own liege, raising his army in the Northland, building his power in Winston Province, and then sweeping all the way to establish the Krisen Empire.
What troubled Lorist now was that he knew perfectly well what the Second Prince was after, yet he could not refuse. As the lawful liege of the Norton Family whose throne had been usurped by another, Lorist — as a vassal lord — was morally and by aristocratic tradition obligated to stand up for his liege. In other words, even if he lacked the strength to do so, he could not simply beat a drowning dog and refuse his liege lord's request; at the very least, he had to offer the fullest extent of his ability to help. That was the noble tradition of the Galentea Continent — a code of honor that had endured for a thousand years.
He couldn't refuse! Lorist had met the Second Prince at Maplewood Manor. Thanks to his cousin Krisya, when Fatty had first received word that the Second Prince's party had arrived in Northland, he had wanted to confine their movements to North Sea City. But Krisya had made a fuss about returning to Maplewood Manor — she was a member of the Norton Family, and Fatty couldn't stop her. So they set out from North Sea City, passed through Poplar Town, and arrived at Maplewood Manor. Then, in the five days before Lorist's return, the Second Prince and his party had toured all seven towns of the Fengle Plains, visited the Nico Academy, and if not for Steward Kamora dispatching the guard battalion to keep them in check, the Second Prince might very well have gone to inspect Iron Furnace Fortress and the Blade Mountain Range — several closely guarded production sites.
The prosperity of the Norton Family's territory in Northland greatly astonished the Second Prince, his eyes lighting up again and again. As for Krisya, she was purely showing off the Norton Family's strength. On top of that, Ilina, who had been staying at Maplewood Manor and had never seen much of the world, had been extremely deferential toward the Norton Family's liege lord upon welcoming the Second Prince, Krisya, and their entourage — answering every question, revealing everything she knew or had overheard, and even eagerly sending guides to lead the Second Prince's party to the Nico Academy and the Fengle Plains, allowing him to gain an even clearer picture of the Norton Family's capabilities.
"Who would have thought that the once wild and remote Northland could flourish with such vibrant vitality under the Norton Family's stewardship — it's truly astonishing. Everywhere I've been these past few days, I could hardly believe my own eyes. The seven towns of the Fengle Plains are so bustling, so densely populated — it reminds me of the magnificent scenes I saw around the Imperial Capital as a child when I went out on excursions. You are truly gifted, Count — governing the Northland so well, rivaling those renowned ministers of the former Empire!"
As the Second Prince delivered his impressions of the Norton Family's territory, he stepped forward and warmly clapped Lorist on the arm a few times, adopting the posture of a close companion walking arm in arm, showing how much he valued and felt close to Lorist — as if the distance between them back in the Imperial Capital had never existed at all.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. The Norton Family has simply upheld our ancestors' oath to guard the northern frontier of the Empire, and has no wish to involve itself in the Empire's internal affairs. That is why, in these turbulent times, our territory has remained relatively peaceful, and we have been able to take in a great number of refugees displaced by the war — which has at least given our lands some semblance of what they are today." Lorist had no choice but to lie with a straight face.
"It was my fault for not listening to your advice." The Second Prince smiled bitterly and let go of Lorist's arm without hesitation, then gave Lorist a deep bow. Lorist was so startled that he quickly stepped forward to support the Second Prince. "Your Majesty, what are you doing? I cannot accept such a gesture."
The Second Prince grasped Lorist's hand in return and said with great sincerity, "Locke, I am truly apologizing to you. I was wrong. After the defeat at the royal city of Fideliga, I have been filled with nothing but regret. If only I had heeded your advice back then and not been so eager to unify the former Empire, but had instead focused on the livelihood of the common people first, I would not have ended up in this state. A home I cannot return to, a kingdom I cannot reclaim!"
Yes, you brought this on yourself. Lorist grumbled inwardly. But the Second Prince was telling the absolute truth when he said he now had a home he could not return to and a kingdom he could not reclaim. Apart from the Norton Family's territory in the Northland, no matter where he appeared, the end result would always be being delivered into the hands of the current Queen Kayrie of the Andinark Kingdom. Given that the First Prince had conveniently died of a sudden illness in the middle of the night, Queen Kayrie would certainly arrange the same fate for the Second Prince — whether to avenge her father or to secure her own throne.
"The year before last, when word reached me that Your Majesty had been defeated at the royal city of Fideliga and your whereabouts were unknown, I was burning with anxiety. I wanted to lead an army to the royal city of Fideliga to search for Your Majesty, and I sent a messenger to the Imperial Capital requesting reinforcements. Instead, I was met with nothing but harsh rebukes, ordered for the Norton Family to stay in line. They even redeployed the Royal Imperial Guard Third Legion from the front lines of the Madras Duchy to Qilin Port to keep watch over us, forcing me to withdraw my troops."
Lorist took the official document that Schwede handed him and passed it to the Second Prince. "Your Majesty, look — these are the two replies I received from the Imperial Capital when I requested to send troops. They rejected my request, forcing me to abandon my efforts to find Your Majesty. Thanks to the War God's divine protection, the fact that Your Majesty now stands before me fills me with joy. Nothing is more important than Your Majesty's safety."
...it would be best for him to never appear in the world again. But now the Second Prince was standing right in front of him. He had no choice but to play the loyal subject — at the very least, he had to put on a convincing show before everyone.
The Second Prince's expression changed. The hand that had been gripping Lorist's let go and clenched into a fist. "Those traitors, usurpers, and sellouts — they actually ceded the kingdom's territories to those merchants in exchange for their own private gain. I will never let them get away with it. Brother Locke, to be honest, I came here this time to ask for your help. I ask that the Norton Family send troops to crush those kingdom traitors and help restore order to the kingdom."
Lorist let out a long sigh. The Second Prince had finally made his request. As the head of the Norton Family, he had to give the Second Prince a formal answer.
"Your Majesty, allow me to ask — if the Norton Family were to send troops, what would we receive in return?"
It was a well-established aristocratic tradition on the Galentea Continent that vassal lords owed obligations to their liege lords. That was a fact. But equally, the liege lord was obligated to ensure that the vassal lord received appropriate benefits. Without benefits, no vassal lord would willingly work hard for their liege lord's cause out of the goodness of their heart alone. Lorist could only seize on this point to secure advantages for himself. Otherwise, he could simply hand the Second Prince a sum of money and a few hundred sets of armor and call it fulfillment of his obligations as a vassal lord — and no one would be able to fault him for it.
"Locke, His Majesty has agreed — as long as our family sends troops, he'll grant you the title of Grand Duke of Northland. Any territory you conquer in the Northland will count as our family's domain." It was Krisya who said this, and she looked positively delighted, as if the Norton Family had just landed the deal of a lifetime.
Lorist looked at her with undisguised disdain. "Krisya, do you actually understand the current situation in the Northland?"
Sure enough, the silly girl shook her head.
"If that's the extent of the offer, then I refuse to send troops. In truth, the title of Grand Duke of Northland is completely useless to the Norton Family. Your Majesty, there are currently only four noble houses in the Northland. Besides the Norton Family, there is Count
The Second Prince was speechless, and Krisya was dumbfounded as well. They had no idea there were only four families left in the Northland, and that they were all in an alliance. The title of Grand Duke of the Northland that the Second Prince had offered not only carried no weight whatsoever, it actually carried the implication of sowing discord and stirring up conflict. No wonder Lorist could refuse the Second Prince's request with such righteous confidence.
"I'm truly sorry, Brother Locke, I didn't mean any harm — I simply hadn't realized the situation was like this," the Second Prince hastened to explain.
"It's no matter, Your Majesty. You've only just arrived and can hardly be expected to know the lay of the land. The banquet is already prepared over there — please take your seat and sample the local specialties of the Northland. You're also welcome to rest here for a while. As for us, we need to discuss how best to provide you with support and help you reclaim your kingdom."
Lorist was genuinely somewhat irritated. It was one thing for Krisya, his scatterbrained cousin, not to know the situation in the Northland — that was understandable. But the Second Prince claiming ignorance of the state of affairs was sheer nonsense. The Northland was remote, certainly, but the alliance of four houses dominating the region had been an established fact for years. The Norton Family's territory had strict entry and exit management, but the other three territories were about as leaky as a sieve. To say the Second Prince knew nothing was an outright lie. To have fallen so far as to lose one's home and kingdom, yet still resort to such schemes — seeking help on one hand while creating obstacles on the other — Lorist would never believe the Second Prince's intentions were innocent.
During the banquet, the Second Prince tried on several occasions to steer the conversation back to the matter of requesting the Norton Family's military assistance for his restoration. Each time, Lorist deflected with a change of subject or simply deflected by saying he needed to consult with the Family Knights.
The frustrated Second Prince drank himself into a stupor and was escorted off to rest. Lorist finally freed himself and retreated to the main residence, where he settled into a bath under Iлина's attentive care, mulling over what kind of reply he ought to give the Second Prince.
He was just about to pull Ilyna into the large bathing tub behind him for some relaxation when a guard's shout came from downstairs: "Who goes there!"
"It's me, Krisya."
"Oh, Miss, what brings you here at such a late hour?"
"I want to see Lorist."
"Sorry, Miss, I don't know if His Lordship is asleep or not. It's rather late — perhaps you shouldn't disturb him. Whatever it is, can't it wait until tomorrow?" It was El's voice.
"Get out of my way! I have business with Locke. I'm his sister — are you afraid I'm going to assassinate him or something?"
"Assassinate? Heh, Miss, I don't mean any disrespect, but ten of you wouldn't be a match for His Lordship. Still, I'll have to report to His Lordship first. If he's already asleep, whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."
"No! I absolutely must see Locke right now!"
Lorist let out a sigh, climbed out of the bathing tub, roughly dried himself off, pulled on a nightgown, and walked to the window. He leaned halfway out and said, "El, let her up."
Krisya came upstairs shortly after. Lorist raised a cup of Makeths that Ilyna had brought over. "Here, have a cup of Makeths. What brings you to find me at this hour?"
Krisya sat down on the chair with a huff, "Your guards are far too rude, Locke. He actually tried to block me."
"That is his duty, and he did well. He should not treat you any differently just because you are my cousin. You are a royal knight of the Andinaq Kingdom, not one of our Norton Family Knights. Even though you were born into the Norton Family."
Krisya was left speechless. Everything Lorist said was correct, and this was one of the traditions that all noble families followed.
It took Krisya quite a while to recover. "Locke, I've realized you've changed so much. I can no longer see any trace of that crying child from our youth."
Lorist laughed. "I had no choice. If I were still that crybaby, the Norton Family would have long ceased to exist. Everything forced me to change. Krisya, do you know what it feels like for a sixteen or seventeen year old boy to lose all contact with his family and become a mercenary just to survive? Killing magical beasts just to fill his stomach, risking his life for the sake of tuition fees — that's how he lived for six or seven years, until the family finally sent someone to find him, and only then did he learn that all his relatives were gone."
"When he finally returned to the family estate, he found that the situation was far worse than he had imagined. The Northland Grand Duke bore ill intentions toward the family, and the Second Prince was eyeing them like a hawk. He fought his way through it all, defeated the Northland Grand Duke and the Second Prince, and turned his attention to developing the family's territories. He finally brought about a period of prosperity and growth. But now yet another trouble has come knocking — his liege lord wants him to send troops to help him reclaim his throne, and there is not a single benefit to be gained. Tell me, should he agree?"
Lorist had closed off every avenue of argument right from the start, which left Krisya feeling extremely uncomfortable. After a long pause, she finally spoke up haltingly, "Locke, isn't this a great opportunity for the Norton Family? If you help His Majesty reclaim his throne, future historians will record your name, and the Norton Family's prestige will be carried down through the ages in the praises of posterity."
Lorist burst into laughter, utterly amused. "My dear cousin, have you lost your mind? Why should Norton Family soldiers shed their blood and sacrifice their lives for His Majesty's grand cause? If word of that got out, I'm afraid every other noble would take the Norton Family for fools. If His Majesty cannot offer a commensurate price, the Norton Family will absolutely not send troops. However, we will provide His Majesty with a large sum of money and a shipment of military equipment to fulfill our obligations and duties as his vassal lord."
Krisya asked unwillingly, "Locke, what exactly would it take for you to send troops and help His Majesty reclaim his throne?"
"Well now, I'd have to think about that. But first, my dear cousin, could you tell me how you and the others managed to escape from Federga City? I'm very curious about that, because no one has been able to find a single trace of you. And how much strength does His Majesty still command? I've heard that when you disappeared from Federga City, His Majesty's guard unit vanished with you — that was five thousand men. How did you manage to slip past all those searching enemies?"
Krisya's face darkened. "When His Majesty conquered Federga City, he discovered a hidden tunnel leading outside the walls — it was likely the route the First Prince used to escape. Later, when Federga City was besieged, His Majesty led us out through that tunnel. There were six thousand of us at the time, but now we have fewer than two thousand left, because we encountered the missing First Prince."
"What did you say? The First Prince?" Lorist was shocked.
"Yes, we didn't expect it either." Krisya shed tears.
.