Chapter 1254 - 616: Silver Lake Shield

Every member of the Willmot family, even those dishwashing maids whose status is not much higher than the young lords and ladies’ pets, has seen the large oil painting hanging high on the living room wall more than once.

— "Heart Drop," "Silver Lake Shield," "Fearless Grove."

Hundreds of years ago, it was this legendary general, who can be ranked among the best in the history of the Sevia Kingdom, wielding the Inheritance Iron Shield said to be crafted from the essence of the mythical "Dream Silver Lake," leading his Silver Knights to crush powerful ancient forces, securing a vast territory in the Northeast Hills for the kingdom, and fending off countless invasions from the Northern Barbarians.

In today’s kingdom map, centered around Salt Rock Port, covering the entire Northeast Border, almost half of the Anlun Province was conquered by this legendary general.

To this day, in the depths of the mountains in northern Anlun Province, among the oldest hereditary barbarian tribes, the terrifying stories of that fierce human wielding the silver-white heavy shield, who was said to eat nine barbarian children in a single meal, still spread like a nightmare.

It is precisely because of this great ancestor who achieved illustrious war merits for the kingdom that, even though no character from the Willmot family after his generation could even remotely match one percent of his magnificence, and vast estates located in the eastern part of the kingdom were all reclaimed, leaving only a noble residence in the core area of the Imperial City, and some insignificant minor assets, they still retain the title of "Hereditary Earl" in name.

In view of this, the recent generations of successors of the Willmot family have not been without efforts.

After all, no matter how the family power might dwindle, this luxurious mansion inherited from their ancestors, still reflecting a glimpse of past splendor, is respectable even among numerous deep court mansions in the Imperial City.

The heirs of the Willmot family have thus held many banquets, inviting dignitaries and nobles from within the Imperial City, hoping to forge alliances.

But the result...

Just like their ancestor who once fought on battlefields, achieving eternal glory for the Sevia Kingdom, only to now be confined to a painted portrait in military attire, fixed within a gilded frame, observing the gradual decline of his family.

In this vast Imperial City, who would be willing to support such a gradually declining earl family without cause?

In the foreseeable future, the once-glorious Willmot family will ultimately become dust under the wheels of history, as those families from the era of its founders.

Being the third son of this generation’s Earl of Willmot, Zanfri was not particularly interested in the family’s past during his childhood, but through repeated compelling or indirect praises of their ancestors’ glorious deeds from family elders, overseer maids, and banquet guests, he learned the origin of his surname’s suffix.

And as he slowly grew up, gradually experiencing the cold eyes and contempt stemming from the identity of a maid’s son mixed in various unnoticed corners, he became filled with an unprecedented passion for the family’s past, which he was once indifferent to.

He would peruse the family genealogy, fantasizing about what he would do to lead the family back to its rightful path if he were the "Lord Willmott" of past times;

He would countless times stand under the hall wall, gazing at that "Silver Lake Shield" ancestral oil painting, speculating on its reaction to witnessing the current status of the Willmot family, based on the character exhibited in family histories;

He even tried to show himself before his father and elders, in order to prove that he, Zanfri, had not let the "Silver Lake Shield" bloodline down, and that even as a maid’s son, he still had the capability to inherit the family’s glorious title.

As for the result...

Born into a noble family, a sixteen-year-old innocent young man could be said to have grown up with a silver spoon in the eyes of the common folk, never having experienced the trials and hardships, how could he possibly be a match for those ambitious folks eager to inherit the earl title, wishing to push their offspring to higher positions?

From Zanfri’s perspective, he even maintained quite good relations with his two elder brothers.

He had done nothing, yet had already lost the opportunity to compete for the title under many operations by other elders that he could not understand or even discover.

A young man may be naive, but how could he possibly compromise at such a young age?

"If you don’t want me to be this earl, I’m not that interested either!"

At sixteen, understanding of the world comes entirely from the family library and minstrels on the roadside.

Young men always harbor some unrealistic fantasies about their abilities and potential.

A heart full of youthful passion, plus a little bit of deliberate guidance from those with intentions.

The rich young man who should have lived a stable life in the Sevia Imperial Capital thus ended up in a remote port he had only heard of in others’ tales.

With dreams of rebuilding the glory of the Willmot family, he could almost envision the future of mirroring his ancestor’s illustrious deeds, achieving merits on the border, and upon returning to the Imperial City, seeing his father’s proud face, as well as the awkward and regretful smiles of those few critical aunts.

Unfortunately, the naive young man heading towards the picturesque future with Blood Castle as his destination met with his life’s Waterloo on the second day after leaving Salt Rock Port.

"Damn it, it’s the Scorpion-tailed Lion!"

A young man in official kingdom attire, who seemed to be the leader, clenched his longsword tight, gritting his teeth.

"Prepare for battle!"

Together with Zanfri, a small team of nine kingdom soldiers was also trapped in the valley.