Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Time flew by, and the two Knight Orders from Wushan Castle arrived at Wushan Town and Splendid City.

The nobles, both great and small, who had learned of Lurans’s recovery through Marvin and Vitorino, also sent out their own troops, all of them clamoring to fight alongside the Marquis.

Ronin found this scene quite interesting.

When Wiggin had issued the call to arms before, many nobles had been reluctant. Even during last year’s campaign against the Polante Thief Gang, many had joined with the attitude of just wanting to see some excitement.

Now, Lurans hadn’t issued a call to arms, nor had he even said a word to the outside world, yet this group of people had volunteered to join the army marching on Black Python City.

There were likely two main reasons for this.

One, of course, was Lurans’s recovery. With the Thunderbolt Marquis’s powerful return, they needed to show their loyalty.

The second was Black Python City itself. This Count’s Domain covered a large area. If Ossen were stripped of his title and territory as Count, his Vassals would, in theory, also lose their lands and rights.

As a result, others would have the chance to fight for all that vacated land.

For these two reasons, the nobles were acting so enthusiastically.

In contrast to the hustle and bustle in Wushan Town and Splendid City, Black Python City seemed unusually quiet.

For the better part of a month, not only had Ossen failed to send anyone to negotiate, he hadn’t even sent out any Scouts to gather information. It was as if Wushan Castle’s forces weren’t aimed at Black Python City at all.

Ronin couldn’t understand this behavior at all and could only guess that the other party had some kind of backing. So, he mounted his Giant Dragon to see what preparations, if any, Ossen had made.

The Border Count’s territory possessed vast plains, which not only produced a wealth of horses but was also the third-largest grain-producing region in the Wushan Territory.

Ronin could clearly see many people hard at work in the fields, as well as horse farms of all sizes.

These people seemed unaware that war was coming, showing no signs of panic.

However, when Ronin arrived above Black Python City, the scene changed completely.

Everyone in the city was gathered around the castle, looking like devout believers gazing upon the deity they worshiped.

Ronin frowned. ’Is Ossen planning to drag all the commoners onto the battlefield?’

A Lord did indeed have the right to conscript commoners for battle, but these poorly trained militiamen would be of very limited use on the battlefield, especially since Black Python City was facing Wushan Castle’s Knight Orders, the Mages from the Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce, and the various nobles’ Knight Squads.

Conscripting so many militiamen under these circumstances… Ronin’s first thought was, ’Is Ossen getting desperate?’

“Master, I smell something I hate here!”

Carlos’s voice, filled with disgust, came via Soul Transmission.

Ronin was stunned. His dragon usually only thought about eating and sleeping and rarely commented on his affairs. This was a first.

“A smell you hate…”

Ronin immediately thought of the Mysterious Valley in Wubei Territory, and his heart skipped a beat. “Are you saying it’s the same smell as Natalia’s?”

“Yes, Master! The smell makes me sick. I don’t want to stay here for another second!”

His time in captivity was a nightmare Carlos could never escape. Whenever he recalled it, his draconic body and heart ached with misery.

Receiving this confirmation, Ronin’s thoughts turned back to Ossen’s recovery.

Lurans and Miroslav both believed Ossen had recovered on his own because the second-hand Soul-Devouring Surge had a limited duration.

But now, with Carlos’s reminder, Ronin suspected it was more likely that someone like Natalia, who could control Witch Soul Power, had healed Ossen.

’The Witch Soul Race, Witch Soul Power… Could remnants of the Witch Soul Race be hiding in Black Python Castle?’

From the memories of Ridder, Elron, and Macken, he knew that Natalia and the Soul-Devouring Surge on Lurans were manifestations of the Witch Soul Race and Witch Soul Power.

Back then in Flame Canyon, it was the so-called Shadow Lord Elliott who had annihilated Ridder’s Flame Expedition Army.

But in that battle, Ridder and his men had also eliminated the enemy, taking them down in a mutual annihilation.

If there really were members of the Witch Soul Race in Black Python Castle, where did they come from?

“Come on, let’s go down and take a look.”

Although reluctant, Carlos folded his wings slightly and descended. The Curved Light Refraction Magic simultaneously covered his entire body, making him completely invisible to the commoners below.

As they descended, Ronin got a clear look at the expressions of the people surrounding Black Python Castle. Their eyes were all vacant, as if they had lost their souls.

Though they were packed several layers deep, their exact numbers unknown, they didn’t communicate with each other at all. Aside from hoarse, guttural sounds coming from their throats, there wasn’t a single spoken word.

Ronin’s heart clenched, and his expression darkened. ’These people… don’t tell me they’ve all been turned into the Witch Soul Race?’

He recalled Ridder’s description: although the Witch Soul Race looked identical to the Human Race, their defining characteristic was the strange Dark Energy that surged from their bodies, which could be sensed by someone whose Spiritual Power was at the Master Level.

Ronin quickly closed his eyes, extending his Spiritual Power to cover the crowd below.

His perspective now became like the Wind of Inquiry. In his perception, the entire crowd was enveloped in a special Dark Energy, linked together into a single mass, like a sea of black ink!

No wonder Carlos could sense a smell he hated. With so many “Natalias,” it would have been hard for him not to.

Ronin opened his eyes, and a flash of pity crossed his gaze as he looked at the massive crowd surrounding the castle.

They were all commoners, yet they had been transformed into these… things, neither human nor ghost, stripped of their very selves. The person behind this was utterly depraved!

The pity in Ronin’s eyes turned to anger, but then he realized something, and a hint of panic took its place.

’Ridder said that Shadow Lord Elliott had the ability to transform ordinary people into members of the Witch Soul Race. Could there be a so-called Shadow Lord in Black Python City?’

The moment this thought surfaced, his expression changed drastically.

A Shadow Lord was a Legendary Level Mage.

Back then, it had taken Ridder, his fellow Proud Sun Knights, and several Silver Moon Knights to kill Alyot and her subordinates, and even then, it was a mutual annihilation. If a being of that Level appeared in Black Python City, it would be a catastrophe.

’A Legendary Mage’s Spiritual Power is immense. If such a being were truly here, they should have already discovered me and Carlos. There’s no activity from the castle right now, so I’m probably overthinking it.’

Ronin suppressed the pity, anger, and panic surging within him, regaining some of his composure.

If there really were a Legendary Level expert here, with their superior Perception Power, he and Carlos should have been exposed already.

The fact that they hadn’t been exposed meant there was no Legendary expert here.

However, while Ronin’s worries might have been excessive, there was no denying that the situation in Black Python City had far exceeded his expectations.

He recalled the scene of killing Natalia and the others in Wubei Territory. The Witch Soul Race were like zombies, unafraid of ordinary blades and swords.

To kill them, one either had to behead them to stop their movement or “inject” an excessive amount of Magic Power or Fighting Qi into their bodies, triggering a violent clash between Elemental Power and Witch Soul Power to destroy them from within.

There were ways to defeat them, but it was clear the difficulty of the war had just increased dramatically.

’This won’t do. I need to inform everyone about this immediately.’

Ronin signaled Carlos to ascend. ’Also, just in case, I need to get Ridder over here.’

As the sole remaining Proud Sun Knight, Ridder’s presence would give Ronin a true sense of security.

Inside the castle, Mephisto frowned slightly.

He thought he had just sensed a faint energy fluctuation, but when he tried to perceive it more carefully, the fluctuation had vanished.

’What was that?’

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had been working nonstop for more than twenty days, and even he was feeling the strain. Fortunately, everything was ready.

A faint smile touched Mephisto’s lips. “Let me give the Noble Alliance Army of Wushan Territory a little shock!”