Chapter 111 - 109: The Ironblood Duke’s Revenge

Chapter 111: Chapter 109: The Ironblood Duke’s Revenge

Morning Star Plain, Royal Capital Inner City.

The official residence of the Minister of Military Affairs.

The Ironblood Duke, clad in magnificent Golden Armor, stood before his office window with his hands clasped behind his back, listening to his subordinate’s report.

Almost three months had passed since the four Dukes had joined forces to seize the Royal Capital.

After more than two months of squabbling in the Royal Capital, the four Dukes had finally reached an agreement three days ago.

With none of them able to overcome the other three, they had finally honored the agreement they’d made before the rebellion and peacefully divided the Royal Capital and the Morning Star Plain.

The Ironblood Duke was the Duke of the Northern Territory, so he received the northern districts of the Inner and Outer Cities, as well as the northern part of the Morning Star Plain.

The other three Dukes also received corresponding territories based on their original domains.

As for the Royal Palace at the heart of the Inner City, it was not divided. Instead, it became a so-called neutral zone, symbolizing the peaceful coexistence of the four Dukes.

Neither the Ironblood Duke nor the other three Dukes were particularly satisfied with this outcome.

But for now, they had no choice but to accept it.

If they delayed any longer, their own territories would be thrown into utter chaos by the Royal Army.

The Royal Army, now split into four forces, was rampaging through their lands like bandits, launching frenzied attacks.

Although they had already sent some of their troops back to their domains, the fact that the Dukes themselves were still bickering in the Royal Capital meant the returning forces had not only failed to stop the Royal Army, but were also being beaten back at every turn.

Speaking of which, this brought to mind their previous efforts to sow dissent among the Vassal forces.

Their plan to divide them had been very successful.

The Vassal army, composed of the Royal Family’s Vassals, scattered in disarray, with each contingent returning home. This greatly weakened the Eldest Prince’s forces.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been a problem.

But in doing so, they had also unintentionally helped the Eldest Prince.

After the Vassals fled with their men, the less-than-loyal Royal Knights and soldiers followed suit.

As a result, the Eldest Prince was left with only Knights and soldiers fanatically loyal to the Royal Family.

To put it simply, while the Eldest Prince had fewer Knights and soldiers, the cohesiveness of his army had grown much stronger.

This was especially true after the Eldest Prince publicly declared that upon defeating the four Dukes, he would distribute all their lands and wealth according to military merit. The loyalist Knights and soldiers became even more fanatical.

It could be said that, aside from not having a Silver Great Knight on his side, time was now completely on the Eldest Prince’s side.

The longer things dragged on, the greater the Eldest Prince’s advantage would become.

What was more troublesome was that, compared to the Royal Army whose cohesion had been significantly strengthened, the morale of the four Dukes’ forces was dropping by the day.

The Royal Family wasn’t the only one with Vassals; the four Dukes had Vassals of their own.

Their armies also contained many Knights and soldiers who were loyal to those Vassals, not to the Dukes themselves.

When the Eldest Prince took an unconventional path by splitting his forces to raid the four Dukes’ territories, the initiative fell into his hands.

The Royal Army could strike and then immediately relocate.

But the four Dukes could not.

Even knowing the Royal Army was running rampant through their domains, they couldn’t dispatch troops to pursue them. Their only option was to continuously divide their forces to garrison the cities within their lands.

If a city’s garrison was too small, the bandit-like Royal Army would dare to attack it immediately.

After his subordinate finished reporting the latest situation in his territory, the Ironblood Duke spoke coldly without turning around. "Leave."

"Yes, my lord!"

The Clan Knight who had given the report answered at once, without any hesitation.

He then turned, left the study, and gently closed the door behind him.

Once he was alone in the study, an irrepressible, intense killing intent instantly radiated from the Ironblood Duke.

Just like before, the Royal Army rampaging through the Northern Territory had uprooted and utterly destroyed more than ten Viscount and Baron Clans loyal to him.

By plundering the lands of these Viscounts and Barons, the Royal Army had not only secured needed supplies but had also intimidated the other Vassal Clans.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, the Ironblood Duke turned, walked to his desk, and picked up an exquisite Summoning Bell made of Gold. He shook it a few times.

DING-A-LING!

The crisp chime of the bell rang out instantly.

A few seconds later, the study door was pushed open. A middle-aged Knight in black armor appeared before the Ironblood Duke and bowed.

This middle-aged Knight was named Lucas. He was previously the second-in-command to James, the Captain of the Personal Guard.

After James was killed, he took over his position.

Like James, he too was a Bronze Great Knight.

However, he had no record of killing other Bronze Great Knights.

There were not many Bronze Great Knights in the Laine Kingdom—fewer than a hundred in total—and most of them were nobles.

"Send word. All troops, except for those garrisoned in the Royal Capital, are to set out for the Northern Territory tomorrow."

"Also, select five Great Knights from the Personal Guard. Have them proceed to Yorkshire immediately to assassinate Roy Wesley and Catherine Olsen, and uproot the Wesley and Olson Clans."

The Ironblood Duke looked at Lucas with a frigid expression and spoke quickly.

After some not-so-rigorous deliberation, the Ironblood Duke, who currently had no way to deal with the Royal Army, decided to find another way to restore his reputation.

For example, by killing the Dark Night Knight and annihilating the Wesley and Olson Clans.

In terms of impact, killing the Dark Night Knight would be more effective.

But he did not order Lucas to send men to assassinate the Dark Night Knight.

The reason was simple.

Because no one but him was a match for the Dark Night Knight.

The Ironblood Duke’s plan was simple.

First, he would send his men to assassinate Roy and Catherine and destroy the Wesley and Olson Clans, thereby thoroughly enraging the Dark Night Knight.

When the Dark Night Knight came seeking revenge, he would then personally finish him off.

From his perspective, there was nothing wrong with this plan. It was a perfect way to reclaim the reputation he had lost because of the Dark Night Knight.

But he overlooked a very important problem.

Or rather, he had never even considered the possibility that the Dark Night Knight might be stronger than him.

In his eyes, as a Silver Great Knight, killing the Dark Night Knight would be an effortless task.

Although the Dark Night Knight had easily killed Garrett in just two moves, he still didn’t believe the Dark Night Knight would be a match for him.

Looking only at the Level, a Silver Great Knight was indeed just one Level higher than a Bronze Great Knight.

But the power of a Silver Great Knight far surpassed that of a Bronze Great Knight.

One need only look at the Breathing Techniques to see the difference.

Cultivating an Excellent Level Breathing Technique to its limit would allow one to become a Bronze Great Knight.

But to become a Silver Great Knight, one had to cultivate a Perfect Level Breathing Method.

Even among Bronze Great Knights, one who cultivated a Perfect Level Breathing Method would hold an absolute advantage.

When news arrived that the Dark Night Knight had killed James in just two moves, the Ironblood Duke suspected that the Dark Night Knight also cultivated a Perfect Level Breathing Method.

It was normal for the Ironblood Duke to have such suspicions.

He wasn’t the only one; others held the same suspicion.

Because they could think of no other reason why the Dark Night Knight could advance from a Peak Knight to a Bronze Great Knight in less than two years, and possess power far exceeding other Bronze Great Knights so soon after his promotion.

"Yes, my lord!"

Lucas replied at once, without any hesitation.

Although he didn’t know why the Ironblood Duke was sending men to assassinate Roy and Catherine at this particular time, he didn’t ask any questions.

As a subordinate, all he needed to do was obey orders.

Anything else was not his concern.

"If they encounter the Dark Night Knight, tell them to abandon the mission and return to Ice Wind City."

"There’s nothing else. You may go," the Ironblood Duke continued.

Lucas nodded, then turned and left the study.

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