Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 121 Greeting 2
At this moment, Bran was pale and his eyes were darting around. He didn't dare to look Reyes or Kruse in the eye. He just kept his head down and wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

“Baron Reyes.” Baron Haynes forced a smile, bowed slightly on horseback as a gesture of respect, and replied in a dry voice, “...Of course, neighbors should live in harmony.”

However, his stiff expression and tone made it clear to anyone that he was not being sincere.

This scene clearly demonstrates the delicate and awkward situation faced by the surrounding territories, especially Wolf Fur Territory, which had a grudge against Lion Fang Territory, after the rise of Lion Fang Territory.

Reyes' seemingly casual question was actually a subtle declaration of his status.

Kruze spurred his horse forward, a gentle, harmless smile on his face, and slowly approached Bran, who had been keeping his head down in the Wolf's Hair Clan.

He spoke as if he had met an old friend he hadn't seen in years, his tone warm with a perfectly appropriate hint of doubt:

"Hey, isn't this Bran? Old buddy, it's been a long time!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the core members of several surrounding territories to hear clearly.

His gaze swept over Bran's still-ordinary knightly attire, and he continued in that concerned tone, "This border war is a great opportunity to earn merit and a knighthood. With your abilities, why didn't you take advantage of this opportunity and earn yourself a knighthood?"

These words, seemingly addressed to Bran, were clearly meant for the wolf-hair knight Haynes, whose face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Kruze's words hit Wolf Hair Clan's most painful wound.

Reyes and Hayes had been rivals for many years, and their strength and titles were roughly equal.

But what about now? Reyes has returned with his war merits, and has been promoted to baron, enjoying immense prestige.

As for Haynes, he was really unlucky. The route he chose to advance was far away from the main battlefield and the main plundering areas, which resulted in him and his men having almost no decent gains or achievements throughout the entire campaign.

When the war ended and rewards were distributed, he didn't get a promotion like Reyes, and he received very little in terms of material rewards.

Originally, they hoped that their eldest son could take this opportunity to obtain a knighthood, which would pave the way for the family's future, but this wish was completely dashed.

It is said that in the end, perhaps to appease him or in consideration of his past hard work, Count Campono symbolically expanded the size of his Wolf-hair Knights' territory from the original five hundred acres to eight hundred acres.

However, the compensation of a mere 300 acres of land is worlds apart from a real baronial title; it seems more like charity, which only makes the situation more awkward.

When Kruse brought this up in public, Haynes felt his face burning with embarrassment, a surge of anger rising in his chest as if it would burst from his throat. He gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, but he couldn't utter a single word.

What could he say? Deny his bad luck? Or complain about the earl's injustice?
Either way, it will only make him feel more embarrassed.

Bran, greeted so "kindly" by Kruse, almost buried his head in the horse's neck. His face turned from white to red, then from red to green, his lips trembling. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "...Kruse...you...did it on purpose..."

Their embarrassed and disheveled appearance was a far cry from the arrogant and boastful young knight he once was. Kruze watched the father and son's uneasy state, his smile remaining gentle, but his heart was filled with coldness.

This is reality; the gap in strength and status is enough to make those who were once humiliated feel utterly ashamed.

He didn't pursue them relentlessly, but gave Haynes a meaningful look before gently pulling the reins and returning to the Lion's Tooth tribe's ranks.

This seemingly casual greeting was like an invisible whip, lashing at the hearts of everyone in Wolf's Hair Territory, and clearly demonstrating the enormous gap between Lion's Tooth Territory and Wolf's Hair Territory that is now incomparable.

Reyes observed all of this without saying a word, but the barely perceptible curve at the corner of his mouth revealed his satisfaction with his eldest son's "performance."

In the oppressive atmosphere of the Wolf Fang Territory, the guardian knight Cato silently rode up to the ashen-faced Haynes, lowered his voice, and told him his previous observations and guesses: "My lord, the young master of Lion Fang Territory... Kruze, he may... have already been promoted to Bronze Knight."

This news was like the last straw, instantly crushing the last glimmer of hope and the "small hope" that Hines could use to comfort himself.

He had originally thought that Reyes was just lucky and had achieved military merit by sheer chance, and that his son might not be much better than his own son. At least he could save face in terms of raising offspring.

But now, if Kruze really reaches the Bronze Knight level at this age, what does that mean?
That means he is already an outstanding figure among the younger generation, a true genius! And his eldest son, although also a Bronze Knight, is nearly ten years older than Kruze!
The difference between them is simply incomparable.

He has even lost the last bit of capital he had left to complain about.

"Hmph!" Haines let out a cold snort from his throat, suppressing endless anger and frustration. He stopped looking in the direction of the Lion Fang Leader's team, pulled hard on the reins, and deliberately ordered the team to slow down, creating a significant distance between them and Reyes' team ahead.

He really didn't want to get any closer, lest he continue to endure that silent comparison and possible sarcastic remarks.

As the Lion's Tooth tribe's entourage gradually disappeared around the corner, Bran, who had been hanging his head in shame and rage, suddenly raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, flashing with an almost insane, stubborn light. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms, and growled:

"Just wait! When we get to Campino, I'll find an opportunity to challenge that good-for-nothing Kruze to a knightly duel in front of all the nobles! I'll personally defeat him in the arena and tear off his hypocritical mask! I'll let everyone know who the real strongman is!"

He was blinded by jealousy and humiliation, and was eager to regain face in the most direct and barbaric way.

However, his angry declaration only earned him a cold glance from his father, Haynes.

There was no encouragement in his eyes, only a mocking look that saw through the truth and a hint of disappointment at his son's foolishness.

Without Hines needing to refute him directly, the well-informed Knight Cato had no choice but to steel himself once again, approach the agitated Bran, and whisper clearly remind him, "Young Master Bran... please calm down. From my observation, Kruze... he is very likely already a Bronze Knight. Your rash challenge might be..."

(End of this chapter)