Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 50 The Youngest Son

However, in this remote rural area, the poor knight lords like Lion's Tooth often traveled in such meager conditions, so no one would laugh at them for it—everyone was in the same boat, so no one could say anything about anyone else.

The journey from the castle in Lion's Tooth to the destination of this banquet—Baron Bellings, where Baron Hiddink resides—is about thirty kilometers.

This distance is already considered "close" among the surrounding territories.

There's a story behind this: the Lion Fang Knights' Territory today was actually a piece of land that was carved out from the territory of the Baron of the Nightingale decades ago.

This is why the two territories are adjacent and relatively close in distance.

In contrast, the other territories that received invitations often required a journey of fifty or sixty kilometers or even further.

Along the way, through the carriage window, Kruse could see vast stretches of uncultivated wilderness, dense forests, and rolling hills.

This clearly shows that when each earl granted land, he would intentionally leave a fairly wide buffer zone and undeveloped areas between the territories of his nobles.

This strategy is significant: on the one hand, it is to avoid friction between lords due to overly close territorial boundaries;
On the other hand, and more importantly, it reserved ample strategic surplus for the Earl's family itself.

In the event of a future war, those who have rendered meritorious service will need to be rewarded, or families will need to settle new members. These vast "unclaimed lands" will be the best pool of rewards and sources of land grants, avoiding the embarrassing situation of having no land to grant.

The current Earl of Camp Nou divided the once vast Baronneville into three parts and granted them to different sons or meritorious officials, which is a manifestation of this strategy.

Looking out the window at the rough stone boundary marker that marked the border of Lion Fang Territory, and at the clearly more prosperous and neatly arranged fields ahead, Kruze couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The late Earl of Camp Nou doted on his youngest son, who was the Baron of Baling.

The fiefdom granted was not only vast and fertile, but its resources and output even surpassed those of many long-established viscountries! It was precisely because of its overwhelming strength that the current earl became wary of it and ultimately divided and weakened it.

Even so, the core of the Baron of the Hundred Spirits, which was split up and inherited by Baron Hiddink, was still the largest and richest territory in the surrounding area, and its strength was far superior to that of a small knightly territory like the Lion's Tooth.

The carriage moved forward with a slight jolt.

The escort for this trip was the most capable young man under Knight Commander Wilstone—Apprentice Knight Edin, who was also one of only two apprentice knights in the territory.

He rode a fairly fine warhorse, guarding the front side of the carriage, his expression vigilant and focused.

In addition, five well-equipped and spirited knight apprentices followed closely behind on horseback.

This small honor guard is the most respectable protective force that Lion Fang Territory can currently offer.

After traveling some distance, Aiding, riding his horse, slowed down slightly, bringing himself parallel to the carriage window, and leaned forward slightly to report into the carriage:
“Young Master, once we pass that boundary marker with the lark totem ahead, we will officially enter the territory of Baron Lark.” Upon hearing this, Kruze looked into the distance and gently straightened his collar, which had become slightly wrinkled from the bumpy ride.

Besides cooperating with the investigation and going through the motions, Kruze also had another important purpose in attending the banquet: to promote the weapons and equipment made by his own blacksmith shop and open up new sources of revenue for the territory.

Besides the three siblings, several finely crafted sword and spear samples were carefully placed on the carriage.

Among them, the most eye-catching is a Damascus steel knight's longsword that Kruze poured his heart and soul into repeatedly forging using techniques from his otherworldly memories!

The blade of this longsword is covered with mysterious and gorgeous patterns that resemble flowing water and clouds. It is incredibly sharp, capable of cutting a hair in two, and has excellent toughness, making it a perfect combination of art and slaughter.

This is almost the pinnacle of Kruse's forging skills to date. It is his most prized possession, one that he himself is reluctant to use often. He brought it here for two reasons: first, to impress others, and second, in the hope of finding a discerning buyer and selling it for a good price.

Although Lion's Tooth was closest to Baron Belling's Domain, when their carriages arrived at the designated guest parking area outside the Hiddink family castle, they discovered they weren't the first to arrive. They were only among the third group of guests to arrive.

The first to arrive was actually the delegation from the Wolfhair Knights Territory, which was the furthest away!
Barto, the chief knight of Wolfhair Territory, stood with a gloomy face beside a carriage that was decorated slightly better than the carriage of Lionfang Territory. Beside him stood a little boy dressed in fine clothes but still showing his childishness. He was Andy Wolfhair, the spoiled youngest son of Sir Haynes, the lord of Wolfhair Territory.

The child looked a year or two younger than Elena, but he tried hard to put on an arrogant, grown-up air.

The Wolfhair Knights and the Lionfang Knights, nominally the two most powerful knights under the Earl of Nocturne, have been at odds for many years.

The two Golden Knights were at odds with each other, constantly vying for power, which led to extreme tension and constant friction between the two territories. This is precisely why Wolfhair Territory previously resorted to the underhanded tactic of diverting the troublesome bandit leader, Duluth, to Lionfang Territory.

When Barto saw the three Kruze siblings get off the carriage, a barely perceptible glint of malice and disgust flashed in his eyes.

He barely maintained his aristocratic manners, slightly raising his chin and performing a standard knightly salute in an extremely perfunctory and even contemptuous manner, as if to say hello, without even the intention of exchanging pleasantries.

And that young master Andy completely ignored Kruze and Rezael.

His gaze lit up when he saw Elena, who was wearing a pale yellow dress and looked exceptionally charming and cute.

This little rascal walked straight up to Elena, and before anyone could react, he mimicked a scene from a knightly drama he'd somehow picked up, suddenly kneeling on one knee. Though his kneeling was a bit crooked, he pulled out a wilted little wildflower from somewhere, held it high, and shouted in his pre-pubescent, high-pitched voice:
“Oh! Beautiful and charming lady! You are like the most beautiful rose in the morning! I, Andy Wolfhair, the future knight lord of Wolfhair Territory, sincerely ask you, will you be my future wife?”

This sudden and absurd "marriage proposal" scene instantly froze the already delicate atmosphere!

Kruse and Reza were completely stunned by this unexpected turn of events, their minds even going blank for a second.

(End of this chapter)