The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Before Queen Lilith rose to fame, the Dorian family of the East was just an obscure little family stationed in the Oregon region, much like his main family, the Roll family, which had dwindled to the point where only Lind remained as their sole heir.

Of course, the Daolin family was much better off than the Luo family back then, at least they didn't have to suffer from the border wars.

Although they are descendants of the old empire, the Dorian family is exceptionally low-key, and Coente was particularly cautious his entire life, especially after his youngest daughter became queen, the Dorian family almost ceased all activities.

Many people are unaware that Queen Lilith has two older brothers in the East. To avoid causing trouble for Lilith after she became queen, these two brothers even canceled their original weddings and remain single to this day.

“Father, the black rain in the basil region has lessened a lot, but it still doesn’t seem to be stopping.”

Lilith's biological older brother, Barnard, in this world was currently reporting to old Coente, fully clad in armor made of fine steel.

"Moreover, we have lost all contact with the Basil region... Not only the Basil region, but wherever that rain curtain reaches, no information has been sent out, and no knight dares to venture into those areas."

Old Coente saw the resentment in his eldest son's eyes and shook his head, saying, "Barnard, don't blame those knights. This black rain is too strange. A smart knight would not rashly step into a trap without knowing the truth."

But then old Coente sighed, "Besides, even if some knights were brave enough to go and check those areas, they can't get out now..."

Isolated by the rain curtain, town after town lost contact with the outside world, and corrupted monsters kept emerging from the rain.

Even the bravest knight would feel an inexplicable fear upon seeing those monsters that reeked of decay and emitted eerie low moans.

Of course, that's not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing is that although the rain in the Basil region is gradually subsiding, black fog is gradually rising around the Basil region, including Oregon where the Dorian family is located.

Although the black mist won't directly transform people into rotting monsters like the rain, it will gradually erode the human body. Sometimes, watching yourself gradually turn into a monster is more terrifying than turning into one directly.

Old Coenter had everyone add a scarf inside their helmets to cover their mouths and noses. Old Coenter didn't know if it would work, but even if it was just for psychological comfort, at least the scarf could give the knights the courage to fight.

The Oregon region is now surrounded by monsters. There are so many of them, and they are getting more and more ferocious. At first, ordinary people might have been able to escape from the monsters, but now they are completely unable to fight them or even escape. The monsters seem tireless, devouring all living things.

Old Coente opened the gates of Dowling Castle almost immediately, letting his people escape inside, but now, the towering walls seem to have become a birdcage trapping people.

Ordinary citizens have already begun to transform into monsters, and at their constant pleas, the knights have been forced to kill the very people they swore to protect.

Even though old Coente tried every means possible, he could not stop the spread of despair within the castle.

The black mist seems to be able to sense human emotions; the more desperate a person is, the denser the black mist becomes, and it even seems that desperate people are turning into monsters faster.

Not only that, the long-neglected gates of Dorian Castle could no longer withstand the monsters' corruption, and the knights were already exhausted just from guarding the gates.

Not to mention the common people, even the knights are on the verge of collapse.

"Barnard, is the black fog still spreading?"

Old Coente seemed to have made up his mind and looked at his eldest son.

"Yes, Father...and it's constantly spreading towards the central region, towards the capital..."

"We must tell your sister about this information...and tell His Majesty."

Old Coente took two letters out of his pocket, handing one to Barnard, and then looking at his youngest son, Harold, with the other.

Lilith's second brother was startled by his father's gaze and backed away.

"Harold, take this letter and head north to deliver this intelligence to the governor there, understand?"

Old Coente had his own agenda. Oregon was closer to the North, and he planned to break out towards the North, as the chances of survival were greater if he went towards the North.

Barnard had no objections, and simply accepted the letter in silence. The journey to the capital was almost entirely shrouded in black fog, and the danger was self-evident.

After hesitating for a moment, Harold took the letter and asked, "And what about you, Father?"

Old Coente ignored his youngest son's question and instead asked one of the knights beside him, "How many professionals, how many soldiers, how many subjects do we still have?"

The knight said, "Sir, there are also sixteen professionals, two hundred soldiers, and over a thousand subjects."

For a nobleman of Old Coente's caliber, this number of armed knights was actually quite large. After all, before the rise of the gray and white collars, nobles had always adhered to a militia system. Apart from professionals, there were no professional soldiers on their territories; the number of able-bodied men they had was the number of soldiers they had.

This was a special treat Lilith had prepared for her family; the original force was much larger, even including muskets, but Coente refused them all.

However, he didn't regret it. Old Coente understood that the more demands the Dorian family made, the more difficult it would be for his youngest daughter in the capital.

"It is time for us to repay His Majesty by distributing all the weapons in the castle to our people."

Barnard had never seen his father with such an expression before. Ever since his marriage was called off, Barnard had always had some resentment towards his father, but at this moment his father's expression was somewhat resolute, as if he were not the same honest man who would only awkwardly smile when bullied by the surrounding nobles.

Soon, old Coente's orders were carried out, and weapons were distributed to the citizens who had taken refuge in the castle.

At first, no one paid attention to the black rain in the distance and the thick fog. Old Coente had already done a good job by settling his people in the castle when he saw the monster.

But now, old Coente had to find a way to get the information out. He didn't think that even if he didn't go himself, someone else would. He knew what kind of people those nobles were.

But when the already riddled door was opened, the scene outside was still despairing. All that could be seen were rotting monsters. Old Coente couldn't even tell whether the black puddle on the ground was a monster or a black swamp formed by the sediment of black mist.

Even the knights and professionals at the front retreated in fear. A short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one, but certainly no one wanted to die now.

When his youngest daughter became a princess, old Coente began to walk on thin ice. After his youngest daughter became queen, old Coente dared not even breathe loudly. When he was harassed by people in the capital, he never mentioned it to Lilith.

But now, old Coente let out a long sigh of relief, and began to feel triumphant. He drew his longsword and shouted, "There are no cowards in Oregon! Tell my daughter that her father is no coward!"

Old Coente's tone seemed to be venting the frustrations of the past years, and also for his youngest daughter who was far away in the capital. He rushed out first. Just as Old Coente thought, some things had to be done by someone. You can't expect someone else to do them if you don't. To put it bluntly, those nobles in this situation would only choose the most conservative escape route and would not be loyal to the Queen at all.

Even old Coente himself might not know how, but his daughter was sitting in that position, and old Coente had to pass on the information here. This was not because of his duty as a subject, but because of his responsibility as a father.

The people had no idea what Coente was feeling at that moment, but the Dorian family was known for its kindness towards its people among the nobles of the East.

Seeing the old lord rush out, the people's trust in him overcame their fear, and they all waved their weapons and followed him on foot, rushing out in a headlong rush.

The knights and professionals who had been hesitant before gritted their teeth, cracked the reins, and roared, "There are no cowards in Oregon!"