"Welcome to Ersel Fort!"
The hearty voice rang out, but it did not bring any warmth with it. The nobles sat firmly on their horses, staring at Earl Piers, none willing to be the first to look away. The atmosphere was awkward for a moment.
Daring to confront the supremacy, Hudson was really impressed. Apparently, the status of the nobles in this world is even higher than he imagined.
Despite controlling political power and possessing an impressive background, Earl Piers was still powerless against the nobility under his rule.
"Your Excellency, I apologize. We wear our armor; please forgive our rudeness!"
The one who spoke was Viscount Orlan. His spiteful expression indicated no hint of an apology.
As a nobleman who joined the battlefield halfway, Ilia Orlan was not screwed over, but that did not stop him from using it as a reason to fight for his rights.
The unity displayed by the smaller nobles was essentially an effort to secure their own benefits. Avenging the fallen was merely a surface-level justification.
The world of the nobility is brutal, and it is always strength that ultimately determines the distribution of benefits. In this game of power, the smaller nobles were inherently unequal to the major nobles. If they wanted a piece of the pie, they had to unite.
As the Alliance that got screwed over the worst in this war, they were logically supposed to make the biggest fuss. However, constrained by their lack of power, they could only cheer from the sidelines.
From the gloomy expression on Knight Charles's face, one could see his inner dissatisfaction. He wanted to speak up several times but eventually chose to remain silent.
While the Great Knight was commendable, it was only so for the minor nobles. If the family's strength was not strong enough, they wouldn't dare to deeply offend Earl Piers and could only hand over the dominant power to others.
For Hudson, this was clearly not a good thing. The Alliance did not have sufficient say, implying that they would be passive in the upcoming situation.
Alas, even if they wanted to speak out, they could not because their allies were not willing to take the lead either. Especially as a novice knight himself, Hudson could not make any rash actions.
After gazing for a while, Earl Piers jumped down from his Flaming Lion and said coldly, "The evil tool Blood Moon Horn has appeared. You have personally experienced its power during the day."
"Impossible!"
"With the Pope's seal and the protection of the Judgement Knights, who would be able to steal the Blood Moon Horn right from under their noses?"
Viscount Orlan spoke in disbelief.
Upon hearing this shocking news, Hudson almost fell off his horse. Now he wasn't just a newly transferred novice. He was familiar with the famous "Blood Moon Horn."
The scarce sheepskin scrolls in his family's bookstore tower had one dedicated to introducing this thing.
Three hundred years ago, in order to calm the Blood Moon catastrophe, the Koslow clan lost thirteen knights, and many of their branches declined.
That the Blood Moon Horn could still wreak havoc after being sealed in the Papal State for 300 years, and unfortunately, that Hudson had caught up with it, left him speechless about his luck.
Glancing at his companions, aside from a few who had read fewer books and were waiting for the answer with blank faces, the rest were sweating profusely.
Seeing that he was not the only one making a fool of himself, Hudson felt slightly relieved. Even if the sky collapsed, it would be the taller people providing first support. The matter of the "Blood Moon Horn" was clearly beyond the control of a minor knight like him.
On the surface, it seemed that only the Skeleton Society was causing trouble with the Evil Tool, but the key issue was how the "Blood Moon Horn" had slipped out of the Papal State and how it had made it to the Southeastern Province.
The manipulation behind the scenes was too broad. If not handled correctly, it could even provoke a new round of struggle between royal and church power. It was as if Hudson was walking on thin ice, much like the major figures like Earl Piers were.
"I wish this wasn't true, but you all lived through the battle today. When the horn sounded, soldiers turned into killing machines. Doesn't that sound a lot like the legendary Blood Moon Horn?"
Earl Pier's response utterly extinguished everyone's hope. All knew that trouble was on the horizon.
If they can't put down the rebellion in time, it's possible that the entire Southeastern Province, or even the whole Alpha Kingdom would be lost. None could escape the consequences.
There is no time to continue bickering, and the nobles scramble off their horses, following in Earl Pier's footsteps.
Now is not the time for petty disagreements. With the "Blood Moon Horn" in the picture, many things should only be discussed behind closed doors.
As soon as they entered the main hall, an impatient young noble couldn't wait to ask, "His Excellency the Count, what does the Church say?"
"How could it be so fast? I've just sent people to relay the message to the Kingdom and the Church separately. The earliest I could hear back from the Papal State is next month.
Distant water can't quench present thirst. In the short term, we have to solve the problems ourselves, unless you all are willing to let the wolf into your home."
The answer from Piers made everyone even more upset. The Church and the Kingdom could not be relied upon for the time being, leaving them with limited options.
In theory, they could still ask neighboring provinces' nobility for help, but the noble world is also divided into circles.
When it comes to internal matters, everyone fights for resources, but externally, nobles from the Southeastern Province form a whole.
This isn't the kind of whole that is said in words, but a political alliance. In the political system of the Kingdom, the nobles of the Southeastern Province form a party, which according to Hudson, is like petty regional politics.
Within the central authority, everyone politically sticks together to jointly resist the nobility groups of other provinces. Locally, they each own their own systems and play local emperor on their own territories.
There is no free lunch in the world of nobility; their guiding principle is equivalent exchange. If one were to ask for assistance from neighboring province's nobility, they would certainly have to pay a hefty price.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, one would not take this step. Nobody would want to invite their neighbors to stretch their hands into their own territory and point fingers.
"Of course, introducing a wolf into the house is unacceptable. It's not worth this step for a mere Skeleton Society. The problem now is the Blood Moon Horn.
If we do not solve this problem, the enemy can continuously arm cannon fodder and consume us. Everyone is acquainted with the madness of the rebel soldiers controlled by the evil tool during the daytime battle.
We paid a price of numerous nobles dying in battle but did not capture the enemy's leaders. We only eliminated a group of worthless cannon fodder."
Viscount Orlan spoke with a serious expression.
The more one knows, the more they are filled with awe. Compared to ordinary minor nobles, he was clearly more knowledgeable about the "Blood Moon Horn."
"You don't have to worry too much. The Blood Moon Horn is indeed powerful, but after being sealed for over 300 years and constantly being exposed to the Holy Light, it has inevitably been affected.
If it were the peak Blood Moon Horn, the battle during the day would never have been so easy. Legends even claim that it could transform corpses into undead to continue fighting.
As long as we're quick enough and don't allow the enemy to accumulate power or feed the evil tool, the situation can still be reversed..."