The time for the Western Crusade had arrived once again, the event that happened once every ten years. No one could predict how many old noble families would fall into decline or how many new ones would rise to prominence.
The future was uncertain.
All they could do was rally their soldiers and knights, preparing for the war ahead.
As one of the nobles of the duchy, Baron Klar was naturally bound to respond to the Duke's command. To show his respect for the Duke, he decided to bring all the formal knights and trainee knights from his territory to the battlefield.
At present, Deepwater Territory only had three formal knights. However, his second son, Klas, was serving in the Count's knight order and couldn't return to fight under his father's banner.
The second knight was the old knight, Foster. After Lilith Golden Rose passed away, Baron Klar no longer had the authority to command the old knight, since Foster held a knightly title. Therefore, he should be addressed as "Sir Foster" instead of "Grandfather Foster," as Clobber now called him.
Of course, calling him "Grandfather" was much more affectionate and helped foster a closer relationship.
Doing the math, the only formal knight available for battle in Deepwater Territory was Baron Klar himself. When he was young, he had been brave, but after living a life of luxury, he had become more and more afraid of death.
The final conclusion was that the formal knight force of Deepwater Territory was zero.
This was a huge embarrassment for the entire Knight's Continent. How could a baron not even have a single formal knight under his command? It was laughable.
Sitting quietly, Baron Klar couldn't help but feel the shame in the air.
Normally, a small noble like him, who had been granted land by a great noble, would lead his soldiers ahead of time to gather under the banner of his lord. Eventually, the great noble—who had received direct orders from the Duke—would lead the final charge to the battlefield.
Baron Klar's lord was Count Stephen Moonlight, and while the Moonlight family didn't have dozens of barons, they at least had eight or nine, including Klar himself.
Each of these barons had at least one or two formal knights in their service.
When comparing this, the Oat family was the weakest in the region.
That's why Klar's gaze fell on Sir Foster, who stood behind Clobber, and he spoke up.
"Sir Foster, would you be willing to assist the Oat family in this war? In exchange, I'll grant you a piece of land, any territory outside of Lakeside City, to serve as your knightly domain."
Lakeside City, the heart of the barony, was unlike the typical noble's castle, which was usually built outside of the city. Oat Castle was located in the very center of the city. While this location did slow down military activities and increased the risk of intelligence leaks, it had one huge advantage: safety.
If Deepwater Territory were ever invaded, the first line of defense would be the crude earthen walls of Lakeside City, followed by the common folk living in the outer districts, and only after that would they face Oat Castle in the center of the city.
From this, it was clear that Baron Klar's fear of death was apparent.
In truth, the location of Oat Castle had been chosen by the first generation of Deepwater Lords. Back then, the reasons were practical: a flat terrain, proximity to water sources, and the ability to catch fish for food. If the castle were ever besieged, the people could survive on the lake's bounty.
But for Baron Klar, these factors were enough to justify the castle's placement.
Lakeside City was well-connected, densely populated, and had fertile, flat land.
Klar wasn't without some wisdom in managing his territory, though Clobber suspected that the baron had built the castle more for his own protection.
By offering Foster the chance to choose his own land for a knightly domain, Baron Klar was clearly trying to show his sincerity.
The farmlands outside Lakeside City, worked by oat and other grain spirits, were the largest food source in Deepwater Territory.
Other magical creatures, such as vegetable spirits, were housed in the nearby Vegetable Village, located south of Deepwater Lake. Though not far from Lakeside City, it was still a bit of a distance.
The village was home to various vegetable-based spirits like cabbage and carrot spirits, making it the second wealthiest area in the territory.
From the baron's offer, it was clear that he had no objections if Foster chose Vegetable Village as his new domain.
Standing behind Clobber, Sir Foster wasn't swayed by the baron's offer. On the contrary, his cold expression showed just how unimpressed he was by Klar's words.
"A Joke!"
Who do you think I am?
I'm a knight noble from the prestigious Golden Rose family's knight order. I once called you "Baron" out of respect for Lady Lilith, but now that she's gone, don't expect me to show you any favor.
Lady Lilith has only been gone a few days, and you've already remarried, all while saying you "miss her" and "honor her memory."
Pah! Disgusting!
And the cause of Lady Lilith's death is still a mystery. Until the truth comes out, Foster will never give this so-called baron the respect he thinks he deserves.
Not happy about it? Then feel free to challenge me to a fight and see how I smash that pig brain of yours!
Seeing the ugly look on Foster's face and the way he clenched his fists, Baron Klar hesitated. He quickly backed off from trying to recruit him—after all, he wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. Foster had been a mid-tier formal knight when he first arrived in Deepwater Territory, and after all these years, he was at the peak of his strength. Klar, on the other hand, was a low-tier knight. It was better not to provoke someone so strong.
Otherwise, Foster really might beat him up!
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Baron Klar gestured for his heir to continue with the plan, while he sank into his thoughts.
"Clobber has reached the peak of his trainee knight rank," Klar muttered. "He can't stay here any longer. If things don't work out, I'll send him off as a wandering knight after his coming-of-age ceremony. After all, those hypocrites in the Golden Rose family don't want him, do they? Fine, let them have him. They'll be so proud to pick up what I don't need. Foolish."
When Clobber first showed his talent, Klar had thought about training him well, but at that time, his son, Krock, had already developed a conflict with Clobber.
As any father would, Klar had chosen to side with his son and suppress Clobber.
Now, things were as they were.
A father who wasn't a father, and a son who wasn't a son.
Klar wondered how many nobles were waiting to see the downfall of the Oat family.
Sigh…
All the words he wanted to say just turned into a long, heavy sigh.
Krock, hearing the sigh, stopped his briefing and nervously looked at the Baron.
Seeing this, Klar furrowed his brow, gestured for Krock to continue, but the more Krock tried, the more flustered he became. Eventually, he couldn't even finish a sentence.
Klar sighed again. It was his excellent brothers that had made him feel insecure and anxious.
The second brother was fine—he was talented but still respected his elder.
As for the fourth…
Klar glanced at Clobber, who was sitting nearby and silently watching the situation unfold. He shook his head in resignation.
It was the eldest's own fault.
But since he had chosen his heir, he had to stick by it and support Krock.
"Alright, this meeting is adjourned for now," Klar said, dismissing everyone. "For details, you can ask Lord Alrek. He will be in charge of the military command."
With that, Klar told Krock to calm down, and he stayed behind to wrap things up.
The rest of the meeting had been full of the usual knightly glory and noble honor speeches. They even drew up grand promises, saying that with enough military merit, titles, and land would be granted. Even if Klar couldn't personally grant them, he would recommend them to his lord, Count Stephen.
Once the meeting ended, Clobber didn't linger. He left the room with Foster, heading straight to his quarters.
"Bang!"
As the door slammed shut, Clobber sat on the edge of his bed, his face serious.
After all, this was war. Even formal knights couldn't stir up much of a ripple—only grand knights could wave a bigger flag. Earth and Sky knights were the real heavy hitters.
Typically, the strongest forces in a Western Crusade were the five marquises, each one a titled knight. They didn't usually fight unless the mythical beasts in the forests appeared. So, the most active and powerful combatants were the Sky knights.
As for the Duke, she would be keeping an eye on the most powerful beings in the deepest parts of the forest—the mysterious beings who could even injure a Golden Dragon.
"Only by breaking through to formal knight rank can I have the ability to protect myself. But the baron refuses to give me the second half of the family's breathing technique," Clobber muttered, frustration building up inside him.
The Oat family's signature breathing technique, the Tidal Wave Breathing Method, was given by the Moonlight Mushroom family to the first generation baron. It was a low-level technique that only allowed practitioners to reach the Great Knight rank. Mid-level breathing techniques could reach the Sky Knight rank, and the rumored high-level techniques held the secrets to becoming a Title Knight and even contracting with mythical beasts.
The legend said the Duke practiced one of these high-level techniques.
Low-level breathing methods produced lower quality battle energy than mid-level ones, which contributed to the difference in power between small and large noble families. When the limit of a low-level breathing technique was reached, it could be replaced with a better one.
For example, if someone reached the Great Knight rank with a low-level breathing technique and then acquired a mid-level one, they could switch as long as the attributes matched.
Battle energy had properties, no doubt about it.
Most people inherited the battle energy properties from their paternal side. The Oat family, for example, had Water Elemental energy, making the Tidal Wave Breathing Method perfect for them.
But Clobber inherited his mother's Gold Elemental battle energy. Fortunately, the breathing techniques for a trainee knight were similar enough that he didn't struggle, or else he might not even have reached his current level.
By the time he reached the peak of the trainee knight rank, he could already feel the distinct properties of his energy: Sharpness and Resilience.
These were the most obvious features of Gold Elemental battle energy, and through a kind of intuition, he could sense what his energy was capable of.
Clobber's plan had been to get the second half of the Tidal Wave Breathing Method and compare it with Foster's Gale Breathing Method to see if he could create a Gold Elemental low-level breathing technique.
But unfortunately, the baron refused to give him the second part of the breathing method.
If he had it, Clobber was confident he could break through and become a formal knight within the next few days.