The subtle change in Duchess Veronica's demeanor did not escape the notice of Earl Stephen, who was watching from below. He couldn't help but think to himself, Could it be? Is Clobber really that much in the Duchess's favor? Could he have such an influence that the Duchess, when faced with an issue as critical as the balance of power in the entire western Duchy, would still prioritize Clobber's feelings and emotions?
The thought made Earl Stephen furrow his brow, a look of confusion and contemplation crossing his face.
But, in reality, Stephen had misunderstood the situation. It wasn't that the Duchess was particularly concerned with Clobber's emotions; rather, she was quietly weighing the loyalty of the Golden Rose family to her cause.
The Golden Rose family had been one of the founding noble houses of the Duchy, standing alongside the Duchess in the early days of the country's formation. If their strength had been even slightly greater back then, it's possible they might have been granted the title of Duke from the very beginning. After all, at that time, the Duchy's vast lands were sparsely populated, with plenty of unclaimed territories ripe for the taking.
Looking back at the history of the Golden Rose family, the Duchess trusted their loyalty to a certain extent, but she also understood the danger of allowing this family to grow too powerful. She knew she had to find a competitor for them, someone to keep their ambitions in check.
This was, after all, a fundamental skill that every ruler must possess. No matter how loyal a family might have been in the past, once their power and position grew, so too would their ambition. Eventually, they would try to climb higher, and such a threat to her rule was something the Duchess couldn't allow.
After all, in this vast continent, while Dragon Knights were rare, they were certainly not in short supply. And those gifted individuals, those who possessed exceptional talents and intelligence, were as common as pebbles by the roadside.
The Golden Rose Duchy had its fair share of enemies.
In the northern part of the continent, several powerful nations had been sending spies and intelligence agents for years, trying to infiltrate the Emerald Kingdom and the Golden Rose Duchy. If a single noble family rose to dominance in the western Duchy, these external enemies would surely exploit the situation, using it to stir up internal strife and weaken the Duchy from within.
To safeguard against such threats, the Duchess had decided to take measured action. She would suppress the burgeoning power of the Golden Rose family, but she couldn't go too far. After all, the family had earned its place through years of military service, and their accomplishments couldn't be ignored. A noble title, perhaps a Marquis, was certainly justified.
However, when it came to land distribution, the Duchess was considering expanding the Golden Rose family's current holdings only enough to meet the minimum requirements for a Marquis. That way, their power would grow, but not to the point where they could dominate the entire western region.
Additionally, the land to be granted would be located on the outer edges of the Moiy Forest, a far less resource-rich area than the heart of the forest. While the Golden Rose family would gain some strength, it wouldn't be enough to make them the uncontested masters of the west.
At the same time, the Duchess planned to grant a couple of new titles to other families in the region, thus ensuring that the western Duchy would remain balanced and stable.
As for Stephen's own Moonlight Mushroom family…
Although the Duchess had little fondness for them, she had to admit that Earl Stephen's advice had merit. After much thought, she might grant him a small piece of land, perhaps a barony, which would increase the prestige and influence of the Moonlight Mushroom family.
But, on the surface, the Duchess had not promised Stephen anything. Instead, she had responded vaguely, dismissing him with a few diplomatic words before continuing with the meetings.
The meeting with the remaining nobles, all Counts and Marquises, was soon over. The Duchess retreated to her chambers to rest. Clobber, however, was not so lucky. He had to stand guard outside her door, ever vigilant, listening carefully for any instructions or commands that might come from within.
The task was exhausting, requiring Clobber to devote all his energy to it. As a result, most of his daytime hours were spent standing watch.
Despite the burden of his duties, Clobber did not let this interfere with his personal growth. He remained committed to improving himself, always striving for greater strength and skill.
Though his position as the Duchess's herald and trusted official kept him busy, he had never let that stop him from training or honing his abilities. After all, in the world of nobles and dragons, power and influence came from more than just titles—it was the ability to protect those you served, to navigate the intricacies of court politics, and to outmaneuver rivals at every turn.
Clobber's routine was intense. He would rise early in the morning, spend hours standing guard outside the Duchess's chamber, and then, once his duty was done, he would slip away to a quiet corner of the castle or the surrounding grounds to practice his swordplay, or study the magical arts. He knew that every moment counted, and that if he wanted to rise higher in this world of ever-shifting power dynamics, he couldn't afford to waste a single day.
It was during one of these late-night training sessions, when the castle had grown quiet and the moon hung high in the sky, that Clobber received an unexpected visitor.
He was practicing with a longsword by the castle wall, the sounds of his strikes echoing through the stillness, when a shadow fell across his path.
He immediately lowered his weapon, recognizing the figure who stood before him.
"Earl Stephen?" Clobber asked, slightly surprised. It was rare for the Earl to come to him directly, especially at this hour.
Stephen nodded, his expression grim. "Clobber, we need to talk."
The urgency in his voice caught Clobber's attention, and he immediately set aside his sword. "What's happened, my lord?"
"I need your help. The time has come to track down the Sikor," Stephen said in a low voice. "I've been hearing rumors. The beast has been spotted again, and if we don't act soon, it might slip away, and we could lose our chance."
Clobber's heart skipped a beat. The Sikor was a legendary creature, a monstrous beast that had terrorized the region for years. It was known for its strength and speed, and its appearance was always a harbinger of disaster. Many had tried to track it down before, but none had succeeded. If Stephen was asking for his help, it meant that things had become serious.
"Where was it seen?" Clobber asked, his voice steady despite the rising tension inside him.
"A few miles outside the Moiy Forest," Stephen replied, his eyes narrowing. "The scouts say it's heading toward the western border, and if it crosses that line, we'll have no choice but to deal with it ourselves."
Clobber nodded. "I'll gather a team. We'll leave at first light."
Stephen placed a hand on Clobber's shoulder. "I trust you with this, Clobber. The Duchy is relying on you."
With that, the two men turned and made their way to the planning room. The hunt for the Sikor was about to begin.
After long hours of exploration and practice, Clobber had finally developed a unique method of training—one that allowed him to cultivate his aura while standing guard. This technique was far from perfect, and the speed of his progress wasn't as fast as it would have been if he could train in peace, focusing solely on his energy. However, the real advantage of this method was its consistency. Clobber could use the time spent standing guard to train day after day without interruption.
Over time, the accumulation of effort had started to yield impressive results.
Clobber had shared this method with Dylan and the others, hoping it might assist them as well. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, neither Dylan nor Foster had been able to enter the state of cultivation. It seemed that this method might only be suited to Clobber, something intrinsic to his nature and discipline.
Meanwhile, inside her chambers, Duchess Veronica was well aware of Clobber's actions outside the door.
Being a Dragon Knight, she wasn't just a human; after merging with her dragon, she had become something more—part human, part magical creature. This unique bond had enhanced her perception abilities to an extraordinary degree, allowing her to sense the mana in the environment and understand the magical flow around her.
As Clobber stood outside her door, Veronica could feel the subtle pull of gold-elemental mana as he absorbed it from the surrounding air. She knew that he was converting it into his own energy, cycling it through his body, and refining it into battle aura.
Dragon Knights, like dragons themselves, exuded a certain aura that affected the surrounding environment. Unlike dragons, however, their influence was much gentler. For Veronica, this wasn't a sign of anything unusual. When she breathed, a small amount of unclaimed gold-elemental mana would spill out into the air. It wasn't a sign of illness or any physical ailment; rather, it was simply a trait of a high-level life form like herself.
As a result, the area around her was saturated with gold mana, which, in turn, accelerated Clobber's cultivation speed. More mana meant more energy to convert into aura. And, considering Clobber's already pure aura, perhaps it was the magical potions he had taken during his breakthrough that had helped purify his energy, improving both the quantity and quality of his aura.
Clobber had a gut feeling that if he continued his vigil at Veronica's door for a bit longer, he would soon break through to the rank of Great Knight. After all, the leap from a regular knight to a Great Knight was primarily about increasing the quantity of aura and its final transformation. For someone with Clobber's talent, it was nothing insurmountable.
The following day, at the Duchess's command, the Dragon's Breath Knight Order, along with all knights ranked Knight and above, were dispatched in small teams to scout the Moiy Forest.
For every ten knights, a Great Knight would lead the group. Ten such squads would form a battalion, headed by an Earth Knight. Finally, ten battalions would be led by a Sky Knight.
Each squad carried a piece of dragon scale, shed by the Golden Dragon Vivian. This scale was imbued with Vivian's unique aura and also had the ability to detect nearby magical presences. If the Sikor appeared within the range of these scales, Vivian could immediately sense it and arrive to confront the creature.
The deployment of all knights with official titles and above meant that the normally heavily guarded Hilton Fortress had been left strangely empty. Only the untested squire knights and the regular soldiers, who lacked any real combat experience, remained behind.
If the Sikor chose to attack Hilton Fortress now, it could wreak havoc. However, the damage would be minimal. The lives of the ordinary soldiers, in the eyes of the Duchess, were as cheap as grass. Losing them wouldn't impact her in any meaningful way. After all, it wouldn't take more than ten years to train a new batch of soldiers to replace them.
What truly mattered was ensuring the safety of the core of the Duchy—those who had attained the rank of Official Knight or higher. As long as those key figures suffered minimal casualties, the Duchy would remain in a stable and controlled state. These knights were the true pillars that held up the country and the army, and losing them would be an unthinkable blow to the Duchy's power.
Despite the grave situation, Duchess Veronica remained in Hilton Fortress, as steadfast as ever, waiting for the imminent confrontation with the Sikor. Her aura was calm, and her demeanor unshaken.
For this critical battle, she had donned a suit of armor, a magnificent and seemingly indestructible piece forged from pure gold. The armor radiated a brilliance like the sun itself, almost blinding in its splendor. The light that reflected off her armor seemed to envelop her entire form.
Veronica stood there, armored and proud, like a Valkyrie descended from the heavens, her presence both awe-inspiring and terrifying. She had never looked more regal, more formidable. The soldiers around her couldn't help but feel their spirits rise in her presence. This was the woman who had led them to victory time and time again, and they had no doubt that, with her at the helm, they would face whatever danger lay ahead and emerge victorious.
As the preparations were made, Clobber remained by her side, his thoughts focused not on the impending battle but on his own journey. He knew that, for him, this battle with the Sikor was only the beginning of what was to come. He was no longer just a young knight with potential—he was a rising force in his own right.
His time with the Dragon's Breath Knights had already shown him the extent of his abilities. His dedication to his training had paid off, and now, with the Sikor looming on the horizon, he was about to face the true test of his strength. Would he be able to take that next step? To transform from a promising knight into a legend in his own right?
There was no time to dwell on such thoughts. The battle was near, and the fate of the Duchy rested in the hands of those who fought at its frontlines.
"Clobber," Veronica said, her voice calm yet commanding, "the time is coming. Make sure the knights are ready."
Clobber snapped to attention. "Yes, my lady. I will make sure everything is prepared."
With one last glance at the Duchess, he turned and made his way to the knights, his mind already shifting into battle mode. The coming days would test them all, but for Clobber, this was just another step toward the future he was determined to carve out for himself.
The Sikor would fall.