Chapter 5: Charlotte's Nonsense
Shaking off the non-existent bloodstains from her silver chain sword, Renee reattached the chain to her skirt and then began to complain to Charlotte:
"Couldn't you stay further away, miss? What if you got hurt?"
While others were fighting for their lives, Charlotte sat in the front row of the spectator seats, watching the spectacle as if she were just an unrelated bystander. In reality, it was her head that the attackers were after.
"Nothing happened, right?" Charlotte tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear and stood up nonchalantly to examine the bodies of the three men.
Renee brushed the dust off her mistress's skirt and then chided, "If one of them had a Glory Barrier, I wouldn't have been able to protect you."
Charlotte kicked Marion Durand's corpse and sneered, "Glory Barrier? Him?"
The "Common Swordsman School" has a certain chance of awakening an ability called "Glory Barrier" at the Two-Wing stage. This ability is essentially an upgraded version of "Iron Wall," allowing the user to continuously deploy a large-scale shield. As long as the swordsman doesn't collapse from exhaustion, the "Glory Barrier" shield won't dissipate. If that were the case, Marion could have used one hand to block Renee while killing Charlotte with the other.
However, Charlotte knew full well that Marion had no chance of awakening the "Glory Barrier." This wasn't just because the awakening rate for "Glory Barrier" was much lower than that of "Iron Wall," but also because swordsmen of this school needed to use a significant amount of a supernatural material called "Luminous Keystone" during their Awakening Ceremony to have a chance of awakening it.
Marion's parents were once tenant farmers, renting and cultivating the estate lands of Charlotte's mother, Helen Mellefeld.
Oh, back then, Helen was still a princess of the Gatu Kingdom, with the surname Holowin—the royal family of the Gatu Kingdom and the imperial family of the Oran Empire were one and the same.
When young Marion was discovered to have the talent to awaken as a sorcerer, his parents pleaded with the estate steward, and Marion received funding to undergo the Awakening Ceremony. However, being the son of tenant farmers, the funding Marion received was only enough to cover the most basic supernatural materials required for the ceremony. The "Luminous Keystone," being a sort of "DLC," was not included.
If Marion wanted to use Luminous Keystone during his Awakening Ceremony, he would have to purchase it himself. But on the black market, a Luminous Keystone the size of an egg could cost thousands of Forso. Tenant farmers, though considered commoners, earned little more than serfs. Even if Marion's family saved every penny for a thousand years, they might still not afford a single Luminous Keystone.
Thus, from the very beginning, Marion had no chance of awakening the "Glory Barrier."
Stepping over the bodies of Marion and Daniel, Charlotte crouched beside the corpse of the unnamed squire knight.
Charlotte didn't know this squire knight, which wasn't strange in itself. "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal," and squire knights couldn't even be considered vassals—they weren't nobles, merely attendants to knights... or, to put it nicely, close followers; to put it bluntly, they were servants. How could a feudal lord like her keep track of every servant her subordinates brought along?
But after the recent battle, Charlotte couldn't help but notice this squire knight.
During the fight, the only time Marion had shown an opening was when Renee suddenly attacked both Marion and Daniel. Marion instinctively activated "Iron Wall," and that single moment of vulnerability cost him his life. Logically, a seasoned veteran like Marion, who had fought for half his life, shouldn't have panicked so easily, even if his disciple was killed right in front of him.
If it wasn't Daniel, then it had to be this unnamed squire knight.
The squire knight's appearance was utterly unremarkable. Charlotte poked at the corpse with a stick for a while but found nothing that hinted at an extraordinary background. The only notable thing about him was that while Renee was fighting Marion, Daniel had been trembling in fear, but this squire had remained calm.
Still, that didn't mean much—after all, he was killed by Renee in a single strike.
Charlotte tossed the stick aside, clapped her hands, and fell into deep thought.
Seeing Charlotte furrow her brow and remain silent, Renee comforted her, "Don't be too upset, miss."
"Upset?"
Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts, realizing that she should indeed be upset.
Marion and his disciple Daniel had, directly or indirectly, received help from Helen Mellefeld. Yet after Helen's death, not only did they fail to uphold the knightly virtues of loyalty, but they also attempted to kill Helen's daughter. Such behavior was utterly despicable.
However, Charlotte shook her head and said, "It's just another case of shameless betrayal. I've seen too much of this to feel anything anymore."
Renee remained silent.
"Still, I am a bit upset," Charlotte suddenly chuckled. "I only have a few knights under me, and Marion was the only Three-Wing Swordsman. With his betrayal, I've lost my strongest fighter. I wonder who incited him to kill me?"
"It must be that Henry Holovin!" Renee blurted out the name of the prime suspect in her mind. She had always held a grudge against this future crown prince.
"Henry? Probably not him," Charlotte quickly dismissed the idea.
"Why not?" Renee was puzzled.
"Didn't you see the smug look on Henry's face when I was granted my title and he saw me in a tough spot?" Charlotte laughed. "That guy is probably still basking in his triumph and wouldn't bother chasing me down now."
"Then who else would want to kill you, miss?" Renee was at a loss. Over the years, Charlotte had been "spreading wealth" everywhere, making connections with the powerful. Almost everyone who knew Charlotte had a favorable impression of her. Oddballs like Henry Holovin were few and far between.
"If you can't think of anyone, let's go investigate."
"Where should we investigate?"
"Of course, Marion's home."
Charlotte picked up Marion Durand's sword, mounted a giant eagle, and took off. Renee hurriedly packed their belongings and followed.
The five giant eagles took flight again, with Charlotte and Renee taking turns riding them. They barely landed except to replenish water and food.
On the morning of the fourth day after leaving Platinum City, Charlotte and Renee finally entered the territory of the Green Plains Duchy and landed in a village.
The most basic unit of the Oran Empire's feudal system was the "Knight's Fief." Some might mistakenly think that a knight's fief equates to a single knight or that it is the territory of one knight. In reality, a knight's fief must include at least five knights—the Oran Empire's military system stipulates that when the emperor wages war, each knight's fief must provide at least five knights.
Knights in the Oran Empire generally did not have their own fiefs. Nobles with fiefs were at least barons. The feudal lords knights served would typically grant them some farmland or estates, which the knights could either have serfs cultivate or rent out to tenant farmers.
Marion Durand was in such a situation—his home and fields were nearby.
The five giant eagles were exhausted, foaming at the mouth, but the commotion of their landing still terrified the villagers. They prostrated themselves on the ground, faces pressed into the dirt, bowing to Charlotte and Renee. Though the villagers didn't recognize Charlotte and Renee, they knew that anyone who could ride such giant eagles must be nobles far beyond their reach.
"Could you tell us where Knight Marion Durand's home is?" Renee gently asked the villagers.
The villagers stammered, too afraid to speak.
"Where is the largest house in the village?" Charlotte called out.
Finally, a villager pointed in a direction.
Following the villager's direction, the two soon found a house hidden among the trees. White walls, red roof, surrounded by neat wooden fences and a beautiful flower bed. To Charlotte, the house wasn't particularly large, similar to the standalone homes she had seen in rural areas in her previous life. But to villagers who lived in huts, this was likely a mansion they could only dream of.
Renee knocked on the door, and soon a woman with deep blue hair opened it. She wore a neat linen dress that hugged her graceful figure, her blue hair braided into a thick plait that hung casually over her shoulder, complementing her fair neck. Though not a stunning beauty, she had the charm of a mature woman.
"Miss... Mellefeld..."
This woman was Marion Durand's wife, who had met Charlotte a few times with her husband, though always in the castles of nobles. Seeing the young lady herself standing at her doorstep now, she couldn't help but show surprise.
Charlotte nodded and gently informed her, "Your husband is dead."
For a moment, Renee wanted to roll her eyes. Though Marion was a despicable traitor, wasn't this a bit too blunt? But her upbringing prevented her from making such a rude gesture in front of outsiders.
In that instant, the woman's face visibly paled.
Shortly after, Charlotte and Renee were seated in the knight's parlor, facing Marion's pale-faced wife and a sobbing young girl.
Marion Durand's wife was named Beatrice Durand, and the girl was their daughter, Anna Durand.
"On my way back to the Green Plains Duchy, I was ambushed. Knight Marion and his squires sacrificed themselves to protect me. I am deeply moved by his loyalty and heartbroken by his sacrifice. In the chaos, I could only bring back Knight Marion's sword..."
Charlotte handed the steel knight's sword, now nicked with many small marks from the Miracle Silver Chain Sword, to the mother and daughter. Her eyes were red, as if filled with grief for her loyal subordinate.
"Please... please don't grieve too much. I... I think Marion wouldn't regret sacrificing himself for you."
Beatrice Durand took her husband's sword, her fingers and voice trembling slightly.
Anna Durand broke into tears at the sight of her father's sword.
"Before he died, Knight Marion's only wish was for me to take care of his family. I agreed, of course, as his liege, it is my duty." Charlotte continued, "However, I have been granted the title of Viscountess of Lanwan and will soon depart for my fief. I won't be staying in the Green Plains Duchy for long. To better fulfill my duties as a liege, would you, Madame Durand and Miss Anna, be willing to accompany me to the Lanwan Viscounty?"
"This..." Beatrice Durand quickly waved her hands. "Your kindness is unforgettable, but Marion left us plenty of land and a home, enough for us to live on. You needn't worry too much about people like us."
"I must worry. Marion did indeed earn you much land through his virtue and bravery," Charlotte glanced at Beatrice and Anna, sighing softly. "But it seems there is no one in your family who can inherit the knight's title. If I'm not in the Green Plains Duchy, it will be hard for you to keep this land..."
Unlike other noble titles, the knight's title was the foundation of the empire's military strength. Thus, there was a strict rule for children inheriting their father's knight title—they must have already awakened as sorcerers.
Neither Beatrice nor Anna had awakened, so they couldn't inherit the knight's title from their husband or father. With Marion's death, they would become commoners. In this rigid feudal society, the hope of a commoner mother and daughter retaining the substantial assets of a knight was indeed slim.
Alternatively, Beatrice could choose to marry her daughter to another knight or even remarry herself, bringing her inheritance with her. But Charlotte immediately closed off this possibility.
"Moreover, I believe Miss Anna would want to avenge her father or carry on his legacy, wouldn't she? If she wishes, I will hire excellent tutors to train her. If she has the talent to become a sorcerer, I can prepare the Awakening Ceremony for her. If she is willing to swear fealty to me as her father did, I would be more than willing to let her inherit Knight Marion's title."
Charlotte picked up the black tea on the table and took a small sip.
"Please don't thank me. This is all to repay Knight Marion's loyalty!"
However, Beatrice felt that the young lady's emphasis seemed to be on the last two words, "loyalty," sending an inexplicable shiver down her spine.
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