Chapter 93 - 91: The Three Dukes’ Invitation

Chapter 93: Chapter 91: The Three Dukes’ Invitation

The moment Roy returned to his bedroom, he heard the sounds of fighting from the square and a commotion from downstairs.

Hearing these sounds, he couldn’t help but sigh.

After the Dark Night Knight became known throughout the Kingdom, Ice Wolf Castle grew more boisterous with each passing day.

Nobles making special trips to visit, hoping to form an alliance with the Wesley Clan.

Wandering Knights rushing in from all over the Kingdom, wanting to pledge their allegiance to the Wesley Clan.

Commoners from other territories in Yorkshire, trying to become members of the Castle Guard or servants in the castle.

In addition to these people, there were also merchants from various guilds.

In the past, whenever the Ironblood Duke issued a bounty, others would stay as far away from the Wesley Clan as possible to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

But now, not only were they not staying away, they were practically fawning over them like dogs you couldn’t shoo away.

The reason for this was simple.

Just a few days after the Ironblood Duke issued the bounty, the other three Dukes not only publicly declared that they would welcome the Dark Night Knight and the Wesley Clan to join them at any time, but they also sent envoys to Yorkshire.

The actions of these three Dukes unsurprisingly enraged the Ironblood Duke.

But there was nothing the Ironblood Duke could do about them.

On the surface, the four Dukes were allies who acted in concert.

But in reality, their alliance had ended after they conquered the Royal Capital.

The only reason they weren’t fighting now was because none of them had the strength to take on the other three.

If nothing unexpected happened, this fragile peace between them could be maintained for a long time.

However, the Dark Night Knight had now appeared—a figure who could, to a certain extent, break the balance of power.

The Laine Kingdom currently had three Silver Great Knights: the Ironblood Duke, the Giant Blade Duke, and the Volcano Knight.

The Giant Blade Duke was the Duke who controlled the Kingdom’s Eastern Territory.

And the Volcano Knight was the Captain of the Personal Guard for the Holy Shield Duke, who controlled the Kingdom’s Western Territory.

As for the Green Forest Duke of the Southern Territory...

He was only a Bronze Great Knight, and his strongest subordinate was also just a Bronze Great Knight.

In other words, in terms of high-level combat power, he was the weakest of the four Dukes.

However, in terms of overall strength, he was considerably stronger than the Holy Shield Duke of the Western Territory.

Not only did he have the most Clan Knights, but he was also the wealthiest of the four Dukes, and the troops under his command were more numerous than those of the other three.

Furthermore, he had also hired several Bronze Great Knights from other Kingdoms.

It was precisely because of this that, despite lacking a Silver Great Knight, he hadn’t been eliminated by the Ironblood Duke and the other two.

Because of Count Rock Lion and James, the Ironblood Duke had completely lost his chance to recruit the Dark Night Knight.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

After learning that the Dark Night Knight possessed the strength to easily kill a Bronze Great Knight, the Giant Blade Duke, the Holy Shield Duke, and the Green Forest Duke immediately had the idea of recruiting him.

Among them, the Green Forest Duke’s desire to have the Dark Night Knight join him was the strongest.

Although the Dark Night Knight was not a Silver Great Knight, his addition could, to a large extent, alleviate the Green Forest Duke’s weakness of insufficient high-level combat power.

The Dark Night Knight now bore the title of "The Strongest Below Silver" in the Laine Kingdom.

To recruit the Dark Night Knight, they had all sent envoys to Ice Wolf Castle.

Roy knew exactly what these three Dukes were plotting.

But no matter what terms they offered, he had no intention of serving under them.

He didn’t mind cooperating with them occasionally.

But he had absolutely no interest in being someone’s subordinate.

Roy went to the window and looked down at the Wandering Knights competing in the square below.

Neither he nor Tony planned on letting too many Wandering Knights join the Wesley Clan.

So, they arranged a competition for these Wandering Knights.

The top twenty would get the chance to join the Wesley Clan.

As for the rest, they would have to go back to where they came from.

In addition to arranging the competition for the Wandering Knights, Tony had also set up a series of tests and assessments for those who wanted to join the Castle Guard.

The Ice Wolf Domain was only a Baron’s Domain; it couldn’t afford to support too many Clan Knights and soldiers.

After watching from the window for a few minutes, Roy turned and left the bedroom, heading towards Tony’s study.

Although one or two hundred Wandering Knights had come to Ice Wolf Castle, the vast majority were only Initial Tier or Middle Tier.

There were fewer than thirty High Tier Knights.

As for Peak Knights, there were only five.

Soon, Roy arrived at the study.

Before he could speak, Tony, who was sitting behind the desk, pointed to three scrolls in front of him and said, "These are the scrolls brought by the envoys of the Giant Blade, Holy Shield, and Green Forest Dukes. They contain the terms for recruiting Lord Dark Night Knight and the Wesley Clan. Take a look."

"Alright!"

Roy sat down in front of Tony, casually picked up one of the scrolls, opened it, and began to read through it quickly.

Seeing the Holy Shield sigil at the top of the scroll, he knew it was from the Holy Shield Duke.

He ignored the formal pleasantries and went straight to the main points.

After finishing the Holy Shield Duke’s scroll, he rolled it back up and picked up the second one.

Time trickled by.

After reading through all three Dukes’ scrolls, Roy turned to Tony and asked, "What do you think?"

Hearing his question, Tony answered without hesitation, "Looking at the terms alone, the Green Forest Duke’s offer is the best."

"Not only would Lord Dark Night Knight receive a Marquis Domain, but we would also get an Earl’s Domain."

"The Giant Blade Duke and the Holy Shield Duke, on the other hand, are only willing to give Lord Dark Night Knight an Earl’s Domain."

"As for us, we would only get a Viscount Domain."

"But considering all the factors, the Giant Blade Duke’s offer isn’t much worse than the Green Forest Duke’s."

"Although the Eastern Territory is a bit smaller, its lands are much better than the Southern Territory’s, and they are much easier to develop."

"More importantly, the Eastern Territory doesn’t border the Kalin Kingdom, so we wouldn’t have to worry about an invasion from them."

"As for the Holy Shield Duke, I’m personally not very optimistic."

"Although the Volcano Knight is a Silver Great Knight, the Holy Shield Duke himself isn’t very strong."

"To be honest, I think the Holy Shield Duke might not even be as strong as James."

"Furthermore, the conditions of the land in the Western Territory are much harsher."

"If no mineral resources are found within the territory, a Viscount Domain in the Western Territory might generate even less tax revenue than our Ice Wolf Domain."

"If it were up to me, I’d consider accepting the Giant Blade Duke’s offer."

"But the decision isn’t in my hands. The one they truly want to recruit is Lord Dark Night Knight; the Wesley Clan is just part of the package."

Although the three Dukes were currently vying to recruit the Wesley Clan, Tony knew their enthusiasm stemmed not from the clan’s strength, but from the fact that Roy was the Dark Night Knight’s student.

Roy was silent for a few seconds before speaking unhurriedly, "The last time I saw my master, he discussed this with me."

"My master guessed the three Dukes would try to recruit him, but no matter what terms they offer, he will not accept."

"My master said he is used to a life of freedom and is not in the habit of serving under anyone."

Hearing Roy’s reply, Tony said quickly, "In that case, I’ll go and turn down the three Dukes’ envoys shortly."

Roy nodded and continued, "By the way, I’ve already advanced to Peak Knight. I’ll be making a trip to Redwood City to see my master in a bit, and I might stay with him for a few days."

’He’s a Peak Knight already?’

Tony was stunned for a moment, then looked at Roy with a gratified expression and said slowly, "Go on, then. And give my regards to Lord Dark Night Knight for me."

"I will!"

With that, Roy stood up and left Tony’s study.

After leaving Tony’s study, he left Ice Wolf Castle without any hesitation.

He wasn’t actually going to Redwood City, but was instead preparing for a trip to Gel County.

To be precise, he was going to the Giant Monster Domain in Gel County.

...