Rewards

You killed a werewolf, unlocking the milestone: Demon Hunter (Kill any three dark creatures including werewolves, vampires, demons, and banshees) [Completed 1/3].

You witnessed a witch, unlocking the milestone: Witch Hunter (Engage in fluid exchange with more than three witches) [Incomplete].

You successfully obtained your first Champion Knight title, milestone: Champion Knight [Completed 1/3].

A series of milestone messages flashed through Lothar's mind.

Before acquiring any fiefdoms, the only way to gain opportunities for gacha pulls was to focus on milestones.

The [Witch Hunter] milestone could be disregarded for now. Any witch would choose to serve none other than great lords, or at the very least, a regional lord like Count Leopold.

Further up were typical examples like Richard the Lionheart and Emperor Henry of Greater Germania.

Their standards were incredibly high.

Besides, Lothar wasn't interested in these witches.

Although the red-robed witch beside Count Leopold was likely beautiful, she paled in comparison to Banya. Just her skin alone was incomparable.

Aside from Witch Hunter.

The [Champion Knight] and [Chivalrous Knight] milestones could be considered for completion soon.

The former required obtaining the Champion Knight title two more times. If no opportunity arose in Venice, it could be postponed until after arriving in Jerusalem.

The latter was much simpler.

In this era, bandits and robbers were everywhere, especially the nomadic bandits near the Holy Land, as numerous as flies. There was no shortage of encounters.

The Demon Hunter milestone was more difficult.

After all, they were supernatural beings, adept at hiding among ordinary people, making identification challenging.

Furthermore, even if one could identify them, it would be difficult to kill them. While Banya was strong, her strengths didn't lie in killing power or speed.

The scent of incense made him feel somewhat drowsy.

As evening approached, compared to the medieval architecture, the bathhouse, with its ancient imperial style, had much better lighting. Bright moonlight streamed through the domed windows onto the marble floor.

Splash—

The sound of flowing water.

Lothar jolted awake, then saw a beautiful maid in a gauze dress swimming towards him like a mermaid.

"Who are you?"

"I am His Majesty's head maid, Natz."

The maid swam slowly, a teasing expression on her face. "You don't seem satisfied with the gift we arranged earlier, so I had to come serve you personally."

Lothar suddenly understood.

So, seeing that he hadn't touched the maid arranged to serve him, the head maid had come out personally.

He quickly shook his head. "I apologize, I am not dissatisfied. It's just that I once swore an oath to the Heavenly Father to remain chaste and would not approach women until the infidels around the Holy Land are expelled."

"Is that so?"

She couldn't help but lower her head to look beneath the water's surface.

"It's absolutely true!"

Lothar tried to clear his mind to prevent his blood from rushing downwards.

"You truly are a devout knight of the Heavenly Father. I have offended you."

The head maid stood up, her wet gauze dress revealing every curve of her figure.

She slowly walked out of the pool and pointed to a pile of clothes by the edge. "Please change into your formal attire and follow me to see His Majesty. I will wait for you outside."

Lothar changed into a form-fitting black formal suit adorned with purple tassels and followed the head maid into the castle.

Purple was a very precious dye in both the East and West. Especially in the Western world, apart from the wealthy nobles of the Eastern Empire, almost no one could afford purple robes.

Therefore, a small purple tassel became an important decoration signifying wealth.

The path from the bathhouse to the castle was entirely paved with marble slabs. Along the way, well-equipped soldiers could be seen patrolling.

It was important to note that Lienz was not Count Leopold's seat of power; it was merely a temporary residence. Vienna was his stronghold.

Count Leopold's wealth was evident.

At this moment, the castle's iron gate creaked open, pulled by a winch.

Count Leopold stood at the gate and said kindly to Lothar, "How is it, little Lothar? Are you satisfied with the gift I prepared?"

Lothar replied somewhat stiffly, "Of course, I am satisfied."

"Haha, no need to be nervous. I didn't even recognize you at first glance. I once led troops on an eastern campaign with your father, and we were very good friends. I even held you when you were little."

Leopold patted Lothar's shoulder and gestured for him to follow.

As they walked, he added, "Werner is a rigid old stubborn man, and you, being his son, seem to have unknowingly picked up some of that trait."

"We are close, there's no need to be so formal."

Lothar smiled. "Indeed."

He was indeed good at winning people over.

He didn't recall Count Werner mentioning any close friendship with Leopold.

"When do you plan to accept my investiture? The heralds and artisans are ready to create your personal coat of arms, Baron of Vienna Forest Mountain," Count Leopold asked with a smile.

Lothar was taken aback. "You intend to enfeoff me as a baron?"

Leopold replied with a face full of admiration, "Of course, but not just as a baron. I also plan to have you by my side as my personal knight."

"This is the reward I promised before the jousting tournament; I am not one to speak carelessly."

Lothar quickly said, "Your Majesty, your generosity is well-known, but I came out this time intending to take a ship from Venice to the Holy Land to fight the heathens. I cannot fulfill my feudal obligations."

The title "Your Majesty" wasn't strictly applied; many lords' vassals and servants would address their liege lords this way, especially the further east one went.

As for Leopold's reward.

It was indeed tempting.

But there was no such thing as a free lunch. Vassals were required to fulfill feudal obligations, and he couldn't possibly stay in Austria as a mere baron.

That would likely mean he'd remain a baron for the rest of his life.

After all, he had no avenues for expansion around him. He could only serve Count Leopold and hope the man would generously grant him new fiefs.

This was a very slim possibility.

Leopold himself was a count, so enfeoffing someone as a baron was already the limit.

He wouldn't go so far as to pull a General Lu, betray his lord, and ruin his reputation completely.

Leopold waved his hand. "I know this, but don't be too quick to refuse. I'm planning to elevate the Austrian March to the Duchy of Austria. If that succeeds, and you perform well, I will consider enfeoffing you as a count, putting you on par with your father."

Lothar took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I would love to accept your generous offer immediately, but my faith prevents me from breaking my sacred oath."

"Your Majesty, you should also know that I swore to defend the Holy Land and fight the heathens."

Leopold frowned, his expression growing cold.

"Little Lothar, do you know what a great honor this is? If you hadn't coincidentally defeated Avelardo, who was disguised as a werewolf, in front of so many people, you would probably have remained just a knight your entire life!"

For ordinary knights, this was indeed the case.

The vast majority of landless knights died during their pursuit of glory.

A considerable portion of the remainder would perish while continuing to strive for achievements, while another large portion would live out a mediocre life as a minor lord.

Lothar shook his head. "I know. Thank you again for your generosity, but please forgive me for not being able to accept."

Leopold remained silent for a long time, his imposing presence even making Lothar feel a sense of fear.

It was like being timid in front of the dean of students during his school days.

Then.

"Hahaha, as expected of Werner's son. You're just like him."

Leopold's stern expression vanished, replaced by hearty laughter. "Don't worry, little Lothar. I am also a devout follower of the Heavenly Father, so how could I be angry at your piety?"

"On the contrary, I will fund you. Once you've established yourself in Jerusalem, you can write to me, and I will send people to deliver supplies to help you."

Seeing Lothar's astonished expression, he patted Lothar's shoulder again. "In short, there will always be a place for you under my command when you return from the Holy Land."

Lothar smiled and said, "Thank you very much. But aren't you also planning to go to the Holy Land for the crusade? Perhaps we can fight side-by-side then."

"Indeed. After I've handled domestic affairs and... the matters of His Majesty the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope, I will lead my army. At that time, I'll see firsthand your skill in leading troops."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, truly enjoying each other's company before parting ways.

Watching Lothar leave, Leopold stood by the castle's torches, silent for a long time.

A red-robed witch approached him and smiled. "You couldn't even recruit him? Heh, with a witch by his side, he's not as pious as he claims."

Leopold nodded. "Indeed. He is an ambitious and capable man. An ordinary person couldn't have defeated a werewolf head-on."

"And Jerusalem is clearly his best stage."

"In that city, even a vagrant from Paris might one day transform into a noble lord."

The witch's vibrant red lips curved into a captivating arc. "Since you can't make him yours, let's form an alliance. It will at least compensate for the loss of that werewolf knight I prepared for you."

Leopold snorted. "Silence! How dare you utter such blasphemy in front of me? I will never coexist with evil werewolves!"

"Come on, what are you pretending for with me? You're a very pragmatic person. As long as it helps the Babenberg family rise, you wouldn't hesitate to use the power of werewolves, vampires, or even demons."

The witch's white arm coiled around Leopold's waist like a boneless snake. "Use them boldly. With me here, no one can backfire on you."

Leopold grasped the witch's arm, a flicker of infatuation crossing his face before he quickly regained his composure. "How strong is the witch beside Lothar? And how does she compare to you?"

The witch let out a soft hum. "What, are you smitten?"

Leopold shook his head. "How could I be? I just want to gauge Lothar's potential to determine how much I should invest."

The witch nodded and said gravely, "I don't know, but she must be very strong, not much weaker than those two old women in the Witch's Tower."

"I understand."

"I'm back."

Banya sat in a chair at the inn, and only slightly lifted her head when she heard Lothar enter.

"Thank you so much for today."

"No need to be polite."

Banya shook her head, looked Lothar up and down, twitched her nose slightly, and then her slightly furrowed brows relaxed—he didn't have that strange smell on him anymore.

Lothar hesitated, then asked, "Banya, if I really can't defeat Avelardo during the day, will you step in?"

Banya lowered her gaze and didn't reply.

If Lothar ultimately couldn't use his talent to counter-kill, she would indeed intervene at the crucial moment. Rules were rules. Breaking them would make Lothar's future incredibly difficult, but that was only if he had a future. However, she wouldn't say such things aloud. Without the tempering of life-and-death struggles, always holding onto the thought that "Banya will save me," Lothar would never grow into the lord she could truly believe in.

Seeing Banya's silence, Lothar said thoughtfully, "I understand."