Chapter Twenty-Five: Deliberation

"Welcome, everyone, to Ethel Fortress!"

A hearty voice rang out, but it brought no warmth to the assembled group. The nobles sat steadily on their horses, meeting Count Pierce's gaze, neither willing to back down first. The atmosphere was awkward.

Hudson was truly impressed by their audacity in directly confronting the boss. Clearly, the status of nobles in this world was even higher than he had imagined.

Even with his firm grip on military and political power and an exceptionally strong background, Count Pierce couldn't do anything about the noble lords under his jurisdiction.

"Your Excellency Governor, we are most apologetic. We are in our armor, please forgive our rudeness!"

Viscount Oran was the one who spoke. His punchable expression clearly showed not a trace of apology.

As a noble who joined the battlefield midway, Iliya Oran hadn't been directly affected, but that didn't stop him from using it as an excuse to fight for his rights.

The reason why the minor nobles were acting so united was essentially to secure their own rights. As for seeking justice for the fallen, that was merely the stated reason.

The world of nobles was cruel; the distribution of benefits was always determined by strength. In this game, minor nobles and great nobles were fundamentally unequal. To get a piece of the pie, they could only band together.

As the alliance that was most screwed over in this war, they should have been the most vocal, but their limited strength meant they could only wave the banners.

Knight Chels's gloomy expression revealed his inner unwillingness. He had wanted to speak up several times but ultimately chose silence.

While a Great Knight was indeed impressive, that was only in relation to minor nobles. Without a strong family backing, he dared not offend Count Pierce to the death, so he could only cede the initiative.

For Hudson, this was clearly not a good thing. The alliance's failure to gain sufficient say meant they would be on the defensive from now on.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go against the tide. With his allies not stepping forward, he, a novice knight, certainly couldn't make a move.

After a period of staring, Count Pierce leaped off his Flame Lion and said coldly, "The evil artifact, the Blood Moon Horn, has appeared. You all personally experienced its power during the day."

"Impossible!"

"With the Pope's seal and the protection of the Order of Judgment Knights, who could possibly take the Blood Moon Horn from under their noses?"

Viscount Oran exclaimed in disbelief.

Hearing this shocking news, Hudson almost fell off his horse. He wasn't the naive newcomer he was after transmigrating anymore; he had heard the name "Blood Moon Horn" loud and clear.

Among the few precious scrolls in his family's library, one was specifically dedicated to this item.

Three hundred years ago, to quell the Blood Moon catastrophe, the Coslo Family alone lost thirteen knights, and several of their branches declined.

After being sealed in the Papal State for three hundred years, it could still cause trouble, and it was unfortunate that he had to run into it. Hudson was speechless about his luck.

He glanced at his companions. Except for a few less educated individuals who were blankly waiting for an answer, the rest were sweating profusely.

Seeing that he wasn't the only one looking foolish, Hudson felt a little relieved. Even if the sky were to fall, the taller ones would bear the brunt of it. The matter of the "Blood Moon Horn" was clearly not something he, a minor knight, could influence.

It seemed to be just the Skull Society causing trouble with an evil artifact, but the real problem was how the Blood Moon Horn escaped from the Papal State and how it ended up in the Southeast Province.

This involved too many things, and it might even trigger a new round of conflict between royal and papal authority. Let alone someone as inconspicuous as Hudson, even a big shot like Count Pierce was treading on thin ice.

"I wish it were false too, but you all personally experienced the battle today. When the horn sounded, the soldiers turned into killing machines. Isn't that very similar to the legendary Blood Moon Horn?"

Count Pierce's answer completely extinguished everyone's hopes. Everyone knew that they were in for big trouble.

If the rebellion couldn't be quelled in time, the entire Southeast Province, and even the Alpha Kingdom, might be lost. No one could stay out of it.

Without further ado, everyone dismounted and followed Count Pierce.

This was not the time to bicker. With the "Blood Moon Horn" involved, many things could only be discussed behind closed doors.

As soon as they entered the main hall, an impatient young noble eagerly asked, "Your Excellency Count, what did the Church say?"

"It's not that fast. I've just sent people to deliver the news to the Kingdom and the Church. It will take at least until next month for the Papal State to give a response.

Distant water can't quench a nearby thirst. For the short term, we can only rely on ourselves to solve the problem, unless you are willing to invite wolves into the house."

Pierce's answer made everyone's expressions turn even uglier. With the Church and the Kingdom unable to help for now, their options were dwindling.

Theoretically, they could seek aid from nobles in neighboring provinces, but the world of nobles was also divided into circles.

Internally, they fought each other for resources, but externally, the nobles of the Southeast Province were a united front.

This wasn't just a verbal unity, but a political alliance. Within the kingdom's political system, the nobles of the Southeast Province formed a bloc. In Hudson's understanding, this was like regional politics.

At the central level, they banded together politically to counter noble blocs from other provinces. At the local level, they formed their own systems, acting as local emperors in their territories.

There were no free lunches in the world of nobles; they operated on equivalent exchange. If they were to ask for aid from neighboring nobles, they would have to pay a heavy price.

They wouldn't take that step unless it was absolutely necessary. No one wanted their neighbors to extend their influence into their own territories and dictate terms.

"Inviting wolves into the house is naturally not advisable. A mere Skull Society is not enough to warrant such a step. The current problem is the Blood Moon Horn.

If this problem isn't solved, the enemy can continuously arm cannon fodder and wear us down. Everyone saw the battle today; the rebel soldiers controlled by the evil artifact were incredibly mad.

We paid the price of dozens of noble deaths, yet we couldn't capture the enemy leader, only eliminate a group of worthless cannon fodder."

Viscount Oran said with a grave expression.

The more he knew, the more he felt awe. Compared to ordinary minor nobles, his understanding of the "Blood Moon Horn" was clearly much greater.

"You all don't need to worry too much. While the Blood Moon Horn is powerful, it has been sealed for over three hundred years and constantly bathed in holy light, so it has been affected.

If it were the Blood Moon Horn at its peak, the battle today would not have been so easy. Legend has it that it could even transform corpses into undead to continue fighting.

As long as we are fast enough and don't give the enemy time to accumulate strength and feed the evil artifact, the situation can still be salvaged..."