The people in this world are still too 'simple and honest', Ryan thought to himself as he read the news coming back from the Sera Kingdom.
But upon reflection, it's understandable. Before the first person to use the Thirty-Six Stratagems appeared, humanity had never imagined things could develop this way.
The outcome of this new twist requires someone to bear the bitter consequences.
" Valencia's dignity must not be desecrated!"
Within the Sera Kingdom, the Valencia Family openly declared war on the Mendes Family.
"We have lost our land, lost our noble status, and we are wandering on this land that is not ours!"
"Bloodline, dignity, the ancient glory and honor of Valencia —these are our only remaining principles!"
"No matter how much Valencia loses, our bloodline remains noble! The ancient land and the immortal Deities bear witness to our dignity!"
"But Mendes dared to so brazenly trample on Valencia's last remaining glory!"
"They shamelessly killed Zar. Did they think we would swallow our anger for the sake of our family's legacy?"
"I swear by the blood of Valencia, this is absolutely unacceptable! We will give everything to show the Mendes Family that the dignity of the Valencia Family cannot be desecrated!"
"Revenge! Kill them!!!"
Kaeld roared loudly. In a land ruled by nobles, only those representing the nobles were allowed to shout like that, but now no one appeared to stop the Valencia Family's parade.
They gained the support of some Wandering Nobles, Wandering Nobles, although they had no land, no subjects, and no wealth, still had some degree of interpersonal relationships.
For example, these nobles who come to the Sera Kingdom can always find an ancient relationship with the nobles of the Sera Kingdom through their own bloodline. This is the threshold for them to come to the Sera Kingdom.
The lobbying of the Wandering Nobles led some nobles to observe with suspicion. They did not know the truth until they heard about it, at which point they suddenly realized what was going on and looked at the Mendes Family with a strange expression.
Is Mendes really that cunning and treacherous?
The nobles did not realize that Valencia had deceived them, and they did not believe that anyone would dare to deceive all the nobles.
So... Mendes was dumbfounded.
The Baron Mendes Family stared blankly at the sudden outbreak of war, listening to the unrealistic words spoken by the other side. The Mendes men widened their eyes, feeling as if they had gone mad.
Or the world has gone mad.
" Valencia lunatics! What are you talking about? We didn't frame Zar."
"He was killed by the Deane Family."
The Mendes Family watched in disbelief as the rumors outside intensified, describing Valencia's evil deeds: deceiving the people of the Wandering Nobles, luring the Valencia Family knights to his home, then locking them inside and murdering them; and before that, shamelessly using their power to kill the Deane Family's heir.
Everyone was well aware of the conflict between the two noble territories of Mendes and Dean over the Forest, so after a brief deduction, they believed this sudden outburst.
They felt this was very likely to happen, and of course, since it didn't concern them, they watched as bystanders and wished the situation would become even more explosive.
"This absolutely did not happen! Mendes' reputation will not tolerate such desecration by a damned Wandering Nobles like you!"
"I swear by the blood and honor of Valencia, that all the descendants of Valencia will wage a war of revenge against Mendes, to the death!"
Kaeld's face turned red, and he roared with fury in his eyes. His miserable appearance made the nobles feel sorry for him.
When there is no conflict of interest, nobles are kind and compassionate; this is a fine virtue they possess.
"That damned guy, how dare he frame Mendes!"
The Mendes Family was also enraged. Their honor had been threatened and persecuted, which fueled their fury. Some of them immediately led knights and charged toward the Valencia Family, determined to cleanse the Mendes Family of their filth.
But at this moment, Connie of the Deane Family propelled the matter to the peak of attention among the nobility.
" The Mendes Family is making baseless accusations! I swear on my family crest that the Deane Family absolutely did not kill Zar Valencia!"
"If the oath is broken, the great and immortal Deities will condemn the Deane Family bloodline, and all the honors of the Deane Family will be stripped away."
The vicious oath was not directed at themselves, but rather cruelly nailed the Mendes Family to the pillar of shame for framing a Wandering Nobles who had married into the family.
Mendes said that the Valencia clansman was killed by the Deane Family, but the Deane Family swore in the name of nobility that they did not kill him. So the answer is obvious. Could it be that the knight committed suicide?
Suicide in full view of everyone? And the Deane Family acted as if they were blind to it?
In an instant, the wind blew off the crests on the Mendes Family's body, and the nobles expressed their utter contempt for the Mendes Family's way of doing things.
That's despicable.
"No, absolutely not!"
The Mendes members trembled all over, even doubting whether the Baron had given such an order. The Mendes members, who were originally rushing towards the royal city, suddenly stopped halfway and slunk back to their family with their tails between their legs under the contemptuous gazes of the other nobles.
"Damn Wandering Nobles, damn Dean!"
Baron Mendes angrily smashed things all over his castle. He was speechless with anger, and the Valencia Family had openly started a war against him. Because of this absurd yet irrefutable reason, the nobles could not offer Mendes any help, lest they be tainted by the stench of the situation.
The outcome of the war is a minor matter; what's truly disastrous is if this incident damages the family's reputation and prestige.
"They're only dealing with a Wandering Nobles. As for that Valencia guy, we're questionable whether he can even produce a second knight. Mendes won't lose."
The nobles who had interests in the Baron Mendes Family thought this way: they were willing to help, but only after the stench that Mendes was currently tainted with disappeared.
However, no one expected that the Valencia Family could assemble an army of more than three hundred people in just a few days.
Taking advantage of the tragic experience the Valencia Family had endured in this incident, Valencia successfully borrowed soldiers from some nobles, forming an army of three hundred men, and launched a massive attack on Mendes.
There are knights inside.
"For the dignity of Valencia!"
The nobles had no room for condemnation of Valencia for declaring war. Valencia had given everything, using all that remained of his former noble status to wage war. Defeat meant total annihilation and the extinction of his noble family; if he succeeded...
To be honest, no nobleman believed that Valencia could succeed.
Valencia himself is the same.
" Kaeld, do you think we can win?"
These three hundred men had absolutely no hope of defeating Mendes, whose Baron had a population of nearly two thousand and had cultivated that land for so many years.
"We will definitely win, because this is the dignity of Valencia, and we will absolutely not allow Valencia's honor to be desecrated."
"Even if we fight to the last man, we must win."
"This is a heavy responsibility that is in our blood."
Kaeld was also uneasy. He was very close to the Mendes Family. When the war broke out, it might be the time when the Valencia Family would be destroyed.
On the other side, Mendes also angrily assembled an army to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out. Their noble honor had been betrayed, which naturally inspired the Mendes Family's fighting spirit to reach its peak.
"Kill those damned Wandering Nobles! They shouldn't have been on the kingdom's soil in the first place. There are no wandering nobles here, only dead ones!"
At the crucial moment, it was the Deane Family that intervened.
The newly appointed heir, Connie Dean, who had knelt before the tomb for three days and three nights, donned his exquisite armor, mounted his warhorse, and glared angrily at Mendes.
"I'm back, for those who can't come back."
"The suffering endured by the Deane Family will be repaid to our enemies a hundredfold."
"I will personally avenge my brother! The blood of nobles must end with the sword of nobles!"
Unlike the army of Valencia, this was an army formed by a normal noble family. The fluttering banners and emblems of the Deane Family put pressure on all the surrounding nobles. This was what was worth paying attention to. When the army passed through, even the nobles would be nervous and hastily assemble their own armies to be on guard.
However, unlike the grand display of the Wandering Nobles next door, the Deane Family had truly lost an heir. The death of a noble heir was a devastating event in the eyes of any noble, and the Deane Family's revenge was something even the King could not stop.
And so, by sheer coincidence, the Deane Family's army and the ragtag army led by Kaeld Valencia collided on the same day at the edge of Mendes Barony.
"Attack! For the honor of our family!"
"Revenge! The Deane Family bloodline cannot have died in vain!"
War was imminent, Baron Mendes looked grim. He could fight a war on one side, but he could not fight a war on two sides at the same time.
"Damn it, how could it have turned out like this!"
Baron Mendes pounded the table, then suddenly realized what was happening, looked up and his eyes seemed to want to kill.
"That's right, that must be it. The damned Deane Family has actually joined forces with the Wandering Nobles."
" The Deane Family knew they were no match for Mendes, so they wanted to use the Wandering Nobles as their cannon fodder."
"Damn it, how cunning of him, and he treats noble oaths so casually..."
Baron Mendes suddenly realized that the Deane Family's oath might not be false, and that Zar Valencia really didn't die at their hands.
How did they die?!
Baron Mendes was incredulous, unaware of the details of that battle, and now had no choice but to endure the war.
"Fortunately, we borrowed some knights from Grand Duke Carlos beforehand."
Baron Mendes was still shaken; he was the better strategist and knew he couldn't lose this war.
" Dean!!!"
" Dean!!!"
" Dean!!!"
On the battlefield, the soldiers roared and cheered in jubilation because Connie had killed several knights.
"Avenge Dean's bloodline!"
Connie brandished his Knight's Greatsword, the icy blue Frostmourne turning the dead knight's face pale, freezing his wounds so that no blood could flow.
"These servants of Grand Duke Carlos are so easily defeated."
Baron Mendes trembled as he looked at Connie Dean in shock. How could the second son of the Deane Family have become so powerful?
"It's over."
He gritted his teeth. If this war were lost, the Mendes Family would lose the Forest that brought them the greatest wealth, and they would also have to compensate the Deane Family. They would have no chance to counterattack the Deane Family for the next ten years.
"It shouldn't be like this."
Baron Mendes looked on in despair at Connie Dean, who was charging on the battlefield and tearing his army to pieces. The war had been lost so easily.
Misfortunes never come singly. Baron Mendes soon heard news from the soldiers about another battlefield: the Valencia army was locked in a fierce battle with another of his own armies. The Wandering Nobles was surprisingly capable.
"Defeat, Baron! That Valencia nobleman killed your servants, and all your soldiers have been captured!"
Another soldier rushed over in a panic, telling Baron Mendes the terrible news from afar. Upon hearing this news, Baron Mendes felt dizzy and swayed as if he was about to faint.
"Master!"
The servants helped the Baron up; Baron Mendes' hands trembled slightly, not understanding why things had turned out this way.
"It's over, everything is over. The Mendes Family's wealth, accumulated over hundreds of years, is about to disappear into my hands."
The Baron was in despair, while the people of the Frozen Earth Territory, who were secretly watching everything from afar, were relieved.
"It seems that Lord Ryan will successfully take control of this region."
Alberto smiled with satisfaction. Having accomplished this task, he could now say he had established a firm foothold in the Frozen Earth Territory.
There's no way around it; although the small Frozen Earth Territory is nominally just a Baron territory, those in the know are aware that it's teeming with former nobles and newly rich.
The competition is fierce.
"I should too..."
Apia, wearing a cloak, was about to turn and leave when she suddenly froze in place, looking up at the direction of the Forest, where a large area was illuminated by the snow-white Holy Radiance.
Archbishop Adriana, the head of the Dawn Church in the Kingdom of Sera, a clergy member whose prestige here rivals that of the Pope, has actually appeared here.
On the battlefield, Adriana walked calmly across the land. Wherever she passed, all the fighting disappeared. Soldiers knelt on the ground in awe, and knights stopped fighting, unsure whether to continue.
Adriana didn't speak; her mere presence brought peace to the war. Eventually, she arrived in front of Connie.
Staring at the woman in front of him, Connie was nervous. Whether he could win or not was not the issue; he was a nobleman, and she was Archbishop, so there was no risk of a fight between them.
However, because of Lord Ryan, who is an imperial Lord Ryan and the one chosen to oppose the Church, and because he had already made his choice, strictly speaking, he was also outside the Church's circle. Now, facing someone in the Church whose power and prestige were no less than that of the King, Connie was somewhat at a loss.
" Connie Dean, future Baron, would you rather serve the Dawn that illuminates the darkness, that pure white glory, or the eternal golden light?"
Archbishop Adriana's question made Connie even more nervous, wondering if the Archbishop had discovered his relationship with Lord Ryan.
Dawn or light? This is a death sentence. No matter which one you answer, you will offend another overlord on the Norris Continent.
Knights can disregard these things; a knight's honor and heartbeat lie in serving nobles, but nobles have many more considerations.
Interests, politics, and all sorts of other messy things have to be taken into account.
He didn't understand why Adriana was there.
"I..."
"Whether it's Dawn or light, both are magnificent existences, and I have no right to choose."
Connie was considered an aristocrat, and his mastery of aristocratic skills was evident in this statement.
"It seems you, too, are a mortal consumed by desire."
Adriana, however, already had her answer. She shook her head, turned around, and left, heading towards Baron Mendes.
"Lord Baron Mendes, do you serve the snow-white glory of Dawn, or the golden grandeur of the sun?"
" Dawn! The Mendes Family will always be believers in Dawn, and we have always longed to touch the glory of the Lord."
Adriana nodded. She was not satisfied with the Baron's answer, but it gave her the right to proceed to the next step.
Even clergy members of the Church cannot barge into someone's home without the noble's permission, can they? Unless the noble invites them.
"Then, would you allow me to select believers with genuine faith within your territory?"
"Yes, of course I'm willing. I just don't know how long the Archbishop wants to take to choose."
Baron Mendes nodded frantically as if grasping at a straw. In Archbishop Adriana's eyes, he was also a mortal consumed by desire, but perhaps in Mendes's territory, he could find the kindred spirits he longed for.
She did not answer, but entered the Mendes Barony, which forced the war to stop. Connie had discovered that with Archbishop Adriana's arrival, some the Church and fanatics had followed. They would not allow the war to disturb their Archbishop; this was the prestige of Archbishop Adriana in this land.
That same day, Baron Mendes declared Valencia his mortal enemy. The arrival of the Archbishop of the Church of Dawn caused the nobles to waver once again, wondering if Valencia had indeed lied and if the Archbishop had come to perpetuate the lie.
The result was that the war ended abruptly.
When Ryan received the message from the distant Frozen Earth Territory, he remained silent for a long time.
He spent so much time setting things up, and it all failed like this? That shouldn't be the case.
"It seems I've gone in the wrong direction. The Sera Kingdom is a fence-sitter. What truly determines my say in the Sera Kingdom is the balance between divine and Royal Authority."
Ryan suddenly realized that the policies of the Sera Kingdom were established by the King and the Church, but now the King was acting like a coward, and divine authority was gaining the upper hand.
"However... it's not a complete failure."
Although the Mendes Barony was not wiped out, at least behind this incident, Ryan could gradually gain control over the Wandering Nobles groups within the Sera Kingdom.
Their strength is considerable.
Before that, Ryan also planned to sound out MacReynolds, the Legendary Mage Wind Emperor, what he really thought.