Lies and Truth

Apia was quite busy, but fortunately he had other Catfolk assassins under his command.

"Master, the child is dead. The herbs Lord Egil gave us were very useful."

Walking through Zero Crossing City, Ryan nodded. The Catfolk assassins' assassinations never aroused suspicion. Perhaps of all the assassination targets, only Ryan had survived to this day.

"Lord Viscount Walter already has several children, and hopefully this child's death won't cause him too much pain."

Ryan said this, and then continued toward the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild.

"I heard that Viscount Walter's child was killed by wolves on his way to the Mayers Family."

The death of a nobleman is always the biggest news, and the nobles paid close attention to the death of Viscount Walter's son immediately.

"Viscount Walter wants to form a marriage alliance with the Mayers Family, and his children are likely going to visit members of the Mayers Family."

"Rumor has it that Baron Ryan might have been behind this."

"He killed that Payton Walter, what a pity. I've met that kid before, he was very well-behaved."

There was a sense of regret among the nobles, but their words sent chills down one's spine.

"This can't be! How could Baron Ryan dare to kill a nobleman!"

The nobles found it hard to believe, not only instinctively suspecting a killing among nobles, but also fearing that the source of the incident pointed directly to Ryan.

"Why not? Baron Ryan punished many nobles during the war."

"That was war, after all. If it weren't for Baron Ryan, the war wouldn't have been won. He proved to be right."

"But it's also clear how Ryan treats other nobles, especially those who are not heirs to the Noble Title."

"That's not surprising. Baron Ryan wasn't originally the heir to the Count Clayton, and I've heard he suffered a lot of unfair treatment..."

"Isn't it a fact that Baron Ryan doesn't want Viscount Walter and Meyers to be married? I know that Iron Mountain County supplies the Northern Territory Merchant Guild with a large amount of Iron Ore every quarter."

"The Frozen Earth Territory uses these Iron Ore to forge weapons, which are then sold to the Kingdom and the Imperial Capital."

"And have you forgotten? Recently, Baron Ryan has had a major conflict with several nobles because those nobles accused Baron Ryan of killing their children."

"Baron Ryan didn't even refute it."

"This..."

There were many rumors circulating among the nobles, but Ryan turned a deaf ear to them, because he was the one who spread these rumors.

What is the highest level of lying?

That means every single word they said was true.

What can break the lie?

It is the truth that breaks down lies.

At the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild, Ryan used Life Potion to save a young man, and the immense life energy awakened the dying knight.

"Quick Landa".

"Your courage is admirable, and your luck is enviable."

Ryan said this to the awakened youth, explaining that this was a knight wielding Frostmourne, rescued by an adventurer searching for Frostmourne in the Northlands.

He is a member of the Viscount Landa family, and among the current Viscount Landa lineage, Quick is one of the few, if not the only, new generation members.

Having witnessed the brilliance of war, the Viscount Landa family had dwindled in number. Under such circumstances, it was surprising that Quick was allowed to come to Zero Crossing City. To be honest, Ryan did admire that Viscount Landa.

"Now that you've returned alive, I will fulfill my promise. This sword will belong to you, and I will provide all the resources for your future knightly training."

"I hope you can live on with this sword."

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Ryan."

Quick, the fourth noble warrior under Ryan to wield Frostmourne, passed the trials of the Northlands and was blessed by Ryan, making him even stronger.

"Spring has been here for a while now, and those damned Orcs in the Northwind Province have also awakened in the warm weather."

"These damned guys have caused far too much damage to our land."

"Is this why you came?"

Ryan said, noting that Quick's eyes were filled with boundless anger and hatred.

His family was killed when the Orcs destroyed Viscount Landa's territory, and from that moment on, Quick became a staunch Orcs hunter, until he appeared before Ryan now.

The Zero Crossing City was still abuzz with the discussion about the appearance of the Eight Knights. People were endlessly interested in it, and the knights among the adventurers were also putting in their best efforts. Many of them even began to explore the Orcs ' tracks.

It wasn't entirely for exploration.

The knights belonged to the nobility, and some of the nobility were already facing pressure from the Orcs.

The three knights, including Gak, were riding their old horses across the land, trying to support the territory Gak served. As expected, they were attacked by Orcs on the way. The three strong warhorses were considered excellent food by the Orcs.

"Don't panic, charge through!"

Gak raised his weapon and roared, and the three of them charged forward. Even the ugly Orcs in front of them were terrified and couldn't help but retreat as the warhorses charged towards them.

Seeing this, the knight was overjoyed, but the next moment, Gak, who was at the forefront, felt himself lose his balance in an instant. When he came to his senses, he had already begun to crash into the ground. The impact of his armor hitting the ground and the terrifying force transmitted back afterward almost made Gak faint.

Standing up and looking at the Orcs around him, Gak continuously swung his longsword, which collided with another sharp force at a certain moment.

"The Black Goat Orc Warriors!"

Gak screamed in despair, hearing the mournful cries of his horse, whose legs had been severed by the Black Goat Orc Warriors.

The other two knights also failed to break through, and were surrounded by Orcs. A dozen or so Black Goat Orcs ruthlessly attacked them.

"For Morgan's glory!"

Gak roared loudly, enduring the pain as he charged towards the Black Goat Orc Warriors. He was quite powerful; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to recruit two knight companions to follow him.

However, Gak was seriously injured. Falling from the back of a galloping warhorse was not a pleasant experience. As he fought with the Black Goat Orc Warriors, Gak felt his arms becoming increasingly numb.

Blood flowed from the gaps in the deformed armor. The three knights stood back to back, surrounded by Orcs. As they gained the upper hand, the Orcs who were originally afraid of the human knights now bared their fangs.

These Orcs are incredibly adept at waging wars when they have an advantage. For countless years, when they invaded human lands, they would first defeat human armies and then ruthlessly and swiftly plunder human wealth.

"I'm not going to make it."

"Try it again."

"Kill!"

The three knights charged in one direction, killing three or five Orcs before being blocked by the remaining Orcs. Their armor, which was not sturdy to begin with, broke where it was bound by ropes. As parts of the armor fell off, bloody wounds began to appear on the knights' bodies.

They decided against immediately launching an attack.

"I didn't even die within the territory."

The three Gak and his companions, thought in despair that as knights, they had died in this the Wilds, unable to convey their loyalty to their lord.

A rough roar rang out as the Black Goat Orc Warriors, wielding a scimitar, approached, his gaze cruel, charging towards the three Ultimate Knights.

The Black Goat Orcs are fast and steady; they can run wildly on the 90-degree city walls, each step leaving a deep hoofprint on the ground.

However, the arrow in mid-air was even faster than him. The sharp arrow came from a distance, and the Black Goat Orc Warriors sensed the threat. He turned around and slashed to redirect the arrow's direction.

Bang!!!

A bloated boar-man collapsed, blood flowing freely beneath his body, followed by a mournful howl.

A long, icy blue sword appeared in everyone's sight. It slashed through the air, leaving a frosty white trail in the void. Hexagonal, snowflake-like ice Ice Crystal condensed on both sides of the sword, gracefully passing between the Orcs and piercing the Black Goat Orc Warriors into the ground.

Quick appeared on his warhorse, and the Orcs on both sides fell down one after another, their bodies covered in fine wounds, blood flowing incessantly.

Quick, clad in magnificent armor, rode his warhorse to the side of the Black Goat Orc Warriors. He drew Frostmourne, which was longer than a regular Knight's Greatsword, glanced at the three disheveled knights, and then looked up at the direction ahead.

There, more Orcs appeared, roaring and fiercely charging towards them.

With a slight twist of his wrist, Quick's ice-blue longsword twirled in mid-air, sending frosty Ice Crystal fluttering to the ground. The next moment, Quick remained silent, bowing as he charged towards the large group of knights.

In a devastating battle, Quick single-handedly cut through an army of dozens of Orcs. The dead Orcs lay on the ground, their blood nourishing the earth, while the surviving Orcs fled in terror.

As Quick departed, the three knights who remained awoke and stared in shock at the devastated battlefield.

There is no absolute power between knights and Orcs. Most knights can defeat one strong Orcs but would find it difficult to defeat a second one. It's not an easy scenario.

But the facts are right in front of us.

"So powerful, he must be Silver Knight, right?"

"No, no, he didn't use battle aura."

One knight denied it, and then said:

"I think I know who he is. I see the emblem on his armor."

"Landa, the coat of arms of Viscount Landa, he came from there."

"But I've never seen him before, and I don't know if he's a viscount."

"He seems to be from the same place as us, from Zero Crossing City."

The badges come from the viscounts and nobles of the Northwind Province, and they all appear in the same direction, which leads only to Zero Crossing City.

"Could he... also be a contender for the Eight Knights?"

Gak hesitated for a moment and said, "If someone like that is a competitor of the Eight Knights, then what's the point of us playing?"

"No, it's definitely not."

The other person kept shaking his head.

"I've seen that sword before; my young master also has one."

"It was... a gift from Baron Ryan."

"My Baron, the Baron, sent me to Zero Crossing City to question the young master about his death."

"Baron Ryan gave him a sword, and then the young master went to the Northlands alone, Northlands he died."

"That sword was also lost in the Northlands."

"You're not talking about the exorbitant bounty offered by the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild, are you? Hundreds of Gold Coin, just to retrieve a sword."

Gak swallowed hard and said, "Baron Ryan has put Frostmourne. Finding it will cost hundreds of Gold Coin. This has caused a great stir in Zero Crossing City and is the peak of Ryan's reputation for being rich and powerful."

"Yes."

"That's the sword."

"Only the most valiant nobles, those with the strength and courage of their noble ancestors, are qualified to wield such swords. Legend has it that they were forged by Master Brock, who had stopped working for a winter. Every one of those swords has the potential to become Legendary."

"Every owner of that sword has the potential to become Legendary."

The knight's words made the other two gasp for breath. As knights, whose ultimate dream wasn't to become Legendary and etch their names into the annals of history?

How do I feel...?

"The Eight Knights are not the strongest."

"The Eight Knights are merely the threshold to meeting these people."

The knight said this, Gak couldn't help but ask.

"Did the noble young master really die in the Northlands?"

"Yes, my Baron was so angry that he fainted and has gathered his army several times to declare war on the Frozen Earth Territory."

The meeting ended badly, for a reason that is well-known— Baron Ryan had never lost a single war.

"Only those comparable to our earliest noble ancestors are qualified to possess that sword."

"If... if we could obtain this sword, would it mean we could become the first nobles to establish a noble bloodline?"

Gak's sudden words shocked both knights, who exchanged a glance, finding it hard to believe.

"It seems... maybe... perhaps... it's comparable."

Knights also aspire to become nobles. Serving the nobility, their greatest hope is that one day a noble will be willing to marry their daughter to them, allowing them to become pioneering knights and gradually rise to the ranks of nobility.

This was the path to advancement for countless knights before the establishment of the Baronet System. After the Baronet System was introduced, many knights did not change their mindset, nor could they change it, so they remained stuck in the old system.

Whether that's true or not, at least these knights are so powerful it's despair-inducing. I wonder if we'll even see their backs in this year's Eight Knights.

It is true that Baron Ryan killed many nobles.

As Quick progressed, some of the nobles began to learn certain things.

Baron Ryan used the Northlands to kill off the noble bloodline, but another consequence silenced the nobles.

Those who failed died, but those who survived were exceptionally strong. Viscount Landa openly believed that Quick Landa possessed courage and strength comparable to the original Viscount Landa ancestor.

The nobles who died were also simple; they were not worthy to be compared with their bloodline ancestors, so they died.

Amidst countless rumors, both true and false, a discrepancy seems to have emerged in the perceptions of Baron Ryan and the deceased noblemen's offspring.

Viscount Walter, the only one who guessed the truth, was even more terrified and then fell ill.

He wasn't faking it; he was genuinely ill. If it weren't for the remaining reserves of Life Potion, Viscount Walter might have aged prematurely.

Ryan was not surprised by the result; it was inevitable from the moment he spread the rumors.

(End of this chapter)