Prologue

At the end of the Kingdom of Arthur's sixtieth anniversary, the Barren Land was hit by a rare blizzard. The swirling snowflakes instantly covered the knee-high wormwood, and the damp, cold air whipped across people's faces, stinging like a knife.

In a small town in the Barren Land, vagrants lurking in street corners continuously cursed, "Damn gods, have mercy and make this accursed wind blow out of Saint Brieuc Fortress."

As they cursed, they futilely tightened their already tattered clothes and curled up to reduce heat loss.

Saint Brieuc Fortress was a very unremarkable small town, sparsely populated with dilapidated buildings.

Within the Barren Land, there were dozens of desolate towns like this, standing like dying old men, reluctantly guarding the kingdom's southern frontier.

The master of Saint Brieuc Fortress was named Hamilton Duncan. He was a direct descendant of the Duncan Family and a well-known nobleman in this area.

However, his fame could only drift in the desolate land. After all, there were hundreds of Earls and Viscounts in the Kingdom of Arthur. A small Baron living in a remote area like this could hardly attract much attention.

In fact, the rise of the Duncan Family was largely due to luck.

A hundred years ago, His Majesty Rochelle Hope, the founder of the Kingdom of Arthur, was still a wandering nobleman of the Olehols Dynasty, while Duke Sam Duncan, the founder of the Duncan Family, was the heir to a dilapidated tavern.

Perhaps it was a clever arrangement of fate, but His Majesty Rochelle only needed one absurd lie to gain Duke Sam's loyalty.

According to historical records, His Majesty Rochelle said at the time:

"Lord Sam, the Olehols Dynasty has completely rotted. The Emperor is greedy and tyrannical, and the nobles are cunning and vicious. They herd us like cattle..."

"When we grow fat, they will mercilessly skin us and eat our flesh. We cannot endure this oppression any longer; we must rise up and resist..."

"Lord Sam, the people are in dire straits. I, Baron Rochelle Hope, will raise the golden banner and fight for freedom and faith, and you will have the honor to share this glory with me!"

Thus, Sam, a simple-minded country boy, was tricked into becoming a loyal follower of the wandering nobleman Rochelle.

However, history is like a young girl dressed up by anyone; the truth might be laughable.

According to the memoirs of Duke Sam Duncan, the founder of the Duncan Family, His Majesty Rochelle ate and drank heavily at the tavern that day but had no money to pay. So, he deceived himself with a lie.

Moreover, the lie used was very clumsy and nowhere near as thought-provoking as recorded in history books.

"Lord Sam, there is a sleeping Frost Dragon in the Ambrisset Mountains, and I am a dragon slayer who is about to go into the mountains to eliminate that reptile that will harm the Olehols."

"Lord Sam, if you still have the mettle of an Olehols man, waive my meal fee. I will give you two large rubies when I return from slaying the dragon."

The simple, or perhaps somewhat idiotic, Sam actually believed him. Not only did he waive the meal fee, but he also took all his possessions, mounted the tavern's mule, and declared himself a follower of the "dragon slayer."

The patrons of the tavern unanimously agreed that he had gone mad. To save this guy who had been brainwashed by knightly novels, they all pointed their spears at Rochelle, demanding that he stop deceiving this honest man.

However, His Majesty Rochelle was impoverished at the time and could not let go of this fat sheep. He immediately retorted righteously, "Lord Sam, do not let these foolish people tarnish your noble soul. Your courage and generosity fill me with admiration."

Afterward, the wandering nobleman Rochelle took his first follower, Sam, and embarked on the great journey of "dragon slaying."

The two of them had no idea that what they were about to do was infinitely greater than slaying a dragon.

Forty years before the New Era, the Olehols Dynasty, having weathered over four hundred years of storms, was gradually entering its twilight years. The greedy and arrogant last emperor, in his desire to expand his territory, continuously increased the people's taxes, causing widespread discontent within the country.

At this very moment, the great "dragon slayer" Rochelle Hope was deceiving a nobleman's territory in the Province of Roses with his follower Sam Duncan.

"Lord Samuel, the Olehols Dynasty has completely rotted. The Emperor is greedy and tyrannical, and the nobles are cunning and vicious. They herd us like cattle..."

"When we grow fat, they will mercilessly skin us and eat our flesh. We cannot endure this oppression any longer; we must rise up and resist..."

"Lord Samuel, the people are in dire straits. I, Baron Rochelle Hope, will raise the golden banner and fight for freedom and faith, and you will have the honor to share this glory with me!"

Thus, His Majesty Rochelle, through coaxing and deception, built his own team.

Thirty-six years before the New Era, the Olehols Dynasty became increasingly corrupt. His Majesty Rochelle began to fulfill his promise. He secretly met with many old nobles in the Province of Roses and reached certain agreements with them.

Thirty-three years before the New Era, the once unknown wandering nobleman Rochelle Hope resolutely raised the banner emblazoned with a golden lion's head, initiating a vigorous rebellion.

At that time, many nobles and commoners could no longer bear the emperor's brutal rule, so the rebellion spread like wildfire across the land.

In the blink of an eye, the once glorious Olehols Dynasty faded from the historical stage.

After overthrowing the emperor, the next step was to divide the spoils.

His Majesty Rochelle Hope, with his shrewd political skills and bloody killings, obtained a vast territory in the southern part of the Olehols Dynasty. He thus earned an extremely resounding title—the Lionheart King!

In the first year of the New Era, His Majesty Rochelle Hope was sixty-four years old, and Duke Sam Duncan was fifty-eight. Both were advanced in age.

The land changed hands, and many heroes were swept away by the wind and rain.

After enduring countless hardships, the wandering nobleman Rochelle Hope finally ascended the throne, known in history as Hope I.

His followers were also properly settled. As the first to follow him, Sam Duncan was granted the hereditary title of Duke.

His Majesty Rochelle said at Duke Sam's investiture ceremony: "Sam, my dear friend, although I couldn't give you large rubies, I can compensate you with land."

He pointed into the distance: "Leave the Province of Roses and head south. All the land your warhorse treads will be the fief of the Duncan Family."

Thus, Duke Sam Duncan, over fifty years old, followed his dear friend's instructions, taking his wife and children back to the Barren Land, his long-lost homeland.

From then on, the Barren Land had a new name—Duke Duncan's Territory.

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