Threat from the Kingdom of Arthas

In the Magic Black Forest, the so-called fealty ceremony was generally a ritual used by non-Knights to pledge allegiance to a lord.

However, the fealty ceremony required a church priest to be present.

Yveta wanted to wait until they reached the town to find a priest to perform such a ritual.

Who knew the witch took out a church scripture and confidently declared that she could act as a witness.

Yveta looked at her suspiciously. "Can you really do it?"

Come on, you're an enemy of the church—a witch.

The Old Witch patted her chest. "I have no problem. I know all the words a priest needs to say in any ceremony."

"Moreover, I have a church scripture."

"Your Majesty, I can do everything a priest is supposed to do in this ceremony."

Leili, with his black heart, was also worried about delays. "Your Majesty, it's just about going through the motions. Who performs the ceremony as priest doesn't matter."

He knelt on one knee at Yveta's feet, his forehead almost touching Yveta's shoe.

Yveta had no choice but to say, "Alright."

"Although I don't know why you want to pledge allegiance to me, or why you're in such a hurry."

"But if this is your wish, then I am willing to help you."

As a wandering prince seeking to restore his country, the more people who pledged allegiance to him, the better.

At this moment, he felt it was fine to show a tolerant attitude.

The Old Witch lowered her voice, trying to sound solemn and sacred, but it only came out as a croaking sound. "Leili, under the witness of the Father of All, the God of All Things, do you willingly and unconditionally pledge your allegiance to your master, Yveta?"

"No matter Yveta's identity, you will follow closely and protect your master's dignity with your life and sword!"

"I do!" Leili replied without any hesitation.

The Old Witch then looked at Yveta. "Great Yveta Arthas, under the witness of the God of All Things, do you willingly accept the fealty from Leili."

"You will repay Leili's future contributions with worldly wealth."

Yveta nodded.

As the superior lord, one did not need to speak during a fealty ceremony.

This was a characteristic of the fealty ceremony.

It represented the gap in status between the two parties.

Then, following the fealty ceremony procedure from memory, Yveta took the greatsword handed over by Black Wolf and lightly tapped Leili three times with the flat of the blade.

The Old Witch closed the church scripture. "Under the witness of the Father of All Gods, the ceremony is established. Those who violate it will be cast out by all things. Amen~"

As she said the last two words, the Old Witch rolled her eyes dismissively.

Thus, a simple fealty ceremony was completed.

This kind of fealty ceremony would be taken seriously by everyone and had the meaning of legal binding.

From now on, Leili was equivalent to his vassal.

If Yveta didn't have any position or title yet, this ceremony would have been more complex.

The wording used in the ceremony also needed to be more careful.

For example, since Leili was a commoner, he had no surname, and Yveta had no position or title, so the Old Witch could only add "Great" as a form of address.

This was a choice made out of desperation.

Therefore, Yveta felt he needed to get some kind of identity as soon as possible.

Yveta sighed, this seemed to be the first subordinate he had gained since arriving in this world.

Black Wolf and the witch had not performed a fealty ceremony with him. Black Wolf was merely like his mercenary, and the Old Witch was even more like someone he had coerced into staying by his side.

And now, he, the Wandering Prince, finally had someone who completely belonged to him.

After the ceremony, Yveta became more intimate with Leili and asked, "Leili, why did you insist on pledging allegiance to me, and why were you in such a hurry?"

Leili gave a wry smile. "Because I want to be a noble, and Master might be my only chance. My father's generation was once a noble of Viscount Ambrose."

"But because they chose the wrong side, opposing the Martini Family, they were stripped of their noble status, and even their surname was taken away."

Leili spoke with some sadness and resentment. "I've always wanted to restore my noble status. When I was young, I became an explorer, hoping to join some people to seize a territory and restore my noble status."

"Restore my surname."

"But reality told me that I was just wishful thinking."

"During a battle with mercenaries from Pisa City, my leg was injured. Even after the wound healed, I still limped somewhat."

"A cripple can't be an explorer. I had to throw all my savings into this building and work as a small merchant here."

"I originally thought this was my whole life, until I met you."

Black Wolf coughed awkwardly.

The life's work and last hope of someone had been destroyed by them.

Yveta comforted Leili for a few sentences.

At this moment, the assassin tied to the wooden post behind them suddenly let out a cold laugh.

Yveta looked over curiously. "Black Wolf, go remove the gag from our uninvited guest. He seems to have something to say."

"Your Highness, this fellow previously said he was ordered by Prince Jielong, the false crown prince of Arthas, to kill you," Black Wolf said as he walked over.

Yveta smiled. "That's perfect. I'll ask him where his Prince Jielong is now."

As soon as Black Wolf removed the gag, the assassin spoke with a look of resignation. "I'll tell you directly. If I don't return to Prince Jielong's side within the stipulated time—eight months—with your head as an offering, you will be personally hunted down by His Highness and his army."

"Restoration of the country? Hahaha... with just a few of you? Wishful thinking."

"That was the most centralized country in the Arthas Kingdom."

"As an assassin born in Arthas, I know you are seeking your own death."

He looked at Leili. "I know you were just gambling on someone in despair, but unfortunately, you bet on the wrong person. Just like you thought becoming an explorer could reclaim your surname, now that you've chosen this useless master, it's nothing more than self-hypnosis."

"It won't do any good. Hahaha..."

Yveta looked at him, puzzled. "If you are from Arthas, you should know that the person on the throne now is just a usurper."

"I won't allow you to say that, Your Majesty," the assassin retorted as if provoked. "His Majesty governs the country very well."

"Much better than your father."

"He allowed the army to engage in commerce, making everyone prosperous. He liberalized land sales, allowing everyone to make money."

"Under your father's rule, the kingdom's subjects, who were already suffering from war, could finally enjoy life again."

Yveta keenly grasped the key point. "How did your Majesty avoid war?"

"By ceding a few unimportant territories, lands with no people," the assassin sneered. "Only people are the most important wealth of the kingdom. Clearly, ceding land could have prevented the subjects from suffering the ravages of war, yet your father plunged our kingdom into thirty years of war and suffering."

Black Wolf added, "I heard that a quarter of the land has already been ceded."

The assassin argued, "They were just some forests, deserts, barren wastelands, and uninhabited islands. Ceding these lands had no impact whatsoever."

"It even allowed us to exchange these economically worthless territories for real money!"

"At least His Majesty has made us prosperous again! The trade of wool and spices can even reach the Bo River Basin!"

... Yveta was speechless.

He no longer had the desire to argue with the assassin, as their values were too different.

In his memory, the lands of the Arthas Kingdom were won back with the lives of countless soldiers.

Those border territories were not unimportant. Although they had no economic value, they possessed strategic defensive value.

Without those lands, what would the kingdom use to protect its economically prosperous regions?

It wasn't as if they could fight battles in their most prosperous cities on their own soil the moment war broke out.

From this perspective, the usurper in Arthas likely only considered the economic value of the territories and ignored their strategic defensive value.

Furthermore, in order to rapidly restore the economy, the other party used methods like letting the army engage in commerce and liberalizing land sales, which were akin to draining the pond to catch the fish.

The bitter consequences of these two methods, once they erupted in the future, would be something they would have to endure.

One could not just look at the immediate results of everything.