Lord

A manor.

"My lord, what do you think..."

Ham pointed to an area. "This estate has a hundred serf households, and includes a mill, wine cellar, warehouses, a lord's villa... There's also this forest nearby, which can be used to transport timber to the Royal Capital and generate some revenue."

"Hmm, not bad!"

Sulu put his hands behind his back and looked around.

The manor is not far from the Royal Capital, only a half-day's ride on horseback, which was something he specifically requested.

Since the day of the audience with His Majesty the King, the rank of nobility and the Free Territory were quickly allocated, but there has been no news about the Dragon Crystal for a long time.

According to the laws of the Dragon Kingdom and the Council of Nobles, a title of nobility does not have a prefix; it can only be acquired after becoming a hereditary baron.

You could design your own badge and have it passed down for generations.

Heraldry is a very profound and complicated field of study. A true scholar can discern the origins, lineage, and even branches of a family from the smallest details of its emblem.

For example, a sword engraved on a person signifies that they started as a knight, while a crown represents royal blood.

Sulu didn't go through all that trouble; he simply used a mysterious symbol instead—the word 'arrogance' from the Words of Arrogance —which seemed to exude a three-dimensional sense of madness and mystery.

"Besides that, I also need a few butlers and to set up a patrol team..."

Lords are not qualified to establish knightly orders; that is a right reserved for at least hereditary barons. In reality, even barons and viscounts rarely have the means to afford the expenses of a large knightly order.

This most powerful force is generally wielded by counts and above.

"Yes... Although this is the heart of the kingdom, we still need to be wary of thieves and robbers... As for the number of people, I think 10 to 20 would be more appropriate."

Ham replied.

He had previously aimed to become a knight and had also learned some knowledge of manor management.

"Oh?" Sulu was somewhat surprised, yet also delighted. "Continue..."

"In reality, the martial prowess of a first-generation lord mostly comes from his own abilities!" Black Iron Rank knight is enough to suppress everything.

Ham pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "And his subordinates and military force, half came from the laborers of his territory, and the other half from the second and third sons of the surrounding lords with whom he had good relations..."

Based on Ham's explanation, Sulu roughly understood.

These lords were mostly from knightly families, but it was impossible for every generation to have a knight.

Sometimes, families without a formal knight in charge would send their second and third sons to serve as pageboys or stable boys to nearby Black Iron Knight.

In reality, one gains training opportunities and becomes a knight's squire by serving these official knights.

As for the eldest son? He would usually be sent to a high-ranking noble family, where a baron would have formal knights under his command, who could provide him with better education.

Of course, all of this has nothing to do with Sulu.

Because he had neither been granted a title of lord nor a title of vassal, he was considered an "outlier" among the nobility.

Strictly speaking, such a family would certainly be ostracized by the orthodox nobility and would find it difficult to survive.

If Sulu leaves, the family will perish within a few generations—if he leaves any offspring.

'But actually... I never intended for my bloodline to inherit my title; I only planned to use this place as the headquarters of the Arrogant School...'

Sulu felt that some people's ideas were about to fail.

He returned to the villa, his manor, which was very spacious with many rooms and a defensive fence around it, entwined with a local specialty, Iron Thorn, a black vine covered with barbs that were very hard.

It can be said that the defenses of this villa are built to the standards of a fortress.

If one is a baron, one would seek a castle built of granite and marble, for that is the true foundation for inheritance.

At that moment, in the living room of the villa, several temporarily hired farm women were bringing out freshly baked bread and large bowls of vegetable soup, distributing them to a dozen or so thin children.

They are the little ones that Ham adopted.

He remembered Sulu's teachings and was ready to spread the extraordinary flame, but he couldn't think of a way.

In the end, they managed to gather a group of homeless orphans in Dragon City using food, and prepared to teach and nurture them from a young age.

Sulu was not optimistic about his plan, but everything changed after they had their own territory, so he chose to let Ham bring the children back and raise them slowly.

Although it takes a while to develop, at least loyalty can be guaranteed.

As for Yorn and Laf?

According to Ham, Laf has become hopelessly entangled in the Vortex of wealth and power and has been taken away by some unknown force.

As for Yorn, this honest, burly man wanted to return to his homeland. Although he claimed he wanted to spread the ideas of the Arrogant Mentor to a wider area, Ham guessed that he was planning to find a wife, get married, and pass on the power of Words of Arrogance as a family secret from generation to generation.

"Hehe..."

When Sulu found out, all he could do was sneer.

As expected, human nature is most vulnerable to temptation. Once the power was granted and the constraints were lifted, these Apprentice were like wild dogs that had broken free of their reins, each running wildly in different directions.

On the contrary, this Ham is truly foolish; he actually listened to me.

'No... it can't be called foolishness, but rather... loyalty, one of the qualities of a knight...'

Sulu sighed silently to himself.

He looked at Ham: "These Apprentice are now yours, along with the territory."

"Um?"

Ham looked up in surprise.

Teaching Apprentice is a matter of course, but what does territory mean?

"As a lord, I have chosen you as my successor to inherit this land."

Anyway, Sulu is definitely going to leave this world, and she has no intention of getting married and having children here.

"No! No! You are my mentor, and also my lord... This..."

Ham's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Wasn't his initial motivation for becoming Wandering Knight to obtain a hereditary title?

And now, the dream has actually come true?

"Don't refuse, this is what you deserve. I will also teach you some techniques to help you avoid being affected by 'talkative delirium'..."

Sulu sneered.

Do you really think there are no hidden dangers in the power he provides?

The four ' Seed of Arrogance ' he initially condensed were already quite problematic.

Extraordinary power is inherently difficult to control, especially Words of Arrogance, which originate from the 'mystery' of a deity!

Needless to say, power gained through crooked means is even more prone to getting out of control!

However, he didn't care what happened to Laf and Yorn in the end; as long as they could Expansion their power, he would have achieved his goal.

'Besides that, it's about training orthodox, Arrogant Wizard!'

Sulu glanced at the child who was eating and drinking heartily, then suddenly came to the doorway.

From the road at the edge of the sky, he saw a caravan of carriages.