The Poorest Duke in History

In the afterglow of the setting sun, rows of black silhouettes finally emerged.

Hume the fat man was the first to cry out, cheering joyfully, "Master Aurelian has returned in victory! Quickly, prepare to welcome him!"

The old steward Hume straightened his bowtie and adjusted his attire, striving to look as presentable as possible.

The line of figures on the horizon approached rapidly, and Hume, Will, and the family members were finally able to see them clearly.

They were all searching for the people they longed to see.

Some nodded and let out a sigh of relief, smiles appearing on their faces, while others furrowed their brows deeper and deeper as a sense of foreboding welled up in their hearts.

Aurelian and his party, followed by a group of peculiar black warhorses, finally arrived at the front.

He swung down from George, handed his sword to a servant waiting nearby, and nodded toward Will.

"You've worked hard, Will."

Although Will was nearly fifty, he remained full of vigor. He bowed with one hand over his chest and said, "It is my honor, Master."

"And Hume, regarding the issue of the seeds failing to sprout, I have already found a solution."

Hume the fat man was ecstatic, his rolls of fat trembling. Never had he imagined the Master would specifically mention him, so he hurriedly replied, "Thank you so much, Master. On behalf of those poor serfs, I thank you for your mercy."

Aurelian, however, shook his head and looked toward the group of people behind Hume.

As Aurelian arrived, they held their breath, afraid to make a single sound.

Yet, faint sobs could still be heard; though the owners were very restrained, the sounds were audible.

Because the dozen or so corpses placed on the backs of the horses behind could not be hidden, and those familiar with them could quickly identify them.

The knights still on horseback remained silent. Even though they could see their families ahead waving at them with smiles, they responded with an uncharacteristic silence.

Aurelian felt a heavy weight in his heart. This was the first time he had witnessed such a scene of intertwined joy and sorrow, and he was somewhat at a loss for how to handle it.

But he knew he had to learn to cope, for such things would happen often in the future.

For no other reason than that this was the cruel Frostlands.

Where ice and fire coexist!

"I am very sorry. I have let parents lose their sons, wives lose their husbands, children lose their fathers, and I have let you lose your most solid support. Please forgive me for being unable to do anything for you, as everything already seems insignificant. Whether you wish to insult me or curse me, I will accept it gladly, but I implore you to always know that they are the heroes of Winter City, and to keep that in your hearts, never to be forgotten in this lifetime."

His voice was loud and majestic, the aura of a great noble clearly displayed, and he quickly took control of the situation. Everyone present listened to his speech with rapt attention.

"B-but I... I want... my daddy... to come back."

A little girl in linen clothes, tears welling in her eyes, whimpered as she leaned against her mother's legs.

The woman, who had been covering her mouth to avoid crying out, realized her daughter had made a sound and hurriedly crouched down, covering the little girl's mouth with her hand.

The woman looked at Aurelian with pleading eyes and hurriedly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Master Aurelian. She is still young and doesn't understand. Please, I beg you not to hold it against her."

Facing the woman's plea and apology, Aurelian's expression shifted; ultimately, the impression left by the nobles of this world upon the commoners was far too poor.

Aurelian walked slowly to the little girl and met her innocent gaze.

The girl's mother was so anxious she was on the verge of tears, fearing that the great noble before them did not intend to let them go.

To the astonishment of everyone, Aurelian crouched down and placed his hand on the little girl's head.

Gazing into those innocent eyes devoid of any malice, he spoke as gently as he could.

"Your father has already returned. He hasn't left; he will always watch over you and watch over this city. It is just that he cannot appear before you right now, but I, Aurelian, swear by the name of the Duke of Winter City, he will definitely appear in the future—he will appear before you."

"Really? You know, people who lie have to swallow a thousand needles."

The girl asked in her childish voice.

"I promise!"

With the guarantee from this handsome big brother, she broke into a smile.

In a child's eyes, everyone keeps their promises.

Watching this unbelievable scene, everyone was stunned.

Was this young man, who seemed so intimate with the child, truly a high-and-mighty noble?

Having comforted the little girl, Aurelian stood up and addressed the onlookers.

"Everyone, please return home. I will see to it that the fallen knights are buried properly, and I will pay their families a pension of one hundred Star Coins each."

One hundred Star Coins as a pension!

My god! Was this a dream?

Why would the death of an elite knight be worth so much? A few dozen Sun Gold Coins would have been the absolute limit.

Aurelian's words once again refreshed the families' perception of him.

Of course, the knights on horseback already knew, so they were naturally not surprised.

But Hume, hearing Aurelian's words, turned pale with fright. Had he heard correctly? Master Aurelian intended to pay a pension of one hundred Star Coins per person.

Had he gone mad?! Had he even considered the financial state of Winter City?

Although no merchant caravans passed through here and there was no need to purchase supplies, the salaries for the guards and servants of Winter City, along with hiring town craftsmen for repairs, all amounted to a significant expense.

Winter City, which already had no income, could hardly bear such extravagant spending.

Eleven knights had died in battle, and with a pension of one hundred Star Coins for each, the total came to one thousand one hundred Star Coins.

This amount of money could cover the expenses of Winter City for ten years!

That's right; the Star Coins that were merely units of account in the eyes of wealthy nobles were something the Winter City treasury simply could not produce—it was just that poor.

Hume felt as though his entire body were collapsing from exhaustion; this position of administrator was truly too difficult to hold.

He dared not publicly state how much money was left in the treasury, for doing so would be no different than slapping the Lord in the face.

Therefore, he wiped the gushing sweat from his face and took trembling steps toward Aurelian.

He whispered to Aurelian, "My Lord, we do not have that much money. How about we exchange the Star Coins for Sun Gold Coins instead?"

Aurelian's mouth twitched as he looked at Hume, who was gazing at him with anticipation.

The words were already out; how could he take them back?

Even if he had to hold it in, he would have to squeeze out these one thousand one hundred Star Coins!

"Alright, the sky has already darkened; everyone, hurry home."

The surrounding crowd slowly dispersed, carrying their various joys and sorrows, while Aurelian wore a look of distress.

He was wondering why he was so poor; he was a Duke, a formidable and awe-inspiring Duke.

Could he possibly be the poorest Duke in history?