Breaking the Siege

Fran looked at the knight carrying a greatsword on his back. Just from the heavy sound of his footsteps, she could tell that he was carrying an extremely heavy load.

"It's like when you beat the little one, the big one comes along; when you beat the big one, the old one comes along..." Fran thought to herself.

On the surface, she stood still, her longsword pointing diagonally at the ground, without making any move.

Her actions surprised Eric, and his voice this time carried a hint of amusement.

"You dare to brandish a longsword upon seeing a knight? Aren't you afraid of death?"

Fran remained motionless, standing still and waiting for the attack. This action, in turn, earned her the admiration of Knight Eric.

"You've got guts, you've really got courage... But you did kill one of my soldiers and wound another... So, kneel down now and apologize to me, and I'll let you go."

Fran remained motionless, instead raising her other hand to adjust her black robe.

Her actions thoroughly enraged Knight Eric. While he admired courageous people, she simply couldn't be courageous towards him!

"Good! Good! Good--" Eric drew out the last syllable, unloaded the greatsword from his back, and waved it a few times with one hand.

The surrounding crowd dared not utter a sound, remaining completely silent. Some even covered their eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.

They all knew what was about to happen: Fran would be cleaved in two by Knight Eric's sword...

A knight of Formal Rank is not someone that just anyone can fight against.

The people present, including the soldiers, all knew just how powerful the Knight Master was.

The idea that one person could take on a hundred is an understatement; those Knight Master could carry several tons of weight and still walk slowly.

A person who defies a knight usually doesn't live long; they are all crushed to death by the knight's overwhelming power.

Just then, another set of footsteps reached everyone's ears.

This time, the footsteps carried a light, quick rhythm, drawing ever closer to the Battlefield where the fighting was about to break out.

"Eric, this is my subordinate. Could you please give me some face?"

A tall man, around thirty years old, with short red hair, walked into the crowd. He was wearing a light leather armor covered in worn marks.

"Oh--" Eric clearly recognized the person, and his deep voice disappeared, replaced by a louder one:

"Who do we have here? It's Finley, the one who surrendered. Since he's your subordinate, I'll definitely have to give you face."

"After all, we are now in Duke Theodore's Knights, and our Duke considers those who surrender to be his own people."

Eric sheathed his longsword, as if he had lost all interest in the matter, and walked back.

"And..." Eric suddenly stopped walking backwards, turning to Finley and saying:

"I hope you and your men will emerge victorious in the duel."

"Your subordinates are very strong. I think you should be the White Flower Territory this time."

Eric left with only these words, completely ignoring Fran.

Fran watched as Eric simply left, raised an eyebrow, and turned to look at Finley, who had come to her rescue.

"Thank you," she said in a deep male voice, first thanking Finley.

Although she wasn't afraid of the knight who had attacked her earlier, she was still grateful that someone had helped her.

After all, the fight was quite confusing. First, a soldier took a liking to her horse and tried to steal it, so he attacked her.

Then the captain in charge of the soldiers challenged her to a duel, and after losing, their superior, a real knight, actually arrived.

She was afraid that after she finished fighting the knight, Duke Theodore might come straight to her and challenge her to a fight.

Finley coughed twice, then said:

"Could we speak in private for a moment?"

"Can."

Fran led the horse and followed Finley along the street for a while until they came to a walled house.

"Go inside. You can tie your horse inside the fence."

Fran simply tied the rope to the railing a little and then followed Finley into the house.

There were several other soldiers inside the house, playing a dice game. When they saw the two men enter, they quickly got up.

"Greetings, Lord Finley..."

"Who is this?" Only then did they notice Fran following Finley, and asked with some curiosity:

"A friend, you two continue with your business."

Finley led Fran to a room on the second floor, a room with obvious signs that things had been moved out.

The entire room was covered with scratches left by long-term residence, and in many places, the colors were uneven.

Apart from the door, the entire room was connected to the outside world by only one wooden window, which could be opened and closed using a small device on the side.

"Is there something you need?" Fran asked impatiently.

Finley scratched his head and said to Fran:

"I'm sorry I didn't explain it to you right away. I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Finley then explained to Fran the upcoming duel of lords to be held in White Flower Territory, and he hoped that Fran would participate as his attendant.

"Why did you come to me?" Fran's first question made Finley feel a little embarrassed.

"I only have those few soldiers left under my command, as you can see."

Finley genuinely wanted to contend for the position of lord of White Flower Territory, and he was confident that his strength was no less than that of any other knight.

However, he was truly helpless when it came to his retinue. After he surrendered, his soldiers were transferred away by Duke Theodore, leaving him with only these few soldiers.

These soldiers were not even as good as the squad leader Fran had defeated earlier, and Knight Eric had more than a dozen such squad leaders under his command. They were not even in the top ten among Knight Eric's men.

So this is where Finley's predicament lies: he simply can't find anyone else. He has no choice but to go up with those few soldiers; they would most likely be utterly defeated by the enemy's carefully selected support troops.

The knights were actually all about the same strength; the strongest wasn't much stronger than the weakest, so in a real fight, the knights would only have a slightly higher chance of winning.

Therefore, the importance of equipment and followers becomes apparent at this time; he had no other choice but to pull someone over from the street.

"Does the victor become the lord of White Flower Territory?" Fran asked Finley for confirmation.

"Yes," Finley answered readily.

Fran didn't agree immediately. Instead, she remembered the Territory Token she possessed, rolled her eyes, and continued:

"I can agree, after all, I am an Adventurer, but I would like to discuss the payment with you."

Finley's face immediately showed embarrassment, as if this had brought up a topic he was embarrassed to answer.