Viscount Marcus

After Harrot saw The One-Armed Man off, he thought of the Marcus that The One-Armed Man had mentioned. He was the nobleman who had given Harrot his treasured sword.

According to The Bald Man, Viscount Marcus was Count Sarik's younger brother, more than ten years younger than Sarik, and only in his twenties now.

However, he had awakened his bloodline before coming of age and had participated in several wars against Orcs after becoming an adult, accumulating many military achievements. He could be considered a heroic figure.

But he acted rebelliously, and the Old Marquis didn't like him very much, favoring his elder brother Sarik instead.

Just then, someone knocked on Harrot's door again. Harrot wondered who it could be this time.

Is it The Bald Man? Or has Count Sarik come to find me personally, or perhaps another noble who sees potential in me and wants to win me over?

As soon as he opened the door, Harrot recognized the person in front of him: vibrant red hair, a tall and upright physique, and a handsome face. It was none other than Viscount Marcus!

"Yo, good evening!" Marcus showed no aristocratic airs, naturally sitting down and chatting with Harrot.

"My name is Marcus. You still remember me, right?"

Harrot quickly replied, "Of course I remember, Viscount. I could never forget your kindness. Without the treasured sword you gave me, I would have died at the hands of the Ogres long ago."

Harrot had a very good impression of this noble. If it weren't for that sharp greatsword, he wouldn't have been able to defeat the Ogres no matter what, so he couldn't help but humble himself.

Marcus replied with a smile, "That sword was a reward for you slaying the Troll! No need to thank me. I won't be a noble soon, so don't call me Viscount anymore!"

This Viscount Marcus is really too approachable, Harrot thought. But why did he say he wouldn't be a noble much longer?

"Why won't you be a noble soon?" Harrot asked curiously.

Marcus was a true noble who had awakened his bloodline. No matter how much Harlaus disliked this youngest son, he couldn't possibly kick him out of the family and strip him of his title, could he?

Marcus chuckled and said, "I'm going to commit treason! The Kingdom of Lucanir will, of course, strip me of all my titles and property!"

Harrot almost fell off his chair in shock. Treason? Your father is one of the country's biggest lords, and your family is on equal footing with the royal family. Are you crazy to commit treason?

Marcus wasn't surprised by Harrot's reaction. He patted Harrot's shoulder, motioning for him to calm down and not panic, and began to explain:

"It's called treason, but I'm not doing anything to harm the kingdom. I'm just preparing to go east to open up new territory and establish a new country!"

"However, under the kingdom's laws, it is indeed considered treason. The king and most nobles don't want the number of nobles in the country to decrease, leading to a weakening of national strength."

Marcus knew that Harrot didn't know much about noble bloodlines, so he simply explained the matter in detail to Harrot.

In this world, humanity's extraordinary power originated from the bloodlines of nobles. Every noble family capable of awakening their bloodline was an important pillar of the kingdom, and the overall strength of the country depended on the number of nobles.

There was a very important point here: possessing a Heroic Bloodline didn't necessarily mean one could awaken it and gain extraordinary power. Most nobles were still ordinary people, and nobles who couldn't awaken their bloodline couldn't pass the Heroic Bloodline on to the next generation at all.

Simply put, only children born to nobles who had awakened their bloodline had the possibility of awakening it themselves.

Nobles who couldn't awaken their bloodline would have their titles revoked after death, and their descendants would be demoted to commoners.

Therefore, even though every noble in the Kingdom of Lucanir had many wives and children, the total number of nobles in the country still remained relatively constant.

Harrot understood this point. According to the "poverty doesn't last three generations" theory, if a family remained poor for three consecutive generations, they would no longer be able to reproduce. Commoners in this world couldn't have been entirely born from intermarriage among commoners; blood ties to nobles were more or less present.

However, according to The Bald Man, commoners absolutely had no possibility of awakening a bloodline. Harrot guessed that the transmission of this Heroic Bloodline was not as simple as ordinary genetic inheritance.

But Harrot still didn't understand why Marcus would go to open up new territory. He was the Old Marquis's son and had awakened his bloodline. Titles and land were all within his easy grasp, so there was no reason to take such a risk!

Facing Harrot's confusion, Marcus gave his answer: "Because my father doesn't favor me. He's more willing to pass the title and land to Sarik, and Sarik and I have a very bad relationship!"

"I'm unwilling to grovel before my father or Sarik to beg for land and wealth."

"I want to completely break away from my family, rely on my own efforts, obtain my own territory, and establish my own family!"

Harrot was shocked by Marcus's words. If Marcus were just an incompetent rich second-generation heir, he would have simply thought Marcus was an arrogant, pretentious idiot.

But Marcus was a hero who had participated in several battles against Orcs, a noble who had awakened his bloodline.

His achievements and strength were no less than Count Sarik's. He was a distinguished noble lord throughout the Kingdom of Lucanir.

Marcus understood how high the Old Marquis's status was and how great his power was, and he also understood that opening up new territories would be fraught with difficulties, not just a child's game of make-believe.

But he could still resolve to abandon everything to strive and fight, and his determination and will filled Harrot with genuine admiration.

Marcus continued, "Now is a rare opportunity!"

"The Sacred Mountain in the north of the continent has opened, and the Eastern and Western Orcs are fighting tooth and nail. The Western Orcs won't bother humans for a while!"

"Marquis Prague also fully activated his Heroic Bloodline and entered the legendary realm a few years ago. Now he has issued a proclamation, inviting all ambitious individuals to go east together to open up new territories!"

"With Marquis Prague leading the way, even the king cannot forcibly stop the progress of expansion!"

"Joining Marquis Prague's expeditionary force to the East now means honor, wealth, and territory can all be gained!"

Marcus excitedly stood up and said to Harrot with a serious and earnest expression, "Are you willing to become a Knight under my command and go east with me to achieve great things?"

"As long as you agree, I can grant you the position of Chief Knight, reward you with 1000 gold coins, 5 attendants, and three maids! And I will never treat you unfairly for any future merits you achieve!"

Harrot looked straight into Marcus's eyes, his mind racing, considering whether to accept Marcus's invitation.

What should my future be like? Should I strive and fight for my dream, or live a stable and ordinary life?

Harrot had a dream, a grand dream of not being ordinary, but pursuing dreams was too difficult and dangerous. He was more inclined to accept a stable and ordinary life.

But after being schemed against and fighting a life-or-death battle with an Ogre during the day, Harrot understood that a so-called stable and ordinary life was just self-deception.

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, how could one guarantee stability without status or power?

Offending a noble or encountering a natural disaster could lead to the ruin of one's family! The first half of the original Harrot's life was the best illustration of this!

"I want power, I want status, I want the ability to control my own life!" Harrot understood his choice after thinking it through.

"My Lord, I am willing to become your Knight and venture eastward with you to open up new territories!"

The nobles of the Kingdom of Lucanir have now largely carved up the kingdom's interests. As someone who isn't even a noble, no matter how hard he tried, it would be difficult to get ahead. Going east to cultivate new lands was his best opportunity!

Harrot looked directly into Marcus's eyes and gave his answer with conviction!

Marcus was very pleased with Harrot's answer and eagerly told Harrot the Knight's loyalty etiquette and oath, then began to bestow the Glory of the Knight.

Marcus placed one hand on Harrot's shoulder, signaling Harrot to kneel before him.

Harrot didn't fuss; he knelt down on one knee. Marcus had saved his life by giving him a sword earlier that day, and now he was accepting him as a Knight. It was only right for him to kneel.

Marcus said solemnly:

"I, Marcus Elvin, pledge in the name of my heroic ancestor, Elvin, that if you offer me your loyalty, I will grant you the land and wealth you deserve!"

"Now, I share the power of heroes with you. Are you willing to accept this power and become my Knight?"

Harrot looked up and loudly declared, "I am willing to accept your power and serve you! Your will is my direction! I swear by the Sun that I offer you my loyalty!"

Harrot didn't have any impressive ancestors, so he couldn't swear in their name. However, he had received the Sun's Blessing, so he could swear by the Sun.

In this world, the consequences of breaking an oath are severe. Nobles who swear in the name of their heroic ancestors, if they break their oath, will lose their bloodline and become commoners.

But Harrot's oath in the name of the Sun had an even more significant effect. Late at night, a beam of sunlight suddenly shone into their cabin, perfectly enveloping the two of them without any dispersion.

Harrot still found this phenomenon miraculous, but Marcus was accustomed to it. Nobles always had the divine power of the Sun envelop them when their bloodline awakened.

As both parties completed their vows, a bright flame flew out from Marcus's body and embedded itself in Harrot's chest. Harrot felt that all his physical attributes had improved, and he instinctively felt he could use some special abilities!

Marcus truly lived up to his reputation as a rebellious and unconventional noble. He had known Harrot for less than two days in total, and after only a dozen or so sentences, he had bestowed the Glory of the Knight upon him.

The power each noble could share was limited, and under the constraint of the oath, they couldn't arbitrarily revoke the shared power. Nobles were usually very cautious when bestowing knighthoods.

The One-Armed Man was purely exploited by Count Sarik. When Sarik suggested it, The One-Armed Man didn't hesitate to voluntarily return the bestowed power. If he hadn't agreed, Sarik truly wouldn't have been able to do anything to him.

Knights who had received the Glory were considered influential figures in the Kingdom of Lucanir, even holding a slightly higher status than nobles whose bloodlines hadn't awakened.

A knighting ceremony didn't necessarily have to be grand, but it should at least be held at a formal occasion and time, with some influential figures as witnesses! How could it be done secretly in a small cabin late at night?

It could be said that Marcus's actions were completely abnormal, something a normal person wouldn't do. Only a bumpkin like Harrot, with his limited experience, didn't find it strange.

Marcus nodded with great satisfaction and said, "From now on, you are my Knight. I will entrust you with tasks! You can also offer me any suggestions or needs you have."