Rose Empire

Chapter 21: The Blood Banquet (Part 3)

Do the Lanwan Knights truly exist?

No, they do not.

Here, there are only the Northern Knights and the Southern Knights.

The moment Charlotte drew a circle with her charcoal, Ed Adkins, who was among the Northern Knights, even heard a faint cheer.

Ed Adkins understood the mindset of the Northern Knights well though the new viscountess had not been particularly kind to them, they would feel a sense of satisfaction if she treated the Southern Knights even worse.

Moreover, Charlotte had only executed the "false knights" among the Northern Knights. Both morally and legally, as their liege, she had every right to do so. On the other hand, the Northern Knights, by concealing the truth and even aiding the "false knights," had violated the virtues of loyalty and honesty expected of knights, and thus deserved condemnation.

Charlotte's decision to relocate the Southern Knights' fiefs to the North, though it would occupy some Northern land, was met with approval by the Northern Knights, who were pleased to see the Southern Knights join them in their poverty.

Everyone knew that the South's prosperity was entirely due to its trade routes. In the past, the Southern Knights had always looked down on their Northern counterparts for being mere farmers who grew poorer with each passing year. Now, without the trade routes, wouldn't these Southern Knights also have to resort to farming?

Some young Northern Knights had even begun imagining how they would "greet" the Southern Knights in the future.

"Weren't you the ones who looked down on us farmers? How come you're farming now too?"

The thought alone brought them immense satisfaction.

Ed Adkins also secretly rejoiced at the Southern Knights' misfortune, but he thought more deeply than the younger knights. He pondered whether he should cooperate with Charlotte and help her deal a decisive blow to the Southern Knights.

This decision was crucial. Ed Adkins did not represent just himself; as a leader, his decision would reflect the collective resolve of the Northern Knights.

To help Charlotte completely crush the Southern Knights would mean the Northern Knights' full submission to the new viscountess.

But was this viscountess truly worthy of their allegiance?

The daughter of the Duke of Greenfield the title alone was impressive and carried significant weight.

However, Ed Adkins had witnessed the incompetence and greed of the former Viscount of Lanwan, Basilik, and now he had seen Charlotte's cunning and cruelty. This made him hesitate. Incompetence and greed were minor issues, but if cunning and cruelty were paired with greed, that would spell real trouble...

Yet, just as Ed Adkins was hesitating, something astonishing happened.

Eric Scamario and Costa Scamario stepped out from the Southern Knights' ranks, walked through Paul Martens' blood, and knelt in the center of the hall, facing Charlotte.

"We thank the viscountess for her mercy! To be granted fertile land for farming is a testament to your wisdom and kindness, and a blessing for us, your loyal subjects. My brother and I are both willing to relocate our fief," Eric said sincerely, kneeling on one knee with his right hand over his heart.

Ed Adkins inwardly cursed. He had underestimated the Southern Knights' wariness of the Northern Knights and the decisiveness of Eric, the young Southern Knight leader. Eric had beaten him to the punch in pledging allegiance to Charlotte!

He was getting old, too cautious, and lacked the decisiveness of the younger generation...

Costa's kneeling posture, however, was awkward. He had been forced to kneel by his brother, who kept his head pressed to the floor, not allowing him to look up.

As his forehead touched the still-warm blood on the floor, Costa felt as if he could hear the wailing soul of his uncle Paul, who had died so tragically.

Suddenly, Costa began to sob. He couldn't explain why he was crying was it pain, anger, fear, or something else? He was still young, having only recently become a knight, and had never truly been on a battlefield. This was the first time he had witnessed so much death, and most of the dead were people he had once known well.

Costa's emotions had spiraled out of control, and he was now openly weeping. Charlotte, however, paid him little attention, instead asking Eric, "May I know your name, Sir Knight?"

"I am Eric Scamario, and this is my cousin, Costa Scamario," Eric replied.

The Scamario name was one Charlotte had already heard of. The Scamario family's influence in Lanwan was significant enough that even Basilik had mentioned them, and Father Fado had brought them up again. As the Southern leader, Eric was naturally one of Father Fado's most despised figures. In the priest's words, Eric was one of the "Three Plagues of Lanwan," alongside vipers and mosquitoes.

"I am glad you understand my intentions," Charlotte said, performing a curtsy. Her smile faded, replaced by a more solemn expression.

This time, Eric's kneeling was no longer the perfunctory and wary gesture from the beginning of the banquet.

This time, Charlotte's curtsy was no longer a gesture of false courtesy and probing.

I submit to you.

I gladly accept your submission.

Though neither side may have been entirely unreserved, Charlotte's first step toward integrating with her new territory had finally begun.

The first knight's fief had only four knights. With Paul Martens dead and the Scamario brothers agreeing to the relocation, the remaining knight's silence made the move a foregone conclusion.

But Charlotte did not intend to stop at relocating just one fief. She next marked a cross on a second Southern fief and drew a circle in a relatively flat, arable area in the North.

"How about this relocation?" Charlotte asked.

This time, there was no second Paul Martens to oppose her.

"Your will be done," an elderly knight named Christopher said, stepping forward to represent the fief. He did not oppose the relocation but hoped to be closer to a water source.

Indeed, while the Southern Knights might not have fully understood Eric's sudden change of heart, years of trust in his leadership led them to follow his lead.

With elders like Christopher accepting the relocation, the resistance from the Southern Knights diminished further.

However, Charlotte encountered a minor issue when it came to relocating the third fief. She was unsure where to draw the circle. Her knowledge of the viscountcy's actual conditions was still limited, and she lacked a clear understanding of which areas were suitable for farming and which were not. Moreover, the Lanwan Viscounty was not a large territory, and arable land was limited. Relocating the Southern fiefs to the North was no easy task.

"The western side of Lilybell Mountain could accommodate a fief, my lady," a deep male voice suggested.

Charlotte turned to see a man standing among the Northern Knights. He introduced himself, "I am Ed Adkins."

Charlotte nodded slightly. "Do you have any advice for me, Sir Adkins?"

"I wouldn't presume to advise, but I do know that the western side of Lilybell Mountain has a large tract of unclaimed land. Though the terrain is slightly sloped, it is still suitable for farming. There is also a mountain stream for irrigation," Ed Adkins said, placing his right hand over his heart and bowing.

Charlotte located Lilybell Mountain on the map. It was a small hill at the end of the Kempay Mountains, and while the terrain was not particularly rugged, the slope seemed to lie just outside the Lanwan Viscounty's borders.

Charlotte voiced her concern.

Ed Adkins explained in detail.

It turned out that Lilybell Mountain was, in principle, part of the Lanwan Viscounty. However, during a period roughly coinciding with the time when the Orlan Empire was driven back to its capital, Whitegold City, by the Edessan Empire, the mountain had been frequented by tribal people. These tribesmen were like flies when faced with a heavy military presence, they would retreat into the Kempay Mountains, only to return once the troops withdrew. As a result, the then Viscount of Lanwan, Basilik's father, had decided to redraw the border, effectively abandoning Lilybell Mountain and its surrounding areas.

Later, as the war between the Orlan and Edessan Empires concluded and the Orlan Empire regained its strength and order, the tribal people no longer dared to openly occupy areas outside the Kempay Mountains. The frequent sightings of tribesmen around Lilybell Mountain ceased, likely because they had migrated elsewhere.

However, by then, the Viscount of Lanwan had become the indifferent Basilik, and Lilybell Mountain was never formally reclaimed.

What Ed Adkins did not mention was that the area around Lilybell Mountain was not truly unclaimed. In fact, it had been cultivated by some Northern Knights for nearly two decades. But that, apparently, was not important.

Ed Adkins' words seemed to awaken the Northern Knights, who had been mere spectators until now. They began offering suggestions for Charlotte's relocation plans, pointing out areas that appeared to be knightly fiefs but were actually ownerless due to extinct lineages, places that seemed to have water sources but lacked sufficient flow for irrigation, and rocky areas that could be transformed into fertile fields with some effort. These were details not reflected on the map, but the knights knew them well.

Soon, some Southern Knights also joined the discussion, as if they too wished to be relocated to better lands.

The true spectator, Father Fado, watched in astonishment. Just moments ago, silence, slaughter, curses, and wails had dominated the scene. Yet now, the Southerners, Northerners, and the viscountess had come together, harmoniously discussing a common topic at least on the surface.

The blood had not yet been cleaned, and the bodies remained where they had fallen, but this did not hinder the living from making choices that best served their interests, whether they wore leather armor or silk robes.

For some reason, Father Fado was reminded of a farcical masquerade he had seen in Whitegold City as a teenager so absurd, yet so real.

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