Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 187 Marriage
Viscount Wilk slammed the secret report onto the oak table, shaking the candlelight. "I don't know if Ray Barton is crazy, but I'm sure the nobles in the Central Province are all crazy. You have no idea of ​​the predicament they're in."

His bloodshot eyes swept over Robin, his Adam's apple rolling violently, "Those pampered gentlemen can't even support the tenants on their own fiefdoms now!"

Feng Ling waved her wand, and a shimmering map appeared in the air. The boundaries of the central provinces were outlined in scarlet runes. "The imperial census shows that the four central provinces are home to 50% of the nation's population." Her fingertips traced over the densely packed insignia of the nobility. "And land annexation has reduced half of the baronies to mere nominal titles. The newly appointed Earl Edmund's territory is less than a third of our Viscount's."

"Even more ridiculous is the system of ennobling!" The Viscount grabbed a bronze magnifying glass and smashed it against the map, the handle cracking a baron's insignia. "Nine of the twelve newly ennobled barons last year didn't even own half an acre of land! Those so-called 'honorary nobles' can only make a living by working as servants for the royal family in the imperial city!"

Robin stroked the dragon scale pattern on the Dragon Slayer Spear, and the gilded runes grew slightly hot as he moved. "So, Ray Barton just had to throw out the bait of 'westward expansion'."

Viscount Wilk's fingers gripped the carved armrests tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. His cloudy eyes were bloodshot. "The nobles of the entire Central Province will respond madly." He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, his voice hoarse as sandpaper. "Alan, if the situation becomes too dire, you will take the wealth your family has accumulated over the years and leave here. Escape to a place where no one knows you."

The night wind blew the dead leaves outside the window against the window frame, and the candlelight cast a swaying shadow on his face. At this moment, he was no longer the viscount who was strategizing, but just a father full of worries.

Robin took a sharp step forward, his armor clinking with a resounding sound. He knelt on one knee, his eyes fixed as he looked up. "Father, I will not abandon you and Mother. We must go together." His voice was powerful and undeniably resolute. "From the moment I picked up the Dragon Slayer, I was ready to protect everything."

Feng Ling leaned against the door, her wand tapping the ground unconsciously, and the faint light of runes flowed around her.

She looked at Robin's straight back, his eyes that were shining with a strange light narrowed slightly, and his heartbeat became clearer in the silent room.

Thinking of him fighting bravely on the battlefield and his focused expression when he was wiping his weapon, a strange warmth welled up in my heart.

When Robin turned his head and looked at her, she hurriedly looked away, but the runes on her wand suddenly became brighter due to her fluctuating emotions, making the tips of her ears red.

Viscount Wilk looked at his son, his eyes flashing with relief and heartache. He stretched out his trembling hand, wanting to touch Robin's face, but dropped it weakly halfway: "Silly child, this is not something you can bear alone."

Robin slammed his Dragon Slayer Spear into the ground, sparks flying from the spear tip illuminating his resolute face. "The Knights' Guild and the Bauhinia Organization won't sit idly by. We're not powerless." He strode over to the wall where a map of the empire's territory was hung, his fingertips tracing the border between the central and western regions. "These two major forces have been operating in the western region for years. If the royal family gets involved, their interests will be damaged."

Wind Chime tapped his wand, and densely packed magic symbols appeared on the map. Purple dots represented the Bauhinia Organization, while silver stars represented the strongholds of the Knights Guild. "According to the latest intelligence, the Knights Guild has secretly assembled its elite forces at the border, while the Bauhinia Organization's assassination squad has already infiltrated the territories of the central nobles."

Her voice was filled with a subtle excitement, runes swirling around her. "Madam Aisha has sent word. As long as we can hold out against the first wave of attacks, the two major forces will surely intervene."

Viscount Wilk stroked his beard, a glint of hope in his eyes. "Not to mention that the Southern and Eastern Territories will also launch attacks on the four central provinces." He picked up his cane and tapped the Southern Territory on the map. "The Grand Duke of the Southern Territory has long coveted the Imperial City, and the nobles of the Eastern Territory are even more envious of the rich lands of the Central Territory. No matter how crazy Ray Barton is, he won't abandon the four central provinces and launch a full-scale attack on the Western Territory."

Robin turned to look at his father, a sneer on his face: "Lebaton thought that he could easily take over the Western Territory by using the nobles of the Central Region as pawns? He forgot that the entire empire has long been a mess." He clenched his fists, "As long as we hold on, when the various forces check and balance each other, it will be our time to strike back." Feng Ling's eyes flashed with a strange brilliance. Seeing Robin's high-spirited appearance, her heart throbbed even more. She waved her wand lightly and cast a soundproof barrier around the room: "I have contacted the contact of the Bauhinia Organization. They are willing to provide a batch of magic arrows and healing potions." She paused, staring at Robin with a burning gaze, "But in exchange..."

"No matter what the conditions, I agree." Robin's voice was filled with the fierceness tempered on the battlefield, and the Dragon Slaying Spear left a deep red fingerprint on his palm.

Feng Ling looked at the young man's fighting spirit that had not been extinguished even after being bathed in blood, and the runes on his wand suddenly flickered violently.

This scorching edge caused her heart to beat irregularly more than any magic spell.

Viscount Wilke slammed his silver wine glass against the table, splashing the spread-out strategic map. "What are the conditions?"

The old nobleman's pupils shrank slightly under the candlelight, and he keenly caught Feng Ling's tightly grasped skirt and trembling wand.

"Ai, Allen must marry Lady Eshar." Feng Ling's hair fell to cover her flushed cheeks. "Lady Eshar controls half of the magic workshops in the Western Territory. Only marriage can ensure this."

"Ridiculous!" Viscount Wilk's roar shook the dust off the beams. His old hand pressed tightly against the hilt of his sword. "Eshar is a notorious 'slut'! Her engagement is clearly..."

The furious Viscount Wilk even called Robin a slut, which shows that Robin's status in his mind far exceeds his title.

"I promise."

Robin's voice hit the silence like a hammer. "The West needs a united front, and I need her magical weapons."

The young man continued to wipe the Dragon Slaying Spear, but in the shadows where no one could see, his knuckles turned white from the effort.

Feng Ling suddenly looked up. She looked at Robin's calm profile and suddenly remembered how he stood alone on the battlefield to protect civilians. It turned out that this passion had never belonged to anyone.

The night wind brought the sound of war drums from outside the window into the room. Viscount Wilk stared at his son's stubborn back and finally fell heavily into the chair.

(End of this chapter)