Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 2 The Sun Will Always Rise
The poisoned broth was served in a wooden bowl, emitting an enticing aroma.

Louis took the soup from the knight, slowly raised it to his lips, but suddenly stopped, turned around and handed the bowl to Roy.

"I have no appetite, you drink it for me."

Roy's face stiffened, and he forced a smile, "Sir, this is against the rules. Please use it first."

“I command you, drink it.” Louis’s tone suddenly turned serious.

Roy's lips were slightly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He knew very well what was in that bowl of soup; if he drank it, he would surely die.

Captain Lambert also noticed the anomaly and gave a signal to the surrounding knights. They immediately stood up and surrounded Roy.

“Drink it,” Lambert said in a deep voice.

The scalding hot broth was forced to his lips.

Seeing that he could no longer get away with it, Roy suddenly turned over and tried to escape, but was held down firmly.

The other knights then truly realized that the soup was poisoned!

Louis stood up and looked down at Roy, who was pinned to the ground: "You know the consequences of plotting against the lord, right?"

Roy's eyes were filled with fear; he knew the consequences, of course.

"Who ordered you to poison me?" Louis's voice was calm and unhurried.

Roy answered in a trembling voice, "It was... it was Lord Selton who ordered me to administer the poison."

Selton was the second son of the Duke of Calvin and the older brother of Louis.

The knights' eyes all turned to Louis.

They were all knights of the Calvin family and were well aware of the power struggles between the brothers.

But even before the lord had a firm foothold, he was stabbed in the back by his own family, which was still chilling.

Roy continued haltingly, "He promised... if I poison you, he'll let me go back to the south and give me a new position, at least a captain of the knights..."

Upon hearing this, the knights surrounding him looked even more displeased.

Louis chuckled softly.

If he wasn't mistaken, his brother was trying to eliminate any future competitors for the title.

The Calvin family's ducal succession system is not based on primogeniture, but on the strongest son inheriting the throne.

No matter how useless Louis may be now, as long as he is alive, he is still of Duke Calvin's blood and still has the right to inherit the throne.

Moreover, if he dies on the way to the North, the family will surely send another brother to take over the mission to the North.

In other words, Selton can not only eliminate a competitor, but also continue to weaken his other brothers in the family, killing two birds with one stone. What a clever plan.

Roy still had a sliver of hope. He looked at Louis pleadingly and said, "My lord, I... I was forced!"

"I am but a knight, and Lord Selton commanded me; I dare not disobey… Please spare my life, and I will serve you faithfully!"

“Lambert,” Louis said calmly.

"Yes." The knight captain stepped forward and drew his longsword.

Roy panicked completely and struggled desperately: "My lord! Spare me! I'll never..."

"Pfft!"

A flash of silver light, and blood splattered on the snow.

Roy's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt as his head rolled to the ground, his eyes wide open in death.

Lambert sheathed his sword and said calmly, "The traitor has been brought to justice."

But the atmosphere in the camp was somewhat subtle.

The knights watching remained silent, a complex emotion flickering in their eyes.

Roy betrayed his lord and deserved to die; this is an indisputable fact.

But was his behavior really just driven by greed?
He wanted to go back to the south; he didn't want to be trapped and die in this cold wasteland.

And what about them? Aren't they the same? Everyone knows what it means to go to the North to expand territory.

This is a place of exile, a territory with the highest mortality rate.

No one came voluntarily, and no one didn't want to go back.

At that moment, no one dared to look at the head that had rolled to the ground, afraid of seeing their own face through the severed head.

Confusion and helplessness washed over me like a tide.

Under the cover of darkness, the campfire burned, clearly reflecting the emotions in their eyes.

Louis saw this and stepped forward: "Those who want to go back can leave now."

Everyone was startled and looked up at him.

“I will personally write to your families to clear your names.” Louis paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces. “But after today, anyone who leaves will suffer the same fate as Roy.”

No one spoke, and no one dared to move.

They weren't stupid. Even with the letter from Louis, the family might not forgive them for deserting their posts. What awaited them was probably an even more severe punishment.

Staying in the North might be a dead end, but going back doesn't guarantee survival either.

Louis looked at the silent knights and suddenly chuckled.

He dropped his previous murderous aura, and his voice became calm: "You all think that coming to the Northern Border is suicide."

You all know why you were sent here. It's because you have no powerful backing within your families, so you can be treated like trash and discarded at will.

Louis paused, then his tone suddenly became firm and forceful: "But I don't think so! You're not trash!"
You become trainee knights, or even full knights, through talent, hard work, and countless real battles!

And those guys who sent you here? They're nothing but a bunch of parasites hiding in their castles, eating, drinking, and having fun!

He slowly scanned the crowd, and at that moment, a hint of wavering appeared in the eyes of each of them.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that we could survive in this frozen land? What if we could establish ourselves here?"
Perhaps the darkness before dawn will be long.

But the sun will always rise!

I don't know if we can both live to see that moment, but I swear by the Dragon Ancestor—

If that day comes, I will share with you all the glory brought by the sun!

Louis slowly scanned the crowd, and a hint of hesitation appeared in the eyes of each person.

"To the Calvin family, you are insignificant, pawns that can be sacrificed at any time."

But in this land brimming with opportunities, anything is possible.

One of you here may one day become a baron, viscount, or even an earl!

Of course, you can continue to wallow in the arrangements of fate, continue to lament yourselves all day long, and regard yourselves as people who are half-buried in the ground;

Or join me on this abandoned land, and firmly grasp the future in our own hands.

silence.

Dead silence.

The night wind howled, and the campfire flickered slightly, illuminating the complex faces on each person's face.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled thud broke the silence of the night.

Cavaliers captain Lambert knelt on one knee and slammed his right fist into his chest!

"I swear to follow you to the death, my lord!"

Then, the second person, the third person, the fourth person...

"I swear to follow you to the death, my lord!"

"I swear to follow you to the death, my lord!"

……

One by one, the knights knelt down, slamming their right fists into their hearts.

(End of this chapter)