Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Who the hell is your comrade-in-arms or brother? Do you think you can use that as an excuse to extort money?

Brechester inwardly scoffed, but his face grew serious as he respectfully nodded, signaling Grand Duke Baikal to speak plainly.

Baikal cleared his throat and said:

"In this special military operation, in addition to you, we also have a special operations team."

Brechester was stunned: "Other army groups were involved in this operation?!"

Baikal shook his head meaningfully: "No, it's not an army group. This special task force is just a small unit and won't be under your command. They have their own special missions, so you don't need to worry about them. If nothing unexpected happens, they won't affect any of your deployments, and may even help you reduce any trouble or resistance you might encounter. As for why I specifically reminded you of this, there's no other reason than we think you should know."

I don't believe you for a second; you're a wicked old man.

Brechester had no idea what the arrogant man in front of him was up to, but Baikal's words certainly provoked him.

Besides him, another mysterious person sent out his troops, which were not a large army force, but private soldiers.

In Ursus, it is a capital offense for nobles to privately raise armies. Especially after the great rebellion, in order to stabilize order and maintain imperial power, any nobleman found to have raised a private army, regardless of rank, would be stripped of his title, imprisoned, and await execution. This was a death order issued by the emperor.

But now, Baikal clearly told himself that a nobleman disregarded the emperor's orders and raised a private army to participate in this war, which only made Brechester feel annoyed.

In the past, he would have reported this immediately. But now, he has missed his chance.

I can't exactly tell His Majesty that I'm about to send my army on a solo march, only to discover that some nobles have been recruiting soldiers and committing crimes along the way, can I?

Regardless of whether he had any evidence or could convince the emperor, the difference between the charge of the army marching alone and the charge of recruiting soldiers from the nobility was self-evident. Both were capital offenses for rebellion, and neither should yield to the other.

After a long silence, Brechester could only stare at Grand Duke Baikal and slowly nod: "I understand. So be it."

Volume 1: Chapter 148 Goodness, who are you calling a sneaky bastard?

"Please don't talk nonsense, sir. Even if you are a member of the Linguang family, it is unforgivable for you to talk nonsense in the Knights."

Marna looked at the portly commander of the Conqueror Knights, a flash of anger crossing his face, which he quickly concealed.

His composure was truly remarkable. Although the man before him bore heavy responsibilities for the nation, yet disregarded his crucial duty to defend the border and ignored him, who had come to deliver vital military intelligence, Marna remained unperturbed. He knew that anger would be futile. Even if he were to lash out in a fit of rage, he would only gain the insignificant life of a parasite on the nation. If he were such a reckless person, the position of knight commander wouldn't even be in his hands; the Grand Knight Commander would have already been slaughtered.

He never even considered whether he could defeat an entire knightly order by himself.

Don't ask, the answer is—Peerless! Taking down an entire army!

"Alright, since you have nothing else to say, please leave."

The knight commander casually tossed out a remark, ignoring Marnner's reaction, and turned to leave quickly. As he walked, he muttered complaints about Marnner to his adjutant.

"What a nuisance. Just because he's from the Rinko family, he insists on meeting me. I thought the Supervisory Council was finally going to transfer me back to the city, but it turns out he's just here to cause trouble. Next time you encounter someone like this, just send him away, understand?"

The adjutant also turned around and gave Marna a disdainful look, then nodded obediently: "Yes, sir."

Marna watched the knight commander leave in silence, her numb heart unmoved.

While browsing newspapers with Russell in the Grand Knights' territory, he learned from Russell about the situation of the various war knight orders. There were quite a few corrupt and decadent individuals, and countless others who held positions without contributing anything. Although the conservatives in the Supervisory Council insisted that this was due to the allure and corruption of the Commercial Federation's capitalist power, Russell privately told him that fewer and fewer people were willing to join the army to serve their country, and the cities were developing too rapidly. Even if the Commercial Federation did nothing, in another ten years or so, these war knights would spontaneously begin to corrupt themselves.

But hearsay is never as good as seeing it with your own eyes. Watching the figure disappear into the camp, Marna could only shake his head helplessly and think of other ways.

However, just as he was about to leave the camp, a figure rushed over from a short distance away and blocked his way.

The newcomer was dressed in the standard armor of a war knight, and judging from his medals, he was the captain of a war knight order. He quickly stepped in front of Marner, lifted his steel mask to reveal a young face beneath, and looked at Marner with obvious delight.

"It really is you! I heard from the messenger that a blond-haired Lightbringer had joined Johnson's Knights, so I guessed it might be you, Marner. It's been a long time!"

As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and then introduced himself with an embarrassed smile:

“It’s been almost ten years since we last met, haven’t we? You’ve probably forgotten me already? I’m Chesper, remember me? The Chesper who charged alongside you back then.”

Marner nodded. "Of course I remember. I've never forgotten."

He sized up the man before him, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"You're already the commander of the Knights?"

"You're right to say that. After all, we were once people who worked alongside you," he said modestly. "However, to my shame, I only command an ordinary knightly order, not a Silver Spear Pegasus like your brother. And I probably won't be promoted any further."

As he spoke, a genuine look of shame appeared on his face.

Marna felt a pang of regret, but nodded expressionlessly.

He knew Chesper was telling the truth. His elder brother, Snitz Nearl, after becoming a War Knight, was once considered the most dazzling star of the new generation in Kazimierz, with limitless potential. His starting point was commanding the most prestigious Silver Lance Pegasus Knights of Kazimierz. An ordinary War Knight, without a powerful backer in the Supervisory Council and unwilling to join the Merchant Guild, could probably only climb to the level of commanding a small knightly order. Not everyone was Nearl.

Society may appear to have modernized, but the despairing belief in bloodline has never truly left this land.

But Chesper seemed completely unaffected; he remained enthusiastic, and perhaps sensing that Marner had been rebuffed by Johnson's Knights, he spoke up:

"Is there anything you need from the Knights of Conquest? If you don't mind, you can come and sit in my camp. Although my knights are just ordinary people, I'm sure they won't disappoint you."

Marner looked at Chesper, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he nodded and agreed.

"Thank you."

After saying that, he looked at Chesper, who had turned around to lead the way, and added:

“Chesper. I have never forgotten you. In fact, in my memory, we should be friends. You don’t need to speak to me like that.”

It's like a subordinate treating a superior, or a child treating an elder. Although it sounds respectful, it unconsciously creates a distance between the two.

In Marner's memory, Chesper was not that kind of person.

"If you're angry because I didn't speak up for your loved one, I can tell you clearly that in that situation, I couldn't speak up, and even if I had, it wouldn't have made any difference."

"But you have to try things out first, and you are Nearl!"

Chesper's clenched teeth were barely audible, even to Marner. His gloomy expression flashed by, then brightened again in an instant.

"It's alright, I'm not angry with you, and besides, you didn't come here for this, did you?"

Without changing the form of address or honorifics, Marna watched his retreating figure, a fleeting sadness on her face.

But he quickened his pace and caught up with Chesper. Even if there was a misunderstanding, now was not the time to clarify it; he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Chesper, the Ursus people may launch a surprise attack on the border soon. Can your knights be mobilized?"

"Without the permission of the Supervisory Council and the National Assembly, the Knights of Conquest cannot leave their stationed area."

"The forest rangers have been attacked, and my...friends are assisting them right now. I've relayed the intelligence back to the Grand Knight Commander; he should have received the news by now. But the enemy won't wait for us to make a slow decision before launching an attack. War could break out at any moment. I need..."

“No need to say anything more, I will go back and gather the Knights.” Chesper interrupted Marna, stopped and turned to look at Marna, his eyes flashing with a strange light. “Of course I will help my friend unconditionally, especially since this matter concerns our life and death, and the survival of our country.”

Marna's expression froze.

Good grief, you're making a veiled attack on me.

Volume 1: Summarizing the plot, will update tomorrow.

The groundwork is basically done, and we're about to enter a major part of the plot. Let me briefly organize my thoughts and the storyline.

The forces involved in the first conflict are: Ursus Third Army and Black Serpent Special Forces.

Our side: Roy, the Forest Guardian, Chesper's Knights of the War, and Marna.

The Supervisory Council and the Business Federation represent the second wave of the offensive.

It involves the grudges of many people, including the Black Serpent and the mole among the forest rangers. Balancing humor and coolness, it is a relatively difficult climax to write.

So I'll organize this and update tomorrow!

Volume 1: Chapter 149 Whether difficult or not, one must persevere.

"Hey, this is really strange. Usually, no one comes to this godforsaken place for half a year, but how come people have been looking for me every day for the past two days?"

Johnson was muttering curses under his breath, and his gaze towards his adjutant held a hint of hostility.

"Besides, didn't I tell you? If there are any more rumors like this about the Ursus people attacking, that's undermining morale. Just send them away without reporting to me. You can't even handle such a small matter. What are you good for?"

The adjutant also looked somewhat embarrassed. He certainly remembered his superior Johnson's orders, but he couldn't afford to offend the newcomer's identity. After weighing the options, he decided it was better to offend Johnson first.

“Sir, of course I remember your orders, but I suggest you go and see him.”

"No, this is such a hassle, no way!" Johnson waved his hand impatiently. Who was he? Though he wasn't exactly high-ranking or low-ranking, he was still the captain of a war knightly order. Last time, he met with that Nearl only because of the military and the Supervisory Council. Who knew what he was being asked to meet this time? What had he become? Someone else's underling?

"Really not going to see him?" the adjutant confirmed.

"No, I'm not seeing you! I mean no!" Johnson turned around abruptly.

The adjutant shrugged. "Alright then. I guess I'll have to send this newly crowned Grand Tournament champion, the Radiant Knight's childhood sweetheart, and the legend of Kazimierz himself, back home. But I don't think it's a bad thing. After all, it won't be long before your legend spreads throughout the Grand Knights' Territory—even the most legendary knight of Kazimierz couldn't overcome your unyielding heart... Hey, sir, where are you going?"

The adjutant sidestepped, dodging Commander Johnson who charged out the door at the speed of a knight's charge. The sound was still chasing after him when Johnson and his men had already disappeared into the camp.

Johnson was practically grinding his teeth to powder. It was true, you have to choose your closest confidants when it comes to choosing your side. He'd believed that whole "meritocracy" nonsense, and now he was in this mess. If he'd agreed to let his cousin be the adjutant earlier, given that kid's snobbishness, the Knights of Heng wouldn't have been left waiting in the cold wind at the door; they'd probably have had a couple of cups of tea by now.

And now this adjutant not only lacks any sense of perception, but also keeps playing cryptic games with him, almost ruining his important plans!

If he had been told earlier that the person waiting at the door was the Knight Heng, Johnson wouldn't have dared to act so arrogantly. As a nobody with no status, no background, no bloodline, and no powerful connections, he had long since given up on the idea of ​​currying favor with the old nobles of the Supervisory Council. His only chance to rise out of this impoverished border region was to rely on the powerful Merchants' Association. And what was the Knight Heng? He was the darling of the Merchants' Association! The newly crowned knight champion! Johnson dared not comment on his strength, but he was certain of his influence—he had plenty of ways to crush a mere knight commander like Johnson.

This is no exaggeration. Who doesn't have a pure heart when they're young? If he hadn't witnessed firsthand how the Grand Master of the Conquering Knights, who refused to accept bribes from the Business Federation, was taken away by the National Assembly for investigation on charges of corruption the following month, he might have been able to maintain his original aspirations.

Incidentally, the man taken away for investigation was the former Grand Master of the knightly order he now commands—in other words, his former superior. If he hadn't left, Johnson wouldn't have been able to take this position.

With all the past experiences too painful to recall, Johnson spent over a decade navigating the frontier and learned this lesson: ordinary people can't get involved in factional disputes; if they want to get involved, they have to be on the right side.

When the old commander was taken away, the Oversight Council didn't say a word. Putting himself in their shoes, Johnson naturally trusted the Business Federation even more. Having finally found an opportunity to deal with the Business Federation's rising stars, he naturally cherished it all the more!

Johnson rushed to the camp gate and spotted the blue figure in the distance. As he ran, he took off his cloak and, as soon as he reached Roy, made a gesture as if to drape the cloak over Roy's shoulders.

"Sir Heng, we've kept you waiting. My men are so inconsiderate; it's freezing cold, they didn't even think to invite you in and have a seat. Are you warm?"

Roy was also taken aback, noticing the way Johnson was looking at him—a look that was closer than that of a family member, more loving than that of a lover. He immediately got goosebumps, quickly looked away, and waved his hand dismissively.

"No, no, I'm not cold. Commander Johnson, please put on your own coat."