Lord: I can see loyalty.

The members of the Kingsoft Knights family immediately erupted in chaos.

"What do you mean?!" A middle-aged man in fine clothes rushed forward, his face flushed, pointing at the wandering knight Stern's nose. "What do you mean, you bastard? Ander has clearly already admitted defeat!"

He was followed by seven or eight knights and squires, each holding a sword hilt, but it was obvious to everyone that their legs were trembling.

Stern tilted his head, his longsword still pointing diagonally at the ground, his tone tinged with impatience.

"His own skill level is inferior, what does that have to do with me?"

"you--!"

The middle-aged man was so angry that he was trembling all over, and his finger pointing at Stern was shaking.

He whirled around and yelled at the servants behind him, "What are you all standing there for! Surround him!"

The servants exchanged glances, then steeled themselves and stepped forward to surround Stern.

However, their stance was loose, and their swords were not held steadily; it was obvious to anyone with eyes that this was just for show.

With a monthly reward of ten or so silver coins, who would really risk their life for that?

Stern clicked his tongue.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble," he muttered to himself, "but he had to be so quick-witted."

He slowly raised his sword, assuming a fighting stance, and his once nonchalant eyes sharpened again, revealing no ambiguity.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The spectators in the stands held their breath; something big was about to happen!

Just then, a loud shout came from the aisle of the audience, the voice deep and resonant.

"stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A small group of figures were walking quickly down the steps, heading straight for the duel sand.

Leading the group was a burly middle-aged knight, clad in a dark blue battle robe with no markings on his breastplate.

He was followed by five fully armed knights, their steps synchronized and their armor clanging.

"It's the main family! The main family of the dueling arena has arrived!" The referee shouted as if he had grasped a lifeline.

The knights charged to the center of the sandy area and instantly surrounded the Jinshan family's servants.

"Dare to cause trouble on our turf?" The leading knight's sharp gaze swept over the group of servants. "Are you tired of living?"

The servants turned pale and almost instantly dropped their weapons. They were only there to make a show of things and didn't want to actually lose their lives.

The encirclement collapsed instantly.

The middle-aged man from the Golden Mountain Knights family turned pale and then flushed, but he still stubbornly insisted, "You, you can't do this! That vagrant killed one of our family's knights! The Golden Mountain Knights have already surrendered, he..."

"Shut up."

The leading knight interrupted him coldly, glaring at him with undisguised contempt, as if looking at a barking wild dog.

The middle-aged man's voice caught in his throat, but the anger in his eyes burned even brighter.

The leading knight ignored him and turned to the wandering knight Stern, looking him up and down before finally speaking.

"What's your name?"

"Stern." The wandering knight sheathed his sword, still with that nonchalant demeanor.

The lead knight's gaze swept over his old but undamaged armor, and he asked, "Which family are you from?"

Stern was silent for a moment.

"My father was a knight personally appointed by the late king." His voice was flat, as if he were talking about something insignificant. "Later... our family fell into decline."

He didn't go on.

The Silver Eagle Knight didn't press the matter. In this capital city, he had seen countless stories behind the phrase "family decline."

"And now?"

"The Wandering Knight." Stern shrugged.

The meaning of this word is complex. In some countries, it is called "wandering knight," while others simply do not bother to call such people knights.

The vast majority of them were indeed impoverished families whose fortunes had declined.

However, a small number of young knights who genuinely wanted to hone their skills and voluntarily left the protection of their families were also called "wandering knights" or "roaming knights."

The lead knight stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Not bad," he said. "Since you've won this duel, the spot in the Knights' Gala is yours."

A murmur arose from the audience.

The Jinshan family was once again in complete uproar.

"What?!" The middle-aged man rushed forward again, his voice shrill and almost cracking, "What right do you have! We, the Golden Mountain Knights, clearly..."

"What? He clearly didn't fully state his surrender? It was clearly his own fault?" The lead knight turned around, his gaze icy. "He clearly didn't say the complete words of surrender? It was clearly his own problem?"

The middle-aged man's face turned a deep liver color.

"We...we are still members of the Golden Saddle Horse family!" His voice trembled, but he still tried to hold on. "That's right, you're just a party organizer. Do you really think you're some kind of big family? The big families who come to this party are only here for the opportunity, not to give you face!"

The lead knight didn't speak; he simply strode slowly towards the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's imposing manner instantly deflated, and he subconsciously took a step back, then another.

The lead knight walked up to him, leaned down slightly, and whispered a few words, his lips almost touching his ear.

No one could hear what he said, but the middle-aged man's expression changed.

Extremely pale.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

The lead knight straightened up and looked at him coldly.

The middle-aged man had no choice but to turn around and walk into the passage without looking back. The servants were stunned for a moment, then quickly followed him.

"Wait!" Another member of the Jinshan family chased after them. "What happened? What did he say?"

The middle-aged man did not answer, but quickened his pace, almost as if he were fleeing in panic.

The group of people slunk away at the end of the passage.

The audience was abuzz with discussion, all speculating about what the leading knight had said.

Inside the VIP box, Vance and his two companions looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This..." Vance began, but found himself at a loss for words.

Sir Leeson's gaze fell on the figure slowly walking out of the center of the sand, his expression complex.

"That Stern..." he said softly, "We'll have to keep an eye on him at the party, be careful."

Vance nodded.

He had the same feeling; this wandering knight's swordsmanship was unpredictable, his attacks ruthless, and... his last words.

"My father is a knight of the kingdom."

There was pride in his voice, but also resentment.

Such a person with an extremely strong obsession will either become the best ally or the most terrifying enemy.

The group left the arena in silence.

Over the next few days, Sir Leeson, along with Vance and the other two, continued to move around the capital, visiting several people and gathering information.

They only gleaned a few scattered pieces of information about the wandering knight Stern. His father had indeed been a knight of the late king, but later, during a civil war, he chose the wrong side, and his family fell into ruin overnight.

When Stern was young, he ran away from home and wandered for many years. No one knew where he went or what he studied.

As for what the leading knight said to the Gold Mountain Knights family that day, that remains unknown.

Days passed by, and finally, the day of the Knights' Party arrived.

As evening fell, the setting sun bathed the capital in a golden-red hue.

Vance changed into his most presentable clothes and stood at the entrance of Sir Leeson’s mansion, with two fraternity members following behind him, equally dressed.

They looked no different from nobles.

Sir Leeson also came out.

He was wearing a dark blue tuxedo tonight, with the silver brooch at his collar and the rapier at his waist.

He looked more upright than usual, yet still retained that refined and elegant air.

"Ready?" he asked.

Vance took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's go."

The Knights' Party has finally begun.