Lord: I can see loyalty.

The Kingdom of Rovia, in the North.

This occurred a week after Cedric killed his father and officially proclaimed himself King in the North.

A large number of small and medium-sized families, as well as wealthy merchants and commoners, have already fled the capital city, which outsiders call the "death capital".

And just as the great knight Alec had predicted.

After most of the people evacuated the capital, the first wave of attacks by the Golden Griffin family quickly began.

Groups of militiamen, clad in leather armor or old knight's armor and wielding various longswords and spears, rushed toward the outer city of the capital under the cover of several rows of archers.

Although it was only a probing attack, it proved that the Golden Griffin family's strategy was correct.

After a large number of people left the capital, the army remaining in the capital numbered less than 10,000.

Of these, knights made up half, and of those half, half came from knightly families that remained, while the other half were knightly orders personally led by the king.

With this massive militia assault, the capital is one step closer to complete collapse...

……

In the old city of the capital, in the noble woodlands, on the corridor of Sir Leeson's mansion.

Killian Leeson was leaning against a stone pillar, his gaze fixed on the old oak tree in the courtyard that was beginning to shed its leaves.

He had been standing there for so long that his servant Eli thought he was asleep.

"Sir, it's getting chilly, please come inside," said the servant Eli cautiously.

Lisson did not answer, but simply raised his hand, gesturing for him to leave. The servant bowed and withdrew, leaving him alone in the corridor.

The Golden-Maned Griffin Clan, the instigator of these two internal conflicts, that was originally his surname...

His father's generation was a branch of this family, but they were expelled from the inner circle for taking the wrong side. They were even stripped of their surname and changed to "Rison".

Over the years, he had lived cautiously in the capital, barely maintaining a semblance of dignity through his study of heraldry and his connections with the old nobles.

But dignity is not power. He had no knighthood, no territory, no army, only an empty title and a declining family.

Working with Mr. Cohen, he acquired the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique after the Knights' Party.

He practiced diligently for the past six months and finally broke through the intermediate level of Griffin Swordsmanship. He could feel that he was getting closer and closer to becoming a true knight.

But what's the use of that? He has no soldiers.

Lisen raised his head and looked in the direction of the capital.

There, the banner of the Golden-Maned Griffin family was flying atop the city walls.

The eldest brother, Cedric, proclaimed himself King in the North, murdered his father to seize power, and besieged the capital. His second brother, along with a portion of the family's forces, remained silent, or rather, sided with Cedric.

As for Miss Daphne, his younger sister who was even younger than him, she had very few men and nobody took her seriously.

"The situation in the capital is truly chaotic..." he muttered to himself.

…………

The outer city of the royal capital, the temporary residence of the Golden-Maned Griffin family.

Sir Leeson's friend, Declan Hawke, a wealthy merchant who had helped Vance and others, was sitting in the drawing room, holding a glass of strong spirits from the North, with a businessman's smile on his face.

Opposite him was a steward from the Golden Griffin family, who was negotiating terms with him.

"Mr. Declan, we have conveyed your request to Lord Cedric." The steward's voice was neither servile nor overbearing. "We accept your money, and we've arranged your son's position in the city garrison. As for the political resources you desire..."

He paused, then said, "It will be fulfilled once Lord Cedric ascends the throne."

Declan's smile deepened, but he was cursing inwardly.

These nobles take the money and then try to make empty promises. Do they think he's a three-year-old?!

But he didn't turn against them. If he did, he would never get his money back.

He simply picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Then thank you all very much." He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I await good news."

The manager nodded and got up to see the guest out.

Declan walked out of the reception room, his smile vanishing instantly. He strode down the corridor to a secluded corner and pulled a secret letter from his pocket.

"Someone come here."

A trusted aide emerged from the shadows. "Master Hawke."

"Get this letter to His Majesty Albert by any means necessary!" Declan whispered. "Remember, it must be delivered personally."

The confidant took the letter, nodded, and disappeared into the night.

Declan turned around and looked in the direction of the capital, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He was betting on both sides. As a businessman, he knew very well that going all in on one side would never end well.

Therefore, he bet on both the Golden-maned Griffin and King Albert, so that he wouldn't lose money no matter who won.

…………

A small town outside the capital, an unassuming manor.

The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, turning everything silvery-white.

A young girl in a long black dress stood in front of the flowerbed, holding a pair of scissors and pruning the dead branches.

Her movements were slow, each cut precise, the withered branches falling neatly at her feet.

She is Daphne Villar.

She is Daphne Villar.

The eldest daughter of the Golden Griffin family, the younger sister whom Cedric and his second brother didn't take seriously.

She didn't speak, but focused intently on pruning the withered branches, as if she were the only person in the world, and the chaos in the North and the capital had nothing to do with her.

Behind him, a burly old man stood quietly.

He is Daphne's butler and the person she trusts most. In his youth, he was a renowned individual mercenary. After he grew old, he followed her and has stayed with her ever since.

"Miss, wandering knight, Stern has arrived."

Daphne didn't turn around, she just gave a soft "hmm".

Footsteps sounded, and a burly man strode into the courtyard.

He was wearing old-fashioned knight's armor, with a longsword hanging at his waist. After half a year, a new scar had appeared on his face, running from his brow bone to his chin.

Stern, a wandering knight, whose father was once a knight of the kingdom, but who chose the wrong side and whose family fell into decline.

He wandered for over a decade, and even killed the Gold Mountain Knight on the eve of the Knights' Gathering. The chaos at the Knights' Gathering was actually caused by him accepting Daphne's mission.

His swordsmanship is as fast as lightning, especially his move "Turbulent Current," which few can catch.

"Young Miss," he walked up behind Daphne and knelt on one knee, "it's truly remarkable that you were able to find me..."

"It's been so long since we last met. I didn't expect you to still be alive. Your manners have improved quite a bit," the butler said first.

Daphne didn't turn around, continuing to prune the withered branches. "I heard you want to be a knight."

Stern's body stiffened slightly. "...Yes."

“Not just any knight in name only,” Daphne said softly. “A true, knight who is officially recognized and has his own territory.”

Stern paused for a moment. "Yes."

Daphne cut off the last withered branch, put down the scissors, and turned around. In the moonlight, her face was delicate and pale, and her deep eyes revealed no emotion.

"If I gave you this opportunity, what would you do?"

Stern looked up into her eyes, and finally said helplessly, "Speak, what's the mission? Don't tell me it's something like assassinating the king. I want to be a knight, not to die."

Daphne looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and finally the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. It wasn't a smile, but more like a look of satisfaction.

Get up.

Stern stood up and stepped aside.

The butler stepped forward and whispered, "Miss, what about the second young master...?"

"Ignore him." Daphne turned around and looked towards the capital. "My second brother is too naive. He thinks he can get away unscathed by remaining neutral."

"My brother Cedric won't let him off the hook, nor will he let me off the hook. If the Kings win, they won't let us off the hook either. What we need to do is to do everything we can to win over the forces and hold our own power."

"And what about the current head of the family, Cedric?"

"Him?" Daphne's tone, though still dismissive, carried a hint of worry. "He thinks he can become king by killing his father. How naive of him."

"The other powerful families in the capital won't stand idly by and watch him take the throne, but what I didn't expect is that he made his move so quickly..."

The butler was silent for a moment. "Then we..."

"Let's wait," Daphne said softly. "Let's wait until they're both exhausted... let's wait for that Earl of the South, Vio, he'll definitely make his move."

…………

Deep in the Blackwood, at the border between the North and the South, lies an abandoned hunter's hut.

The campfire crackled and popped, illuminating the cabin brightly.

Leon of the Grey Wolf family sat against the wall, holding a bowl of hot soup in his hand. His face still showed that tired look, but the sunkenness of his eye sockets was shallower than a few months ago, and his complexion was much better.

The female knight Ellie sat opposite him, holding a piece of dry rations in her hand, and was slowly breaking it into pieces to feed him.

Since parting ways with Vance, Sir Lisson, and others at the Knights' Party, her leather armor has a few new scratches, but she is in good spirits, with the unique gleam of a knight-errant in her eyes.

"Leon, have you eaten?" Ellie suddenly asked.

"I've already eaten," Leon said instinctively, startled.

"real?"

"……No."

Ellie rolled her eyes, broke off half of the dry rations in her hand, and handed it to him. "Eat more, don't say I'm mistreating you."

Leon then reached out and took it, and began to eat silently. The two remained silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the campfire and the rustling of leaves in the wind outside.

"Ellie, how long are we going to stay here?" Leon asked.

Ellie thought for a moment, looked out the window, and then said, "Let's stay a few more days until the rain stops. The roads to the north are difficult to travel on, and they're slippery when it rains, so it's not suitable for traveling."

Leon nodded and said nothing more.

They have been traveling around the North and South ever since the Knights' Party.

Leon followed Ellie, from one southern city to another northern city, from one small forest to another large forest.

He also learned a lot, such as how to start a fire, how to pitch a tent, and how to find his way in the wild. He also looked much better than before, and the fatigue that was always on his face had subsided considerably.

Although Ellie still maintained a somewhat indifferent demeanor towards him, she would occasionally reveal a smile.

For example, when Leon clumsily tripped over a branch, when he shouted excitedly the first time he successfully started a fire, and when he put a coat on Ellie...

"Ellie," Leon suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"Well, you said you'd agree to the marriage if I accompanied you on a month-long journey." He paused, somewhat hesitantly, "and now it's the third month."

Ellie paused, realizing what was happening, but continued breaking open her rations, asking, "...So?"

"So..." Leon's voice was a little nervous, "Does that still stand?"

Ellie did not answer immediately.

She stared at the campfire for a long time, the firelight dancing in her eyes and reflecting on her slightly flushed cheeks.

"Of course it counts," she said softly.

Leon froze on the spot, nearly dropping the dry rations in his hand. "What, what did you say? Really?"

"I say it's the boss." Ellie looked up, rolled her eyes at him, and looked him straight in the eye. "Are you deaf?"

Leon opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word. His lips trembled, and in the end, he just smiled foolishly.

Ellie couldn't help but smile at his expression, but she quickly suppressed it. "Alright, stop laughing, you look like an idiot."

Upon hearing this, Leon awkwardly stopped smiling and quickly stuffed all the dry rations in his hand into his mouth.

Ellie turned her head away, no longer looking at him, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

But just then, a sudden flapping sound came from outside the window.

Then, a rather large messenger bird braved the light rain and strong winds to land on their windowsill.

Its entire body is gray, with thick feathers, and its size is unlike that of ordinary birds and beasts. It is even the size of a small wolfhound, and a small letter tube is tied to its leg.

Leon's expression changed as he recognized the unusual bird-beast, and his smile immediately vanished.

This is a unique messenger bird belonging to their Northern Gray Wolf clan, and it is usually only used in emergencies!

He quickly stood up, walked briskly to the window, took down the letter tube, unfolded the letter, and his eyes moved rapidly across the letter. His face grew increasingly grim, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"What's wrong?" Ellie also noticed something was wrong, stood up, and walked to his side.

Leon didn't answer, but simply handed her the letter. Ellie took it, glanced at it briefly, and her expression changed.

"Is this a letter from the Gray Wolf family...? Because of the recent chaos in the capital, they want you to return?"

Leon nodded and continued, "That's right, it's a letter from the family saying that the North is in chaos and they want me to go back."

Ellie was silent for a moment, then looked up at him intently.

"Then let's go back."

Leon was taken aback, and said with some surprise, "Then you..."

"I'll go back with you." Ellie's tone was calm, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "Let's end the knight's journey here for now. You've been with me for so long anyway... Besides, we can go anywhere in the North. It's all the same no matter where we go."

Leon looked at her, he didn't speak, but nodded vigorously and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Outside, the early autumn wind howled.

But the wind carried with it the sounds of fighting and screams from a distant battlefield...