In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

That evening, he held a banquet in the city lord's mansion, both to celebrate breaking through the beast tide and to welcome the three hundred knights back.

At the banquet, he completely set aside his status, personally toasting each knight, chatting with them warmly, and occasionally telling jokes from noble circles, which made everyone laugh and quickly became one of them.

Taking this opportunity, Duke Lukan subtly inquired about the Knight's Certificate and the Path of Trials. The knights, without any hesitation, readily shared their experiences over the past period with him.

Lukan grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. He had heard of many of the places along this so-called path of trial, and each one was a terrifying and perilous place.

The difference in education was obvious. The knights were not as eloquent as him, and their words were not filled with fancy rhetoric. But it was this straightforward narration that made Lukan's emotions rise and fall like a roller coaster.

Crossing cliffs thousands of meters high, venturing into the lair of wyverns, and traversing jungles teeming with poisonous creatures... Even without witnessing it firsthand, just imagining these scenes sent chills down the Duke of Lukan's spine.

He had originally intended to send his soldiers to try out this trial path, but after this exchange, he completely abandoned the idea.

As the lord of Lukammons, he naturally had full confidence in his soldiers, especially after the previous battle against the beast tide, which had fully demonstrated their excellent qualities.

Even so, Lucan still didn't think many people would be able to get through this trial.

One-tenth? Or one-hundredth?

He might gain a more powerful army than he has now, but the price to pay is too high, and Lukan dares not gamble on it.

The garrison at Lucammons was all trained by him with a great deal of resources and effort, and the loss of even one of them would cause him great heartache for a long time.

This made him even more respectful of these three hundred knights. To be able to walk that path of death with a mortal body, these three hundred people truly deserve to be knights personally recognized by the king!

Yanan sat in the head seat, smiling as he watched the lively scene below.

Although he had expected the final result, he was still genuinely happy to see this.

From then on, he finally escaped the predicament of being a commander without troops and truly had an army loyal to him.

Moreover, the cohesion and fighting power of this army are so strong that it can be considered one of the most elite in the current era.

Even when facing enemies ten times their size, they can easily trample over them.

Next, combined with the modern training programs and tactical reserves stored in his mind, the potential of this army will be further unleashed, truly becoming an invincible and ever-victorious force.

"Are you ready, Nidhogg? Don't forget what we agreed on: whoever loses the bet has to be the other's servant for ten years. Don't you dare renege on that bet."

"Who, who would cheat! Stop talking big! I haven't lost yet!"

Despite saying that, Nidhogg still felt a little uneasy. She had never seen such a powerful human army before. It was completely different from the monkeys she remembered who groveled and bowed at the feet of the gods, just to beg for a chance to survive.

She originally thought these monkeys were nothing more than a group of despicable thieves, who had only been given the opportunity to usurp the throne of the primates because of the passing of the gods and the decline of the age of gods. However, their weak nature remained unchanged.

However, when she saw the three hundred knights dragging the corpses of twenty wyverns toward Lucammons, her once unwavering resolve suddenly began to waver.

For a moment, she almost thought these people were warriors who had come out of Odin's Valhalla.

Could it be that, as Anan said, humanity is completely different from what it used to be?

The only thing Nidhogg can be thankful for now is that there is still a fundamental difference between humans and gods on a spiritual level, and it is completely impossible to kill a god with human weapons.

To completely kill a god, one must either be a god oneself, possess the concept of "god-slaying," or have a god-slaying weapon. The first two are completely irrelevant, but the latter...

Even if Nidhogg cut off his own head, he wouldn't believe that Anan could find enough divinely created weapons to equip an army.

The difficulty of this task alone is many times greater than that of killing a god.

Therefore, she was in an unassailable position from the very beginning of this bet.

With this thought in mind, Nidhogg's previously agitated mind gradually calmed down, and he said jokingly, "I advise you to be more humble, otherwise if you lose, I will laugh at you mercilessly."

"So, you're quite confident, huh?" Yanan tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass, a smile appearing in his eyes.

"Hmph, since I've agreed, I'm naturally confident of victory," Nidhogg snorted arrogantly.

“Since that’s the case…” Yanan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, “how about we expand the bet a bit more?”

".......what you up to?"

“One thing.” A faint smile played at the corners of his lips. “Besides serving as a servant for ten years, the loser must do one thing for the other unconditionally. Anything is acceptable.”

"What if I told you to die, would you actually die?" Nidhogg scoffed.

"If you can win." Yanan handed the wine glass to the side, and a maid immediately stepped forward to fill it. "Although the chances are slim."

"You!" Nidhogg was so angry that her teeth itched. Ever since she met Yanan, she had been looked down upon by him countless times, and now she was being mocked to his face. How could she swallow this insult?

I am the despairing dragon that devours the world, the symbol of Ragnarok. You mere uncivilized monkey, stop being so arrogant!

"Okay, I agree!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ghana has guts, I admire them!

In the elegantly decorated study, the Duke of Lukan, dressed in casual clothes, leaned back in his chair, holding a white-glazed teacup and savoring the fragrant black tea.

Tea is currently the most luxurious item in Britain, costing an ounce of gold for every tea, and only long-established ducal families like the Lucan family are entitled to enjoy it freely.

"You said Sir Feuerius sent you?" he asked casually.

“That’s right, I am here on Lord Feuerius’s orders,” the young man standing before him said proudly.

Sir Feuerius was once a servant of the late King Euthy, and was later promoted to Master of the Interior. Before the late king's death, he was entrusted with the important task of guarding the country.

During the fifteen years that Camelot was without a king, almost all matters, large and small, were decided by Feuerius. Except for his inability to mobilize the border troops, Feuerius was practically omnipotent in Camelot, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe his power as absolute.

Even those noble families with deep-rooted traditions did not want to offend him easily.

Looking at the young man in front of him, a hint of displeasure flashed in the Duke of Lukan's eyes.

He was just a lowly servant, yet he dared to be so disrespectful to him, a duke.

Do they really think they can be arrogant just because they have Feuerius's backing?

With a slight, cold smile playing on his lips, Lucan put down his teacup, crossed his hands in front of his abdomen, and said calmly, "Speak, what does Feuerius want with me?"

"Lord Feuerius said that whatever the new king wants you to do, Your Grace, you must never agree."

boom!

Duke Lukan slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and sneered, "Ferius really has a lot of nerve! It's one thing that the promised reinforcements didn't come, but now he even wants to interfere in the affairs of my Lukan family. What, does he really think he's king?!"

The young man was not intimidated by the Duke of Lukan's imposing manner at all, and simply said, "Lord Feuerius said that as long as you agree to his conditions, reinforcements will arrive in Lukanmons in half a month at most."

The Duke of Lukan's face darkened: "Is he threatening me?"

"That depends on how Your Grace interprets it," the young man said with a smile.

"On the way here, I heard that Lucammons suffered very serious losses in the beast tide, and we don't know when the next beast tide will come. So Your Grace, it would be better if you made a decision sooner rather than later. The longer you delay, the more suffering the residents of Lucammons will have to endure."

The young man bowed slightly, turned and walked out of the study.

creak-

Duke Lukan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with magma-like fury.

"Is this the legendary fox borrowing the tiger's power? I thought it was just a scene from a play or novel, but I never thought I would see it with my own eyes."

With a soft chuckle, Yanan put down his teacup and stood up from the sofa.

He had been sitting there the whole time, but the young man seemed to have completely ignored him.

This was, of course, because he used the power of Feather Crossing Dust to shield his existence from the other party's perception.

From the moment this young man stepped into Lucammons, his every move was under Anan's control.

"Your Majesty, how about I take that guy away...?"

A fierce glint flashed in the Duke of Lukan's eyes.

Since inheriting the title of Duke, he has never been treated badly by anyone, let alone by a servant who is no different from livestock in his eyes!

This is an absolute disgrace!

For nobles, besides the continuation of their family line, the most important thing is face. Even if they have to put on a brave face, they cannot show weakness in front of other nobles.

Now, in front of the new king, how could the Duke of Lukan tolerate being humiliated by a mere servant?

If we don't tear that guy to pieces, it will be hard to quell the hatred in his heart!

Yanan saw through Lukan's thoughts, but still shook his head: "No need, just put him under house arrest for now."

"But Your Majesty, Feuerius has clearly shown hostility towards you. Keeping that fellow around is simply a waste of food!" Lukan still refused to give up.

A slight smile appeared on Anahn's lips: "Don't worry, I've already figured out how to handle the matter of Feuerius. As for the insults you suffered, I will personally avenge you."

Although he was still resentful, Lukan had no choice but to accept the king's decision.

He has now made up his mind to closely link the Lukan family with the new king. For the sake of the family's future prosperity, the grievances he is suffering now are not worth mentioning at all.

“Let’s put the matter of Feryus aside for now; we have more important things to do.” Yanan sat down in the chair opposite Lukan. “Any news from the Kingdom of Ghana?”

Ten days ago, he had Duke Lukan send someone to deliver a declaration of war to the Kingdom of Ghana. Now, judging by the time, they should have a response by now.

“We should have the results soon,” said the Duke of Lukan.

Yanan nodded, then suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

thump thump—

A guard ran in from outside, holding a letter in his hand, and said, "My lord, this is an envoy from the Kingdom of Ghana who asked me to give this to you."

“Let me see it,” Yanan said.

The servant stepped forward, respectfully handed the letter to Anahn, and then turned and left.

Yanan opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, glanced at its contents, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "It seems that I have underestimated Ghana."

"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?" Duke Lukan asked, puzzled.

Yanan did not respond, but handed the letter directly to the other party: "You'll see when you take a look."

The Duke of Lucan took the letter and read its contents carefully.

This is a fairly standard response to the war declaration. It starts with a bunch of useless nonsense, saying that Ghana is a country that longs for peace and that everyone is an ally, and that they do not want a tragedy of fratricide to occur. Then it says that if war is unavoidable, then in order to defend the country's dignity and territorial integrity, Ghana will not hesitate to fight.

The whole thing boils down to one thing: If you want to fight, I'll fight you!

“This…” Duke Lukan frowned slightly. “What exactly is Ghana planning?”

As a general, he certainly wouldn't just look at appearances.

Ghana is just a small country of 100,000 people. Before the beast tide, Lukammons alone could have fought it to a standstill. But now, they actually have the audacity to provoke the entire Camelot.

The Duke of Lukan would never believe there wasn't something fishy going on here.