Chapter 301: Chapter 43: Why Are There So Many Old Heroes in the Country of Yonglan?

Under Westheid’s ’kind and friendly’ inquiries, perhaps they were won over by his charisma, or maybe they simply sized up the chasm between their respective strengths.

In any case, these few Knights participating in the Holy Grail Trial did not offer any die-hard resistance. Instead, they stated they needed to consider the matter:

"If we are to recognize you as king, you must first earn our submission through strength... Our territories cannot withstand the vanguard of a Legend. Therefore, we will not resist. We can only submit to you for now, but we will not join your retinue... If you can successfully reign from Gale Heart, then we will naturally offer you our loyalty!"

’So they’re just going to wait and see... That’s not a bad outcome.’

This attitude of superficial support was already excellent. Although it meant he couldn’t fuel his campaign with the spoils of war or expand his pilgrimage army, it also meant he wouldn’t have to waste time and energy beating them into submission. Once he took control of Gale Heart, a simple proclamation would be enough to settle matters.

"Ah, that is only natural."

Westheid released the men and said,

"Then return to your lands. Remember to fly my banner over your castles. This is very important."

"Because any who do not fly my banner will be considered defiant, and I... show no mercy to the defiant. I know that Knights are warriors who value honor above their very lives. Submitting before a battle allows you to save face. Once we truly come to blows, things become difficult. You would rather die to the last man than commit the cowardly act of surrendering and defecting to save your own skin."

"...What you say is true."

The Trial Takers were silent for a long moment before they nodded.

It was precisely this line of thinking that led them to back down. Otherwise, given Duke Qinghui’s methods, their entire clans would likely be annihilated.

It wasn’t that they feared death; a Knight Boy who can enjoy the thrill of battle has no fear of it. But they had no desire to die a pointless death. There was no honor to be found in being reaped like stalks of wheat.

Duke Qinghui becoming the Knight King... wasn’t entirely unacceptable. It wasn’t worth dying over just to make a statement.

"You need not feel ashamed. It was a wise decision. That you still harbor doubts is my failure as a King Claimant. I will show you the power that a true King Claimant should possess."

Westheid smiled and patted a Trial Taker’s shoulder, then turned back, accompanied by the White-haired Dragon Lady and the Wolf-eared Maiden.

He held his head high and declared,

"Let’s go. Time to display our power. Onward to Gale Heart."

The rest of the pilgrimage went exactly as Westheid had predicted. It could only be described as a complete steamroll. Three Supermodel Legends, each possessing a Tier T0 Talent, were more than enough to disregard any territory that lacked a Grand Knight.

Upon setting foot in each new Knight Territory, they issued an ultimatum to the local Knight Lord and his Knight Order.

Westheid considered his terms quite generous. Previous Knight Kings on their pilgrimage would conscript the local Knight Order into their own retinue after conquering a territory.

In his bid to secure their formal support as quickly as possible, Westheid had already waived the requirement for supporters to join his retinue.

’If they still dared to object to such terms, then they weren’t mere observers; they were clearly feigning neutrality! They were rebels in disguise! He would have to crush them!’

And so, for those Knight Territories that put up a stubborn resistance, the Floating Battleship would proceed directly to the Knight Order’s garrison and deploy the First Airborne Unit, composed of Newborn Number Monsters.

What followed was a one-sided, no-holds-barred beatdown. Without needing any backup from the Forbidden Army or the Guards, Westheid and his two companions were more than capable of crushing the Knight Order, dragging the Knight Lord from his castle, and beating him until he knelt in submission... though the final outcome was usually death.

There were no surprises, no setbacks, and certainly no risks.

Even when the occasional Grand Knight openly voiced their opposition, it was futile in the face of such overwhelming power.

Whether it was Westheid, Reiya, or Mivana, each was a Supermodel Legend capable of casually crushing any Blank Legend.

............

CRACKLE—

Flames infused with Magic Light Grains greedily licked at the banner atop the castle. The ruined fortress was filled with the stench of burning and blood.

The castles of the Country of Yonglan were ancient and imposing. Every brick and tile bore an enchanted Rune. Their seemingly primitive construction hid defenses as solid as a fortress of gold. The Force Fields, linked by a vast number of Runes, repelled all external attacks and incursions. Moreover, the faint light they reflected under the sun granted the fortress’s defenders a dense array of buffs.

No Knight Clan would ever skimp on such defenses; this was precisely what they squeezed the common folk dry for!

However, in the face of overwhelming power, these fortresses had proven to be of little use.

"How flashy."

Westheid commented, offering a fair assessment.

He walked down a castle corridor covered in molten cracks. Under the effects of the Flame of Extinction, the entire fortress was slowly crumbling away, every material gradually turning into dancing embers.

He wore a long, fitted black coat with silver trim. Over it, pieces of Mithril Light Armor protected his vital joints, giving him an extraordinary, martial appearance.

’Normally, Westheid wouldn’t have bothered with armor. How could mere forged Armor possibly compare to a body tempered by long and arduous training?’

However, to cultivate the image of a proper "Yonglan Knight," Westheid had put on the dashing ensemble anyway.

He was dragging the corpse of an elderly Knight—the Lord of this very castle. Before the pilgrimage army had even arrived, this man had been boasting that he would eliminate all the usurpers and fight Westheid to the death.

And so, he got what he asked for. Westheid had delivered a dose of ’divine justice,’ storming into the castle’s depths to personally sanction him.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the battle inside the fortress had all but concluded. The last of the stubbornly resisting defenders were about to be wiped out. Embers drifted through the air, tracing beautiful arcs like butterflies of flame.