Chapter 302: Chapter 43: Why Are There So Many Old Heroes in the Country of Yonglan?

Westheid flung the Knight Lord he was dragging. The body landed heavily in the courtyard before the castle, utterly shattering the morale of the remaining defenders.

"The traitor is dead!"

As Duke Qinghui’s resonant voice echoed across the battlefield, a moment of silence was followed by an immediate eruption of cheers.

"Long live!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Your Excellency! You’re invincible!"

"Lord Westheid!"

The most excited were not the Qinghui Guard, but a group of men clad in the same silver Secret Silver Armor.

These were the Yonglan Knights who had voluntarily joined his pilgrimage.

After Westheid demonstrated such a violent and unyielding stance during his pilgrimage, he didn’t face greater resistance or hostility. Instead, many unaligned Knights throughout the country came to believe that Duke Qinghui had the damn makings of a king.

’That’s just how these Knight Boys are.’ When Duke Qinghui displayed the overwhelming power befitting his class, they immediately saw him as the apex Knight, and the boys flocked to him in a swarm of fanatical adoration.

These newly joined Yonglan Knights fought with even more desperation than the Qinghui Guard; at a single command from Westheid, they would charge forward, heedless of their own lives.

This satisfied Westheid greatly. He wanted to become the Knight King precisely to add these incredibly warlike Knight Boys to his ranks.

But there was one condition: he must never be defeated.

If he failed even once, these Yonglan Knights would turn their backs and walk away. Of that, there was no doubt.

For the moment, they were all Westheid’s die-hard fans. They crowded around him, showering him with praise:

"Just a few days ago, you put down Elder Hero Duncan for obstructing the pilgrimage, and now Elder Hero Lei has also been slain by your hand. Lord Westheid, where shall your conquests take you next?"

Hearing this, Westheid couldn’t help but remark:

’Wait a minute, have I been killing nothing but Elder Heroes this whole trip? Why does the Country of Yonglan have so many of them? Is Yonglan some kind of Elder Hero factory?’

After his sarcastic thought, Duke Qinghui immediately nodded, answering his own question.

’Actually, yeah, it is.’

Not just any long-lived Knight Lord could be called an Elder Hero. Simply performing well on an expedition wasn’t enough. In the Country of Yonglan, the honorific "Elder Hero" was, by custom, reserved for those Lords who had cultivated many outstanding young Knights.

And the reason they stood out was likely inseparable from their bizarre methods of "caring for the common folk."

These Elder Heroes were the staunchest believers in the so-called "virtue of suffering" within the Country of Yonglan. They would never permit the abolition of serfdom. Westheid had spent most of his pilgrimage dealing with this bunch, and it seemed there was no end to them.

Duke Qinghui waved his hand and ordered:

"Open up the main city’s warehouses. The grain, the wealth—distribute it all to the towns and villages. Make sure the serfs at the very bottom get an extra share of rice, flour, grain, and oil."

"Yes, Your Majesty! We’ll see to it at once!"

The Yonglan Knights only wanted to fight. When it came to reliable subordinates, the Qinghui Guard were still the ones to count on. They immediately accepted the order and departed.

While Westheid crushed all opposition along his path, he didn’t forget to win over the common people.

’Though trying to win popular support in the Country of Yonglan felt a bit like a joke, if it made even one person grateful to him, it was a win. Besides, he was just being generous with other people’s wealth, so he didn’t feel the sting in the slightest.’

After waiting for a day amid the castle’s ruins, Westheid rendezvoused with Reiya and Mivana on the Floating Battleship. The two women had previously split up with him to conquer neighboring Knight Territories.

"All the vile oppressors who refused to acknowledge Teacher West’s right to the throne have been eliminated."

Mivana polished her Silver Sword again and again. Her expression was blank and guileless, yet her words dripped with killing intent.

Since her enlightenment, the Lady Knight had become capable of killing without batting an eye, all while keeping the curse within her under control.

"Excellent work!"

Duke Qinghui immediately patted the Wolf-eared Maiden’s head in encouragement, then turned to the quiet Silver-haired Princess, who had her head tilted in thought.

"Reiya, what is it? Did you run into any problems?"

Hearing her lover’s question, the White-haired Dragon Lady turned her head and replied:

"News of our victories has spread far and wide. By the time I reached my destination, I found the local Knight Order had already withdrawn. Do Yonglan Knights actually flee?"

"Oh? That’s actually good news."

Westheid’s eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said:

"They’ve gone to [Gale Heart]. Since they know they can’t resist, it’s only natural they’d band together. The final stop on this pilgrimage to the throne is Yonglan’s Capital... They’re planning to make their last stand at [Gale Heart]."

"That works out well. If some are already doing it, it means all our opponents in Yonglan will eventually flock to [Gale Heart]. We won’t have to run all over the place. We can head straight to [Gale Heart] for the decisive battle. It’ll save us a huge amount of time."

Westheid quickly turned and activated a projection map. He tapped the fleet’s current location, then drew a line connecting it to [Gale Heart].

"It’s a straight shot to [Gale Heart] from here. Not too far, we can make it in a few weeks. There aren’t many obstacles along the route, except..."

Mivana looked at the projection map and said slowly:

"Yingxi Castle, territory of the Black Knight, Uther."

"That Grand Knight, will he allow us to pass?"

Reiya frowned. "The one who lost to West? Will he be a problem?"

"If you’re asking me, I’m optimistic."

Westheid shrugged and said:

"If there are any Grand Knights who would join us, Uther is definitely the most likely one."

Throughout the pilgrimage, two clueless Legendary Knights like [Rock Sword] Brolette had already died at the hands of Westheid and his companions. Even for the Yonglan Knights, with their notoriously high mortality rate, it was rare for a Legendary Grand Knight to fall. Such deaths usually only occurred during massive expeditions along the Knightly Path.

As for the other Grand Knights, they were all taking a wait-and-see approach; some had already headed to [Gale Heart] in advance.

Mivana’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she said:

"Oh? Does Lord Uther also support abolishing serfdom? Does that make him our friend?"

"No, Uther isn’t that enlightened. It’s just that, more than upholding the system, he has a line he absolutely will not cross."

Westheid stroked his chin and smiled faintly.

"Let me write him a letter!"

...........

Yingxi Castle, a colossal and majestic military fortress, stood at the highest point of a valley. From its vantage point, it overlooked a sprawling, prosperous town below, complete with numerous towers, strongholds, and training grounds.

Within these vast grounds, tens of thousands of Knight Apprentices bustled about in a ceaseless flow.

They moved throughout Yingxi Castle, training diligently with sweat pouring down like rain.

This was the domain of the Legendary Powerhouse, [Black Knight] Uther. As one of Yonglan’s most famous Grand Knights, beyond his "somewhat dubious" title as champion of the knightly tourney, his truly significant role was that of headmaster for over thirty Knight Academies.

Considering that the entire Country of Yonglan only had about two hundred Knight Academies in total, Uther’s influence was plain to see.

Yingxi Castle was essentially a gigantic academy, and it was no exaggeration to say his students could be found all over the world.

At least one-sixth, perhaps even one-fifth, of all Yonglan Knights had graduated from Yingxi Castle. Even after striking out on their own, they all remembered their time as apprentices under the [Black Knight].

This had allowed him to build a vast network of connections.

"For Lord Uther!"

"Here in Yingxi Castle, a senior’s word is law!"

"You, newcomer! Step up! Start with you—introductions!"

"Louder! I can’t hear you! Can’t hear a thing! In Yingxi Castle, if a senior says he can’t hear you, *he can’t hear you*!"

"Look at you, all half-assed! Do you think you’re worthy of being one of Lord Uther’s students? Again!"

"Can’t even stand steady?! Get the Spiritual Injection Staff! He needs to be taught a proper lesson!"

"......"

’Such spirited youngsters.’

Uther sat in a room high in his castle, gazing through the window at the fervent training scene below and nodding in satisfaction.

But as he drew his gaze back, he picked up a snow-white letter from his desk. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by an incredibly grave expression.

It was a letter from Duke Qinghui, and its contents were simple.

Fight, or surrender.