After leaving the estate, the more Phield thought about it, the angrier he became. The more he endured it, the more suffocated he felt.

The moment he returned to the inn, Phield shut the door behind him and ignored everything else. He immediately pulled out a map of High Castle Province and began studying it.

"What happened? You’ve been in a terrible mood ever since you came back."

Seeing her lord unhappy, Tisiana hurried over and gently massaged his shoulders.

"It’s nothing major. I’ll handle it properly."

Never one to vent his anger on his own people, Phield forced out a faint smile and let out a long breath.

"I just ran into an arrogant, ill-mannered bunch."

Rosalia, who had emerged from the greatsword nearby, stomped furiously.

"Exactly! Those damned Imperial Guards! How dare they humiliate my lord? I want to slice them apart and boil them alive!"

"The Imperial Guards? I’ve heard of them."

Tisiana tilted her head thoughtfully, blinking as she searched her memories.

"They’re a powerful organization directly under Her Majesty the Empress. Every member comes from a prestigious background and receives royal court education from childhood. Their arrogance is hardly surprising."

"I don’t care. I’ll personally cut off their heads and wash away this humiliation."

Rosalia swung her greatsword through the air a few times, sending rippling sword auras across the room.

"Or maybe we should capture them and throw them into Nightfall Domain’s toilets as public spouses... cough, I mean slaves."

"They’re all third-tier Divine Chosen, and they always operate in pairs. It’s best not to clash with them head-on for now."

Tisiana had not spent enough time with everyone to fully understand Phield’s temperament yet. Worried he might lose his rationality, she quickly tried to calm him.

"We should wait until we have third-tier strength of our own. If a battle truly comes, I’ll fight with everything I have too."

"Of course. I’m not brainless enough to charge over there like some idiot."

Phield casually waved the map in his hand.

"But I’m not that merciful either."

If you can’t hit them directly, then rob their house and beat up their children.

"By the way, I’ve always wondered something."

Tisiana raised her hand seriously like a student asking a question.

"Why do we keep running into third-tier Divine Chosen? Logically speaking, first-tier and second-tier Divine Chosen should be the most common."

Whether it was the Empire, the Shadow World Sect, or the Night Owl rebels, large numbers of third-tier Divine Chosen seemed active everywhere.

"That’s true in theory. But newly awakened Divine Chosen are usually monopolized and absorbed by powerful local forces. Even if small nobles obtain one, they’ll hide it carefully. Otherwise, it could easily attract greed and war."

"And a Divine Chosen’s strength is usually tied to the city and lord supporting them."

"There are countless third-level cities, so third-tier Divine Chosen naturally become the main force in warfare. Only the core cities of provinces can cultivate fifth-tier and sixth-tier powerhouses."

Those stronger than her were fewer in number, while those more numerous than her were weaker.

Tisiana suddenly understood.

"So that’s how it is."

Phield spread the map open completely. Three red circles had already been drawn on it.

"Since she was arrogant enough to announce her name so proudly, there’s no need for me to show mercy either. Perfect timing too. We’re short on supplies back home."

"There are two baron territories and one knight territory here. All of them either stole my spoils back then or pulled dirty tricks on me. Especially this Wind Tour Barony. It’s a branch family of the Costello family. We’ll let them deliver some resources to us first."

Back during the rebellion suppression campaign, he had held off the rebels’ ambush and even intercepted one of their transport caravans.

In the end, those useless bastards who contributed nothing not only stole the military merit, but also seized most of the spoils.

Damn it, he had tolerated them for far too long.

"The worst part is they even mocked us afterward."

Rosalia was clearly still furious. Her chest rose and fell violently with anger as she gave Tisiana a meaningful look.

"Tisiana, do you know what we’re about to do?"

"I don’t know. But I only serve Nightfall Domain now. I’m no longer part of the Church."

Tisiana extended her hand calmly.

"Whatever it is, count me in."

"A wise choice, little angel."

Rosalia performed a flawless noble salute before extending her hand as well.

Phield was stunned. It was the first time he had ever seen holy light and corruption reach complete agreement.

"Good. Then let’s put on a classic Nightfall Domain performance."

"Robbery."

"So are we charging in directly, or what?" Rosalia’s starry eyes glittered excitedly.

"We’ll redeem people first. Wind Tour Territory is close to Maple Leaf Territory. That’s where I bought slaves before. Many of our soldiers still have family members inside Wind Tour Territory. We’ll find a way to buy them back first. Otherwise, once fighting starts, accidental casualties will be unavoidable."

The price did not matter anyway. No matter how much money he paid them, it was merely "stored in the bank."

For this trip, they had brought twenty raider cavalry, thirty soldiers, and thirty Corrupted Greatsword Warriors. That was already enough to handle most situations.

The moment Phield finished formulating the plan, he immediately led the group toward Wind Tour Territory.

Wind Tour Territory was also located within High Castle Province. The region was filled with mountains and forests and inhabited by a hawk-type magical beast known as the Peregrine Falcon. That was how the territory earned its name. Every year, large quantities of wind-element magic cores were produced there.

The moment they entered Wind Tour Territory, Phield could already see flocks of Peregrine Falcons soaring in the distant skies. Beneath them stood a tiny city that looked more like a mountain town than an actual settlement.

"Newte, once you redeem your family, regroup with us outside the city immediately."

Phield sat atop his warhorse. The horse’s steady pace was so smooth that he barely felt any bumps at all. He lightly tapped Newte beside him with his riding whip.

"Do you need more money? Advancing some of your salary is no big deal."

"My lord, it’s already enough. I... I haven’t seen my family for so many years. I don’t even know if my daughter will still recognize me."

Newte’s nose turned sour with emotion. His hands did not know where to rest, and he was so nervous he even started walking with the wrong steps.

The ridiculous sight immediately made the other soldiers burst into laughter.

"Captain Newte, marching with the wrong footwork means punishment."

"Hah, standing punishment probably means nothing to the captain."

"That’s not the point. Once the captain gets his wife back, he probably won’t even be able to stand steadily anymore."

The soldiers continued joking around, making even the usually stern Newte blush as he quickened his pace.

"You lot go redeem people later. I’ll pay Baron Wind Tour a visit personally."

As they approached Wind Tour City, the soldiers atop the walls immediately became vigilant. They shouted loudly and signaled the surrounding guards.

Phield rode forward on horseback and waved toward the soldiers atop the watchtower.

"I am Baron Phield. I’ve come to visit Baron Wind Tour, Sir Busby."