“Confirming training.”

“Confirm.”

This horse bred with the blood of a gnome—ah, no, a red dragon—was already close to perfect, and even Richard, with his exacting standards, was satisfied.

“Please name the new breed.”

“Scarlet Flames.”

The name came to Richard after he saw the results of the training, and it was quite fitting.

Richard trained the remaining nine warhorses one by one into Scarlet Flames, exhausting his weekly allotment.

Unfortunately, the Scarlet Flames remained in the stables of Boulder Fortress, and Richard had yet to lay eyes on the actual horses.

Having successfully bred the Scarlet Flames, Richard was in quite a good mood, even finding the gnome dangling from his hand, still whimpering, somewhat cute.

Finally, he grinned as he carried the gnome to the detention camp and executed him in front of everyone.

Despite his mood, the escaped prisoner had to be killed as an example.

“Quill.”

“Archduke Richard.”

At the sound of Richard’s call, Quill, who was patrolling the camp, rushed to his side.

“Where are the Nade family and the other contingents now?”

As the war with the cannibals neared, in addition to the Fifth War Zone’s noble families mobilizing their forces, Richard had also asked for aid from several lords under his command.

After all, even he had deployed half of the Flying Bear Army along with nearly all of the system’s armed forces. If the other noble families did not contribute, Richard would have been unfairly shouldering all the burdens, making him a saint who thought only of others.

“We were just arriving at Nade territory when they set off, so they’re a bit slower. They’ll likely arrive in another day.”

“Mm.” Richard nodded. He didn’t have any further requests; these noble private armies were only a day behind his own Flying Bear Army, so they could be considered well-performing.

Under the radiant sunlight, a gentle spring breeze blew through the land.

In contrast to the harsh climate of the northern lands, the temperature in the River Valley region rose swiftly as soon as spring arrived. The fine willows had already sprouted new leaves, and the people had shed their padded coats for thinner garments.

Under the warm sun, even the poorest of Bolay City’s residents dared to smile again, after enduring the bitter winter, finally hopeful for the future.

However, the city’s elite had little reason to smile, as they grew increasingly anxious.

Within the Saide family’s estate in Bolay City, a grand assembly was underway, with nearly every influential figure from Bolay City in attendance, as well as delegates from each of the twelve founding families.

The only one absent was the commander of the guardian regiment, Dayne.

“It’s been days since we’ve seen Dayne. He’s completely sealed off the guardian regiment’s encampment; no news can get in or out, and no one can enter. What does he mean by this?”

These twelve noble families were no fools. An important figure like Dain, who had already sealed off the guardian regiment’s encampment for days, had gone missing, and they sensed a whiff of danger.

“What, did the king send someone to scare you into submission? Now you want to sever ties with us?”

“As if! After all these years, he’s taken so many benefits; now he wants to sever ties? He’s long since boarded our ship.”

“I doubt that’s possible. Perhaps something unexpected happened.”

If Sol’s appearance counted as unexpected, then this man was correct.

Dain, who had been ready to deal with the Imperial Capital’s envoy alongside the twelve noble families, fell to his knees the instant he saw Sol, utterly selling them out.

“Quiet, everyone, keep it down,” said the elder sitting in the main seat, banging on the table to restore order.

Viscount Sadde, the current head of the Sadde family, sat at the head of the table. His hair may have been peppered with white, but as a Great Knight, his strength remained undiminished by age, and his voice boomed with vigor.

“What special insight does Viscount Sadde possess?”

The crowd’s gaze shifted to Viscount Sadde. The twelve noble families were supposed to be equal, each with a crucial vote, but there was no such thing as equality where people and interests were concerned.

Although twelve noble families still sat at the round table, the development of these families over the years had led to some becoming stronger than others, and the Sadde family had become the richest and most powerful among them.

Before the arrival of outside pressure, the other eleven families had kept a wary eye on the Sadde family, but now, faced with the threat of the Imperial Capital, they flocked to the Sadde family for protection, like penguins huddling for warmth.

“How am I supposed to have any special insight? Go back and alert your families, and gather your most battle-worthy armored knights. Don’t tell me you all expect the City Guard to protect your vast estates.”

At this, the people around the table exchanged knowing glances. Everyone knew what kind of material the City Guard was made of.

No one cared much for the armed forces of Bolay City, which answered to neither the individual noble families nor the kingdom itself. These troops served only to intimidate the commoners and maintain basic law and order, and thus no one paid them any mind.

Each noble family’s true reliance was their personal guard, which they kept well-satiated with gold and silver. Each estate maintained at least two or three hundred elite soldiers, men who would fight to the death.

The wealthiest families, such as the Sades, kept as many as five hundred. The private armies of these families were fully capable of holding their own against the elite soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army’s First Flag Group, and boasted even more exceptional fighters and better equipment.

“Head back and gather your personal guards. We twelve families must watch over one another, and if he dares do anything, what can the Imperial Capital’s envoy possibly do? They won’t be able to attack all twelve of us at once.”

“As long as they don’t want to see chaos erupt in the River Valley, they’ll have to cooperate with our twelve families. So long as we stand together, no one will dare lift a finger against us.”

“That’s right! Old Man Sadde is wise!”

Viscount Sadde’s words earned him a chorus of approval, as though the sordidness that had dominated the conversation before his intervention had never existed. The twelve noble families of Bolay City had not been so united in a long time.

“Trouble, trouble!”

Just as the atmosphere on the scene grew heated, a guard of the Sadde family burst in, throwing cold water on everyone’s joy.

“What’s the matter with you?” Viscount Sadde scolded, finally snapping the guard out of his panic.

“The guardian regiment has surrounded us!”

Though the guard had composed himself, the news he brought sent panic among the aristocrats at the table.

“How is this possible!”

“How dare they!”

The viscount, who had been calmly presiding over the meeting from his seat, now also paled. He had just declared no one would dare move against them, and yet the guardian regiment had surrounded them. The slap in the face came swift indeed.

“Everyone, calm down! The fortress of my Sadde family is quite safe; the guardian regiment cannot get in!”

Viscount Sadde’s words weren’t wrong; though the guardian regiment outnumbered them, the fortress of Sadde Castle was well fortified, and their castle guards were more than capable of repelling an attack.

If the twelve families sought refuge within its walls, it would indeed be difficult for the guardian regiment to take them by force—assuming their commander was still someone familiar to the families…