"According to custom, you only need to dispatch a knight loyal to you to represent you and Terra in fulfilling this conscription duty."
"We can choose one from the newly recruited personnel—"
"My titles, besides the baronetcy inherited from my father, are the knightly ranks he bestowed." Carl interrupted him, a look of 'just as I wished' appearing on his face.
"I haven't bestowed knighthood upon any other knights, so who else can I send to represent me?"
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the new recruits nearby, who were training in simple leather armor, practicing drills and physical conditioning.
Then, he looked at Dalton, Philip, and the other five beside him, who were already clad in Blood Angels plate armor.
"In my opinion, this is an excellent opportunity to display Terra's strength to all the lords of the kingdom and announce our rise."
"At the same time, this is also a rare opportunity for you—for my future warriors—to undergo a true baptism of blood and fire."
"Indoor cultivation cannot produce flowers that fear no wind or rain; only on the battlefield can true steel spines be forged."
Upon hearing this, Dalton's eyes sharpened, and he instantly understood Carl's profound meaning.
He nodded heavily and asked in a deep voice, "Lord Carl, should we immediately get ready and head directly to the Erlend border?"
Carl shook his head, a cold curve on his lips, his eyes as sharp as knives.
"No, the border is certainly where we're going; the King's conscription must be taken seriously, but before that—we have two old scores to settle."
"We need to pay a good visit to those two lords of Dorndale and Carias."
"They inflated the prices of our procured goods, plundering the money that my people had just started to have a little extra of due to tax exemptions, through such despicable means!"
"No matter how much they took, I want them to spit it all out, principal and interest, tenfold!"
He looked at Dalton, his command clear and decisive: "Go prepare. Assemble all fully equipped Blood Angels."
"We'll set out first—to give these greedy vampires a profound lesson."
"Let the newly joined boys focus on training, and assign some personnel to guard the fortress."
"Yes, Lord Carl." Battle Intent burned in Dalton's eyes as he accepted the order without hesitation.
He turned sharply to face the Blood Angels knights who had already gathered upon hearing the news, clad in uniform dark red paintwork with white wings engraved on their left shoulder plates.
Their plate armor reflected a cold light in the sun, and the team of over sixty men stood silently, rooted to the spot.
Dalton quickly scanned the crowd, pointing with his hand: "You—you—and you—the twelve of you stay."
"You are responsible for guarding the fortress, ensuring Terra is foolproof. Everyone else will march with Lord Carl!"
"We shall not fail the Blood of Erl!" The remaining unselected combatants roared in unison, their voices like thunder.
Carl was at the very front of the procession, riding a magnificent black warhorse, the warhorse he won at the Martial Arts Tournament, Night Wind.
He himself wore a particularly striking set of plate armor, not the dark red of the Blood Angels.
Instead, it was a dazzling gold, like the rising sun, with a large S-shaped symbol engraved in the center of the breastplate, a mark he designed specifically for himself.
The plate armor shimmered in the sunlight; even from a considerable distance, its reflection could sting the eyes.
Behind him were fifty Blood Angels, including Dalton and Philip.
They rode the warhorses previously purchased in bulk, silently following their lord.
Hooves pounded on the road, creating a dull, rhythmic roar, kicking up clouds of dust.
Wherever the procession passed, whether it was pedestrians on the road or merchant caravans they brushed past, everyone hastily made way, casting glances mixed with awe and fear.
Carl's first target was Carias, located south of Terra.
But events unfolded even more smoothly than Carl had anticipated.
He had originally intended to head straight to the Carias lord's mansion for a friendly consultation and negotiation of compensation.
However, shortly after the procession entered Carias territory,
They unexpectedly encountered a similarly fully armed group of people on a main road leading north.
There were only five people in the opposing group; the leader wore well-crafted plate armor adorned with Family crests, followed by four knightly retainers.
One of them even carried a banner representing the Carias Family, and judging by their direction of travel, they were heading towards the Erlend border.
These five clearly also noticed Carl's large, imposing knightly order.
They were startled by the uniform dark red armor and the murderous Aura, quickly reining in their horses and stopping in place.
The five looked on with suspicion, observing this suddenly appearing knightly order, unsure if they were friend or foe.
A quick glance revealed dozens of knights in full plate armor—
A knightly force of this scale was a military power not to be underestimated throughout all of Temeria.
Dalton reacted immediately without Carl's command; he waved his arm forward.
The Blood Angels behind him spread out in tacit agreement, forming a semicircle encirclement, trapping the five Carias knights in the center.
Dozens against five; this huge numerical disparity brought a suffocating sense of oppression.
Lord Bacari of Carias, trapped in the middle, felt cold sweat instantly break out on his forehead.
He forced himself to remain calm, quickly lifting his visor to reveal a face that was somewhat plump from a life of ease, but now filled with panic.
He glanced around at the silent yet threatening dark red knights.
Finally, he fixed his gaze on the person at the very front of the opposing group, riding a black horse and wearing dazzling golden plate armor, as conspicuous as the sun.
Bacari's mouth twitched, his brain frantically working, searching his memory for all the powerful nobles in Temeria.
Aside from the King and Duke Sheward of Erlend, he simply couldn't think of any other lord who could possess such a large and well-equipped knightly force.
This armed force was enough to rank among the top three within the kingdom—
"G-gentlemen—esteemed knights, is—is there some misunderstanding?" Bacari's voice held a subtle tremble.
"I am Bacari, Baron and Lord of Carias. I am currently responding to His Majesty the King's conscription decree and heading to the border to serve."
His gaze remained fixed on the knight in the golden plate armor, his tone growing increasingly humble: "May I ask—may I ask Your Excellency who you are?"
Upon hearing Bacari's question, Dalton did not immediately answer for Carl.
Instead, he first turned his head, seeking permission with his eyes from Carl, who sat upright on Night Wind's back.
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