Chapter 511: Chapter 484: The Duke’s Prospect

With Count Ural captured and all the Flame Seal Knights slain by Ronin, the Battle of Mist City concluded with a victory for the Oduin Kingdom’s Noble Alliance Army.

All that remained was to seal the city, occupy Count Ural’s castle, and bring the remaining Guards and resistance forces under control.

These matters could be left to the various Knight Orders. Ronin and the other leaders only needed to oversee the process, not participate personally.

They were more focused on Broel’s arrival.

In truth, Broel was also quite shocked.

He had set out after midnight, as soon as he received the letter from His Majesty the King.

Although flying at night had slowed him down, he still reached Red Pine Castle by the afternoon. To his astonishment, the Noble Alliance Army had already begun its assault on Mist City.

And by the time he reached Mist City, the battle was somehow already over—and, even more incredibly, the Oduin Kingdom had won.

’It seems taking Mist City wasn’t so difficult after all?’

"Marquis Ronin, this is a letter from His Majesty for you."

Broel handed Ronin the letter from Bruno. "His Majesty also sends his congratulations on achieving total victory. To think you’ve already taken Mist City!"

Everyone shared a chuckle. Indeed, the war was progressing rather quickly.

Ronin tore open the letter and began reading it in front of everyone. He was curious why a letter had been sent to him alone, rather than to Garrett.

After he finished reading, he couldn’t help but look toward Garrett. ’So there were so many complications behind the scenes.’

Garrett seemed to feel Ronin’s gaze. Their eyes met, and Ronin saw a flicker of avoidance in Garrett’s.

He smiled faintly. "His Majesty anticipated that we would take Mist City," he announced. "He orders us not to advance further into the Tricia Kingdom. Instead, we are to fortify our position here in Mist City and guard against any counterattacks."

The assembled nobles nodded.

"Black Jade Bay can’t continue the offensive. We must transport the Viscount’s body back to our domain."

The speaker was Edmond, son-in-law of Willis and Knight Commander of the Black Jade Bay Knight Order.

In this battle, not only had Viscount Willis of Black Jade Bay fallen, but the Knight Order’s Meteor Level Vice Leader, Nicola, had also died protecting him.

Losing two Meteor Knights at once was a tremendous blow to Black Jade Bay.

"Viscount Willis gave his life for the kingdom," Ronin said. "Please let us know the date of the funeral. We should be there to pay our respects."

Edmond nodded gravely. "I will pass on your words to William."

With that, he gathered his men to prepare the bodies of Willis, Nicola, and the others for transport.

However, the Black Jade Bay Knight Order did not completely withdraw.

As part of the victorious army, they needed to leave people behind to claim their share of the spoils.

Unfortunately, with the head of the house gone, Edmond could not represent the Black Jade Clan, despite being Willis’s son-in-law and the Knight Commander.

His only option was to return to their lands as quickly as possible and have William, Willis’s son, or another member of the Black Jade Clan come in his stead.

"We also need to regroup."

Count Ibn said grimly, "Ural’s counterattack was too sudden. Every one of our houses has suffered heavy losses. His Majesty is right to order us not to advance further."

The only noble forces to escape with light losses were those assigned to attack the east and West Gates.

A Knight approached Gushan and whispered a few words in his ear.

Gushan then turned to Ronin. "Ronin, one of my Knights is bleeding heavily, but I think he can still be saved! I need help from your Mage, Mister Elron!"

Ronin nodded. "Just go find Elron. He’s always eager to save a life."

After a victory, Elron would always take the initiative to tend to the wounded. Ronin never objected to this, as it improved his standing with the other nobles while also bolstering Elron’s own influence.

After this brief exchange, Broel led Ronin to Garrett.

"Your Highness!"

Broel gave a slight bow. "His Majesty has ordered you to return to Golden Feather Palace at once. He has matters to discuss with you."

Broel, of course, was aware of the unspoken reasons for the summons.

However, to preserve the dignity of both the Royal Family and Garrett himself, he did not state them plainly.

"He wants me to return? What about matters at the front?"

Garrett’s expression soured. He wanted Elron to treat his injuries as well, but he was too proud to ask.

Broel replied, "Command of the front will be temporarily transferred to Count Gushan and Marquis Ronin. His Majesty already made this clear in his letter."

"Mist City was conquered under my command! I was the one who erased decades of shame for the Oduin Clan! And now, right after our victory, my own father wants to strip me of command!"

Garrett said stubbornly, "Go back and tell my father that I refuse!"

’He knew that if he returned now, he would likely never set foot on the battlefield again.’

’And in the coming war with the Tricia Kingdom, he would probably lose any chance to command Ronin.’

"This..."

Broel knew Garrett’s temper. He was no match for the prince, and if he had to resort to force...

His only option was to look to Ronin for help.

Ronin wasted no words, simply handing Bruno’s letter to Garrett.

"His Majesty gave me orders as well," Ronin stated. "If you refuse to cooperate, I will have Carlos see you home."

’Garrett’s eyes scanned the words on the page, and fury erupted within him. So, in Bruno’s eyes, had he really become such an "immature and unreliable" child?’

’And the deferential tone he took with Ronin truly infuriated him.’

WHOOSH~

A shadow swept overhead. Garrett instinctively looked up. The silhouette of the Dragon made him uneasy.

Garrett shot him a deep look, then snorted. "Matt, help me. We’re going back to Red Pine Castle, and then to Golden Feather City."

In the end, he chose to yield.

It wasn’t that he feared Ronin would actually set the Dragon on him. He was more afraid that if he didn’t back down, Ronin would reveal that he had usurped Gushan’s position as Commander.

Ronin retrieved the letter from Bruno. "Your Highness should focus on recovering. Leave the invasion of the Tricia Kingdom to us."

Garrett remained silent, quickly departing with the support of his Knights.

Ronin put the letter away.

As Bruno had requested, Ronin hadn’t told Gushan or the other nobles about Garrett seizing command. The letter, however, was worth keeping.

A portion of the Noble Alliance Army was left to clear the battlefield, while the rest took Mist Castle.

A rumor from over thirty years ago claimed that whoever occupied Mist City was the rightful heir to the Orland Empire.

Not because the city was the former Imperial capital, but because it had gradually acquired this symbolic meaning during the long war between the two kingdoms.

Of course, as the previously defeated party, the Oduin Kingdom naturally avoided mentioning this.

With the castle secured, the nobles held a simple banquet, eating, drinking, and loudly boasting of their houses’ accomplishments in the battle.

The talk was mostly of how many enemies they had slain—how many Meteor Knights, how many Golden Knights—and how many prisoners they had taken.

And among all of them, Ronin’s achievements were by far the most dazzling.

Single-handedly, with the help of his Dragon, he had slain Grand General Aluba of the Tricia Kingdom—a long-renowned warrior who had recently become a Proud Sun Knight. In addition, he had taken down two Silver Moon Knights, five Meteor Knights, and numerous Golden Knights.

Furthermore, Ridder had slain another Proud Sun Knight and three Silver Moon Knights, and that victory was also credited to Ronin.

This meant that in a single battle, Ronin was responsible for the deaths of two enemy Proud Sun Knights, five Silver Moon Knights, and numerous Meteor and Golden Knights.

While other nobles might exaggerate their accomplishments, Ronin’s feats were genuine, witnessed by all.

The weight of these achievements was so great that no one dared to question them.

"Ronin, I believe congratulations are in order, perhaps a bit prematurely!" Broel suddenly said with a laugh.

"Oh?" Ronin asked, smiling.

Broel explained, "At the last title ceremony, His Majesty wanted to make you a Duke. It was only because others felt your military achievements were insufficient that you were ultimately named a Marquis."

He paused, glancing at the nobles gathered around them. They all understood his meaning.

Ibn laughed. "In the Battle of Mist City, the contributions of Ronin, Ridder, and the Dragon were pivotal. Achievements like these are more than enough to make up for any previous shortfall. This time, surely no one will have any objections?"

"Congratulations are indeed in order!"

The nobles and Knights rose to their feet, offering their congratulations, whether out of sincerity or simply to follow the crowd.

Ronin could hardly refuse, so he raised his cup and drank with them.

’I’ve barely warmed the seat of my Marquisate, and now I’m to become a Duke?’

Ronin would certainly make his case to Bruno, but whether he would actually be named a Duke ultimately depended on Bruno’s will.

After all, while the objections of others had played a significant role in his last enfeoffment, the key factor had always been—and still was—Bruno’s own wishes.

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