Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 166: Chapter 153: The Prince’s Conditions

With the fighting having eased over the last few days, Robson had let his soldiers get plenty of rest.

As for the Beastmen catching up...

The Beastmen were likely still repairing the Magic Bridge. Besides, the army had now entered the griffins’ patrol zone, so the Beastmen’s every move was under constant watch.

When Prince Noah arrived near Robson’s main encampment, leading his last few dozen Extraordinary Personal Guards and riding his Ice Lion, he saw the area in the distance was brightly lit and felt momentarily confused.

"Halt! This is a military encampment. State your business!"

Prince Noah had not even gotten close to the camp—he was still over a mile out—when he was halted by a patrolling Ranger.

Scolded by a mere mortal soldier, Mage Norria was about to retort when Prince Noah raised a hand to stop him.

’Since we’re here to ask for a favor, we need to act like it. As long as I can accomplish my goal, what does a little lost dignity matter?’

"My name is Noah, a nobleman of the kingdom. I’ve come to congratulate Baron Robson. My apologies for my tardiness," said Prince Noah.

He had long since known that Rangers were tailing him; in fact, Prince Noah had spotted them when he was still nearly two miles from the camp.

The Ranger’s expression softened considerably upon hearing Prince Noah’s words. He could see the Prince’s magnificent armor, his magical beast mount, and the dozens of Knight Guards at his side.

Still, his training as a soldier compelled him to carry out his duties.

"Since you’re a nobleman, follow me. The Baron is currently drinking with some other lords," the Ranger said.

Prince Noah nodded. He had been exceedingly polite; he hoped that Baron Robson wouldn’t treat him poorly just because of some nasty rumors.

...

When Robson learned that Prince Noah had arrived, he was with Valentino and a group of nobles around a bonfire, watching Claude perform a comical dance.

An orderly approached Robson, who was a bit suspicious. ’Are princes really so approachable these days?’

"What is it?" Valentino had taken off her helmet, her face flushed red in the firelight.

"It’s nothing. The Prince has arrived," Robson said, frowning.

"Prince Noah?" Valentino, who had been slightly tipsy, sobered up considerably.

"This probably isn’t good..." Valentino said.

Robson agreed. ’A prince showing up in the middle of the night... he can’t be here just to celebrate, can he?’

’If that were the case, he would have come with Valentino’s group earlier.’

Of course, what Robson didn’t know was that it wasn’t that Prince Noah didn’t want to come celebrate; it was mainly because the nobles from Sirich City hadn’t informed him when they departed.

Although the Royal Family had shouldered most of the responsibility, it didn’t mean the noble lords of the Western Front looked upon Prince Noah favorably. Many now placed the blame for the entire situation on the Western Front squarely on him.

In reality, this was part of the price Prince Noah was paying: trading his reputation for the support of the southern nobility.

"Let’s go greet him." Robson stood and walked toward the camp gate, with Valentino close behind.

Seeing Robson leave, the feasting nobles also followed, leaving only Claude behind, still capering about like a madman. He was truly drunk.

Robson soon saw Prince Noah. Riding an aqua-blue Ice Lion and surrounded by dozens of Knights, he was an incredibly conspicuous figure.

He had the classic blond hair and blue eyes of the Frankish Royal Family and a handsome face. The blue eyes came from his Elanshiri Imperial Family bloodline, a trait common among the nobility of the Tilia Kingdom.

Prince Noah dismounted, and the Knights behind him immediately followed suit.

"Ha! Baron Robson," Prince Noah said with a smile as he approached. "I have heard much about you, but we’ve never had the pleasure of meeting. I didn’t expect you to be even younger than myself, and a Golden Tier Knight, no less."

Although Prince Noah’s smile was cheerful, Robson felt the atmosphere grow several degrees colder. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the Ice Lion or the grim-faced nobles from Sirich City standing behind him.

"Your Highness, Robson of the Odogin Family from Hick Province," Robson said. He had never learned the proper etiquette for addressing the Royal Family; in fact, he wasn’t even sure if such customs existed in this world.

So Robson simply gave a standard military salute, striking a fist to his chest. Prince Noah paid it no mind and returned the salute in kind.

"When I worked alongside Marquis Oscillate, I often heard tell of you.

You have certainly made a name for yourself. War has a way of forging heroes, and opportunity always presents itself to those who are prepared.

It seems the kingdom is about to see another family rise to prominence," Prince Noah said with a laugh.

Prince Noah’s tone was casual, but to the ears of the assembled lords, his words were laden with meaning. A murmur began to ripple through the crowd.

Although many were displeased with Prince Noah, blaming him for the current awkward state of affairs, it was undeniable that he still represented the Royal Family.

He was a direct descendant of the Knight King, his lineage traceable to the second emperor of the Ventia Empire. His father was the nominal ruler of the Frank Kingdom, and Prince Noah himself might one day lead it.

A prince’s every word was subject to deep interpretation, and this moment was no exception.

If such words had come from a mere passerby, they might have been dismissed as a joke. But from the mouth of the Prince, they represented, to some degree, the Royal Family’s stance on Robson’s future prospects.

Publicly, Robson already had the backing of Marquis Oscillate, and there were even rumors that he was set to take charge of the Fengman Clan.

If the Royal Family also showed favor to Robson—or even extended an olive branch—the significance of such a gesture could not be underestimated.

"Your Highness is too kind. My achievements are hardly worth mentioning. I have yet to be granted a fief, and my title is still provisional. I wouldn’t dare call myself a hero..." Robson replied.

In Robson’s experience, anyone who approached him with such a warm smile was bound to want something.

Prince Noah was even laying his cards on the table: in the future, Robson could obtain the support of the Royal Family. He just didn’t know to what extent or in what form that support would come.

Robson’s last statement had been a probe, testing whether the Prince could be less vague and offer something more tangible.

"A fief and the like will come in due time. With your accomplishments, a Viscount’s fief is well within your grasp. I trust the kingdom will not be ungenerous to one who has served it so well.

Just like my royal ancestor, the Knight King, who expanded humanity’s territory and received a reward from the Emperor, which led to the Frank Kingdom’s status today!" Prince Noah said with a smile.

The implication was obvious: a Viscount’s fief, backed by the Royal Family. Of course, there was some historical knowledge involved in that statement as well.

After the Knight King expanded the borders, what exactly had the Emperor of the Third Empire rewarded him with? It was a foundation—the kind of foundation that could support an entire Royal Family! Inherited Cultivation Techniques, Extraordinary systems, specialized knowledge...

The offer was certainly tempting. Robson already had the support of Marquis Oscillate. If he added the cooperation of the Royal Family, his meteoric rise during the subsequent distribution of merits would be a certainty.

Even with only Marquis Oscillate’s support, Robson could probably obtain the rank of Viscount. However, there were vast differences between one Viscount and another.

A newly established Viscount Clan was often the weakest among its peers, possessing shallow foundations and meager strength.

Ordinary Viscount Clans, like those of Viscount Fuman and Viscount Leo, generally languished at that rank for years. The most powerful, of course, were those like Viscount Di Man’s, which were capable of vying for the status of an Earl Clan.

Aside from the nine Southern Earls and eight Northern Earls enfeoffed at the kingdom’s founding, every existing Earl Clan had been forged in the crucible of blood and fire.

Robson had previously learned from Valentino that his potential fiefdom would be located in the kingdom’s northeast.

The bad news: it bordered the Beastman Empire. The good news: the Fengman Clan’s territory would be at his back.

For Robson, having the future support of both the Fengman Clan and Marquis Oscillate meant his start would certainly be much smoother.

However, "much smoother" didn’t mean he could ascend to the heavens in a single step. If he could obtain the Royal Family’s support, he might truly be able to accomplish in two or three years what took other families generations to build.

Furthermore, from a geopolitical standpoint, Marquis Oscillate was far away in the south, separated from the northeast by the Royal Family’s directly controlled territories. The support the Royal Family could provide was clearly superior to the Marquis’s.

"The kingdom does not treat its heroes ungenerously, but I feel unworthy. Such things are too distant for me.

For now, I only wish to focus on the task at hand," Robson said, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Robson decided to wait and see what task Prince Noah would assign him.