Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 473 - 446: Ronin’s Opinion
Ronin had intended to just quietly watch from the sidelines and see how the argument would end, but he hadn’t expected Bruno to drag him into the conversation.
What kind of opinion could Ronin have on this matter?
’My opinion is definitely to get the Duke title. Not only would I complete two achievement quests in a row, but my sign-in rewards would also increase to five times the initial amount!’
As for the territory in Moonlight Valley, it didn’t matter whether he got a little more or a little less.
“Since His Majesty has asked me, I’ll be direct.”
Ronin was not one to be coy about what he wanted. “The only reason Duke Ference objects is that he thinks I’m too young and haven’t earned enough accomplishments for the Kingdom. Truthfully, with my Proud Sun Level strength, once we formally go to war with the Tricia Kingdom, earning accomplishments won’t be difficult for me.”
He was at least that confident.
“Baron Ronin, what astounding confidence!”
Andrea said with a smile, “We’ve all heard that you possess Proud Sun Level strength, but none of us have ever seen it. Since we have the opportunity today, why not demonstrate it for us?”
Ronin grinned. “What, is Duke Andrea looking for a challenge?”
’It wouldn’t be a bad idea to knock Andrea down a peg here and let Lurans have the satisfaction.’
“Haha, as a mere Silver Moon Knight, I don’t have the courage to challenge the might of a Proud Sun Knight.”
His tone shifted. “However, I did hear that you defeated the Crown Prince and several of his Meteor Level attendants in Moonlight Valley with just a single move. If possible, I’d like to witness this spectacular move for myself.”
Garrett’s expression darkened. He never expected this incident to be brought out into the open.
“I think Duke Andrea should experience it for himself.”
Garrett said with a smirk, “Uncle Ference, if you’re interested, you can join Andrea.”
Ronin was a bit surprised. ’What’s with the Crown Prince? Has he switched to my side?’
Ronin had misunderstood. Garrett couldn’t stand Andrea and Ference either.
“Very well!”
Ference stood up. “To witness the power of a Proud Sun Knight is a rare opportunity.”
He looked at Garrett. “Crown Prince, you should join us as well. You were defeated last time. This time, with the three of us working together, we should be able to stand against him, right?”
Garrett gave a dry chuckle and didn’t respond.
“What, is the Crown Prince afraid that the three of us won’t be able to block a single move from him this time?”
Garrett’s expression changed. With a cold snort, he was the first to walk down the steps and head outside. “Come on, Ronin. Last time was too rushed. Let me experience it properly this time.”
Ference followed him out with a smile.
Andrea shrugged helplessly. “Let’s go, Ronin.”
Only then did Bruno speak up with a reminder, “Just one move to test your skills. Everyone, please be careful not to injure one another.”
Ronin frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected the situation to turn out this way.
’I just said I would fight Andrea. How did it turn into a one-on-three in the blink of an eye?’
Clearly, they wanted to gauge his true strength.
“Ronin, you can refuse if you don’t think you can handle it,” Lurans reminded him in a low voice.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Ronin strode after them. In a clash of powerful moves, even if he couldn’t defeat the three of them, he wouldn’t get injured.
Outside Oduin Hall was a very wide plaza.
Ronin and the trio of Garrett, Ference, and Andrea walked to the center of the plaza and stood on opposite sides. Bruno and the others stood on the distant steps, watching the scene with nervous anticipation.
“Let’s begin!”
Ference shouted, and an immense aura erupted from his body. Without a doubt, he was not a Knight who had just reached the Silver Moon Level.
At the same time, Garrett and Andrea also launched their attacks.
In an instant, Fighting Qi of the Wind, Thunderbolt, and Flame Attributes painted the plaza in three brilliant, dazzling colors.
’Let me see just how strong a Proud Sun Level is.’
Bruno’s eyes were filled with anticipation, as were most of the others.
Of all those present, perhaps only Lurans was worried about his grandson’s safety.
“Celestial Fire Scorched Earth!”
Ronin swung the Flowing Flame Sword that had appeared in his hand, fully unleashing the move. Instantly, the color of his attack completely overwhelmed the trio’s combined assault.
BOOM!
The all-consuming celestial fire finally collided with the trio’s ultimate moves. Instantly, all the paving stones on the ground were torn up, huge cracks spiderwebbed outward, and a powerful shockwave spread in all directions.
Broel, Valgis, Lurans, and the others acted one after another to neutralize the approaching storm, all while staring nervously at the center of the field.
In the clash of their Combat Skills, Ronin’s had actually come out on top!
The momentum of Celestial Fire Scorched Earth dissipated the fierce wind, destroyed the Thunderbolt, and devoured the Flame, then rushed toward its opponents with its remaining force.
The three of them hurriedly summoned their Fighting Qi Armor. Although the impact knocked them back over ten meters, they managed to stop themselves steadily.
Ference and Andrea exchanged a look. There was shock in their eyes, but also another layer of meaning. ’A Proud Sun Knight… isn’t completely invincible after all.’
Only Garrett could feel that Ronin’s attack just now had been stronger than the last time.
’Did he spare my life last time?’
He sneered inwardly. ’Damn it! I was shown pity!’
At that moment, the sound of Bruno’s applause came from above. “Magnificent! Truly magnificent! A Proud Sun Knight is indeed terrifyingly powerful!”
The other nobles also began to applaud. By single-handedly fending off three Silver Moon Knights, Ronin’s status as a Proud Sun Knight was now confirmed.
However, many could also see that a Proud Sun Knight was not enough to completely decide the fate of a Kingdom or a Duchy.
What they didn’t know was that besides being a Proud Sun Knight, Ronin was also a Great Mage.
He had plenty of aces up his sleeve.
After a round of compliments, the group returned to the hall, and the discussion surrounding Ronin’s Noble Title resumed.
The attitudes of Ference and Andrea hadn’t changed despite being at a disadvantage in the previous exchange. On the contrary, they suggested making Ronin a Count for the time being, proposing that it wouldn’t be too late to promote him to a higher Noble Title once he had earned more accomplishments.
Bruno appeared to waver. After all, he still needed the two duchies to help him secure his rule, so he couldn’t completely ignore their demands.
Finally, after several rounds of discussion, Bruno made his final decision:
Ronin would be granted the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight, be ennobled as a Marquis, and be given the entirety of Moonlight Valley as his fief.
In addition, to accommodate Ference and Valgis, Bruno granted them Wave Castle and Dark Tide City, which were near Moonlight Valley, respectively.
The official investiture ceremony would be held after Jesus’s funeral.
Unfortunately, Valgis repeatedly insisted on politely refusing the fief of Dark Tide City.
He could see that this area was likely to be a source of trouble in the future.
His Gistana Clan was in decline, with few members, and he didn’t want to get involved in these dangerous games any longer.
The meeting lasted for a long time but ultimately came to a satisfactory conclusion.
Lurans and Ronin walked side-by-side along a grand avenue in the Royal Palace.
“Congratulations, Ronin. Just as your father, Wiggin, said, the Wushan Clan now has two Marquises.”
For Ronin, while it was a little disappointing not to become a Duke right away, becoming a Marquis was still quite good.
“Grandpa, why do I get the feeling that His Majesty the King had always intended to make me a Marquis and never truly planned on ennobling me as a Duke?”
“That’s only natural.”
Lurans’s smile faded. “The Noble Title of Count holds little appeal for you. To show you goodwill, the best he could offer was either a Duke or a Marquis. The reason he mentioned Duke at the beginning was to leave room for compromise later.”
“Furthermore, through this maneuver, he saved face for Ference and the others, granted you glory, and shifted the blame for you not becoming a Duke onto Ferrensburg and the Villa Duchy.”
Ronin nodded slightly. He very much agreed with Lurans’s assessment.
“And finally, his decision to grant Wave Castle to Duke Ference must also have a deeper meaning.”
Lurans said with a smile, “You may not know this, since you haven’t studied the map of Moonlight Valley closely. The Altai River, which runs past Shore City, flows through Moonlight Valley, and Wave Castle is located upstream.”
It dawned on Ronin.
“So, Moonlight Valley relies on the Altai River for irrigating its crops. If waterworks are built at Wave Castle later on, it could affect the water supply to Moonlight Valley and thus impact the fief’s grain production.”
“Exactly!”
He was very gratified that Ronin was able to realize this so quickly.
“His Majesty the King’s method of granting fiefs is quite interesting,” Ronin couldn’t help but remark.
Lurans nodded. “Compared to his father, His Majesty Klinsmann, and his son, Garrett, our current King’s thinking is very clear.”
Ronin had the same impression.
Garrett was too reckless; compared to Bruno, he fell far short.
However, Ronin wasn’t worried.
The Altai River was no small stream. Even if Ference wanted to build waterworks upstream to control Moonlight Valley’s water supply, it wasn’t something that could be accomplished in just a few years.
Time would give Ronin a good buffer.
