Riding forward, he thrust his spear straight through his chest, killing him instantly!

As guests were being seen off, Rigorav said with disdain, "Although Nelson is the nephew of Count Furelov, his title of knight exists in name only—it's nothing more than a playful nickname. He is the only one who takes it as an honor."

In the Northern Territory, only the heirs of hereditary noble titles are addressed as knights.

Even for Banner Knights, their lands are legally non-hereditary and can only be passed down through various means.

If a family's influence is insufficient and the knight's progeny are not strong enough, the liege lord holds the right to revoke the inheritance of the knightly domain.

Hereditary nobles, however, need not worry about this. Northern nobles have a tradition of preserving their lineage; even when territorial wars break out, the victorious side will not drive their opponents to total extinction.

Instead, they leave one or two heirs to inherit the noble title, granting them a parcel of land to sustain their bloodline and ancestral temple.

The blood of the hundred sons of the God of War shall never be severed!

This is a tradition left over from the era of the Northern Kings. Over the course of seven hundred years, the territories of the kings' descendants have shifted constantly, and some ancient houses have even briefly become exiled nobles, yet none of their bloodlines have been completely extinguished.

As a successor ranked well outside the top twenty to the Furelov earldom, Nelson's chances of inheriting the title of count and its territory were slimmer than the odds of a meteorite falling from the sky and striking him on the head.

Unless every single heir ahead of him in line were to be executed along with their entire kin and utterly wiped out.

Not to mention the earldom, even the position of head of his own paternal family, the Gladstone family, would presumably never fall to him.

Rigorav continued, "The head of the Gladstone family is also good for nothing. With only three knightly domains in his hands and so many brothers and sons, he fails to strive for a fourth or fifth. Once he dies, the family will inevitably fracture sooner rather than later."

"And now, with one of Gladstone's knightly domains slaughtered by the alliance of alien tribes, they are left with only two territories. If they truly declare war, they might not even be your match."

Only then did Ulyan feel slightly reassured, though he remained cautious. "Two steadily managed knightly domains still provide a formidable amount of combat power. If he truly dares to make a reckless move, I will still need to ask for your help."

Rigorav gave Ulyan a look that was half-smile, half-serious. "You want me to step in? That would escalate into a war between Banner Knight families, and I'm afraid that by then, Lord Tarik of Isenpole would also have to choose a side."

"The wife of the Gladstone family head is, after all, Lord Tarik's own paternal aunt."

Ulyan flared up in anger. "Then what do you suggest I do? You're the one who told me to rest easy, and you're the one telling me to worry! If a real disaster strikes, I'm bringing all my kin and fleeing straight into your territory!"

Rigorav had no choice but to console him. "Rest easy! Rest easy! Just go back and be your lord—though a moment ago, you were still addressing me formally."

With soothing words and pleasantries, he finally managed to send the indignant Ulyan on his way.

Once Ulyan had walked far enough away, Rigorav instructed Romon, "Pay a personal visit to your third uncle's knightly domain, convey this news to him, and ask him to keep an eye on things and offer some assistance."

Romon nodded and said, "Understood."

Half a month later, Edward Gladstone, the head of the Gladstone family and a Banner Knight, publicly proclaimed in Isenpole that his third son, Nelson Gladstone, had been murdered in the Riverbend Territory with irrefutable evidence.

Ulyan, lord of the Riverbend Pioneering Territory, must be held accountable for this matter.

Therefore, Banner Knight Edward fiercely dispatched his troops, mustering one hundred regular infantrymen from his own household and kin, one hundred conscripted longbowmen, and two hundred militiamen, while also hiring a mercenary company of about a hundred men. Moving along the World Tree Highway, they advanced toward Riverbend.

Totaling five hundred men, they sallied westward out of Isenpole, pressing directly upon Riverbend to demand justice for Gladstone!

The massive procession marched along the World Tree Highway. At its head rode Banner Knight Edward on horseback, silently calculating in his heart.

Dealing with a newly established pioneering territory should not have required such a grand mobilization.

However, following the raids by the wild alien tribes, all three of Gladstone's knightly domains had been exposed to incursions, and one of them had been completely massacred.

The Gladstone family needed to provide for their clansmen, maintain their military, and uphold their prestige, making their expenditures far exceed their income long ago.

Thus, avenging his son was merely a pretext for this battle; the more important objective was to thoroughly beat the opponent into submission, force them to pay adequate war reparations, and turn them into his personal purse.

If resistance proved minimal, he could even directly occupy Riverbend and bring it into his own pocket.

Ever since the iron ingots of Riverbend flooded the market, the secret of their possessing a premium iron mine was no longer news.

The resulting impact was certainly unfavorable, and one could even say it tarnished Gladstone's century-old reputation, but in the face of family peril and demise, such concerns could no longer be prioritized.

Besides, in front of a freshly baked cake, who wouldn't want to take a bite?

Even the Petuhov family, known for their strict family precepts, and the righteous Lord Rigorav—were there not already rumors that he intended to have his eldest son marry the daughter of that mud-stained lord of Riverbend?

While he was deep in thought, the army arrived outside the Western Watchtower and prepared to cross over the mountain pass.

Sir Nois, the garrison commander of the Western Watchtower, verified the other party's identity and, not daring to obstruct them, immediately let them pass.

This brought a slight sense of relief to Sir Edward; the prestige of the Gladstone family still carried considerable weight in Isenpole.

Yet once they cleared the Western Watchtower, Sir Edward noticed that his army had halted outside the pass, standing still and refusing to advance further.

A single horseman blocked the path ahead.

Although advanced in age, Sir Edward was a veteran knight with numerous accomplishments. Judging merely by the movements of the stranger's warhorse and his posture in the saddle, he knew instantly that this was a formidable expert.

He had no choice but to bring his guards forward to negotiate.

"Who goes there ahead?"

The strange knight grasped his lance, sitting tall in the saddle, and looked down upon them with haughty disdain. "I am Solovey, the Gale Knight and local security patrol captain. And who might you be?"

Sir Solovey Petuhov, the Gale Knight, was the third younger brother of Rigorav and the knightly lord of the domain south of the Western Watchtower.

Edward's scalp tingled with tension, and he forced himself to explain patiently, "I am Edward, head of the Gladstone family. We are a regular lordly army on our way to chastise a hostile family."

The Gale Knight Solovey shook his head and said, "This is a period of military preparedness. Any private feuds and disputes must be set aside until after the war."

"As the local knightly lord and the patrol captain beyond the Western Watchtower, I order you to turn back and leave!"

Banner Knight Edward felt a surge of anger. How could he obediently follow this man's orders?

He cast a glance at his guard captain.

The captain of Edward's guards had long since grown impatient. He raised his lance, spurred his horse forward, and bellowed, "I am Cindaron, General of Gladstone! Step aside for those who block the road!"

Having served as the head guard for the Gladstone family for many years and wielding the family's military might, he had long since stepped into the transcendent realm, rarely encountering an opponent, and enjoyed the deep trust of the family head.

Although he had attained knighthood early on and possessed formidable combat prowess, without the recommendation and backing of the nobility, it was difficult to establish a house of his own.

As early as two years ago, Lord Edward had considered allowing him to strike out on his own, carve out a knightly domain, and become a Banner Lord.

However, the Gladstone family's expenditures had been excessive over the past two years, leaving them stretched thin and unable to provide sufficient support.

This time, Knight Edward had explicitly stated that if Riverbend was successfully conquered, he would place it under his direct management rather than dividing it among his worthless brothers or nephews and nieces.

Under such circumstances, even if Lord Edward were to compromise, he would never agree.

Seeing that the knight of the Gladstone family had not yet planted his war banner or initiated a formal knight's duel, but instead spurred his horse straight at him without a shred of knightly decorum,

Knight Solovey flew into a rage, spurred his mount forward, and ran him through with a single thrust of his lance.