"Governor, my name is Poli. I'm 32 years old, from the Fort sequence, a 'Gun Knight'..."

These three military officers from Iris saluted Byron, placing their hands on their chests as they introduced themselves.

It was from these men that he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Even with the aid of the Storm Sigil Ring on his hand, he vaguely sensed a deeply hidden hostility.

He immediately and quietly cast Echoes of History on each of them.

As expected, apart from a common name, everything else was fake.

"Name: Poli Felix, 30 years old, Class: Second Order Punitive Knight of the Tribunal sequence, under the protection of 'Cursed Object: Mirror of Lies'..."

"Name: O'Neill Darren, 25 years old, Class: Second Order Jailor of the Tribunal sequence..."

"Name: Dis Adolf, 23 years old, Class: Second Order Oath Knight of the Tribunal sequence..."

Effects of the "Cursed Object: Mirror of Lies":

"This cursed object was created by a wicked stepmother, envious of her daughter's beauty.

If one asks the mirror a question regarding their own appearance, for example, 'Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the fairest of them all?'

The mirror would certainly lie and say, 'Of course, it's you.'

And this lie would, to some extent, become reality, truly altering the appearance of the inquirer.

The greater the change in appearance, the more human lives were needed for a Blood Sacrifice (Requirement: The sacrifices must be poisoned to death).

A common question might be, 'Am I a young man with a high nose bridge, white skin, and blue eyes?'

It too would deceitfully affirm, transforming you into the appearance you wish to disguise yourself as.

This is a true physical transformation that cannot be seen through by Spirit Vision.

Moreover, the power of the lie protects the transformed, making it difficult for their lies to be detected by others."

The fact that these three people had disguised their identities was not the key point. What was crucial was that each of their records ended with a tag: "True identity... a survivor of the Lancaster Party!"

Lancaster? Adolf? Byron immediately activated his Flow State to control his expression and prevent any giveaways. Not only that, but while he wouldn't recognize everyone from his own faction—as he was underage when Lancaster fell and not deeply involved in affairs—he did recognize the 23-year-old Oath Knight, Dis Adolf. Because this young man was actually on the reserve list for his cousin, Prince Edward's Guardian Knights, usually filling in when there was a vacancy. On that stormy night, as their lords died, the Guardian Knights, bound by the oath "The lord is supreme; none may harm them until my death," also perished alongside them. This reserve member, however, had fortunately escaped that fate.

After realizing their true identities, Byron couldn't help but reevaluate the deal that had been presented to him today.

Entrusting her daughter to my protection, yet she also sends a few Lancaster Party survivors to serve as military officers before me—a 'confidant' of both the York Family and the Newman Family? Does my makeshift aunt know their identities? I'm guessing she does.

At the end of the War of the Roses, the Lancaster Family was annihilated. The various nobles and merchants affiliated with Lancaster, fearing reprisals from the York Family, collectively fled in a short time. Some escaped to other countries along the North Sea coast on the Old Continent, while others fled to the burgeoning overseas colonies. The Pelican Merchant Ship that rescued Byron was carrying part of Lord Crawford of the Lancaster Party's fortune, preparing to flee to the Bantaan Archipelago (Chapter 1). Once some of them reached Bantaan, who could they seek refuge with?

The answer isn't hard to guess. Naturally, the Irisflower Kingdom, with whom they have extensive kinship relationships! In the history I've studied, starting from the year 1000 of the Silver Era, the Kingdom of Hightins and the Irisflower Kingdom have been an almost inseparable entity. The ruling classes of the two nations have always been closely linked by blood ties and political subordination...

Especially during the Hundred Years' War, Byron's grandfather Henry V nearly annihilated the Irisflower Kingdom, even forcing a marriage with the daughter of Charles VI. This union produced Byron's uncle, Henry VI, and his father, Prince Sorrenberg, and also secured the right to inherit the Irisflower Kingdom. At that time, the Irisflower Kingdom had even briefly become part of the United Kingdoms. The Hightins and Lancaster families also reached their most glorious and prosperous era. During that period, the two states were almost entirely intertwined, with intermarriages among the nobility becoming even more frequent.

More accurately, across the entire Old Continent's East Coast, the royal and noble circles of the great kingdoms were all connected by marriage. It was incredibly hard for the nouveau riche to squeeze into that circle. If you traced the lineage far enough, Byron and Bayfolk Princess Violet might even be distant relatives.

And there was an unwritten rule among the nobility: "If you really want to become a noble, you have to marry into it; the down-and-out old nobilities are all eager for such matches. It doesn't matter if you come from pirates or slave traders. It doesn't matter if you mine on the Old Continent or adventure in the Bantaan Archipelago; as long as you have money, then you can certainly 'become' a gentleman! As long as you marry a noblewoman, you are one, even if you weren't before."

The kinship ties here were so complex that not even the most erudite scholars from both countries' Noble Courts could fully grasp them. Knowing they were deemed "rebels" by the York Family, yet still being sent to the side of the York Family's "confidantes"—now that was even more intriguing.

Byron's eyes flickered as he quickly figured out the causes and consequences:

Indeed, people in the real world aren't just backdrop figures to highlight someone else; they also have their own demands, desires, and agency. It's perfectly normal for the Irisflower Kingdom to have designs during the Kingdom of Hightins' turmoil. Coincidentally, with the Newman Family—representing the York Party's interests—declining in power, my Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company has unexpectedly risen to prominence. This is the perfect time to make a move. Sending out remnants of the Lancaster Party, who harbor a blood feud against the York Family, to subvert the Kingdom of Hightins' overseas colonies... Even if their identities are accidentally exposed, as long as they can sow discord between the Sea Hunter and the Newman Family, it's a victory for them. If Adolf and his men don't actively offer to join a pirate crew after this mission, I'll eat my hat! These fellows are probably ready to backstab me, their new boss, at any moment, aren't they? As for the specifics—how many Lancaster Party survivors are in the Bantaan Archipelago, how many are Transcendents, how they're faring now... why not just ask them another day?

Byron withdrew his gaze and looked back at Magnyra, who was sitting opposite him.

This makeshift aunt's intention to entrust her daughter to me is genuine, as is her desire to find an opportunity to ensnare both the York and Newman Families. As for how Sea Hunter Byron Tudor would fare, that isn't within the Lancaster Party survivors' considerations. After all, the Sea Hunter, as the Newman Family's current top enforcer in the Bantaan Archipelago, and Bill, who was practically Newman's son-in-law, had both become symbolic flags. If both could be brought down, nothing would be better.

The latter didn't notice Byron's unusual demeanor and continued, "I have been operating in the Bantaan Archipelago for many years and have recruited many skilled individuals. It's embarrassing to admit, but supporting them is gradually becoming a financial strain. These three are just representatives. While protecting Jacqueline, they're also to see if there are any opportunities in this new city you've built on Yucatan Island."

"There are more?" Byron asked, a strange mix of emotions churning violently in his chest; there were too many absurdities he couldn't even begin to articulate.

So, he resolutely nodded vigorously at Magnyra and declared grandly, "Madam, I've heard that the fortress defense techniques of the Irisflower Kingdom are unmatched in the world. The new city has a huge labor shortage. People like these... please, send as many as you have!"

Although there are no Fortress Experts among them, whom I urgently need, and these mere three individuals are far from comparable to my Privateer Fleet—a drop in the bucket for the manpower shortage—since the bread has been provided, can the milk be far behind? Even though they all carry poisoned daggers, ready to strike at their own enemies at any moment, should I be worried about this? Let the rebels come even more fiercely; I, Byron Lancaster, can withstand it!