CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: THE BRONZE KNIGHT

Ryan never expected that to be the answer.

Thirty years ago, the Rimehart family had been one of the powers that prevented Grand Duke Meyers from securing dominance over the Northern Wind Province—even to the point where not a single descendant of the Meyers family was ever granted noble title or territory in the region.

Because of this, it was only natural that the nobles who had followed Grand Duke Meyers didn’t receive their full due in honor and wealth, either.

So Viscount Miles’s hostility toward Ryan was now clearly justified.

"If that’s the case, then when they sent me to the Northern Wind Province to become a landed baron... they never intended for me to survive."

At that moment, Ryan seemed to finally catch the scent of the assassin who had tried to kill him years ago.

Even though Grand Duke Meyers never acquired any territory in the Northern Wind Province, which noble here today wasn’t somehow connected to him?

Most of the frontier knights had once served as soldiers under the Grand Duke.

"Could I have been pushed out by the empire’s nobility just to appease Grand Duke Meyers’s wrath?"

Ryan thought grimly. Now he felt like every corner of Zero Ferry City was filled with treacherous commoners plotting his death.

What noble ever came out unscathed? If the original Ryan hadn’t died, would he have crossed over into this body?

Everyone else was safe. As a baron from the Rimehart family, he had absolutely no chance of integrating into the circles of the Northern Wind Province.

Now everyone looked like a potential conspirator behind the assassin.

Even Viscount Miles—so close by—was a very real possibility.

He had the means to place assassins in the mountain forests on the way to the Frozen Lands.

With this realization, Ryan found Irina and asked if she could expedite the preparations.

Running away was the safest choice.

In a rush, it still took two and a half days. Ryan even spent gold to purchase a batch of oxen and horses to pull carts. Then, with hundreds of people, they set off in a grand procession for the journey home.

This time, however, Ryan and his soldiers were mounted on warhorses, completely separated from the rest of the group.

"How are the warhorses?"

Ryan asked Brand and the remaining knight-retainers.

"Far better than packhorses."

Brand joyfully patted his warhorse. As soon as the horses were secured, Ryan had awarded his personal guardian knight the best one, granting it to him outright.

As for the others, their mounts technically still belonged to Ryan. Full ownership would come later, once he granted them as official rewards. But even temporary usage was enough to make them ecstatic.

After all, a knight without a mount—could he still be called a knight?

Across the continent, there was even a saying: a knight’s odds of advancing increased once he had a proper steed.

And it wasn’t wrong—because on the third day, as the group entered the frozen marshes, Brand’s aura deepened noticeably.

"Are you sure you’re ready?"

Ryan looked seriously at Brand.

"You only get one chance."

"Lord, Brand will not let you down."

Brand knelt on one knee before Ryan. The surrounding soldiers stood solemnly, alert to their surroundings and focused on Ryan.

With one touch of his finger, 300 points of spirituality vanished, replaced by a blood-red miniature deer that sank into the center of Brand’s brow.

At the same time, Brand began to stir the qi and blood within his body. The aura radiating from him grew especially intense.

The second blessing could cost 100 or 300 spirituality—Ryan didn’t hesitate and chose the highest tier.

Spiritual blessings couldn’t directly push Brand to Bronze Knight level; that leap had to be made on his own.

But the effect of the blessing was comparable to the life elixir that Knight Watt had once taken—no, it might be even more potent.

In Ryan’s eyes, this deer-spirit blessing was the best possible "potion" to help a full knight break through to Bronze Knight. At this stage, no method was more valuable than this.

And with Brand being so attuned to the Deer Spirit Breathing Technique, Ryan saw no chance of failure.

As expected, half an hour later, waves of blood-red energy rippled around Brand’s body. Cracks appeared in the frozen ground.

Knight’s battle aura—mark of a Bronze Knight.

At this point, Brand was no longer limited to basic techniques. He could now use battle aura to power powerful combat skills.

For example...

"Fearless Guard!"

A trace of blood-colored energy even shimmered faintly on Ryan’s body. Not only him, but the surrounding soldiers also felt it. They sensed their qi and blood flowing toward Brand.

But the greatest contribution came from the warhorses—their life force was much stronger than the human knights.

What would normally be a massively draining skill was now easily sustained thanks to the horses’ support.

"Agile Footwork."

Shadows appeared beneath Brand’s feet. Ryan even saw him spring off leaves that hadn’t yet fallen to the ground.

Boom!

At last, the knight’s greatsword struck the frozen soil, creating a crater nearly a meter wide.

In the northern marshlands of the Northern Wind Province, the ground in winter was rock solid. Soldiers and slaves nearby couldn’t imagine what would happen to them if they were struck by such a blow.

"My lord, I have fulfilled your expectations."

Brand knelt on one knee before Ryan, his gaze firm and resolute.

"Excellent! Hahaha! At last, my domain has a Bronze Knight!"

Ryan was delighted and immediately declared that the first set of armor forged upon their return would be granted to Brand.

In his view, a baron should have at least one Bronze Knight under their command. Silver Knights were the true elites.

Hanging around low-tier barons like Hatton had almost made him forget what a baron’s strength ought to be.

With that in mind, Ryan turned to the other soldiers.

"Whoever among you is the first to break through to full knight status will receive armor, a longsword, and a knight’s lance."

"In the Frozen Lands, the first ten knights to break through will receive armor, their own homes, and land."

"Long live the lord!"

The soldiers cheered—and even the slaves were affected by the mood. Perhaps going to the Frozen Lands wouldn’t be such a bad fate after all?

Crossing through mountains and forests again, Ryan finally decided that next year, he absolutely had to build a road. Otherwise, if nothing else, that big-chested Irina from Blade & Rose would never bring her business into the Frozen Lands.

As for this year? Let’s talk about that... next year.