Chapter 192: Confrontation with Princess Sylivia

Something like this happening was truly beyond Lorist's expectations. The morning report had stated that Henned had already led troops to take control of Girardusk, and by evening he had become a prisoner. The turnaround was simply too dramatic. Left with no choice, Lorist ordered an immediate camp strike and marched through the night toward Girardusk.

By the time they arrived at Girardusk the following evening, Baron Filim—who had led troops to surround the Grand Duke's manor—came to greet Lorist and Count Kenmais, and had one of Henned's family knights recount the full sequence of events: It all started because that Golden Knight Tabek couldn't keep his mouth shut. He had been ordered to take possession of the Grand Duke's manor when he happened to run into Princess Sylivia. Perhaps thinking that with the Second Prince's defeat, she had lost her protector, he started running his mouth—and that enraged the princess, who immediately attacked. Nobody had expected that Princess Sylivia could actually use Combat Force, let alone that she was at the Golden rank. She was only twenty years old this year. A twenty-year-old Golden Swordmaster was simply astounding—beyond what even exceptional talent could account for.

Poor Knight Tabek never imagined that the beautiful, delicate princess in his eyes would turn into a fierce dragon. Caught completely off guard, he suffered a terrible defeat—not only was he subdued by Princess Sylivia, but he was also beaten to a pulp on the spot.

When Henned received the news, he rushed over and negotiated with Princess Sylivia. He first apologized on Golden Knight Tabek's behalf, then asked that the princess return Tabek to him, earnestly promising that they would never disturb her residence and that she would be free to come and go as she pleased throughout the Northland.

At first the discussion went smoothly, but then the princess suddenly drew her sword and told Henned that he would have to defeat her blade before she would agree to release anyone. Left with no choice, Henned had to fight her.

After all, Henned was a veteran two-star Golden Knight, seasoned in countless battles. In terms of both skill and experience, he far surpassed Princess Sylivia, and he held the upper hand from the very beginning, fighting with ease. Though he was somewhat restrained for fear of injuring the princess, it was clear that she would be the first to falter and surrender. So the Henned family knights watching on felt quite at ease.

But nobody expected that just as Henned attempted a decisive strike to knock the princess's sword away and force her to concede, his foot suddenly slipped. Not only did his strike hit nothing, but his chest was left wide open, and Princess Sylivia placed her sword against his neck.

The Silver Knights watching in the crowd erupted in uproar, drawing their swords to charge forward. But Henned tossed his own sword aside, shouted at his family knights to stand down, and ordered them to fetch Baron Filim and Lorist to take charge of the situation. Then, shaking his head with a bitter smile, he followed Princess Sylivia into the Grand Duke's manor.

When Baron Filim heard the news, he was shocked and hurriedly led his troops to Girardusk, surrounding the Grand Duke's manor. He demanded that Princess Sylivia hand over both Tabek and Henned. But the princess said that getting them back would be simple—they just had to defeat her sword first. If they tried to use their numbers to overwhelm her, she would kill both Tabek and Henned immediately.

Baron Filim didn't want to fight Princess Sylivia. First, it wouldn't be honorable to win that way. Second, he was held back by Henned's knights—if Baron Filim were also captured like Henned, there would be no one left in charge. After all, Henned's defeat had been far too bizarre; such a careless mistake was not something a Golden Knight should have made.

"Things are at a stalemate now. Princess Sylivia even sent someone to request fresh fruits and vegetables, and we've provided them all..." Baron Filim said with a bitter smile.

Lorist straightened his attire, turned, and walked off. "I'm going into the Grand Duke's manor to have a look."

Baron Filim and Count Kenmais were alarmed and hurried forward to block him. "Lord Norton, Locke, don't be rash... Let us deliberate carefully..."

Lorist's body swerved, dodging Baron Filim's outstretched hand. "It's fine. Princess Sylivia is a Golden Swordmaster—she shouldn't cause trouble for a mere Iron-rank like me..."

Count Kenmais was held back by Reidi.

Count Kenmais angrily scolded, "You're just going to watch your master walk to his death?"

Reidi grinned cheerfully. "Don't worry, Count. Our lord has never lost a single battle. And it was Golden Knight Chevani who died after being defeated in a duel by our lord..."

"Really?" Count Kenmais was stunned, and Baron Filim pricked up his ears as well. All they knew was that Golden Knight Chevani had been under orders from Grand Duke Lukins of the Northland, accompanying Golden Knight Henned with four thousand Northland Legion soldiers to invade the Norton Family's territory. The result had been total annihilation—Chevani was killed in battle and Knight Henned was captured. But the details of the fighting were completely unknown.

Reidi gestured to the guards beside them. "It's true. Look at our guards—not a single one is nervous. Everyone has confidence in our lord. In every battle, our lord has always led the charge from the front. We've all grown accustomed to seeing him be unstoppable. He captured Knight Henned with just a single move back then—that's why Henned is so deferential to our lord..."

Lorist had already arrived at the main gate of the Grand Duke's manor. The gate was ajar, and a gentle push swung it open.

Beyond the gate was a small courtyard, once used by the Grand Duke's guards for patrol rotations, mustering, and training.

Lorist stood at the gate, took a deep breath, and called out in a booming voice: "Norton Family, Count and Lord—Norton Lorist, here to visit Her Highness Princess Sylivia! I invite the princess to come meet me!"

Though Lorist was not shouting, his voice rolled like thunder, echoing across the Grand Duke's manor.

Everyone regarded the lone Lorist as if facing a formidable enemy...

Before long, a herald's cry rang out: "Her Highness Princess Sylivia of the Iblia Kingdom arrives..."

This was the first time Lorist had laid eyes on Princess Sylivia. Now he understood Count Kenmais's description of her—she was like a goddess. Despite having lived two lifetimes and seen countless beauties, Lorist was still struck speechless by Princess Sylivia's appearance. A single word surfaced in his mind: elf.

She was truly as beautiful and graceful as the elves of legend... Lorist sighed softly, then gathered his focus and forced himself to stop dwelling on that devastatingly beautiful face.

Princess Sylivia was also looking Lorist up and down, curious about this Northland lord whom she had never met since arriving in the Northland. But Lorist was dressed very plainly. Unlike his family soldiers who wore the latest Hede steel armor, he wore an ordinary short coat of grey fine linen, a black inner shirt, black trousers, and black half-length leather boots. Over his upper body was draped a bright silver chainmail shirt.

At over six feet, he was of only average height on the Galentea Continent, where people tended to be tall. His appearance was unremarkable—not handsome, not ugly, just ordinary. Princess Sylivia, who had seen plenty of fine-looking men, was certain that if she spotted this Norton lord in a crowd, she would forget him in an instant. He was the very picture of a passerby.

However, what struck Princess Sylivia as somewhat unusual was Lord Norton's dark eyes—they were bright and piercing, and when they looked at her, they were perfectly clear, unlike those nobles who feigned respect while harboring indecent thoughts behind her back. His gaze was quite pleasant. His long black hair was tied back, and between his brows seemed to rest a quiet confidence. He possessed a unique aura that gave her the inexplicable intuition that nothing could defeat him. That was rather strange.

Lorist lowered his head, bent slightly at the waist, and placed his right hand over his heart in a greeting between equals of the nobility. "Your esteemed Highness Princess Sylivia, I am the current head of the Norton Family of the Northland, Count Norton Lorist. I pay my respects to you."

"How dare you! You are a noble of the Iblia Kingdom—why do you not perform the proper audience salute to Her Highness? Are you thinking of overstepping your rank?" Before Princess Sylivia could respond, a guard beside her flew into a rage and loudly rebuked Lorist.

"Tell me, when exactly did the Norton Family become nobles of the Iblia Kingdom? How come the Norton Family doesn't know about it? If the Norton Family had sworn fealty to the Iblia Kingdom, then please produce the oath and letters of allegiance to prove it. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut!" Lorist's smile was light as a passing cloud, but the fury in his eyes pressed the guard back two steps until he was rendered speechless.

Princess Sylivia stepped forward, placing herself in front of the guard. Her expression was icy, and her tone was frost-cold. "So you're saying Baron Norton does not acknowledge himself as a noble of the Iblia Kingdom?"

"Certainly. Your Highness, the whole world knows this. The Norton Family of the Northland has been loyal to the Krisen royal house for generations, guarding the empire's frontiers. For three hundred years, we have served diligently, never daring to slacken. Generation after generation succeeded the last, bringing peace to most of the Northland. It is a great pity that the empire descended into civil war—three princes vying for the throne tore apart a mighty empire. Yet the Norton Family has never forgotten our ancestors' charge. We continue to guard the Northland frontier for the empire, refusing to involve ourselves in its internal conflicts. Tell me, Your Highness—does this not deserve to be called loyalty?"

"Is that so? But don't forget—the empire no longer exists. So the Norton Family has been running wild. Weren't those bandit raids that pillaged the Grand Duchy a few years ago the work of your Norton Family?" Princess Sylivia sneered.

"Your Highness, though the empire is gone, the Norton Family's loyalty and courage remain. We still shoulder the duty of guarding the frontier against beast tides. As for the unfortunate events in the Grand Duchy a few years ago, one can only say that Grand Duke Lukins of the Northland brought it upon himself. He shouldn't have extended his greedy claws toward the Norton Family—we were merely acting in self-defense. As for the Grand Duchy's subjects who came with us, they did so voluntarily to escape the war and begin a peaceful life on Norton Family land. Your Highness, think about it—have we ever seized even an inch of someone else's territory? We haven't. We have always lived within our own family's lands. Yet even so, there are those who refuse to leave our family in peace, forcing us to fight back..." Lorist argued loudly.

Princess Sylivia's jade-white cheeks flushed pink. She was becoming flustered with anger. "You certainly have a sharp tongue, Baron Norton. Don't tell me the Norton Family fights beast tides with nothing but clever words?"

The remark was a bit over the line, but Princess Sylivia was too mortified to care.

Lorist replied with a calm smile: "Don't forget, Your Highness, I have already fulfilled your request to see the magical beasts. You should have seen those beast corpses with your own eyes and know how our Norton Family's brave soldiers fight them. I would like to remind Your Highness that the Norton Family currently holds the rank of Count. Because of the toil our ancestors endured in guarding the empire's frontier over many generations, the Andinak royal house—the legitimate continuation of the Krisen imperial bloodline—bestowed upon our family the rank of Count. We accepted it. It was what we deserved."

Princess Sylivia was first left speechless by Lorist's rebuttal, but when she heard the latter part, she gave a soft snort. "So your Norton Family has gotten in bed with the Andinak royal house. No wonder you treat our Iblia Kingdom's king with such disdain and repeatedly reject his requests..."

Lorist laughed in spite of himself and pulled a sheet of paper from inside his coat. "Your Highness, perhaps you should hear what three demands your king made upon the Norton Family."

Lorist read aloud the three harsh demands from the Second Prince's letter. They made Princess Sylivia's face alternate between red and white. Such conditions—no lord would ever agree to them. It was practically sending one's family into the abyss. The princess felt deeply embarrassed.

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it..." The princess threw a feminine tantrum, stamping her feet in embarrassment and anger.

"It's already finished, Your Highness. Setting aside my personal grievances with the Second Prince, he brought a hundred thousand troops to attack our Norton Family, and now it's all over—even he doesn't know where he's fled to. I'm here now to discuss the matter of you restricting the personal freedom of Knight Tabek and Baron Shahin. What would it take for you to grant them their freedom? You understand that after such a major battle, there are countless matters awaiting their attention..." Lorist said.

When it came to business, the princess regained her composure. "Simple. Defeat me in a sword duel, and I'll release them."

Looking Lorist up and down, Princess Sylivia curled her lip in disdain. "Count Norton, you're just an Iron-rank—don't bother joining in. Go back and send one of your Golden-rank family knights instead."

Lorist laughed heartily and slowly drew his sword. "I'd like to give it a try..."

"How dare you!" The guard who had been at Princess Sylivia's side earlier lunged forward, his long sword flaring with an inch of white sword qi.

*Thud*—the Silver-rank guard crumpled at Lorist's feet.

*Shing. Shing.* Two more Silver-rank guards drew their swords and charged...

Then they, too, fell to the ground in a single exchange.

By the time a dozen guards had fallen at Lorist's feet, he was growing impatient. "Your Highness, how many more guards do you have? Why not just send them all at once? I'll finish with them faster that way..."

Princess Sylivia's face was grave. Drawing her sword, she waved to stop the remaining few guards who wanted to charge. "You're no match for him. Let me handle this..."

"You're no match for me either, Her Highness Princess Sylivia. Have the person behind you come out. Don't think that hiding in the shadow of a tree means no one can see you." Lorist addressed the princess without any tact, then turned to look at a large tree beside the courtyard wall.

"I have never seen swordsmanship like yours before, and I have no idea how you discovered me. All I can say is that your swordsmanship lineage is very peculiar..." A slightly hoarse female voice came from beneath the great tree, and a figure wearing a hooded, voluminous black robe stepped out from behind it.

For the first time, tension appeared on Lorist's face. His innate dynamic vision could not pin down the true position of the robed figure. She appeared to be beneath the great tree, yet it almost seemed as though no one was inside the black robe at all—as if it were merely an empty garment.

Lorist licked his lips. "I suppose you must be the princess's wet nurse, the Great Swordmaster Shanti. No wonder Henned lost in his bout with the princess—you were helping from the sidelines. I thought it was strange. No matter how talented the princess is, she's still young, with only a one-star Golden rank. How could she possibly defeat a veteran Golden Knight who has weathered countless battles..."

"How dare you look down on me! Hah—take this!" Princess Sylivia, standing to the side, flew into a rage. She stamped her foot and golden sword qi blazed along her blade as she charged straight at Lorist.

"Stop!" The black-robed figure was alarmed—it was unclear whether she was telling the princess to stop or telling Lorist not to resist, to simply stand there and let the princess stab him once to vent her anger.

Lorist naturally paid no heed to the dark figure's shout. He dropped low, executing an iron-bridge maneuver right where he stood, and the princess's charge sailed past him. Springing back up like a coiled spring, he closed in on the princess until they were nearly at grappling range.

The princess was horrified. Whether blocking or dodging, she always had a follow-up prepared, but she hadn't anticipated that Lorist, while dodging, would remain right where he was. Her charge had carried her directly to his position, and now he had sprung up right against her. The poor princess had never been this close to a strange man before. Panicked and flustered, all she could do was reach out to push Lorist away from her...

Lorist's body flickered again and he was behind the princess. One hand seized the wrist holding her sword, while the blade of his own sword pressed against her jade-white cheek. The piercing cold of his sword qi froze Princess Sylivia completely in place.

A glint of cold light flashed through the air—but the incoming strike was aimed directly at Princess Sylivia's pale face...

(To be continued.)