Chapter 617
"Shouldn't we run away faster?"
Yi-Han said, feeling the knights' gazes pouring from behind.
Although he didn't look back, he could imagine that the knights' gazes would be as sharp as blades.
However, the skull principal was relaxed.
"There's no need for that."
"Uh, do you have another new student to persuade?"
"No. We should meet the knight bastards around here. We've come all this way, wouldn't it be disappointing to just leave?"
Like the wealthy nobles of the capital, the northern knight families were also strong supporters of Einroguard.
Of course, the relationship was a bit different from that with the capital nobles.
As the capital nobles didn't particularly need anything, the skull principal was always in the position of asking favors, but with the northern knight families, it was a mutually beneficial relationship.
The barren and harsh northern terrain always needed mages, and the skull principal leading Einroguard was the most reliable ally of the northern knight families.
"But didn't you just deceive those people?"
"Deceive? Someone might misunderstand if they heard that. It was a fair match."
"A fair match!"
The junior nodded as if she had learned something good. Yi-Han covered his junior's ears.
Alcicle asked cautiously.
"But won't what just happened affect the meeting?"
"Don't worry. The north is so vast, how could we meet those knights we just met again? Just think of it as taking a comfortable rest."
At the skull principal's words, Yi-Han and Alcicle felt relieved.
From what they heard, it seemed like they just needed to eat and drink pleasantly to save face for the knight families.
"I see. Where will the banquet be held?"
"At the Moradi family's fortress. There's no better place in the north."
"Oh. That's good. I'm close with Moradi."
"?"
The skull principal was puzzled.
Was that so?
***
The territory of the Moradi family, a typical northern knight family, was completely different from the territories of the empire's great noble families.
It was the custom of the empire's great noble families to build mansions like works of art in beautiful landscapes where one could forget the world's troubles, not far from cities and villages.
However, as can be guessed from the fact that northern knight families called it a fortress rather than a mansion, they placed great importance on the practicality and combat power of their territory.
The Moradi family's fortress, which was built along one of the few large rivers in the north, with dense walls and family facilities arranged on a huge mountain that jutted out above it, was the very embodiment of a northern knight family.
'Oh.'
Seeing the huge fortress that obviously couldn't have been built overnight, Yi-Han understood why Moradi had a strong voice within the White Tiger Tower.
The enormous scale that couldn't be compared to the fortresses of other knight families they had seen on the way here.
And the size of the territory was usually proportional to the family's economic power.
'Was Moradi richer than I thought?'
Whenever he talked with the White Tiger Tower guys, they always grumbled, 'We knights have no money because we're devoted to the empire and protecting citizens, sob sob,' so he thought 'They must really have no money,' but seeing this, it seemed like he might have been fooled...
"His Excellency Gonadaltes has arrived!"
The fortress gates opened with a heavy sound.
Knights came out from inside and said respectfully,
"Your Excellency. Thank you for using the main gate this year!"
"..."
"..."
Yi-Han and Alcicle were dumbfounded, but the skull principal paid no heed.
"Of course you should be thankful. Is the head of the family here?"
"Yes. He's waiting."
"Lead the way. You all rest until the banquet."
At the skull principal's words, Yi-Han's group nodded.
As the emperor's mage advisor and guardian of the empire's magic barrier, the skull principal inevitably had things to discuss with the head of the Moradi family.
From the situation in the great mountains to recent trends in the north and the amount of support funds...
"It's interesting visiting the Moradi family's territory for the first time."
Alcicle said as they walked up a narrow rocky passage.
Such a territory specialized for combat was rare even in the empire. It was a territory that reflected the history of the Moradi family.
"You said your friend is from this family?"
"Yes."
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