Where did Lord Lock's formidable Tiger Knight Order come from?
As his deeds spread throughout the Kingdom, many curious individuals began to investigate this secret: what allowed a frontier Baron, not yet thirty, to rise so quickly and become the Earl he is today?
Lock had no intention of hiding this matter, because as long as he continued to expand his military forces, the powerful blessing of Rank-Up Magic could not be kept secret.
Thus, almost all the nobles of the Kingdom now knew that he possessed a mysterious power that could make people stronger.
As the Golden Princess's guard and a very special presence under her, Climb had been subtly questioned by the noble maids around Lana during this period, hoping to extract clues about this secret from him.
Furthermore, due to his recent training with Mark, he learned that Mark was originally just an ordinary frontier villager, without any talent for combat or magic, yet he had become a Tiger Knight.
While Climb envied this, the idea of becoming stronger through this method also sprouted in his heart.
However, for the past few days, he hadn't been able to see Lock, and a stubborn sense of pride prevented him from wanting to bow his head before Lock.
As Climb was caught in his internal struggle, he didn't notice two figures approaching from the other end of the corridor.
"Lord Lock!"
Seeing the two approach, Mark immediately straightened up, chest out, and saluted Lock loudly.
His voice instantly snapped Climb out of his thoughts, and upon noticing Lock, he quickly bowed as well.
"Oh, Mark, you've worked hard."
Lock smiled at his subordinate and offered a casual greeting; although he himself might not have been very sincere, it invigorated Mark as if he'd had a shot of adrenaline.
"To serve you, I would die ten thousand deaths!"
"Remember to rest. There's still a long time ahead," Lock said, patting Mark's shoulder.
Vier, at his side, pushed open the door to the Princess's chambers, and Lock, without further delay, entered the palace.
Thump!
As the door to the chambers closed, Climb clenched his fists, his gaze slowly hardening as he secretly made a decision.
Inside the chambers, Lana was sitting on a sofa, examining a thick stack of documents. Hearing the door open, she turned her head and immediately stood up upon seeing Lock.
"Earl!" Lana greeted Lock quite normally, a brilliant smile on her face, largely consistent with their relationship and her basic character setting.
Acting, well, I'm good at that too!
Lock performed a very standard noble bow to Lana and said, "Princess."
After their usual greetings, Lana then instructed the maid serving nearby, "Tierra, the Earl and I have important matters to discuss. You may leave for now."
"Yes," the maid, head bowed, immediately replied, then, with a hint of fear, carefully left the chambers.
After the maid left, Lock also relaxed, sitting directly on the sofa as if he were in his own home.
Lana did not sit down, but stood by like a servant, just like Vier.
"Earl, do you have something to instruct me about?"
Lock glanced at the teacups on the coffee table, and Vier, always attentive to him, immediately understood and stepped forward to pour him a cup of black tea.
Taking the teacup from Vier, Lock took a small sip; the taste was decent. Then he looked at Lana, who was standing by, and asked, "How are things progressing with those nobles?"
"As per your request, I have meticulously summarized and allocated their territorial resources, and they have guaranteed complete obedience to your arrangements, sending personnel to gather and transport everything. I believe that within a month, all the supplies you require will be delivered to your territory."
"That's good."
Lock nodded. He had merely asked casually; since everything was in order, there was no need to dwell on it.
It must be said that Lana, as a subordinate, was highly efficient in handling matters, truly living up to her reputation as the Kingdom's smartest mind. If this task were given to Vier, it might take a week to properly manage, but this blonde managed it in just three days.
If not for her character flaws, Lock would truly want to cultivate her properly; perhaps he could gain a valuable strategist as a subordinate.
"Have any nobles with poor judgment caused trouble for us recently?"
"No, in fact, they're all being very cooperative."
A triumphant smile appeared on Lana's face. She knew that in the past, when she lacked power, all her political proposals were rejected by the noble faction, but now no one dared to object. It was truly a satisfying release of frustration.
"That's good. What about the Six Great Nobles? Have they made any moves recently?"
"They are all very discreet now. Marquis Leiwen has been staying in the inn recently. Although he frequently sends subordinates to deliver letters to his territory, they are all ordinary letters wishing well to his family. The three great nobles of the noble faction, led by Marquis Bororop, are restless every day and look somewhat haggard; perhaps your previous intimidation was too much for them. The remaining Marquis Brumrash and Marquis Pespea, however, are acting quite normally and have even visited me, expressing their desire to cooperate with you."
"Marquis Leiwen and the four others, including Marquis Bororop, can be ignored. As for the remaining two, you can handle them as you see fit, as long as it doesn't interfere with our plans," Lock said casually, finishing the black tea in his cup.
"I understand."
Lana nodded in understanding, then asked Lock about another matter, "Earl, I received a message from that side, asking me to deal with the remaining loose ends of Eight Fingers as soon as possible. Do you have any instructions regarding this?"
Lock pondered for a moment. The Great Tomb's side instructed Lana to handle it, which meant they wouldn't act for themselves, right?
If that was the case, he wasn't very interested.
After all, Eight Fingers must have already been plundered once by the Great Tomb, and what remained were probably just some real estate. After Lana sorted it out, wouldn't those things still be his?
Thinking this, Lock said casually, "You decide."
"Yes," Lana replied, then, as if remembering something else, asked, "Earl, did Lakyus like the gift I prepared for you earlier?"
Lock turned his head and glanced at her, not understanding why she suddenly asked this, but still answered honestly, "I don't know. I gave it to her uncle to pass on."
"Is that so...?" Lana immediately looked helpless and could only say, "Then I'll find an opportunity to ask her next time."
Lock nodded indifferently, reminding her, "At this stage, the priority is establishing power. I need you to integrate a sufficient reserve of officials to manage the entire Kingdom. Don't lose sight of the bigger picture."
"...Please rest assured, Earl, I will not delay your plans."
Lana inadvertently glanced at Vier beside her, a bitter smile forming in her heart, but she could only respond, "The day after tomorrow, please try to participate in my plan to eliminate Eight Fingers. I'm concerned that there might be other arrangements on their side."
"...Alright, I don't have anything else to do anyway. Do you need me to send personnel to support you?"
"You only need to assign a few Tiger Knights as emergency measures. Give the new members a chance to prove themselves."
"Mhm."
After understanding the progress of other tasks, Lock saw that it was getting late, so he stood up, preparing to leave.
Princess Lana, as the host, bid farewell to her guest at the entrance of her chambers as usual, then had her guard, Climb, escort the guest out of the royal palace.
Walking along the palace corridor, Lock looked at the blooming flowers in the courtyard, admiring the European-style palace, with no inclination to speak.
Vier followed closely behind him, not disturbing his small moment of enjoyment.
At this moment, Climb, who had been walking with his head down at the very back, suddenly stopped, looked up at Lock's back, and called out, "Earl Lock! Please wait!"
Lock, hearing the call, turned around and looked at the inconspicuous little guard, somewhat curious, "Climb, is something wrong?"
Climb took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Lock, and asked with a tone of certainty, "Earl Lock, you can make a person very strong in a short amount of time, right?"
"Hmm?" Lock looked at the young man before him, seemingly sensing something, but still said calmly, "Why do you ask?"
"I want to beg you, make me strong, make me as strong as Lord Mark and the others! Please!!!" Climb bowed deeply to Lock and requested loudly.
This made Lock's lips curl into a smile, as if he recalled something pleasant, and he said, "I can probably guess why you're doing this. It's for Lana, isn't it?"
Climb straightened up and nodded, "Yes, my strength is insufficient to protect Princess Lana, which is why I want to become stronger."
"Heh, then I'll ask directly: why should I help you? I don't lack a guard, and neither does Lana. I can send enough Tiger Knights to protect her safety twenty-four hours a day. I believe no one will be able to harm her."
Climb pressed his lips together, and after a long moment, his eyes filled with determination, he said, "You are right. Perhaps your Tiger Knights possess sufficient strength, but are they willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the Princess in times of danger? Even if they are, you wouldn't want such powerful combat strength to be expended on this matter, would you?"
"So, what do you mean?"
"Make me strong, Earl Lock. I promise you, if anyone attacks the Princess, I will be the first guard to die, and your subordinates can escape unharmed. It's like adding a layer of protection for your subordinates, with my life!"
Lock looked at the young man before him, and after a good while, he spoke, "Although it's a slightly far-fetched reason... but never mind, I'm too lazy to quibble. I can give you what you want, but there's one thing I need to tell you in advance: this is a dangerous transaction. If things go wrong, you could lose your life."
"I am prepared for that!" Climb said firmly.
Lock quietly turned, a smile on his lips, and said, "Then wait until your work for today is finished. Come find me when you're ready."
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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