Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 billion people

Chapter 144 My biggest regret in life is not accepting that bouquet of forget-me-nots.
The Northern Frontier, Snow Sheep Village.

The girl woke up from her sweet dream and her first instinct was to touch her right earlobe.

"so good"

Looking at the beautiful emerald green earring in her palm, Dorothy's lips curled up slightly, and a stunningly beautiful smile bloomed on her delicate face.

If the knights in the village were to witness such a graceful scene of their young lord, they would probably be utterly astonished.

After all, Young Lord was a formidable figure who beat up a super knight at the age of twelve, hunted and fought bears and tigers alone at the age of fifteen, and killed a named magical beast single-handedly at the age of twenty!

How could she possibly show such a touching smile like an ordinary young girl in love?
"It's time to go."

Dorothy quickly packed her bags, picked up the Lionheart Sword from her bedside table, and prepared to set off.

Since she had sworn an oath in the name of Mason, even if it weren't for the grain stockpiled in Lucas Castle, she would cut off the head of that cold-blooded lord within three days to appease the people of the Icefield Territory who had starved to death.

Dorothy clenched her fists, silently gripped her sword, and opened the door.

This journey is not for sword practice, but solely for killing.

Outside the door, a warm snow was falling.

In the open space at the village entrance, Lansen and a group of Eastern Knights who had participated in the Dragon-Lion War were already waiting there.

As he watched the blue-haired girl approaching, resembling a valiant knight, his expression was complex, a mixture of dissatisfaction and relief.

He was dissatisfied because the other party failed to consider the bigger picture like he did, but relieved because she had indeed grown into a true knight.

Only a true knight will not ignore any weeping person on the road, but will extend a helping hand without hesitation, even if the price may be their life.

"Young lord, should I send a few knights to accompany you to Icefield Fortress?"

After hesitating for a long time, Lansen slowly spoke.

"No need. Lucas is only at the peak of the Morning Star realm. Even if he joins the knights of Icefield Castle in attacking me, he is no match for me."

Dorothy shook her head, her expression calm.

This is neither arrogance nor confidence, but simply an undeniable fact.

For her, who wields the Lionheart Sword and has mastered the Lion King Breathing Technique, a family heirloom of the Mason family, to half the level of the former Grand Duke, let alone Morning Star, even an ordinary New Moon would not last long in front of her.

“Indeed, those are merely greedy hyenas on the ground; how could they possibly compare to the lions of the mountains?” Lansen sighed.

"After you kill Lucas, remember to come back early. That way, even if the Frostfang Knights come to capture you, as long as the Lord of the North doesn't come in person, we will wipe out the enemy for you," he instructed the girl.

"Yes, young lord, we will fight to the death to protect you!"

"Well done, young master! I've been wanting to get rid of that beast Lucas for a long time. You must stab him a few more times before you cut off his head!"

"I failed to protect my lord in the past, which was already a dereliction of duty. Now, if I have the chance, I will shed the last drop of blood of my broken body for you, my young lord."

The remaining knights of the Eastern Frontier also spoke up.

Their expressions varied: some were excited, some were joyful, and some were solemn.

Without exception, the knights looked at the girl before them with eyes full of reverence.

This was not out of respect for bloodlines, but because the girl's diligence in practicing swordsmanship day after day in the biting cold wind, as well as her compassion and help for the weak, had been deeply imprinted in the hearts of these knights over the past ten years.

She was not just the Grand Duke's orphan; she was Dolores, a true knight.

They firmly believed that the girl would inevitably become a great knight like, or even surpass, the former Grand Duke Mason.

Hua Hua Hua.

surging torrents of magic erupted from the knights, their various colors of magic momentarily painting the snowy sky, as dazzling as the aurora borealis at the edge of the world.

These dozens of people, without exception, were all at or above the Morning Star level!
Some of them have even reached the Crescent Moon rank.

They were the core elite knights of the Eastern Army that once rebelled against the Gluttonous King, and many of them were even lords who once ruled over a region.

In the final battle of the Dragon and Lion War, knowing that death would be the only outcome, Grand Duke Mason ordered all his loyal knights to flee with his only surviving orphan girl, thus preserving his strength for the next rebellion.

He himself, as a duke, stayed behind to cover everyone's retreat, and ultimately died under the blade of crimson fire.

He achieved great feats through countless life-and-death battles in the most brutal war on the entire continent in recent years, and then, for ten years, he trained relentlessly amidst the guilt of his country being destroyed and his lord dying alone for them.

Today, the strength of these surviving knights is far superior to that of the knights in the other three realms of Sosia, which is why they have been able to achieve the feat of having all Morning Stars and the best of the best New Moons.

boom.

It is unclear who was the first to kneel down on one knee, but then all the knights, including their leader Ransen, also knelt down on one knee toward Dorothy.

"Young lord, we await your return here." They said in unison.

Gazing at this scene, the girl remained silent for a long time. In the end, she simply placed her right hand on her left shoulder and bowed deeply to everyone.

Then, under their watchful eyes, he headed towards the direction of the Icefield Castle, his not-so-tall, even slender figure gradually disappearing into the wind and snow.

"I believe that one day Young Lord will lead us to overthrow the Gluttonous King."

After Dolores's figure had completely disappeared, a knight murmured.

Upon hearing this, Lansen slowly turned around and looked directly at the other person. His calm and composed eyes made the knight shrink back in fear.

"W-What's wrong, Commander Knight?"

“From this day forward, we shall address Dolores Mason as our Lord,” Ransen said calmly.

Though the voice was soft, it carried an undeniable determination.

"Yes, Commander Knight!" After a long silence, the knights answered in unison.

at the same time.

Southern territory, William's domain.

A fierce battle is taking place in a secluded, dense forest.

Boom boom boom!
Accompanied by a series of explosions, two streaks of light, one blue and one white, intertwined at a terrifying speed beyond the limits of human reaction.

The center of the intertwined light seemed to become an eye of the storm capable of destroying everything. Everything in the dense forest—shrubs, grass, and towering ancient trees—was shredded into pieces the moment it came into contact with the light.

Not far away, beside the corpse of a huge magical beast, the Roy and Roland brothers supported each other, their eyes filled with worry as they watched the clash between the streaks of light.

Their bodies were covered with horrific bloodstains, and the culprit was undoubtedly the giant beast that had died next to them.

boom!
After an unknown period of fighting, the white streak of light was finally no match for the combined attack of the two streaks of blue light. In the end, it collapsed to the ground, exhausted, after a coordinated attack from both sides.

As the torrent of magical power dissipated, they revealed their true forms.

Within the two streaks of azure light, one was a tall, robust man wielding a jet-black longsword, and the other was a majestic black giant wolf, its shoulders easily over three meters tall.

It was Karen and his mount, Blacktail.

Within the white light lay a masked figure, its true face obscured, a gruesome claw mark piercing its chest, lying on the ground, its fate unknown. Seeing that the battle had finally ended, Roy and Roland immediately helped each other over.

"Karen, thank you so much. If you ever argue with Danielle in the future, I'll stay neutral," Roland said gratefully.

"Damn it, you cowardly sheep hunter, you shameless assassin! If you've got the guts, wait until we're healed before you launch your sneak attack!" Roy angrily kicked the figure on the ground.

They obeyed their mother's orders and came to William's territory to help Lord Beren deal with a named monster that had inexplicably gone mad and was wreaking havoc in the land.

After much difficulty, they lured the monster into a deserted forest, and after expending tremendous effort and sustaining numerous injuries, they finally managed to kill it.

Just as they were about to go back to the pharmacist to treat their injuries, the masked assassin suddenly emerged from the bushes and launched a sneak attack.

Caught off guard and facing formidable opponents, the two brothers were forced into retreat, barely managing to hold on.

Just when it seemed that he was about to be defeated and killed, Karen arrived in time to support him on his Black Abyss Wolf and finally succeeded in killing the enemy.

“Brother Roy, let’s wait a bit. If he dies, we won’t be able to find the real culprit who sent him here,” Karen advised.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. A few kicks won't kill him."

Upon hearing this, Roy stopped what he was doing and explained, still angry.

Click.

Just then, the assassin who had been lying on the ground, barely alive, suddenly stiffened and collapsed to the ground, motionless.

"He's dead." Karen crouched down, reached out and flicked the assassin's breath, and said helplessly after a moment of silence.

Roy: "."

"Ahem, how about this, from now on, if you and Danielle argue, I'll side with you if it's her fault," Roy said awkwardly, coughing twice.

“My matter is minor, but now that the assassin is dead, we’re afraid it will be very difficult to find the mastermind behind this series of events,” Karen said with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Roy and Roland couldn't help but frown.

A named monster that inexplicably went berserk and stormed into the village, wreaking havoc, and assassins who ambushed them when they were exhausted—there's no doubt this must be a conspiracy orchestrated together.

"It wasn't that my brother kicked the assassin to death. He must have had poison hidden in his mouth, which he would swallow when the mission failed. I once read about this in a book. Only professionally trained assassins can do this."

After pondering for a moment while resting his chin on his hand, Roland suddenly spoke.

He bent down and carefully removed the assassin's mask. When his true face was revealed, all three of them gasped in astonishment.

What a face it was! It was as if a living person's face had been wiped away with a handkerchief.

There was no hair, no undulation, and not even the texture of skin; it looked more like a piece of parchment swollen from being soaked in water, perfunctorily pasted onto the skull.

Only his eyes, slightly protruding nose, and lips could barely make him look human.

Roland, suppressing his nausea, gently lifted the assassin's eyelids, revealing a pair of grayish-white eyes, like those of a wild beast.

“He is a demon hunter.” Roland made the judgment the moment he saw those beast-like eyes.

"No wonder this guy is so strong, it turns out he has this kind of crazy profession." Roy suddenly realized.

The Witcher is a fourth-tier Crescent Moon class among hunters.

Hunters who are promoted to demon hunters often have some kind of monster organ transplanted into their bodies.

While these magical beast organs grant them unparalleled individual combat power within the Crescent Moon rank, they also place a heavy burden on their sanity.

There's even a joke among the superhumans: "Nine out of ten witchers are crazy, and the tenth doesn't even know he's crazy."

"Could the Storm Church be the mastermind behind this?" Roy wondered.

"It shouldn't be. The Church of Storms has a wide following in the Southern Territory, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it is the most devout in the four territories. The Church of Storms has no interests that would require it to disrupt the current stable situation."

Karen shook her head, rejecting the idea.

Rune is still preaching in Dusk City. If he incurs the wrath of the Martha family, things could get very bad.

As his close friend, Karen had an obligation to clarify things for him.

"During the Dragon-Lion War, I remember that among the army sent by the royal city, there were quite a few hunters. I suppose that Gluttonous King had already obtained a series of potion recipes needed for the Hunting Path from the Pope of Windbreak City."

Roland made a pointed remark.

"So it really is because of that tyrant? It seems that the peaceful Southern Territory is still too much of an eyesore in his eyes," Roy said through gritted teeth.

“Let’s go. Lord Beren was seriously injured in a fierce battle against the named magical beast to protect his people. He probably won’t live much longer. We need to go and witness his legacy.”

Fort William.

In the lord's bedroom.

"Cough cough."

The old man who once presented little Hayden with a bouquet of forget-me-nots at his baby's honor ceremony and wished him to cherish his youth and those who loved him was now lying on his deathbed.

To protect his people, he fought against the named magical beast with the body of a Morning Star. It is a miracle that he has survived until now.

His only son, Bea Williams, knelt beside his bed, his face filled with sorrow.

Karen, Roy Loren, and the other two who arrived at the scene stood quietly to the side as witnesses.

“Bea, my only son, you will inherit my lands and the name of William, but before that, I need you to make a vow to the gods.” Beren, supporting himself on the bed, spoke with great difficulty.

“Father, just say it. No matter how absurd or difficult the vow may be, I will keep it,” Bea cried out.

"I need you to swear an oath of honor that you will be forever loyal to the sage named Xia Mingyu and obey all his commands, even if the price is death."

As if in a final burst of energy before death, the old man spoke in a strong and resonant voice.

Upon hearing this, the three people who had been watching silently immediately revealed expressions of "I knew it."

Lord Beren has truly lived all these years for nothing; his foresight is remarkable. He knows that leaving anything to his son is far less valuable than leaving it to a wise and promising lord like His Highness.

"By the Seven Gods, I, Bea William, swear on my honor that I will serve the Sage Xia Mingyu for the rest of my life, carrying out all his commands, whether right or wrong, reasonable or unreasonable."

Despite her deep doubts, seeing her dying father, Bea made a vow without hesitation.

"good very good."

Seeing that his only son had finally finished making his vow, the old man closed his eyes with satisfaction.

"My biggest regret in life is not accepting that bouquet of forget-me-nots."

After he murmured this sentence, his breathing gradually stopped.

"Father!"

With a mournful cry, Beren William, the oldest viscount lord in the Southern Territory, former runner-up in the Dusk City Tournament, and a worthy lord, departed for the Underworld.

(End of this chapter)