Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 217 Lure the snake out of its hole
“Now,” Viscount Wilke cracked his knuckles as he stretched, “it’s time to show those who covet our territory what real power is.”

Ito nodded silently, and as he sheathed his sword, the hum of the blade lingered for a long time.

Robin looked at the two of them, who had undergone a complete transformation, and suddenly realized something.

The balance of power in this impending war has already quietly shifted.

However, Robin did not immediately allow the two to reveal their true strength.

“Father, since you and Lord Ito remain unchanged, I’m going to use a trick to lure the snake out of its hole.”

Viscount Wilke nodded in satisfaction, then asked curiously, "What does 'luring the snake out of its hole' mean?"

Robin tapped his fingers lightly on the oak tabletop, producing a dull sound.

He looked into his father's inquisitive eyes and explained helplessly.

“Father, do you remember the trap we set in the hunting grounds last winter?” Robin explained patiently. “We deliberately left tracks in the snow to lure the white wolf king out.”

Viscount Wilke's eyes lit up, and he slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "Ah! Just like last time!" But then he frowned, "But this time we're not luring wolves, we're luring people."

“That’s right.” Robin took out a parchment map from his pocket and spread it out on the table.

His fingertips traced several key points. "According to intelligence from the Bauhinia Organization, the three major families of the Western Region have already secretly formed an alliance. On the surface, they are still observing, but behind the scenes..."

Knight Ito suddenly snorted coldly: "Those cowards only dare to hide in the shadows and make small moves."

Robin nodded: "So we need to give them an opportunity, a seemingly perfect opportunity for assassination." His finger stopped at a weak point in the castle on the map. "During next month's harvest festival, I will deliberately transfer some of the guards to create a defensive loophole."

Viscount Wilke suddenly burst into laughter, causing the candlelight to flicker: "Brilliant! I'll just pretend to be dead drunk and wait for those rats to crawl out on their own!"

“That’s exactly what I mean.” A cold glint flashed in Robin’s eyes. “However, for the sake of realism, we need to make some preparations.” He turned to Ito. “Your Excellency needs to be temporarily ‘injured,’ preferably coughing up blood in public.”

Ito nodded knowingly: "I understand. I'll go find the pharmacist to prepare some potions that can create illusions."

Robin then looked at his father: "And you, Father, should be more... well, more irritable and easily angered lately."

“Why pretend?” Viscount Wilke glared, his beard bristling. “I’ve always had a short temper!” He couldn’t help but laugh as soon as he finished speaking.

The three men's laughter echoed in the study, but they quickly returned to a serious demeanor.

Robin gave a final word of advice: "Remember, never reveal your true strength before the enemy shows themselves. Especially you, Father, you must refrain from using the power of a legendary knight."

The old lord scoffed, "I know, I know, I'll just continue being an 'old man with one foot in the coffin'." He deliberately hunched his back, pretending to be old and decrepit, which amused Ito so much that he couldn't help but smile.

The morning light outside the window was already bright, and the footsteps of servants echoed in the corridor.

Robin put away the map, and the three of them tacitly returned to their normal expressions.

When the servant knocked on the door and came in to deliver breakfast, he only saw the lord and his son discussing the celebration, and the Grand Knight standing silently to the side.

As dawn broke, the sound of orderly drills echoed across the drill ground.

Robin, draped in a dark gray cloak, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the training soldiers with the sharpness of a hawk.

The soldiers of the spear battalion, wielding long spears, repeatedly thrust under the instructors' commands, their movements perfectly synchronized, the blades gleaming coldly in the morning sun. Not far away, the crossbow battalion was conducting shooting training, the taut strings of crossbows clicking incessantly, arrows piercing the air and accurately embedding themselves in the bullseye a hundred paces away.

On the other side of the training ground, the knights were training their life force.

Ironjaw stood at the forefront, his body enveloped in a pale red life force, instructing the newly recruited knight apprentice on how to channel the power within his body.

Robin walked over slowly, occasionally offering a few words of guidance. The knight apprentices immediately took it as a treasure, focusing more intently on adjusting their breathing and trying to make their life force flow more smoothly.

The army of Viscount Wilke is growing stronger at a visible rate.

However, in contrast to this thriving scene, the situation in Middle-earth and the West was becoming increasingly tense.

After Viscount Wilke's territory repelled two probing attacks by Middle-earth nobles, those arrogant nobles finally realized that this force, which they had once regarded as a "countryside lord," was far more difficult to conquer than they had imagined.

The seven fallen legendary knights, in particular, terrified the nobles of Middle-earth.

It's important to understand that legendary knights are no ordinary breed; each one is a top-tier combatant cultivated with countless resources. Yet, they were utterly defeated and killed before the defenses of Viscount Wilke's territory, with not even their bodies being recovered.

"Damn it! Just how many trump cards is Viscount Wilke hiding?!"

"How could their army be so strong? The coordination between those spearmen and crossbowmen is as if they've practiced it a thousand times!"

"We can't afford to attack rashly anymore, or the losses will only be greater!"

The nobles of the Central Plains were abuzz with discussion, and their previously poised offensive was temporarily halted.

Of all these people, the Earl of Minnesota was the most anxious.

As the first nobleman to suffer a great loss at the hands of Viscount Wilke, he knew better than anyone how terrifying this power was.

He was especially uneasy when he heard that the army of Viscount Wilke was still expanding and that the number of newly recruited knights was increasing.

"This can't go on!" The Earl of Minnesota paced back and forth in his castle, his face grim. "Viscount Wilke will retaliate against me sooner or later; I must find a way!"

Thus, he became the most active propagator of the "Wilker Viscount Threat Theory," lobbying other nobles to try to unite more forces to curb the rise of the Wilker Viscount.

"Gentlemen, haven't you realized yet? The ambitions of Viscount Wilke's territory go far beyond this! They are holding back now only to accumulate strength. Once the time is right, they will definitely launch an attack on our territory!"

We must strike first!

However, there were very few respondents.

After all, nobody wants to be the next unlucky one to fall from grace as a legendary knight.

Meanwhile, Viscount Wilke remained as calm as ever.

Robin stood on the high platform of the training ground, gazing at the faintly visible direction of Middle-earth in the distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Let them guess."

"By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late."

(End of this chapter)