It felt so good to be close to the witch!

"I, Lilia, the Shadow Witch, solemnly swear this oath."

"From now on, I..."

Before Lilia could finish speaking, Roy reached out and held Lilia's pale hand, interrupting her: "This is our agreement, Miss Lilia. You don't need to worry about it, nor do you need to make any promises."

He gave the Shadow Witch Lilia a faint smile: "I believe more in cooperation based on the exchange of benefits than in oaths."

"It is more stable."

"So, Miss Lilia, would you be willing to serve me for three years? In return, I will cleanse you and your sister Vivian of their impurities."

Without any hesitation, Lilia lowered her head: "I do."

“Very good.” Roy’s smile grew even wider.

"I'll go to the lord's study next door first. You take good care of Miss Vivian here. I will arrange new accommodations for you both after we return to Blackrock Territory."

Lilia nodded, and after watching Roy's figure disappear through the door, she turned to look at Vivian lying on the bed.

Without the mental and physical torment caused by the semi-out-of-control pollution, Vivian's fair face was serene, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and even a faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she had a sweet dream.

The Shadow Witch Lilia sat down by the bed, took her sister's hand in hers, and felt the warmth of her palm. She murmured softly, "Sister..."

"Tell me, what kind of person is Lord Roy, really?"

……

Inside the study of the Lord of Iron Mountain Fortress.

Roy sat in the chair behind his desk and let out a long sigh.

During the short time it took him to walk from the bedroom to the study, his body used up a small amount of energy, which relieved his feeling of being "bursting".

Vivian, the Witch of Light, was in extremely critical condition and could not wait any longer. Otherwise, if Roy had been well-prepared and obtained more low-purity magic crystals from Star Lake during the "Feast Festival," she wouldn't be in such a sorry state.

Fortunately, the gains were also enormous.

After forming a "cooperation" with the Shadow Witch Lilia, he finally has his first battle witch under his command!

The power of shadow is a true combat talent with endless uses. Even among all the witches, the Shadow Witch Vivian is considered strong.

Of course, she can't compare to the Ice Witch Ais; this guy is an "outrageous" existence.

But the Ice Witch Ais only agreed to do "three things" for him, and one has already been used up, while the Shadow Witch Lilia can be dispatched at any time within three years.

The difference is self-evident.

In a good mood, Roy took out the letter from the Duke, delivered by Knight Ayman of the Crimson Knights, from his pocket and began to read it.

But the first line of text that caught Roy's eye caused his pupils to contract slightly.

"Roy Tulumber: Hello."

"First of all, congratulations on winning the territory consolidation battle."

"No doubt about it. Your father, Jess Tulumbell, and his friend, Rami Garoway, were both excellent knights under my command. Decades have passed, and very few people know about their relationship, including me."

"The Divine Punishment Knight sent from the temple to Blackrock Territory to investigate the Ice Witch incident was Rami, and after I learned that he escorted you to the Divine Punishment Prison, I knew that you must be plotting something."

“I know Rami’s character very well. He has a strong sense of justice, but he values ​​loyalty even more. Knowing that you are Jess’s son, how could he possibly send you to the Divine Punishment Prison?”

"Combined with the 'Declaration of War for Territory Merger' sent by Lord Denham, I knew you must have another plan."

"Haha, the fact that you've seen this letter proves I was right."

"Alright, enough of the small talk."

"After winning the war to merge the territories, tomorrow you will receive a title and lordship appointment from the Empire, becoming the administrator of Blackrock Territory and Iron Mountain Territory."

"Next, I have two important things to tell you."

"First, next spring, you must send enough military forces to the border to assist in the defense. The standard for one territory is the combat strength of one Bronze Knight. You currently have two territories, so you need to send at least two Bronze Knights."

"Secondly, when mining low-purity magic crystals at the 'Fertile Land Festival' Star Lake, it is crucial not to venture too deep inside. This is extremely important! Otherwise, even a Gold Knight could perish."

"That's about it. Oh, by the way, I have some information to tell you. In the war for the annexation of the territory between Blackrock Territory and Iron Mountain Territory, the nobleman who vouched for Lord Denham in the capital is Herman, a hereditary marquis. There are rumors that he is very close to the second prince of the empire."

"—Breton Soros."

Roy put down the letter in his hand, his eyes filled with seriousness.

This letter from the Duke of the Border reveals a great deal of information.

It is not surprising that the Border Duke knew about the relationship between the old Lord of Blackrock and Uncle Rami, and thus deduced that he had "other schemes."

This plan wasn't particularly clever; its success stemmed from exploiting an "information gap."

What Roy cared about were the two important matters and the final "reminder".

It is the responsibility and obligation of every noble in the province of Rafa to dispatch military forces to assist in the defense of the border. However, the combat power of two bronze knights... it seems that we need to plan ahead.

However, during the "Fruitful Festival," mining low-purity magic crystals in Star Lake should not be done too deeply... Even the Golden Knights are in danger of perishing. What exactly lies deep within Star Lake?

As for the final "reminder," it concerns Hermann, the hereditary marquess who vouched for Lord Denham, and the second prince of the empire behind him...

Roy rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat troubled.

From the letters left by the old lord, he learned that the empire was in a period of transition and there might be some turmoil, but he never expected that this struggle among the upper echelons of the empire would affect his small border lordship.

It's really... speechless.

“Marquis Hermann…the Second Prince…”

Inside the study, Roy gazed leisurely as he murmured to himself.

Combining the border duke's warning with his own, he had some guesses in his mind.

Blackstone Territory is quite ordinary; its only unique feature is Star Lake.

Could it be that the reason these powerful figures of the empire turned their attention to a small territory like Blackstone was because of Star Lake?

Chapter 46 New Breathing Technique

The letter from the border duke made Roy's heart, which had just relaxed after the victory in the battle to merge the territories, jump again.

Marquis Hermann, the second prince of the empire...

If such a high-ranking figure in the empire truly intended to conquer Blackrock Territory, would he abandon it because of Lord Denham's defeat?

I'm afraid not.

They will certainly try other methods to coerce Roy into giving up Blackrock Territory.

This is what Roy cannot accept.

In this world, the status of a nobleman is very important, granting numerous privileges and being crucial to his own development.

Fortunately, Roy was not fighting alone. Behind him, or rather, behind Blackrock Territory, stood the Soros family, the border dukes.

Judging from the contents of the letter, the Border Duke was already aware of the Empire's Second Prince and Marquis Herman's attempts to seize control of Blackstone Territory.

From a certain perspective, the reason why the second prince of the empire and Marquis Hermann went to great lengths to have Lord Denham take the lead in launching a war to merge the territory of Blackrock was that they did not want to reveal their intentions before acquiring Blackrock.

Once the war for territorial consolidation begins, under the sacred laws of the Empire, even a border duke cannot forcibly intervene.

Now that the Second Prince of the Empire and Marquis Herman's intentions have been exposed, and with the border dukes aware of this, it will not be so easy for them to take action against Blackstone Territory again.

Of course, one's own territory cannot be entrusted to others; only by becoming strong can one cope with all external crises.

This made Roy even more eager to increase his strength and influence.

The Bronze Knight, in the end, was still too weak.

If he himself possesses the strength of a Gold Knight, or if he commands numerous Bronze or even Silver Knights, even the highest echelons of the Empire would have to think twice before trying to harm him.

……

After putting away the Duke's letter, Roy prepared to search the lord's study.

For a nobleman, the most important places are the treasury and the study.

A treasure vault goes without saying, but a study... In this era, knowledge was a highly valued resource, and a study containing books that recorded knowledge was undoubtedly a reflection of the heritage of an aristocratic family.

After a thorough search, Roy finally found two of the most valuable items in front of him.

It is, like other books, a manual on breathing techniques.

The other was an envelope with gold-stamped edges and a violet emblem.

The breathing technique manual, named "Golden Breathing Technique," is an advanced breathing technique that focuses on defense. It also records a secret technique called "Instant Gold" that is used in conjunction with the breathing technique. This technique allows the user to reverse their fighting spirit into their heart for 10 seconds after use, resulting in greater explosive power. However, the technique has a significant drawback: once the duration of the technique ends, the heart will be severely damaged, and the user will be unable to engage in combat for at least three months. Otherwise, the damage to the heart will be further aggravated. This technique should not be used except in life-or-death situations.

Compared to the "Explosive Breathing Technique," the "Golden Breathing Technique" may have a better-sounding name, but its effects are clearly inferior.

Putting aside the speed at which magical particles are absorbed during daily practice, the fact that it focuses on defense, which Roy considers useless, and the breathing technique with severe side effects, makes him look down on this advanced breathing technique.

Although it belongs to the same advanced breathing techniques, as a lower-level version of a certain special-grade breathing technique, the Explosive Breathing Technique is far more effective than ordinary advanced breathing techniques.

The "Golden Breathing Technique" is of low quality, but it is not useless. It can be used to reward subordinate knights, giving them a chance to break through to the Bronze rank.

Next spring, we'll need to send two Bronze Knights to the border for defense; currently, Blackrock Territory clearly lacks sufficient Bronze-level warriors. Lord Denham and his squire Jax, imprisoned in Blackrock Prison, cannot be released and therefore cannot be counted among our forces.

Therefore, training several new Bronze Knights is an urgent matter.

After storing the "Golden Breathing Technique" into the storage space of the [Original Sin Cube], Roy turned his gaze to the envelope with the violet emblem.

Having been in this world for quite some time, Roy had already learned some basic knowledge through the books in the old lord's study in Blackrock Territory.

The Violet Emblem is the symbol of the royal family of the Glorious Empire.

The fact that this emblem was used suggests that the letter must have been sent by the Second Prince of the Empire to Lord Denham.

Roy's heart skipped a beat.

Through this letter, he might be able to understand more clearly the true reason why the Second Prince of the Empire was targeting Blackstone Territory.

Roy picked up the envelope and opened it halfway when suddenly he felt the envelope in his hand start to heat up.

His expression changed, and he decisively turned around and threw the envelope out of the open window.

The envelope had barely been thrown when it exploded with a "boom" into a burst of fire the size of a water tank.

The huge commotion immediately attracted the attention of the entire Iron Mountain Fortress.

The sound of footsteps approached rapidly, and the study door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. Reid rushed in anxiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Roy unharmed: "Lord Roy, what happened? Did someone attack you?"

Roy shook his head, his expression somewhat grim.