Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Let's go." He turned his horse around.

“Mr. Felix?” Angelita raised an eyebrow.

However, the knight did not answer. He gripped his mount tightly with his legs, quickly overtook the crowd, and shouted loudly, "Let's go!"

Chapter 319 The Eve

At dawn, Sir Felix's manor finally welcomed back its master.

Unlike the imperial system, the noble manors of Inasas were more like villages, or conversely, a village was a manor. However, the people living there were not farmers or herders; slaves, servants, and laborers lived in their own places, striving to provide the best service to their masters and their families.

Under such regulations, these manors were usually more prosperous than ordinary villages. However, perhaps having heard the news about their owners' plight, as the group drove in behind Felix, they felt only a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

A man sitting on the doorstep was startled by Sir Felix's sudden return, and the latter nearly spurred his horse and knocked him over. But the man had no time to think; he scrambled to his feet, bowed low, and looked at the knight on horseback with a mixture of humility and boldness, asking tremblingly:

"Master! You're back? Where...where is my son?"

Felix remained silent with a blank expression and walked straight past the other person. The latter did not dare to ask any further questions, but let out a long sigh as Raslaufer and the others passed by, as if he had exhaled all the air from his lungs.

The knight's house was not far ahead, surrounded by a tall iron fence, and the few bare flowerbeds were easily visible. When Felix burst in, the butler was also startled by his master's sudden return, followed by the knight's wife and children who were hastily awakened.

However, there was a slight difference: the knight returned unharmed, though in a rather disheveled state. The joy he brought to his family ultimately outweighed their surprise and worry. The butler arranged for Raslaw and the others to stay in other accommodations so as not to disturb the knight's family's rare, and perhaps last, moment of tenderness.

Felix hadn't broken his promise regarding the reward, and after lunch, he gave them a full 1,200 Imperial Gold Coins. However, judging from the pained expressions on his and his family's faces, this amount, if not all of their wealth, was probably the majority. Angelita initially didn't intend to accept it, but since it wasn't her decision, Reslaufer ultimately accepted it. However, just as everyone was preparing to leave, Felix gritted his teeth and earnestly begged them to stay the night.

"But we could have refused, so why did you agree?"

As night fell, the group gathered in Raslaufer's guest room. There was little to do at the winter manor, so they followed the mercenaries' advice and took a good nap early in the afternoon. Even so, Bella still asked Raslaufer, puzzled, "They've thoroughly offended the lord. Every moment of their reunion is precious; we shouldn't continue to interfere."

The mercenary sat in a chair, leaning his greatsword against the side: "It's just one night. No matter how precious it is, they can afford to waste it."

"Besides, I'm waiting for that gentleman to make a decision."

"What determination?" Druids are far from perceptive in this regard.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Bella's questioning. She went to open the door and saw Felix standing uneasily in the doorway, with a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy following behind him with a resolute expression—his eldest son.

Neither father nor son had expected that so many people would gather in Raslaufer's room; they seemed to have been waiting for them on purpose.

The guest room seemed to transform into a spiderweb at that moment. Leslaufer, facing the door, was the spider waiting for its prey, while the others were its sharp mandibles and claws. It would devour Felix and his son alive and drink the bodily fluids of these two little insects as soon as they stepped in.

But they had no choice.

Felix took a deep breath and stepped into the house, while his eldest son followed closely behind his father, closing the door tightly behind him.

Daisy sat casually on the edge of the bed in the corner. She and her devil might also be part of the spider's legs, but unlike others who only noticed the vibration when their prey was caught, she and her devil were also a small part of Felix's mind.

They made him eliminate other options.

“You’ve made up your mind.” Doble casually picked up a money bag, pulled out a handful of gold coins, and the hard, cold metal discs kept slipping from his fingertips, clattering against each other as they fell back into the money bag that held them.

“…I had no other choice. They forced me down this path.” Felix’s heart seemed to race with the clinking of the gold coins, but in the end, he suppressed his tension and unease, calming his turbulent mind.

"You should be aware of the risks and consequences."

"It won't be worse than me doing nothing."

Leslaufer nodded: "But it takes more than just awareness and courage; it also takes the strength to match."

“Moser took the vast majority of his men to the west, leaving only the few good-for-nothings we saw last night and some other insignificant fellows,” Felix replied immediately. “Correspondingly, my squires and militia have also been donated there, and right now I can probably only mobilize some of my men.”

“I have thirty-one slaves and twenty servants at my disposal, and I can probably only mobilize about ten hired laborers, among whom the strong ones can be armed. In addition, my eldest son and I will also join this battle—Hunter, this is Lord Raslaufer, and next to him is Miss Anne, the daughter of an earl from the Empire.”

The boy quickly stepped forward and bowed. Felix must have put a lot of effort into teaching his heir; his manners were even more impeccable than his father's.

Leslaufer accepted the courtesy readily, responding only with a nod: "But that's still not enough, is it?"

The other side also had servants, and far more than Felix; even adding a child wouldn't be enough to bridge the gap in knighthood.

“Therefore I stand here humbly to ask for your help,” Felix replied with a bow. “My plan is as follows: to depart tonight, and by dawn I will reach the castle of Moser, capture it, and seize the family and property.”

"The other side he is fighting is almost equal in strength. If he retreats rashly, he will be hunted down. Trying to negotiate is the only way. The other side will definitely demand that he make concessions on the trade routes. Whether he agrees or not, or whether he does so quickly or slowly, it is enough for me to accomplish two things."

"First: I will immediately go to see His Majesty the King, recount the Earl of Moser's various crimes, expose his rebellious intentions, request that his title be stripped, and send troops to prevent his counterattack."

As he spoke, Felix suddenly pulled a scroll from his waist. When he opened it, it turned out to be a document of appointment: "And the second thing: I will show this document throughout the entire territory so that everyone can understand the cause and effect."

"This is a document that Countess Moser gave to my grandfather back then. She had originally decided that the entire earldom would be inherited by my family after the two of them got married, because my father was actually her bloodline with my grandfather before their marriage! However, a villain took advantage of the situation and used the secret of her pregnancy out of wedlock to coerce the Countess, and finally usurped the title with his own bloodline."

“Originally, my family couldn’t bear to see the Duchess’s reputation damaged, so we swallowed our anger. However, the other party has repeatedly gone too far. Now I have no choice but to obey the Duchess’s will and legally reclaim everything that belongs to us!”

Chapter 320 Unleashing the Rebellion

Felix produced the document so quickly and swiftly that, apart from the ribbons and other embellishments that were clearly not of a knightly rank, almost nothing could be made out of it.

“What if I asked you to unfold it and take a look?” Leslaufer stirred the gold coins in the purse.

Felix smiled knowingly. He unfurled the scroll, the ink still wet, and a rich scent of women's perfume mingled with the ink's fragrance, filling the room.

Documents from decades ago could not possibly have this smell, but it could be genuine.

“How confident are you in persuading your king?” Angelita asked. If the Earl of Moser and the king were not related, and Felix had a valid reason, the king would almost never interfere with such rotations of vassals as long as it did not affect those above, but he usually would not provide any additional support to either side.

“The King is a great collector of antiques, and I’m absolutely certain that if you’re willing to sell that figurehead, I can do you a favor,” Felix said immediately. “It will probably just be a burden on your travels, but I think you’ll find it useful.”

“Middle Inasas is not close to the Empire, let’s talk about this later.” Angelita neither agreed nor refused, leaving the matter vague for the time being.

“It seems you’ve thought most things through,” the mercenary nodded. “One last question: Earl Moser now has spellcasters under his command. How do you plan to deal with that?”

"We won't help you guard the area."

“Those who serve for profit will also leave for profit. Unless the Earl of Moser can take that place, he will not be able to provide any further assistance.”

“Very good. I don’t care what your answer is, but at least you have it, and that’s enough,” Leslaufer said, satisfied with the answer. He tossed aside the money pouch in his hand and stood up. “We’ll decide on the payment once we’re inside his castle.”

"Well then, congratulations in advance, Count Felix..."

"Are you really that confident?" Just as Raslaufer was about to call everyone out, Hunter suddenly spoke up as the mercenaries passed by him. "They can mobilize at least a hundred slaves, plus twenty or thirty guards... I don't understand why Father is so confident in you."

“You should at least have faith in your father,” Leslaufer patted the boy on the head, and as he left, he told Felix, “See you at the door in ten minutes.”

About fifteen minutes later, a group of fifty or sixty people, under the cover of darkness, quickly left the manor and headed straight for Earl Moser's castle. The latter was situated on a high ground on the banks of the Moser River, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, by the time the group arrived, it was already late at night, and even the patrolling guards were drowsy and had no intention of standing guard.

After all, their war was fought in western Inassia, so what business is it of theirs?

Suddenly, however, a soothing melody with a magical quality drifted into their ears. The already drowsy guards, caught off guard, immediately fell into a deep sleep. But what they didn't know was that while their snores were rising and falling, Daisy, below the castle, had emerged from her hiding place, composed herself, and was about to play another piece of music.

"Be prepared," the bard warned Leslaufer and Felix, turning with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. "Neither the knocking nor the opening of the door will be quiet; everyone will be awakened."

If the castle weren't on high ground, Daisy thought she could first use flight magic to send Raslaufer up there, and then use silence magic to block out the screams of the guards dying and the sound of the gates opening, but for now, she had no choice but to use this method.

Even so, it should be enough to achieve the effect of a surprise attack.

"Boom—" Just as the poet expected, the knocking spell and the gate itself produced a huge sound, but Felix, who was prepared, immediately shouted and, together with his eldest son Hunter and his servants, rushed into the castle. Raslaufer was at the forefront, and only then did a few lights come on inside the castle buildings.

"What's going on?!" A female knight whom Reslaufer and the others had seen before, wearing pajamas, pushed open the door. Just as she was about to ask what had happened, she saw Felix brandishing his longsword and charging straight toward them.

"Felix! What are you doing—"

Even faster than her words fell to the ground, as Raslaufer's greatsword slashed down, a head with its eyes wide open flew into the air. Raslaufer didn't even have time to glance at her before he immediately began hacking at the still disorganized guards.

“Obviously,” Felix said coldly, stepping over the corpse of the woman who had humiliated him the night before, “I’m here to kill you all.”

If Felix had led regular soldiers, or even just trained militia, he could have taken the castle in no time under such a surprise attack. But he couldn't ask for more from his servants. So, a dozen minutes later, the battle inside the castle erupted, with the servants loyal to Earl Moser, driven by the guards and the Earl's family, clashing with Felix's men.

Sickles, flails, and pitchforks flew everywhere. Although most of these men were untrained and had never even undergone the most basic training, sharp weapons are still sharp weapons. Blood and severed limbs still spread throughout the small open space in the center of the castle. The greatest contributors to this were the guards who remained behind.

Most of the servants on both sides knew each other, so they rarely hurt their own people. But the regular soldiers were completely different. As long as they saw any living creature with tattered clothes, they would mercilessly swing their swords and cut it to the ground. Even if the other party tried to resist, they would never be able to penetrate those fan-shaped shields.

There is only one exception.

"Thud!" A shield shattered into pieces under the impact of the counterweight ball at the end of the greatsword. The next second, Raslaufer pressed down with the blade, completely severing one of the guard's arms. A man on the right swung his sword at his side, but the weapon, after tearing open the robe, sparked a few points of fire on the half-body armor.

If Raslaufer hadn't swiftly cleaved him in half-circle in mid-air, he would have surrendered almost immediately! This level of armor was something only a knight could wield, and the opponent's combat skills far surpassed those of the two—no, that one—knights who remained behind! It was a massacre without any suspense!

Just like how they crushed those serfs—or even worse!

Those wildly swung farm tools might still injure the guards, but at this moment, in this place! Who could truly harm this fully armed meat grinder?!

Chapter 321 It's just about saving your life.

"Damn it, Felix, you're going to hell!"

The surviving male knight swung his sword with all his might, knocking Felix back while kicking Hunter, who was helping him, to the ground. His hand was almost clamping down on the first third of the sword, making his attacks increasingly fierce and heavy, but also meaning that he had less and less room to maneuver—he was almost out of options.

"Only you and your cursed master deserve to go to hell!" Felix attacked again, but his swordsmanship was roughly equal to his opponent's. The difference lay in the fact that his opponent was willing to fight to the death, while Felix himself could not afford to die here. Therefore, despite the father and son attacking together, they were unable to gain the upper hand for the time being.

"Damn it, I need backup!" Felix had no choice but to shout. He knew that the group hadn't gone all out—except for Raslaufer, the others had even managed to wound the servants rather than kill them!

What about that poet with magic? If she were to intervene—

"Bang!" A gunshot suddenly pierced the darkness above the castle. The knight, who hadn't been able to put on his armor in time, cursed and fell to the ground, clutching his bruised leg. Hunter, quick-witted and agile, rushed forward and stabbed him repeatedly with his sword until he lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Felix looked up and saw Angelita shaking her head, holstering a pistol at her waist.

In her opinion, Felix should need someone to clean up the mess he's left behind, and that person should ideally be one of the Earl's former subordinates. But since the other party doesn't need it, she'll just let him be.

Everyone tacitly left the well-equipped guards to Raslaufer, and only dealt with the remaining servants. Although their lives belonged to their masters, they had the right not to be crushed here, after all, they were just farm tools in their hands.

As for the guards, since they have taken up shields and swords, and are wearing helmets and armor... let them face those who are truly to be protected and resisted.

As for whether it can withstand it—

"Contract the defenses! Contract the defenses!" At the entrance of the castle not far away, the order was passed to every surviving guard. They immediately began to move, fighting and retreating. However, the servants thought they were being called and rushed over in a chaotic manner, completely blocking the already narrow entrance.

"Get out of the way! You bastards!" It wasn't just the guards who were blocked outside; there were also several members of the Moser family. Seeing that their retreat route was blocked, they immediately bared their claws at their own people, trying to cut a path together with the guards.

With that narrow spiral staircase, they could certainly continue to severely restrict each other and hold out until dawn—at least until the message was passed out and relayed to the Earl himself by someone outside!

This hasty retreat resulted in the deaths of at least ten slaves at the hands of their own people, but at this cost, they had at least completed their mission of retreat. However, they would soon discover—

If this kind of defense works, then Dopler doesn't deserve double pay.

"Get down here!"

The entrance was breached by Raslaufer with almost no resistance. The mercenary rushed up the stairs in a few strides. The guard above him was about to thrust his sword at Raslaufer's head while his comrade below was engaged in combat when Raslaufer raised his hand and grabbed the blade of the longsword. The guard couldn't pull back in time and was pulled down, slamming it solidly into the guard in front of Raslaufer!

"Damn it, this is a Doppler! Where did Felix find such a guy?!"

Now that things have come to this, if they still can't recognize Leslaufer's identity, they'll have wasted their time caught between Eastern and Western Inassus: "Hold on! Hold the line! The lady has gone to fetch the magic!"

The young man who had been roaring and ordering everyone to guard the stairs suddenly saw a blur before his eyes. Before he could react to who it was, a dreamlike rapier had already pierced his kidney. The woman in front of him smiled sweetly at him as he slowly slid down the wall behind him, but the next second she turned into a cloud of silver mist and disappeared.

"Zhengling, let's see if they have any other magic." Daisy wandered excitedly through the empty corridor. All the manpower had been used to fight against Old Lei, and the place was almost undefended.

“What kind of question is this…” Zheng Ling snorted somewhat displeasedly, but still spoke up, “The second door on the left, there’s a woman searching for a mechanism on the bookshelf. Inside the bookshelf is a hidden compartment, which contains a scroll of, poof, a magic missile.”

Even if she were to actually use it, even if this mortal could use it, there would be no chance of defeating Leslaufer. On the contrary, this woman would probably be swallowed up by the purgatory's roar—that was the master's blessing, and to be able to withstand even one of those was a blessing this mortal had accumulated over several lifetimes.

Or maybe you've had bad luck for generations, it's pretty much the same.

"Master...where did you hide it...?"

At this very moment, in the study, Mrs. Moser was anxiously searching for something. Her husband had once said that there was a scroll in the study that could be used for self-defense; all she had to do was pull out a certain book.

But this bastard forgot, she can't read! How was she supposed to know which book he was talking about?!

If we can't find him... if we still can't find him, what will happen to her and her children? That damned Felix, why did he suddenly come back? Why did he suddenly attack this place? What is he trying to do?!

"Is this the book you're looking for?"

Suddenly, a fair hand with a slight pinkish tinge reached over her shoulder and pulled out a book she had overlooked. With a "click," a rectangular hidden compartment popped open, revealing a scroll neatly placed inside.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's it!" The Countess reached out with a mixture of surprise and delight to take it in her hand, but she froze when she touched the cold paper, and turned around. "You—who are you?!"

"Shh—" Daisy put her index finger to her lips to stop the scream. "You're all doomed. This thing won't save you. On the contrary, it might be used as a threat and killed. From this perspective, I'm here to save your whole family."

The countess was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment.

“Listen to me, give it to me, then quickly find your family, find a room and crouch down with your heads down against the wall, and I guarantee you’ll live,” Daisy continued. “Humans don’t lie to humans. Felix doesn’t intend to kill you, provided you don’t anger another person, who doesn’t care about that.”

"What will happen to us...?" The Countess quickly pulled her hand back, as if the scroll were burning hot. "What are they trying to do?"

“Simply put, it’s just about saving your lives,” Daisy said, helping the lady, whose legs were weak, out of the room. “From now on, just do as I say, and as for what will happen to you… well, it’s just about saving your lives.”

Chapter 322 Dawn on the Moser River

The last drop of moisture was applied to the narrow, winding spiral staircase.

Hunter stared up at the boots, which were covered in blood and flesh, as they climbed higher and higher, making a chilling noise.