BA-DUM BUM!

Jinquan Territory... The moment she heard the name, the smile on Mivana’s face froze.

’Jinquan Territory... Why would she go there...?’

Among the many Knight Territories in the Country of Yonglan, Jinquan Territory was a heavyweight. Its ruling Knight Lord, Lionette, was especially infamous as a master of "loving his people."

Most Yonglan Knights didn’t care much for the serfs in their lands, but they at least saw them as property—like cattle, sheep, or fruit trees that produced resources. Grinding them to the bone was one thing, but very few would destroy them wantonly.

But in the decades Lionette had ruled Jinquan Territory, he had acted perversely, causing the territory’s population to be replaced four times over.

Each time, eighty to ninety percent of Jinquan Territory’s serfs would die, forcing him to bring in refugees from elsewhere to repopulate the land.

Miliburn said, "Exactly. Jinquan Territory even accepts Beastmen. Anyone who goes there is supposedly given land and becomes one of the Free People."

"Are they truly Free People?"

Mivana lowered her gaze. "I don’t believe anything that good could come from Jinquan Territory. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s gone back on his word."

The Wolf-eared Maiden looked at her kin beside her, a hidden sadness in her golden eyes.

"We all heard about Jinquan Territory from our teacher, Viona."

Mivana said flatly, "Just thirty years ago, to outfit his Griffin troops with a brand new set of Secret Silver Armor, Lionette raised taxes in his territory by fifty percent. He forced all the serfs and Free People to grow crops for Extraordinary Materials, promising them they wouldn’t have to worry about food."

"But in the end, when winter came, Lionette didn’t keep his promise to bring in enough reserve grain. The starving people consumed their last stores of food."

"They couldn’t even flee the famine! Fearing that the starving refugees would ruin the image of Jinquan Territory and cause him to lose face, the Knights of Jinquan sealed off the famine-stricken areas. Vast swaths of villages were locked down, with no one allowed in or out. People could only starve to death in their homes."

"Hundreds of thousands lost their lives. Even those who managed to escape through the cracks were hunted down and slaughtered."

Mivana extended a hand, pointing at the frozen river surface.

"Right on the banks of this very river, the bodies of beheaded serfs clogged the water, dyeing the entire upstream portion red."

Though she had never witnessed the scene herself, her calm narration painted a vivid and horrifying picture.

The other Beastmen of Mivana’s age were also students of the Star Lake Sword. Her words undoubtedly awakened their memories, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy and silent.

Mivana continued, "Afterward, Lionette whitewashed the whole affair. In his reports to the Gale Heart and in his propaganda to the outside world, he painted a picture of peace and prosperity in Jinquan Territory. The piles of bones were either devoured by wild beasts or burned to ash, leaving not even a trace behind."

Although this part of Jinquan Territory’s history was later rewritten and revised over the years, to the point that almost no written records of it remain, Viona, as a Grand Knight, surely knew the inside story and had told it to her students.

Even in the Country of Yonglan, where it was common for Knight Lords to be inhuman, "loving" one’s people to this extent was still in a league of its own.

After a long moment, Pulanna spoke up.

"Aschena knew all of this, of course, but she went anyway. She believed that it is in precisely this kind of environment that she must stand with the serfs. Even if she can’t achieve much, she must at least walk her own path."

"To resist together? So she still chose that path."

Mivana let out a long sigh and murmured.

The young Beastmen of Dusk Lamp Territory were a special group. They had been educated by the Star Lake Sword, deeply admired the Knights of Chivalry, and even saw themselves as Yonglan People. However, they held a deep-seated animosity toward unjust Yonglan Knights, viewing them as class enemies.

But some of them wanted to negotiate peace, some wanted to fight, and others just wanted to protect their own homes.

Aschena happened to be among the most radical of them. She was deeply dissatisfied with the current system in the Country of Yonglan and wanted to resist the Knight Lords by awakening the apathetic serfs.

Of course, they didn’t expect mortals to be able to fight Transcendents, but if they could force the Knight Class to make concessions through struggle, that itself would be a victory.

"After Aschena and the others migrated to Jinquan Territory, we lost contact with them. As you know, the information blockade in a Knight Territory is extremely tight. I’m afraid they might already be..."

"If this was her choice... then to die while pursuing her ideals is a worthy death."

Mivana shook her head and said,

"Still, I will go look for her later. If she’s still alive, I’ll bring her back. If she has already... met an unfortunate end, I will at least bring back her bones."

Setting aside the matter of Aschena and her other compatriots for the time being, Mivana and her group went to the neighboring Knight Territories to request a meeting.

Then, as expected, the door was slammed in her face. She didn’t even get a chance to talk properly; all she received were scathing messages relayed to her.

"A Knight Lord? You... Fine, you barely count as one, but you’re not worthy! You aren’t qualified! You just aren’t!"

"You bastard offspring of Black Renandik! Wasn’t killing the Star Lake Sword enough for you? How dare you come back? Just you wait! I’ll send my chariots to blast every last one of you to kingdom come!"

"There’s nothing to discuss with a Beastman. Viona’s student? Heh. Making a Beastman a Knight Lord is a disgrace to Yonglan. If you have something to say, go say it to the Grand Knights."

"..."

After spending a long time traveling along the borders of Dusk Lamp Territory, they had gained nothing.

"It seems it really is hopeless."

Mivana gave a wry, self-deprecating smile. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"I was being too naive. I’ve spent too much time in Qinghui Territory..."

In Qinghui Territory, she had never experienced any discrimination. Thanks to her connection with Westheid, everyone had treated her with the utmost respect. Moreover, Mivana had even witnessed firsthand how Westheid had built his domain from the ground up.

It was as if anyone who came into contact with Duke Qinghui would be captivated by his Charm and willingly become an ally of Qinghui Territory, even at their own expense.

It had almost given the Wolf-eared Maiden the false impression that anything could be resolved through proper discussion.

But not everyone was the Qinghui Enchantress.

"We didn’t have much hope in the first place, so this is to be expected."

The other Beastmen from her Clan weren’t too disheartened, as they had thought it was a long shot from the very beginning.

"But it’s not without its benefits. At least we know the neighboring Knight Territories don’t intend to move against us. We should be safe for the time being, until the Expeditionary Army arrives."

Mivana shook her head and said,

"There’s one last place left... Jinquan Territory. I have no illusions about persuading Lionette, so I won’t bother visiting. I’m planning to sneak into Jinquan Territory alone to find Aschena and the others."