Chapter 323: Chapter 55: Knight King in Yonglan, Duke Qinghui in the Empire

The "lapdog argument" between Mephit and Mivana escalated, nearly reaching the point of drawn swords.

It wasn’t until Westheid had spoken with Reiya for a while that he stepped forward to separate the two women.

"Alright, that’s enough of this dispute. Mivana, don’t be so stubborn about this. Aren’t we Conjugated Master and Disciple? If you become a dog, it’ll throw our whole seniority out of whack."

With the man himself mediating, Mivana’s anger quickly subsided. She thought it over and realized there was indeed no need to stoop to the Zitherheart Grand Knight’s level. Shaking her head, she hugged one of Westheid’s arms.

Even though Duke Qinghui unabashedly showed his preference for Mivana, Mephit stood with her head held high like a victorious general. If one ignored the collar around her neck, she almost looked like the winner.

Westheid left the palace containing his bedchambers. Standing on a high platform against the biting, cold, snowy wind, the vast urban expanse of Gale Heart unfolded before him. Unlike the desolation he’d seen upon his arrival, the Yonglan Capital now seemed extraordinarily lively.

Yonglan Knights scurried through the streets and alleys. Even formerly deserted places were now filled with curious onlookers. Gale Heart had transformed from an Eternal City on the edge of the world into some kind of tourist Holy Land.

’Tens of thousands? A hundred thousand? Or several hundred thousand? It’s not just the pilgrimage forces; Knights from all over Yonglan have come to join the grand occasion.’

Mephit chose this moment to explain.

"Essentially all the Knight Lords in the Country of Yonglan who could make it have gathered here. Those unwilling to swear fealty have already been... cleaned up."

Westheid said, "Which blind fools, specifically? I want a detailed report."

"Yes. From the official start of your pilgrimage in Dusk Lamp Territory to your entry into Gale Heart, the Knight Lords who have been killed in duels or suppressed these past few days include Lionette, Brolette, Kramer..."

The Knight King had spoken, and the Zitherheart Grand Knight immediately rattled off the names as if listing her own family heirlooms. As the Knight Lord overseeing the Capital and the final destination of the pilgrimage ceremony, compiling these statistics was part of her duty.

After hearing all the names and cross-referencing them with the list of Lords in the Country of Yonglan, Westheid clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Is that all? It seems my pilgrimage to claim the throne was rather harmonious and friendly."

Mephit clasped her hands before her chest and smiled. "Actually, you’ve already caused a turnover of one-tenth of the Lords in the Country of Yonglan. Among the pilgrimages of all past Knight Kings, yours has been the most brutal."

"That’s why I said friendly. My worst-case estimate was killing a third of them. Oh, I see. Now I get it."

Westheid paused, suddenly realizing why he hadn’t killed enough.

His original plan had been to push Mivana to become the Knight King. Midway through, the Wolf-eared Maiden had a mental breakdown and refused, forcing him to step up himself.

Normally, a pilgrimage to claim the throne wouldn’t require fighting so many people. A display of transcendent strength would have resolved most disputes, without even needing to force out the Steel Will Guardian.

But the reform to abolish serfdom was simply too monumental, shaking the very foundations of the country. Coupled with Westheid’s status as a Foreigner, the obstacles and discrimination he faced were naturally far greater.

However, the "debuff" of being a foreigner was nothing compared to the identity of a "Beastman." Duke Qinghui was, after all, a pure human and a practitioner of the Knight Path. But a non-human species would have completely crossed the bottom line for the Yonglan Knights.

Such a Reversed Celestial Spirit... if they didn’t rise up in protest, they wouldn’t be Yonglan People.

’If Mivana had wanted to be Knight King... folks, you couldn’t be soft-handed. We’d be looking at a thirty-million-person slaughter!’

’Thinking about it that way, doing it myself really was the only solution.’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"My Lord, if there are any Knight Lords you are still unsatisfied with, you can challenge them to a duel during the fealty ceremony. While killing them on a whim might not be possible, fabricating a crime as a pretext and leaving it to me to handle shouldn’t be a major issue."

Seeing Westheid’s thoughtful expression, Mephit hastily offered her suggestion.

Just listening to her sycophantic and fawning tone, it was as if she were about to present the heads of her compatriots on a platter to curry favor.

"Sigh. You’re a bit too extreme. It’s always a good thing if fewer people die. Since they haven’t overtly opposed me so far, as a king, how could I not have this much tolerance?"

Westheid waved his hand, rejecting the blue-haired girl’s cold proposal.

’In the Country of Yonglan, I can’t really pull that "if your loyalty isn’t absolute, it’s absolute disloyalty" routine. After all, the Land of Knights has its own unique circumstances.’

He, the Knight King, had not yet received the official endorsement of the Yonglan Riding God. Although the procedures were correct, a Knight King without the Celestial Blessing was ultimately lacking a certain something.

To put it nicely, a Knight King was a Knight Monarch. To put it bluntly, he was the leader of a federation.

Westheid could accept the fealty of all Knight Lords, and they in turn would bear certain obligations to their Monarch. However, my vassal’s vassal is not my vassal.

At most, the Knight King could exert macro-control over major policies, make final decisions and command expeditions, and act as an arbitrator in disputes.

As for the internal finances and governance of each Knight Territory, those were of no concern to the Knight King.

Perhaps he could continuously increase his influence through prestige and Charm, but no matter what, he could never achieve the kind of absolute authority he held in Qinghui Territory, where his word was law.

"Since everyone has arrived, gather them all. We’ll hold the fealty ceremony. Also, I have an important matter to announce."

Westheid said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Your will."

At the Knight King’s command, melodious bells chimed from the towers of Gale Heart. Several hours later, the Knight Lords who had been waiting for a long time in the outer city all entered the inner city.