Fang Zhen spurred his horse onward, galloping swiftly. He soon entered the Ashton City District and was nearing the Ancient Castle.

Along the way, Ayo gave him a rough summary of what had happened.

While Fang Zhen was away from the Ashton Territory, Dalia had not only reclaimed the territory but had also brought the Montagu and Von Klei territories into her sphere of influence. This, however, seemed to have attracted the attention of the powerful nobility.

Limited by his status as a commoner soldier, Ayo didn’t know many details. He only knew that a powerful noble had coveted the three adjacent territories—the Ashton Territory, the Montagu Territory, and the Von Klei Territory—and wanted to acquire sovereignty over them in exchange for some price.

Dalia refused. However, it wasn’t just that one noble. Another powerful noble, one from Dalia’s own faction, had also set his sights on the land and sent a trusted subordinate to negotiate.

The negotiator was Count Henry.

Dalia was, after all, part of the aristocracy, and it was difficult to defy the will of a higher-ranking noble—especially one from her own faction. A direct refusal would have been impolitic, so she agreed to negotiate.

Unexpectedly, Count Henry, who was supposed to arrive with a protective escort of no more than a hundred men, brought a five-hundred-man legion instead.

Dalia hadn’t expected Count Henry to be so dishonorable. By the time she realized what was happening, his legion had already set up camp just outside the Ashton Territory.

The situation had become very awkward.

Count Henry didn’t call it an invasion. His legion flew the banner of "assisting Dalia in restoring order," so nominally, he was still on her side. This left her with no justification to declare war.

Furthermore, among the five hundred men in Henry’s legion were several High-tier Knights and even some Mages.

Faced with such a powerful force, Dalia was helpless.

After making camp, Count Henry’s legion began to constantly harass the nearby villages. They claimed to be "procuring military supplies," but it was nothing more than thinly veiled robbery. The people around the Ashton Territory were living in misery, and their resentment was immense.

This was the extent of Ayo’s knowledge, and it was only a rough outline, limited as it was by his station.

As Fang Zhen listened, his expression turned icy cold.

’So, Count Henry is taking advantage of my absence to bully a defenseless woman?’

It was highly likely that Dalia was already carrying his child.

’This Henry... he bullies Dalia, throws the region into chaos, disrupts the people’s lives, and has basically staged a de facto invasion. It’s the classic playbook of a creeping invasion under a false pretense! Just hearing about it is infuriating.’

Fang Zhen didn’t blame Dalia.

’After all, Dalia is a woman on her own. The territory had just been through a war and is still in the process of consolidating power. And even with the drones, she couldn’t just go scorched earth on an "ally" like Count Henry. Besides, she has no capable Knights under her command. Expecting her to mount a proper military response is asking too much.’

But all this only made Count Henry seem even more despicable.

A murderous intent had already begun to stir within Fang Zhen.

His horse was incredibly fast. By the time Ayo finished his summary, the Red Hare Horse was already approaching the castle.

Ashton Castle.

The castle’s main gates were shut tight. However, directly in front of them, nearly three hundred soldiers blocked the entrance, creating a threatening standoff.

These three hundred soldiers were all dressed in brownish-tan clothing. Although the styles were somewhat mismatched on closer inspection, the uniform color gave them the appearance of a real army.

Meanwhile, gathered near the castle were another two hundred or so soldiers. Their weapons and clothing were not uniform, making them look like a ragtag force.

But these men were the territory’s legitimate soldiers—the soldiers of the Ashton Territory, under Dalia’s command.

The two armies were facing off.

At the front of the castle gate, leading the brownish-tan uniformed ranks, sat a nobleman of about forty. Dressed in a purplish-red hunting outfit, he was mounted on a warhorse.

The nobleman’s complexion was much fairer than a commoner’s, and his expression was one of arrogance. He wore a small mustache and had extremely long sideburns. His eyes were peculiar: his pupils were rolled so far up that a large portion of the whites showed beneath them, giving the constant, condescending impression that he was looking down on everyone.

Before the nobleman stood five fully armored Knights. Behind them were over thirty Knight’s Squires, as well as three cloaked, middle-aged men in their forties and fifties, also on horseback.

The one leading them was the oldest, around fifty-five or fifty-six, with salt-and-pepper hair. He held a Warhammer Staff inlaid with a Magic Gemstone. The two men behind him were dressed in a similar fashion.

These three must be the Mages.

Below the castle walls, the mustachioed nobleman in the hunting outfit looked extremely smug, apparently quite pleased with his military might.

On the ramparts, Father Matthew stood with a tense and anxious expression. Beside him were a fully-fledged Knight and two Apprentice Knights.

The fully-fledged Knight’s breastplate was shaped for a woman’s figure—it was a female Knight.

Below the gate.

The mustachioed nobleman in the hunting outfit scanned the ramparts. His tone was cold and arrogant as he declared, "I, Count Henry, a Kingdom Count, have traveled hundreds of miles with my troops to help the Ashton Territory re-establish order."

"And just look at how you treat me!"

"You haven’t even invited me into the Ancient Castle."

"Make no mistake. I am, at least in name, the Lord of the Ashton Territory. Is this any way to treat your Lord?"