Byrne stepped down from the carriage, took a deep breath of the salty sea air, and his leather boots crunched on the grass as he passed through the archway carved with the words 'Fortress of Wind'.
He walked straight to the edge of the cliff, the strong wind making his cloak flap wildly. Below, the entire town lay spread out like a painting, with several fishing boats gently swaying with the waves in the harbor.
At this moment, a strange and complex emotion, a mixture of bewilderment and accomplishment, surged through Byrne's heart; all of this now belonged to him. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, without that illusory feeling, incredibly real. This was his territory.
The notification from the Hall of Heroes also sounded in his ears.
"Completed the Heroic Spirit Quest, successfully appointed as Lord of Storm Territory, Hall of Heroes activated."
"Heroic Spirit Value: 10 points."
"Obtained a territory map, which allows viewing all matters in the territory."
…At night, the bright moonlight spilled onto the cliff, cloaking everyone in a silvery veil. The knight squad had also set up their tents, and three logs were crossed vertically over a bonfire, suspending a large iron pot from which white smoke rose; this was their dinner.
Byrne served himself a bowl and sat on a stone to eat. To be honest, it was not to his taste; the quality of the food was too poor, and the flavor was very ordinary, completely unlike what he ate in the royal capital's manor. He should have known better than to let those maids and cooks leave.
At the time, when the people in the manor heard that Byrne was going to Storm Territory, they all looked ashen and were very resistant. Byrne did not make things difficult for them. Now, he regretted it, wishing he had been a bit more ruthless and made them come along.
Just then, Cotton walked over, bringing a woman with him.
"This is Clyde's daughter."
It turned out that Clyde, seeing that Byrne had no maids, sent his daughter to apply for the position. For him, life in the town was so difficult, and with this daughter, he had five children in total, none of whom he could feed. It was better to give her to Byrne; at least she would have food to eat. The residents of the town had work during the day, but once it got dark, there was nothing to do but make babies.
"This…"
Byrne looked at the woman in front of him, unsure of what to do. He did want a maid, but not like this.
The woman gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her fingers half-white and half-red from the exertion.
"My Lord, my name is Flora. I can wash clothes and cook, and I don't eat much. Also, I've been thoroughly cleaned."
Before coming, her mother had washed her at least three times with hot water and coarse cloth, and she was wearing clean clothes.
"Alright, take her to my tent and get her a bed and blankets."
The main reason Byrne had Cotton take her to his tent was that there were no extra tents, and he didn't know Flora's character, so he could keep a close eye on her.
Late at night, the weary people had all gone to sleep, leaving only Byrne and Cotton, who sat cross-legged on the cliff edge.
"Cotton, would you die for me?" Byrne looked at the moon in the sky.
This question made the dazed Cotton suddenly stand up, then immediately kneel on one knee, looking at the ground, and said without hesitation,
"From my grandfather onwards, our family has been the Guardian Knights of the Francis Family for generations. As long as my Lord commands."
He drew the knight's sword from his waist and placed it against his neck, blood trickling down the blade.
Byrne stood up, patted the dust from his legs, and raised his hand to place it on Cotton's head.
"I shall bestow upon you supreme divine power and grant you the surname Alex."
A hexagram array appeared on Byrne's hand, within which was a magnificent building with a portico of twelve white marble columns and two golden doors behind it. Byrne opened the Hall of Heroes with his will.
"Greatsword Knight."
"Anton von Manstein."
"Level: LV10 (Formal Knight)."
"Skills: Earth Element, Greatsword Mastery."
"Can use Earth Element to cover the entire body to enhance attack and defense."
"Do you wish to inherit?"
"Yes."
"Deducting 10 Heroic Spirit points."
"Ugh ah—!"
A startling roar erupted from Cotton's throat, a sound mixed with pain and release. The transformation had begun.
His originally robust body was stretched from within by an invisible force, his bones made a grating cracking sound, and his muscle fibers tore and expanded wildly. Blood vessels beneath his skin constantly bulged, then were instantly covered by rock-like muscles.
In just a few heartbeats, his one-meter-ninety body transformed into a terrifying height of two meters sixty, becoming a giant with bulging muscles.
"Clang."
The sturdy knight armor he wore could no longer withstand this power, and he stood naked in the moonlight. He let out a heavy, thick white breath.
Immediately after, another anomaly occurred. Metal combat boots, greaves, knee guards, chest and abdominal armor… countless gleaming metal plates appeared out of thin air, precisely fitting every inch of his skin. A set of dark, heavy armor covered in ferocious angles enveloped him from head to toe, transforming him into an imposing steel giant.
Almost at the same moment, a black hole like the starry sky appeared next to his right hand, and a massive, profound black Greatsword flew out of it, its tip easily sinking into the ground. Cotton grasped the Greatsword with natural ease, his arm muscles bulging as he steadily lifted the Greatsword, its tip facing downwards, held with both hands, the heavy tip hovering less than an inch from the ground.
"Buzz."
Two crimson lights suddenly illuminated from the T-shaped slit. Cotton laid the Greatsword horizontally on his hands, supporting it with both hands, and knelt on both knees, saying with strong conviction,
"Where the sword's edge points, there the charge goes; what the lips command, there the sword brings death."
On this continent, a Formal Knight was already considered the top fighting force of a small to medium-sized family; only large families and royal kingdoms would have Great Knights, and above that, Title Knights were already legends.
For Cotton, he had strived his entire life to reach the rank of Apprentice Knight, but Byrne's miracle directly transformed him into a Formal Knight and fundamentally changed his body, making him even stronger than he was in his prime.
Hearing the roar, the soldiers ran out of their tents with swords in hand, only to see a giant humanoid creature in armor kneeling before their Lord. This stunned them so much that they didn't even notice their swords falling to the ground.
As the two drew closer, they realized that the giant was their captain. Immediately, expressions of disbelief appeared on each of their faces as they surrounded Cotton, asking how he had become like this.
Byrne did not stop them and returned to his tent alone. Seeing the little maid sleeping on the bed with tear marks at the corners of her eyes, he quietly climbed into his own bed.
He opened the Hall of Heroes to check Cotton's information.
"Cotton Alex."
"Level: LV10 (Formal Knight)."
"Skills: Earth Element, Greatsword Mastery."
"Inherited Heroic Spirit: Greatsword Knight."
"Hmm, not bad."
Byrne was very satisfied looking at this panel; with high defense and strong attack power, he could be called the strongest in Storm Territory. Similarly, his own strength also changed. Whenever a subject successfully inherited, Byrne himself would also gain one-tenth of that power.