The reason Hudson could guess that Ronan Reed had come to buy grain was simple: when Arthur, the previous baron, had first arrived in Northwindshire, his first problem was also food.
Even though Hudson didn't know what had gone on within the Solar Empire that led to Ronan inheriting the Frostholm Barony, and arriving with fewer than ten guards, that was none of his business.
In the baronial circle, as long as Ronan could pay a high enough price, Hudson was willing to sell him some grain.
"Ronan, my friend, I wonder why you've come here with so many people?"
Hudson asked, with an expression of sincerity.
Ronan replied with a bitter look and a youthful voice:
"Baron Hudson, to be honest, I have no food at all in the Frostholm Barony. If I don't get some soon, I might become the first noble in the Solar Empire to starve to death."
As he finished, he glanced cautiously at Hudson.
Hudson was about to demand an outrageous price when Ronan suddenly grabbed his hand, and the strength in that grip stunned him—he couldn't break free.
He's a knight?
Despite Hudson being a knight-in-training, he could clearly feel that Ronan's strength far surpassed his own.
How old is this kid?!
Ronan leaned in and said nervously:
"I heard… Baron Hudson has some issues with Sir Warren?"
The smile vanished from Hudson's face, replaced by a flash of anger.
"Even Baron Ronan has heard of that?"
The Warren Ronan referred to was a Pioneer Knight.
In the Solar Empire, one could only claim unclaimed land by acquiring an official Pioneer Edict from the Empire, which allowed either Pioneer Lords or Pioneer Knights to settle and govern.
These edicts were common in Northwindshire—like how Hudson's father sold his original estate to come north with a Pioneer Edict.
But Pioneer Knights were far rarer than Pioneer Lords, and obtaining such a title was incredibly difficult, because it offered the chance to rise into the nobility.
There were only two paths to become a Pioneer Knight:
A noble descendant without inheritance rights, but deeply favored by the lord, who could obtain an edict on their behalf.
A formal knight (at minimum), who earned merit in battle and had the support of a noble to petition the Solar Empire for the title.
Both required noble backing.
Especially the second—non-noble knights trying to become nobles had it a hundred times harder than those born into noble families.
Warren belonged to the second type.
His title as a Pioneer Knight came from none other than Duke Morgans—the man who annexed Northwindshire into the Solar Empire.
For five or six generations, Warren's ancestors had served as knight-retainers under the Duke. His lineage even boasted a Golden Knight, a legendary figure. Warren himself earned his edict partly because he married into the Morgans family.
In truth, this was a product of imperial politics and compromise.
Though Morgans conquered the north, the Solar Empire's nobility refused to let him claim land there for his family. As compensation, they allowed him to distribute Pioneer Knight edicts—essentially scraps of paper from the Duke's perspective, used to appease his followers.
Even that "compensation" was a political insult by the nobility.
Ronan could relate—his own barony had been a political consolation prize, handed out to compensate for his father, Count Reed, much like those worthless knight edicts.
Once a knight became a Pioneer Knight, they no longer fought for others, but for themselves. And former loyalties no longer guaranteed future obedience.
As for the conflict between Sir Warren and Baron Hudson, it had many roots—territorial disputes, monetary disagreements, and competition over resources.
Their territories bordered one another, and they'd even clashed over a small iron mine, resulting in many slave deaths.
As a lazy, inheritance-fed noble, Hudson's strength was weaker than Warren's, and he had no ambition. Compared to the driven Warren, Hudson was like a defenseless sheep.
After multiple skirmishes, Hudson had taken loss after loss. So at the mere mention of Warren's name, he became furious.
"Baron Ronan, are you here to take advantage of me?" Hudson asked coldly.
Ronan replied, invoking a law no northern noble had ever cared about:
"Nobles must not wage war on each other. Have you forgotten that, Baron Hudson?"
"Warren is still just a Pioneer Knight. Until the Solar Empire grants him a baronial title, he's still just a knight."
"There's a difference between a knight and a noble."
He looked at Hudson seriously.
"Baron Hudson, my friend, I'm here to help you."
Then, without turning his head, Ronan shouted:
"Form ranks!"
Hudson nearly buckled at the knees.
Behind Ronan, thirty knight squires snapped into formation, long spears in hand, while Brandon, bare-armed despite the winter chill, stood before them like a statue of war.
Gulp.
Hudson's eyes widened.
He'd completely misjudged these men.
He had assumed—seeing their fur clothing instead of proper Solar Empire armor—that they were mere peasants.
But thirty well-trained knight squires?
Where had Ronan found such elite troops?
Frostholm Barony? Don't be ridiculous.
Could it be… that Count Reed had secretly provided his son with support?
The thought made Hudson's eyes gleam with excitement.
Ronan, seeing the change in Hudson's expression, knew exactly what he was thinking.
He needed food. But with no money, and no land to barter, there were still hundreds of mouths to feed.
There was only one option left:
Take it.
His neighbors surely had stockpiled food for the winter. If it came to hunger or survival, then he would not hold back.
"While my neighbor hoards grain, I hoard spears."
Facing the current food crisis, Ronan had no intention of using conventional methods.
Baron Hudson was a textbook case of a lazy, self-indulgent noble.
Once he learned Ronan had brought thirty armed warriors to support him, his mind stopped thinking entirely.
"Warren, you've taken so much from me—it's time to give it all back!"