Raylo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Now was not the time to get emotional.
He had to continue playing the part of the useless second son, cast out by his family and facing a bleak future.
The corridor was still empty, with only the sound of his slightly hurried footsteps.
He walked toward the barracks of the family's Knight Order.
The air was filled with the smell of damp earth and weapon maintenance oil.
In a corner at the edge of the training grounds, a tall, resolute-looking knight was training alone, sweat pouring down like rain.
Sweat soaked his short brown hair and trickled down his sharp, angular cheeks.
It was Ed.
The "frustrated and unappreciated" Great Knight from the system's intel.
Ed stopped what he was doing. Seeing who it was, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before he regained his composure. He bowed slightly and greeted, "Young Master Raylo."
His voice was deep and powerful, with the crisp efficiency unique to a soldier.
"Knight Ed."
Raylo stopped and looked him straight in the eye. "I am no longer a young master."
He held up the Pioneer Order in his hand. "I am now the Pioneer Lord of the Black Stone Territory."
Ed's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He had clearly heard about what happened at the ceremony.
But he didn't ask any questions, simply waiting in silence for Raylo to continue.
"His Grace the Duke has 'generously' bestowed upon me two Great Knights and twenty Knights to form my pioneer retinue."
Raylo's tone was tinged with self-mockery. "I need a Personal Guard Captain. Knight Ed, are you willing to go to the Black Stone Territory with me?"
Ed's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with disbelief.
'Go to the Black Stone Territory?'
'He knew full well what that place represented.'
'But... Personal Guard Captain?'
'For someone like him, who had languished as a mere squad leader for nearly ten years, this was undoubtedly a huge temptation—a chance to escape his current situation.'
"The Black Stone Territory is a harsh environment with an uncertain future."
Raylo continued in a level tone, "Following me, you might suffer many hardships, and you might even..."
He didn't finish, but the implication was clear.
Ed was silent for a moment.
'Going to the Black Stone Territory was exile.'
'But wasn't staying here just another kind of cage?'
"My Lord."
Ed's voice was firm and decisive. He had changed his form of address. Kneeling on one knee, he placed his right hand over his chest. "Ed Fane, at your service!"
A weight was lifted from Raylo's heart.
Soon, the other assigned Great Knight and the twenty Knights had also assembled.
The other Great Knight was named Bolin. He was slightly older, a bit overweight, and had an air of laziness and worldly weariness about him. The look he gave Raylo held no respect, but rather a perfunctory indifference, as if just going through the motions.
The rest of the Knights also wore mostly numb expressions, clearly resentful about being sent to the godforsaken Black Stone Territory.
Raylo paid them no mind.
'It was only human nature, after all.'
"Captain Ed, take some men to inventory the supplies and prepare for departure. Knight Bolin, you will assist Captain Ed." Raylo issued his first command.
Ed immediately accepted the order and left. Bolin gave a sluggish acknowledgment and followed him.
Meanwhile, Raylo made the excuse that he needed to prepare some "personal items" and quietly slipped away from the Knight Order's barracks. Braving the rain, he headed toward the east gate of Thunder Dragon City.
Three hundred paces south of the east gate.
The rain had turned the road into a muddy mess.
Following the system's prompt, Raylo quickly found the abandoned thatched hut.
The hut was on the verge of collapse, its door long gone.
Just as expected, there was a broken water vat in front of the hut, half-buried in the mud, its opening filled with murky rainwater.
Raylo looked left and right, confirming no one was around.
He rolled up his soaked sleeves and moved the water vat.
After fumbling around underneath for a moment, his hand pulled out something hard, wrapped in oilcloth.
The package wasn't large, but it was heavy.
Unwrapping the damp oilcloth revealed several heavy coin purses.
One thousand seven hundred Golden Dragons!
For someone like him, who had been "kicked out with nothing," this money was undoubtedly a godsend.
That unlucky Captain Kri probably never imagined in his wildest dreams that the fortune he had worked so hard to embezzle and hide would fall so easily into the hands of a "good-for-nothing" like him.
Hiding the Gold Coins carefully, Raylo quickly returned.
「The east gate of Thunder Dragon City.」
The group slowly rode out of the city gate in the drizzling rain.
Two carriages loaded with basic supplies, and some twenty-odd Knights, surrounded Raylo and Ed, who rode at the very front.
High on the city wall above the east gate, his older brother, Eliot, hidden beneath a black cloak, watched his back until he was completely gone.
The sky was gloomy. Though the rain had stopped, heavy clouds hung low.
The north wind carried the raw smell of wild grass from the plains, rudely finding its way into people's collars.
The group's pace was not fast.
The horses provided by the Duke's Mansion were not of the best quality, and the packhorses carrying the supplies were even more sluggish.
Most of the Knights were taciturn, and their occasional conversations were filled with complaints and uncertainty about the future.
Ed was truly worthy of the system's evaluation: "upright and incorruptible, possessing formidable strength."
Ever since becoming the Personal Guard Captain, he had been meticulously carrying out his duties.
Planning the route, selecting campsites, posting sentries, guarding the supplies, and even managing the Knights' morale—he handled it all in perfect order.
Under his discipline and example, though morale was low, the group at least avoided any major trouble, and their marching discipline was maintained quite well.
During the journey, Raylo received updated intelligence from the system.
It was mostly gossip from the noble circles of Thunder Dragon City, information about a mineral vein being discovered somewhere, or news of a merchant caravan being attacked—nothing of much help to his current situation.
More than ten days later, the group finally reached the borders of the Black Stone Territory.
In stark contrast to the lush scenery of the South, the land before them was barren and desolate.
"My Lord, ahead should be the Black Stone Territory's only large settlement, Black Stone Town."
Ed rode up beside Raylo, pointing to a blurry black dot on the distant horizon. "Do we head directly into town, or do we make camp outside?"
According to custom, a newly appointed lord, upon arrival, was expected to first go to a town within the territory to announce his arrival and establish his rule.
Hearing the words "Black Stone Town," many of the Knights in the group showed a hint of anticipation on their faces.
After so many consecutive days of marching in the wild, they were all eager to find a place that offered shelter from the elements and a bowl of hot soup.
Raylo reined in his horse, but his gaze did not turn toward Black Stone Town. Instead, he looked to the east, toward a range of desolate, rolling mountains.
Raylo's answer was simple and decisive, catching everyone by surprise.
"We are not going to Black Stone Town."
"Not going to the town?"
Bolin's voice rose, laced with obvious confusion and displeasure. "My Lord, then where are we going? Out here in the middle of nowhere..."
"We head east."
Raylo pointed toward the mountains to the east. "We're going to survey the mountain range in the eastern part of the territory. We'll find a suitable spot to set up a temporary camp."
This decision immediately caused a commotion.
The Knights began to whisper amongst themselves, their faces etched with confusion and resistance.
'They were going to ignore a perfectly good town and camp in those mountains that looked even more godforsaken?'
"My Lord, this..."
"Carry out the order, Knights."
Raylo made his decision in a tone that brooked no argument.