Kro asked, "Baron Wado has no nobles pledged to him, right?"
"We caught a Knight before," a farmer answered meekly. "Baron Wado wanted him to pledge fealty, but the Knight said no and spat at him. So the Baron had him flayed."
'We nobles don't usually just call each other 'Baron',' Kro thought. 'Otherwise, every time we talked about the King, we'd be reciting titles for ages.'
Take Leech, the man he'd pledged his loyalty to. He currently held the titles of Baron Porcupine and Divine Favored.
The more memorable one's legends and status, the more titles one collected.
But he understood this was about Wado Eighteen's obsession with his status. He made people acknowledge him as a Baron every time they spoke to him.
Tell a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth.
Kro said, "The Baron needs nobles pledged to him, and I happen to be a noble. Think about it—what would happen if you were to take me to see Baron Wado?"
"What would happen?" the first farmer asked curiously.
