The poisoned broth was served in a wooden bowl, emitting an enticing aroma.
Louis took the bowl handed to him by the knight and slowly raised it to his lips. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to hand the bowl to Roy.
"I have no appetite. You drink it for me."
Roy's face stiffened. He forced a smile and said, "My Lord, this is against protocol. You should have it first."
"I command you. Drink it." Louis's tone suddenly became serious.
Roy's lips turned slightly pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He knew very well what was in the bowl of soup. If he drank it, he would surely die.
Knight Captain Lambert also noticed that something was wrong. He gave a meaningful look to the surrounding knights. Several men immediately stood up and surrounded Roy.
"Drink it," Lambert said in a low voice.
The scalding broth was forced to Roy's lips.
Seeing that he could no longer brush it off, Roy suddenly tried to turn and escape, but he was held down firmly.
Only then did the other knights truly realize—this bowl of soup was poisoned!
Louis stood up and looked down at Roy, who was pinned to the ground. "You know the consequences of plotting to murder your lord, don't you?"
Roy's eyes were filled with terror. He certainly knew the consequences.
"Who told you to poison it?" Louis's voice was calm and measured.
Roy answered with a trembling voice, "It was… it was Lord Benjamin. He ordered me to poison it."
Benjamin was the second son of Duke Calvin and Louis's elder brother.
The knights all turned their gazes toward Louis.
They were all knights of the Calvin Family and knew well the overt and covert struggles between the brothers.
However, for the lord to be stabbed in the back by his own family before he had even found his footing was still chilling.
Roy continued intermittently, "He promised… that if I poisoned you, he would let me return to the South and arrange a new position for me—at least as a knight captain…"
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the knights surrounding him grew even grimmer.
Louis, however, let out a low chuckle.
If he guessed correctly, his elder brother intended to completely eliminate a future competitor for the title.
The ducal inheritance system of the Calvin Family was not based on primogeniture, but on the strongest inheriting the title.
No matter how useless Louis was now, as long as he lived, he was still of Duke Calvin's bloodline and still held the right of succession.
Furthermore, if he died on the way to the North, the family would inevitably send another brother to take over and complete the mission.
In other words, Benjamin could not only eliminate a competitor but also continue to wear down his other brothers—killing two birds with one stone. A truly clever scheme.
Roy still held a sliver of hope. He looked at Louis pleadingly. "My Lord, I… I was forced! I am just a knight. Lord Benjamin ordered me, and I didn't dare disobey… Please spare my life. I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you!"
"Lambert," Louis said in a flat tone.
"Yes." The knight captain stepped forward and drew his longsword.
Roy panicked completely and struggled desperately. "My Lord! Mercy! I'll never—"
*Slash!*
A silver flash flickered, and blood splattered across the snow.
Roy's pleas came to an abrupt halt as his head rolled onto the ground, his eyes wide in death.
Lambert sheathed his sword and said calmly, "The traitor has been executed."
But in the camp, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
The spectating knights were silent. A trace of complex emotion appeared in their eyes.
Roy had betrayed his lord and deserved to die. That was an indisputable fact.
But were his actions truly just because of greed?
He wanted to return to the South. He didn't want to die trapped in this cold wasteland.
And what about them? Were they any different?
Everyone knew what it meant to head to the North to pioneer territory.
This was a land of exile, the territory with the highest mortality rate.
No one had come voluntarily, and no one wanted to stay.
At this moment, no one dared to look at the head rolling on the ground, fearing they would see their own face on the severed head.
Confusion and helplessness washed over their hearts like a rising tide.
Under the dark night, the campfire burned, clearly reflecting the emotions in their eyes.
Louis took it all in and then stepped forward. "Those who want to go back can leave right now."
Everyone was startled and looked up at him one after another.
"I will personally write to the family to clear you of any crime." Louis paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face. "But after today, anyone who leaves will meet the same fate as Roy."
No one spoke, and no one dared to move.
They weren't stupid. Even with a letter from Louis, the family might not forgive them for deserting their posts. What awaited them would likely be even more severe punishment.
Staying in the North might be a dead end, but going back might not offer a way to live either.
Louis looked at these silent knights and suddenly chuckled.
He set aside his previous murderous aura, and his voice became calm. "You all feel that coming to the North is a death sentence.
You also know why you were sent here. Isn't it because you have no backing within the family, so you can be discarded like trash?"
Louis paused. His tone suddenly became resonant and powerful. "But I don't think so! You are not trash!
That you could become Apprentice Knights or even Formal Knights was due to your talent, your hard work, and real battles fought one after another!
And what about the fellows who sent you here? They are nothing but a bunch of parasites hiding in castles, eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves!"
He slowly scanned the crowd. At this moment, a hint of wavering appeared in everyone's eyes.
"Have you ever thought that there is a possibility—what if we can survive on this frozen soil? What if we can establish ourselves here?
Perhaps the darkness before dawn will be long.
But the sun will always rise!
I don't know if we can all wait until that moment, but I swear by the Dragon Ancestor—
If that day comes, I will share the glory brought by the sun with all of you!"
Louis slowly scanned the crowd once more. A hint of wavering appeared in everyone's eyes.
"To the Calvin Family, you are insignificant beings—pawns that can be sacrificed at any time.
But in this land full of opportunities, everything is possible.
Someone sitting here might become a Baron, a Viscount, or even an Earl in the future!
Of course, you can continue to wallow in the arrangements of fate, sighing and mourning all day, treating yourselves as people with one foot in the grave.
Or, you can join me on this abandoned land and grasp the future firmly in your own hands."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The night wind howled, and the campfire flickered slightly, illuminating one complex face after another.
Suddenly, *thud!*
A low, dull sound broke the night.
Knight Captain Lambert knelt on one knee, his right fist slamming against his chest.
"I am willing to follow you to the death, My Lord!"
Then, a second person, a third, a fourth…
"We are willing to follow you to the death, My Lord!"
"We are willing to follow you to the death, My Lord!"
…One by one, the knights knelt down, their right fists striking their hearts.