Chapter 127: The Price of a Title
Chapter 127: The Price of a Title
“What was that… an enemy?”
The dizziness faded, though a dull pain still throbbed inside Raven’s head. His expression turned startled as he steadied himself.
[Even when you stay quiet, trouble seems to follow you everywhere.] Zera said with a chuckle.
Raven frowned at her comment. But he was also shocked by the earlier attack.
“I’ve never seen someone attack my mind from such a distance,” he muttered. “Could it be someone from Viser?”
The thought made him pause. He immediately opened his status window and inspected it carefully.
Fortunately, there were no abnormal status effects.
Not long after, the carriage arrived at the guest house on Nobles’ Street. Raven stepped down and entered the house while his knights busied themselves preparing the evening meal.
He quietly went upstairs to the master bedroom.
‘I need to create an artifact that blocks mind-related attacks.’ If a similar situation occurred during battle, Raven knew that he would’ve lost his life.
[At the end of the day, you need to improve your strength.] Zera commented.
After closing the door, Raven summoned his spear and entered the Illusionary World.
Darkness surrounded him.
Moments later, the blue-skinned alien knight appeared.
The knight appeared behind him and lunged forward with a swift thrust.
Raven reacted instantly.
He sidestepped the attack and countered in one smooth motion. His spear struck the opponent’s weapon, shattering the intermediate aura surrounding it before slicing through the alien knight’s body.
The enemy collapsed with a thud.
He had needed only two moves to kill the blue-skinned knight.
But the battle was far from over.
Soon, twenty blue-skinned cavalry knights surrounded him.
Raven moved like a shadow among them. His spear flashed repeatedly in the dark battlefield, striking with precision.
Within seconds, three knights fell.
At this stage, ordinary intermediate knights were no longer a match for him.
Then the leader stepped forward and blocked his path.
Their spears collided fiercely, sparks scattering across the dark ground.
The remaining knights attempted to support their leader, launching sudden attacks whenever Raven showed the slightest opening.
But Raven never lost his focus.
He dodged ambush strikes, blocked the leader’s spear with practiced precision, and even used brief openings to lure nearby enemies into traps.
One intermediate knight rushed forward but Raven pivoted.
His spear pierced the man’s throat instantly.
Yet the battle dragged on.
Under constant attacks from multiple directions, Raven gradually grew exhausted. Several wounds appeared across his body as the relentless assault continued.
Although he used Rapid Regeneration and several bloodline spells to recover, it was still not enough.
Even after a long struggle, he failed to defeat the leader or break through the remaining knights.
Raven finally died at the leader's hand and exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes in the real world.
“My physical stats still haven’t reached their peak,” he muttered.
“Only after my strength and agility improve will I be able to clear this second illusionary world… and reach advanced spearmanship.”
With that thought, Raven stored the spear back into his inventory, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.
Soon, sleep claimed him.
The next day passed without any trouble.
By evening, the Sinclair Family and the Amell Family finally arrived at Oakvale.
However, their arrival was far from what Raven and Inspector George had expected.
Instead of small knight retinues, their convoys consisted of more than two hundred men—one hundred from the Amell Family and another hundred from House Sinclair.
Inspector George personally received them at the town entrance and arranged their accommodations.
Originally, he had assumed that the two prepared guest houses would be sufficient. But the sheer number of soldiers quickly proved otherwise.
Left with no other option, George used his personal savings to rent several additional houses along the second street to accommodate the remaining men.
After settling them in, he hurried to Raven’s guest house and met him in the main hall.
“I didn’t expect each knight house to bring a hundred men,” George said with a strained smile.
Under normal circumstances, the town should have felt relieved. Hundreds of soldiers had arrived to reinforce Oakvale.
But the reality was far more complicated.
More soldiers also meant more mouths to feed.
And every one of them served under noble households.
“I can manage the accommodations,” George continued. “Most of the houses I rented originally belonged to relatives of Baron Roderick. They are still trapped in the border city, so the buildings are empty for now.”
He paused, his expression growing more serious.
“But food is another matter entirely.”
“Our town’s grain reserves are nearly exhausted. There are no emergency stores left in the granaries, and the price of grain and other food supplies in the market has already tripled because of the war.”
George exhaled slowly and continued.
“If Baronet Ares also arrives with a force of similar size or more, the townspeople will be forced to use their own personal grain reserves just to feed the soldiers.”
His tone turned grim.
“If we cannot resolve this situation soon… the people of Oakvale may begin starving within a month or two.”
Raven fell into deep thought.
Although he had never met Baronet Ares, he was certain of one thing—Ares would not arrive with a small retinue. For a campaign like this, the baronet would likely bring at least two hundred men, not including his personal servants.
During wartime, the lord of a town was responsible for providing the necessary supplies for allied forces. Later, those expenses would be reimbursed through royal compensation.
Unfortunately, Oakvale no longer had a lord.
Baron Roderick and his entire family were dead, leaving the town without anyone capable of properly managing such responsibilities.
Raven leaned back slightly and crossed his legs.
“There is something that bothers me, Inspector George,” he said calmly.
George looked up and nodded.
“Please ask, Sir Thomas.”
“Why are you going so far as to spend your own personal money to manage everything in this town?”
Raven’s gaze sharpened.
“Maintaining law and order is your duty, yes. But paying for accommodations and trying to satisfy arriving nobles with your own funds… that goes far beyond your responsibility.”
George remained silent for a moment.
Then Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly as a thought struck him.
“By any chance,” he said slowly, “are you related to Baron Roderick?”
George gave a strained smile.
After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
“My grandfather was the illegitimate son of the previous lord, Sir Thomas,” he explained quietly.
“After his father died, my grandfather left the border city of Cleverwood. He wanted to avoid the succession conflict within the Murray family, so he came here and chose to live quietly in Oakvale.”
George folded his hands together on the table.
“Our family rarely visited Baron Roderick, and we kept little contact with him, even though we shared the same bloodline.”
He paused before continuing.
“But now… Baron Roderick and his entire household are dead.”
George lifted his gaze to meet Raven’s.
“If the succession is reconsidered… I may have a chance to become the next lord of the Murray family.”
When noble bloodlines died out due to unforeseen circumstances, distant relatives—or even illegitimate branches—could inherit the title through a royal decree issued by the Emperor.
However, such a decree was not granted lightly.
The claimant needed the recommendation of at least three peerage nobles.
If Raven wished, securing recommendation letters for George would not be difficult.
But Raven had no reason to do so.
Unless George personally asked for his support, Raven would never offer such help.
As if he had sensed Raven’s thoughts, George suddenly lowered his head.
“I’m truly sorry for hiding this when we first met, Sir Thomas,” he said apologetically. “I had no intention of deceiving you. I simply thought… it would be better to speak of it once the situation became stable.”
Raven waved his hand dismissively.
“If there are truly no surviving members of the Murray family in the captured city, then turning you into a legitimate heir is entirely possible,” he said calmly.
Then his expression grew serious.
“But even if you inherit the title… do you have the strength to protect it?”
George stiffened.
After all, even a rural baron household usually possessed two or three Radiant Walkers, multiple Elite Walkers, and, in border regions, at least one Expert Rank Walker as a hidden safeguard against unexpected threats.
George himself was merely an Elite Walker.
He understood his own weakness better than anyone.
His voice trembled.
“T-Then… what would I need to give in exchange for that strength, Sir Thomas?”
Raven studied him calmly before replying.
“If you want to rebuild the Murray household, you’ll need at least an Uncommon Spirit Technique. Only then can you train your own soldiers and actually hold the territory.”
Raven paused briefly before continuing.
“Even the knight houses here—Sinclair, Amell, even Baronet Ares—don’t have Uncommon Spirit Techniques. Even if powerful nobles help you become a baron… what could you give them in return?”
Raven gestured toward the window overlooking the quiet town.
“A small frontier town with a population of barely eight thousand?”
“Unless you reclaim the border city and build your own army… none of this will work.”
The hall fell silent.
Until now, he had believed that inheriting the title alone would elevate him into a true noble—someone worthy of respect from the knights who had arrived in Oakvale.
But Raven’s words had shattered that illusion.
[What are you planning to do?] Zera asked inside Raven’s mind.
I can’t give him everything for free, Raven thought calmly. It’s true that I could ask Viscountess Rowena and two other nobles for recommendation letters and obtain a royal decree from the Emperor to make George a baron. But is it really worth spending money on him? Until I see his true value, investing in him would be a waste.
Still, it would be better for George to inherit this place than for some unknown ruler to take it once the war ended.
After a moment of silence, Raven finally spoke.
“It is indeed an impossible situation,” he said slowly. “But if you swear your allegiance to a certain person, it would become entirely possible for you to become a lord. You might even receive full support.”
George was startled. He immediately understood the meaning behind those words.
So I’ll become someone’s puppet ruler, huh.
Even so, it was far better than remaining a commoner.
“To whom must I swear my allegiance?” he asked cautiously. “And what would I need to do?”
Raven leaned back on the sofa before replying.
“I cannot reveal this person’s identity without his permission. However, if you swear allegiance to him, you will receive funds and rations to maintain the town. You will also gain help in reclaiming the lost Cleverwood City. In addition, you will be granted uncommon techniques to ensure your household remains stable in the future.”
His lips curled up as he continued.
“But there are conditions. You must sign a magic contract and obey every command from this person with absolute loyalty.”
George frowned slightly.
“What exactly do you mean by absolute loyalty, Sir Thomas?”
“Do not worry,” Raven replied calmly. “He is not the kind of person who would order you to jump from a building. You will support every decision he makes. No matter the cost.”
In truth, most low-ranking nobles were already forced to follow the will of higher nobles. If they refused, they would face sanctions or political isolation. George’s situation was not very different—except that he would also be bound by a magical contract.
George fell silent for several seconds before speaking again.
“May I give you my answer tomorrow, Sir Thomas?”
Raven looked at him coldly.
“You may,” he said. “But do not delay too long. Unlike me, he is not a patient man.”
George nodded stiffly and soon took his leave.