Chapter 50 : Chapter 50
Chapter 50. You Should Call Me Baron
After a brief silence, the frontier lords reacted in different ways.
Seated diagonally across from Eli, a young lord—Griffin Easton—lowered his head deeply, his fingers unconsciously twisting at the hem of his clothes.
He was struggling fiercely inside. Form an alliance?
On the surface, it sounded like a good idea. It could help them resist the terrifying “remnant federal army” Sabda had described.
But... the alliance leader would be Sabda Medici.
This second son of the Duke of the Southern Frontier was ambitious and ruthless.
Not long ago, a small but high-quality iron mine had been discovered by chance within Griffin’s territory.
It was his greatest hope of turning his fortunes around. He had kept it hidden with the utmost care, not daring to reveal it to anyone.
If he joined the alliance, then with Sabda’s power and methods, would he still be able to keep that iron mine?
Of course not. Sabda would surely find some excuse to interfere, or even swallow it whole.
He did not want to join, much less become the first one to speak out.
But refuse?
He was only the bastard son of a count. Before Sabda, he carried no weight at all.
If he were the first to stand up and oppose him, he would undoubtedly become the target of everyone present and be burned to ashes by the wrath of the Medici Family.
As for the other three or four lords with tiny territories and meager strength, their faces showed traces of relief, even delight.
They had never possessed much ambition to begin with. So long as they could cling to life on this wasteland and scrape together enough to eat, they would be satisfied.
The threat of the “remnant federal army” Sabda described had frightened them badly.
If they joined the alliance, they would have to accept certain restraints, obey another man’s commands, and perhaps even surrender part of their resources.
But at the very least, they would gain the protection of the towering tree that was the Medici Family, and their chances of surviving would rise greatly.
That bargain seemed worth it.
They exchanged glances, already on the verge of nodding their agreement.
And yet, more eyes than not drifted involuntarily toward the white-haired Eli, who had remained silent until now.
Among everyone here, perhaps only this son of a marquess from the Royal Domain held even a little weight.
Eli felt those gazes upon him.
He lifted the delicate Southern Frontier porcelain teacup before him and took a slow sip of black tea.
Join an alliance led by Sabda?
Hand over the lifeblood of Black Territory and Lucerne City’s future to an ambitious man who treated others as stepping stones?
Absolutely impossible!
So he intended to muddy the waters.
He set down his teacup, drawing everyone’s attention.
Then he raised his head, a faintly amused smile appearing on his face.
“What Young Master Sabda says is entirely reasonable.”
Eli’s voice was clear, unusually distinct in the silent council hall.
“The remnant forces of the Free City-State Alliance are indeed a grave threat! Forming an alliance, concentrating our strength, and resisting the enemy together truly is a wise course!”
A smile of control had just begun to appear on Sabda’s face.
Then Eli abruptly changed direction, his tone turning perfectly matter-of-fact.
“As for the alliance leader Young Master Sabda mentioned—the one who must shoulder the responsibility of leading the alliance, coordinating all sides, and resisting powerful enemies...
naturally, such a position should go to someone of great strength, distinguished merit, and sufficient standing to command the confidence of all.”
He swept his gaze around the hall, then finally let it settle on Sabda. A curve that was almost innocent lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Such a person is naturally me.”
“What?!”
“Him?!”
“Eli Black?!”
The entire council hall erupted in uproar!
Everyone had been stunned by Eli’s utterly unapologetic self-nomination!
Even the lords who had wanted nothing more than to lie flat and survive were left gaping.
The smile on Sabda’s face instantly froze, turning into shock, and then his brows knotted tightly.
“You?!” Luke Medici was the first to explode. He leapt to his feet and pointed straight at Eli’s nose.
His voice twisted with rage and disbelief.
“Eli Black! What are you supposed to be? What right do you have to be the alliance leader?!
Because of that old knight behind you, and that monstrous wolfman?”
Eli acted as though he had not heard Luke’s shouting at all. His calm gaze swept over the stunned lords.
“I assume all of you know of Lucerne City in the Western Frontier?”
Across from him, Griffin nodded.
“I... I know it. A city in the Western Frontier.”
“Exactly.” Eli nodded.
“There truly was a rebel force from the City-State of Falei occupying it. Their numbers were not many... only around a thousand.”
Nearly a thousand?!
And that was not many?
Several lords sucked in a cold breath.
Even Sabda and the Southern Frontier nobles behind him changed expression slightly.
Then Eli’s next words exploded through the council hall like thunder:
“But those people have already been dealt with by me. Lucerne City is now my fief.”
“Dealt... dealt with?!”
“A thousand soldiers... he dealt with them?!”
“How is that possible?!”
Shouts of shock rose one after another!
Every gaze turned toward Eli, filled with unbelievable horror.
To wipe out a thousand rebels occupying a fortified city—what kind of strength would that require?
That achievement alone was enough to shake the entire Western Frontier.
Behind Sabda, another noble subordinate with a cold, severe face abruptly rose to his feet and demanded harshly,
“Lord Eli! Words alone prove nothing! What evidence do you have that you took Lucerne City?! Perhaps you—”
He had been about to say “stole the credit,” or perhaps “colluded with the rebels.”
“Enough!”
Sabda’s icy voice cut off his subordinate’s challenge.
He stared fixedly at Eli. On that soft-featured, handsome face, every trace of disguise and restraint had vanished, leaving only naked menace and cold killing intent.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
“Eli Black, are you certain... that you want to do this?”
Eli spread his hands.
“But this is what you said, isn’t it, Young Master Sabda? ‘The most capable should serve as alliance leader.’
I had assumed you already knew of my achievements.”
Then, with a slightly teasing smile, Eli added,
“Oh, right. From now on, please address me as—Baron Eli Pendragon.”
He had a title now?
The assembled lords drew another sharp breath.
That final sentence was like pouring oil onto a fire.
Sabda Medici, son of a duke of the Southern Frontier—when had he ever been so lightly provoked and humiliated?
And in front of everyone, no less.
Deathly silence fell over the council hall.
The other lords, Griffin included, all sat stiff and speechless, hardly daring to breathe.
After that initial sickly green fury, Sabda’s expression instead returned, strangely, to an extreme calm.
He nodded very, very slowly. His gray eyes were like two freezing pools without a bottom.
“Good... very good. Since you insist on doing this... then do not blame me for casting aside all courtesy.”
“Courtesy?” Eli gave a short laugh. “Did we ever have such a thing between us?”
Sabda wasted no more words. With a sudden sweep of his hand—
Shing! Shing! Shing!
The seven or eight Southern Frontier nobles standing at his side, as well as the dozen elite guards positioned at the four corners of the council hall, all drew the swords at their waists in an instant.
The gleaming blades pointed directly at Eli and at Buck and Wolfgang behind him.
Sharp killing intent instantly filled the entire chamber!
“I knew you were up to no good!” Eli sneered. “Move!”
Almost at the exact instant Eli’s words fell—
BOOM—!!!
A terrifying pressure, like a volcano erupting, burst forth from Captain Buck, who had stood silent as a mountain the entire time.
The battle aura of a Gold Tier knight was released without the slightest reservation, and it felt as though the very air in the council hall had solidified.
The Southern Frontier guards and nobles who had drawn their swords looked as though they had been struck by an invisible warhammer. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale, and their movements abruptly froze.
“ROAR—!!!”
At the same time, Wolfgang’s massive frame suddenly swelled, his blue-and-white fur standing on end like steel needles!
His ice-blue wolf eyes locked onto those guards as a low growl rolled from his throat.
A Gold Tier knight!
And a terrifying wolfman beast!
Sabda and all of his subordinates turned extremely ugly in an instant.
They had known Eli had strong people at his side, but they had never imagined they would be this strong.
A single Gold Tier knight was enough to change the entire course of the battle.
Eli shot Buck a look, asking whether he could kill that Sabda on the spot.
Buck’s expression changed in alarm. This was the son of a duke.
“Young Master, we must not get bogged down!” Buck’s voice came urgently at Eli’s ear.
“They outnumber us, and there are still several hundred soldiers in the territory. While they’re intimidated, we should break out at once. If we kill them all, the commotion will be too great.”
Eli’s gaze sharpened, and he made his decision in an instant.
He was not a reckless man. His purpose in coming here had already been achieved. There was no need to get trapped.
“Go!” Eli barked, turning without hesitation.
Buck strode ahead like a moving golden fortress, battle aura flaring, each step heavy and unstoppable.
Protected by the two of them, Eli moved straight toward the doors of the council hall without meeting any obstruction.
Sabda’s face was ashen, and his poisonous gaze burned into Eli’s retreating back. His fingers had gone white from how hard he was clenching them, yet in the end, he still did not order a fight to the death.
He understood very clearly that under the terrifying pressure of Buck’s Gold Tier aura, forcing the issue would cost him dearly, and there was a very real chance that he himself would be dragged down with it.
Just as Eli was about to step through the doors, Griffin Easton suddenly gritted his teeth.
He had seen an opportunity!
An opportunity to break free from Sabda’s shadow!
He quickly exchanged glances with two other lords who likewise feared Sabda and whose territories bordered the direction of Black Territory.
“Wait! Sir Eli! Wait for us!”
Griffin and those two lords sprang to their feet almost at the same time.
Not even bothering to collect their things, they hurried after Eli and his companions, scrambling out of the sword-drawn council hall.
Sabda remained where he stood, watching as Eli and the others departed without so much as a scratch—and even took three wavering lords with them.
His handsome face twisted slightly from the depth of his fury, and cold fire burned in his eyes.
Inside the council hall, all that remained was the sound of his heavy breathing and utter disorder.
The carefully orchestrated alliance meeting had completely turned into a farce—and a humiliation!