Not only did Sophia and her group fail to meet Ronin, but even the steward, Elron, was not at Swamp Castle.

With no other choice, the newcomers decided to stay in town for the time being, both to wait for Ronin’s return and to learn more about the continent.

Two days later, after resupplying their food stores, they returned to their ship.

"I can’t believe the Star Continent—oh, right, the Orland Continent, as they call it—is in such a sorry state. A town as large as Swamp Town doesn’t even have a handful of decent Transcendents."

Harmon, who was from Dark Moon City, said in disbelief, "If this were the Crescent Continent, any random town—forget Golden Knights—would have Silver Knights, at the very least."

Knight Petro, who had been silent until now, nodded in agreement.

"We came here hoping to borrow the Star Continent’s strength to help us eradicate the Demons on the Crescent Continent, but I never imagined..."

He shrugged. "They don’t even have Golden Knights here, let alone Silver Moon or Proud Sun Knights, much less Legendary warriors or Sages."

"If you ask me, Simon, you should just hurry up and fix the ship so we can go back."

The dark-skinned man, Simon, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "The Bright Pearl’s power is depleted. Without the strength of a Legendary warrior, we won’t be able to cross the Sea of Storms safely on the way back."

Hearing this, Petro sighed in resignation. "We’re finished. We can’t go back."

"You’ve only just arrived, and you’re already thinking of going back?"

Sophia’s gaze, tinged with a faint air of authority, swept over them. "Don’t forget, we have another purpose here: to eliminate the Divine Envoy who came to this continent."

"If we can’t bring powerful allies back with us, then neither can they!"

Petro let out a laugh. "I was only joking, Her Highness Princess. If we were to return like this, even if we made it back to Dawn City safely, how could we possibly face the families of Balt and the others who died on our journey?"

Sophia nodded. "Let’s just wait patiently. Hammett said Count Ronin’s battle is almost over. We’ll wait for his return, assess the situation, and then decide on our next move."

’The people of Swamp Town have very limited information. To learn more, I’ll have to ask a noble—and not some ordinary, low-ranking one like Hammett.’

’Clearly, Ronin is more worldly and knowledgeable, making him an excellent source of information.’

...

「Golden Feather Palace.」

Two days was enough time for Broel and his Griffin Knights to return to the Royal Capital from Wushan Territory.

He had already reported the events to His Majesty the King.

Bruno was naturally pleased to hear that Lurans had recovered and that the turmoil in Wushan Territory had been quelled so quickly.

He just hadn’t expected Ronin to cause such a stir.

"Are you sure Ronin really has the strength to kill a Silver Moon Knight?" he asked in disbelief.

Broel sounded somewhat resigned. "Your Majesty, this is the third time you’ve asked."

"Ossen, who had just broken through to the Silver Moon Level, died at Ronin’s hands. Lurans claimed Ronin used a Secret Skill to fight above his Level, but that’s just a load of nonsense.

Based on my guess, Ronin is either a Silver Moon Knight himself or a mid-to-late stage Meteor Level Knight capable of using an incredibly powerful Secret Skill. I’m inclined to believe the former."

He paused before adding, "In any case, it’s now undeniable that Wushan Territory has two individuals at the Silver Moon Level."

’That Lurans...’

Bruno’s feelings were complicated; he was both pleased and worried.

He was pleased that Wushan Territory had grown so powerful.

Besides Lurans and Ronin, there was also Melonika, Elron, and, to some extent, Miroslav.

A Wushan Territory this strong was now qualified to keep the surrounding Nobles of the Feudal Territory in check, which could alleviate some of the pressure on him.

But that was also the source of his worry; he feared that Wushan Territory might side with those same nobles.

’Fortunately, Ronin and Blanche are about to be engaged.’

The corners of Bruno’s mouth curled up at the thought.

’The marriage alliance will solidify their relationship. No matter how talented Ronin becomes, surely he wouldn’t make a move against his own father-in-law, would he?’

’It seems now that arranging the marriage between Blanche and Ronin was a truly wise decision.’

’Who could have imagined that the good-for-nothing from before would so quickly become one of the continent’s top powerhouses?’

’Lurans probably knew about Ronin’s prodigious talent all along. He likely made Ronin hide it simply to prevent him from following in his son’s footsteps.’

Bruno surmised, ’To put on such a convincing act... it must have been difficult for that grandfather and grandson.’

’In ten or twenty years, Ronin might even become a Proud Sun Knight. If he were to join forces with my son then, the now-precarious Tricia Kingdom would become an unstoppable force.’

The king, not yet sixty and still considered young, was already fantasizing about unifying the Orland Continent and establishing a vast empire.

Then, he would be the founding Great Emperor, his status lofty beyond compare.

However, the matter of this Witch Soul Race made Bruno uneasy.

’The Tricia Kingdom has been restless lately. An internal war is likely to break out soon. That faction opposing Tamriel seems rather strange... I wonder if they have any connection to the Witch Soul Race?’

Although the two kingdoms had maintained a delicate peace in recent years, with some trade between them, their relationship was far from harmonious or close.

Therefore, even with his intelligence officers investigating diligently, it would still be some time before Bruno could obtain any concrete information.

"Philimon, go tell Arsenno to inform all the nobles about the Witch Soul Race. They are to report any findings immediately."

After hearing Broel’s report, His Majesty the King was extremely wary of the Witch Soul Race.

’If one lets their guard down for even a moment, the speed of their expansion is enough to make one’s skin crawl.’

"If any are found, they must be eliminated!"

"As you wish, His Majesty the King!"

「Meanwhile, at Ossen’s Black Python Castle.」

Lurans, Toru, Ronin, and the others had now entered the castle.

Ronin had received a clear report from Ridder and Rig: everything of value in Black Python Castle had been taken. What remained was basically just junk.

Some of the knights and nobles with any means didn’t even bother to waste time picking through it.

Rig and his men, however, weren’t so picky. Even junk could be sold for a bit of money, and a thorough search might yet yield something of value.

That afternoon, Lurans and Ronin were resting in a courtyard.

"You performed with great merit in this battle," the old man asked. "What do you want as a reward?"

Ronin thought about it carefully.

’Being made a Marquis is out of the question. Lurans is a Marquis himself, so he can’t bestow that title on another.’

’Aside from that, what I really want is to accumulate Attribute Points as quickly as possible.’

’Right now, the only relatively simple game missions are probably Population Prosperity and Siege and Conquest.’

’Of these two achievement missions, one requires the population to reach 300,000, while the other requires the population to exceed 100,000.’

’In short, they both require people.’

So Ronin smiled and said, "Grandfather, what my territory needs most is people. If possible, I’d like to receive as large a population as I can."

"No problem."

Lurans nodded. "What? Is that the only thing you want?"

Ronin laughed. "Well, if you’re prepared to grant me Black Python City as an enclave, Grandfather, I’d be more than happy to accept."

Lurans smiled as well and offered his assessment: "You certainly think big."

He paused, then added, "Don’t worry. I’ve already made plans for you."