Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

In Devil City, Ed was currently on another day’s patrol.

After Count Offman died, Marquis Oscillate had told Ed that the Deriman Family would soon arrive to collect the Count’s body.

To be honest, many thoughts had run through Ed’s mind at the time. His greatest fear was that his stepmother would send someone to "take care" of him as well, even though Marquis Oscillate had repeatedly assured him that nothing would happen.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate. The Deriman Family did indeed come, and his stepmother, Lady Videlli, arrived in person.

She arrived in the morning, paid a visit to Marquis Oscillate, and then left at noon with Count Offman’s body. Before this, Ed had assumed that, at the very least, his own title might be at risk.

But in reality, other than losing a father who had always supervised him, it seemed like nothing in his life had changed.

In the days that followed, Ed gradually emerged from the shadow of Count Offman’s death and began to understand something...

’I seem to have overestimated my own importance...’

He later heard that there was no funeral for Count Offman; his soul was sent to the family altar. He also heard the King had sent a special envoy...

Then came news of his friend. Reports of Robson’s achievements continuously arrived from the front lines. Even Marquis Oscillate now referred to his friend as a capable young man.

He couldn’t say if it was envy or jealousy, but Ed felt as if a lifetime had passed.

"Up there! Look up!"

"A griffin! It looks like it’s about to fall!"

The surrounding soldiers suddenly erupted in discussion. Alarmed, Ed raised his head.

In the sky, a griffin was wobbling precariously, looking as if it could fall at any moment. He could clearly see a human rider on its back.

Just then, several Griffin Knights from Devil City flew up, though it was unclear if they were going to help or for some other reason.

"It’s coming this way!"

"No, it looks like it’s trying to land."

It was indeed trying to land. Knight Ed had ridden a griffin before, out of personal interest.

’But here?’ Knight Ed didn’t understand. He quickly realized, however, that this wasn’t a controlled landing at all. They had reached their limit—both the man and the griffin.

As the griffin drew closer, Knight Ed could clearly see the bloody gashes on it. Based on what he had recently learned, Knight Ed even recognized the marks left by a Thunderhawk’s talons.

’Beastmen!’

Knight Ed frowned and hurried forward.

Perhaps the griffin had truly reached its limit, for it and its rider plummeted from a dozen meters in the air.

"What... What’s going on?"

"Quick, go check it out."

Sensing something was wrong, Ed rushed forward to where the griffin had fallen.

The griffin was dead, though it was impossible to tell if it was from the fall or from sheer exhaustion.

Pinned beneath the griffin was a Knight.

"Hey! Brother!" Ed hurriedly went over and pulled the Knight out from under the griffin.

This Knight’s wounds were even more severe. Most were from arrows, likely sustained after his Douqi had run out, leaving him defenseless.

The man was still coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

"Go get a Priest! What are you all gaping at?" Ed shouted at the crowd that had gathered around as if to watch a spectacle.

"Oh, oh! Yes, sir!"

Although Ed had little prestige in noble circles, he was still a nobleman. In the eyes of these commoners, he was of a different class entirely.

"Re... Report to Marquis Oscillate..."

Suddenly, the blood-spitting Knight seemed to have regained a sliver of Douqi and was struggling to speak.

"Report what? Report to whom?" Knight Ed hadn’t heard clearly. He looked at the Knight before him. ’A message important enough to be delivered by a Knight on a griffin must be anything but simple.’

"Re... Report to the Marquis!"

"Report what?"

"Golden Fortress! The Gold... Golden Fortress has fallen."

"Many enemies... there are Golden Knights! It’s not normal! It’s the main force of the Beastmen army... and Thunderhawks..."

’The Golden Fortress has fallen!’ The Knight’s words echoed over and over in Ed’s mind.

"Where is the Golden Fortress?" Ed asked, looking at the Knight on the ground.

You couldn’t really blame Ed. He had never paid attention to such things before and had only recently begun his studies. He just hadn’t gotten to that part yet!

The pupils of the Knight on the ground clearly dilated, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out. It was obvious he was extremely agitated.

"It’s all right, I’ll go report to the Marquis now!" Knight Ed said.

"You rest first."

"No, you can’t rest. Hold on, the Priest will be here soon."

...

"This kid... he really is full of surprises," Marquis Oscillate said, sitting on a chair in his manor. In his hand was a battle report delivered personally by Valentino.

This had little to do with Valentino herself. Although O’Neil Castle was also besieged, for some unknown reason, the Beastmen’s offensive was growing fiercer in the west of the Siriel Defense Line, while the eastern side was not a major concern.

Besides, to be honest, Valentino didn’t understand military matters. Since the age of 13, she had been studying at the Algeria King’s College in the south and had rarely returned home.

The upper nobility of the entire Frank Kingdom would basically send their heirs south, as that was where one could find the latest developments in human society.

Even Robson’s older brother, Barto Odogin, had almost gotten in as a child. Unfortunately, as he was from a minor noble family, he needed to pass an exam, which Barto failed to do.

As for Robson, it was even more out of the question. He didn’t even have the right to take the exam.