Chapter 604: Condition

"Can you sense that young man through your Magic Zones?" Marquis Morgan inquired, finding it hard to believe what he was experiencing.

"No..." The Black and White Knights answered simultaneously, their unease was evident.

This was an unprecedented occurrence. While there were instances where they couldn't sense someone's presence, especially if they had powerful stealth abilities, swift movement, or artifacts, once seen, the individuals would naturally become detectable through their special state or their Magic Zone.

Even ghosts had some presence in their Magic Zone, but the figure before them had none at all.

'He's not human...' The three of them immediately had the same thought.

They speculated that this man was likely a high-ranking vampire, a noble elf, or even a spiritual entity from another realm!

Marquis Morgan took a deep breath to compose himself. Then, he stepped forward and addressed the people in front of him in a manner befitting a noble, "Greetings, Sir. I am Marquis Larry Morgan. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I must say, your castle and its defenses have left me utterly impressed."

"I'm Vale. Are you really impressed with our defense?" Vale inquired upon hearing Marquis Morgan's introduction.

He opted to disclose only his first name, deeming it to be of little importance. He mentioned his name solely because Marquis Larry Morgan had introduced himself.

"Yes... I received a few reports about how your castle defended against those dogs of the Royal Family. I've come here not to cause a fight. Our enemy is the Royalty of the Ruri Kingdom, who have become greedy, disregarding their citizens' lives in their pursuit of immortality. If this continues, the kingdom and its innocent people will be doomed. Are you willing to help us?" Marquis stated bluntly.

Even the Black and White Knights were a bit surprised as they thought he would at least wait to be invited inside the castle before bringing this matter up.

They looked at the Marquis for a brief moment but they swiftly recovered and faced the people in front of them.

On the other hand, Vale somehow liked the man's frankness since he was also not too sure about the noble's pleasantries.

So in response, Vale mirrored this directness, "What does that have to do with us?"

Marquis Morgan appeared unsurprised by the young man's casual reply.

"Are you not angry after being attacked by their army? If they successfully returned, it's only a matter of time before they come back again. There's no way they would let this matter pass!"

Morgan paused after saying this as he looked at Vale's reaction...

"You might be able to defend against them, but in the end, this castle would remain in this place and will soon become a target of a large-scale subjugation. The kingdom might even use the Arcanist Guild to put a bounty or reward for the Arcanist Squads who could conquer this castle."

Vale gently nodded after hearing this explanation.

If the kingdom didn't want to use its own army, it was indeed possible to hire the rogue Arcanists to attack their castle.

It would buy them time to assemble a large army before they'd try to attack again!

The castle they have may be capable of defending against such attacks, but it would definitely be annoying if there were Arcanists that would come knocking on their doors every day!

Of course, Vale decided not to trust his words immediately.

"Hmmm... Let's talk more about this inside. Discussing it here outside seems too uncomfortable."

Vale extended an invitation to the three to enter the castle. At the very least, there was a reception hall where they could receive guests and enjoy tea and snacks.

"Do you think you can resolve the problem then, Marquis Morgan?" Vale inquired after they were seated and had some snacks.

It seems that Marquis Morgan was waiting for this question, and as soon as he heard it, he smiled and voiced his answer.

"Yes... I'll be replacing the king!" Marquis Morgan declared with determination, his eyes filled with fiery ambition.

"Oh~"

Vale found himself not opposed to the idea.

'Replacing the king, huh... I might get more benefits if this happens.' Vale thought as he continued asking the Marquis about his plan.

Fortunately, Marquis Morgan wasn't acting alone with just a single airship in his name. He still commanded a sizable army and had several nobles secretly supporting him. He even disclosed that the neutral faction of the kingdom was already backing him, biding their time until he displayed undeniable strength to challenge the king as the signal for them to revolt.

"Mhmm... I'm not well-versed in politics, but it seems more convenient if you're the ruler of this land. Tell us how you want us to help..." Vale offered.

After an hour of discussion, Vale agreed to align with the Marquis with certain conditions...

"I think that it's not a difficult matter. The only variable is the fact that we don't know what kind of Forbidden Arts they will use once they're cornered. With that said, I want to ensure that you guys are strong enough to have our backs... Let's have a duel!" Vale proposed.

"A duel?" Marquis repeated, he didn't expect such a sudden request.

But after thinking about it, this request does seem necessary.

"Alright... Anyway, I brought my Knights here in case these types of situations occur."

Of course, he was undeniably confident, especially with the White and Black Knights by his side. These two were his most formidable knights and were considered to be the strongest Knights once they worked together.

"Sir Vale, I must remind you that these two have Anti-Magic Stones that they could freely use. It only covers about 1 meter, but that's more than enough for Grand Knights like them..." Marquis revealed.

It was such a valuable secret, but he didn't mind revealing it at all!

"Oh? They have Anti-Magic Stones... That's impressive! I became even more interested! I'll fight one of you..." Vale responded with excitement.

At this point, Marquis Morgan no longer hesitated as he turned to the Black Knights and whispered, "Do not kill the young master. Breaking his weapon or injuring him a bit should be enough."

"Yes!" the Black Knights affirmed.