Subduing the First Village, A Frail Lady

Fredrinn and his men went out for the tribes and the villages to 'maintain relationships'. According to the records his father has left behind, there are 14 villages and 78 tribes in this forest alone.

A 'forest' in this fantasy world is as big as a small province. Very vast! The Kingdom of Mystyr alone had a territory the size of a continent.

Some villages even have powerful knights watching over them, along with the lords who have made a treaty with them. Fredrinn sighed at this. This is the advantage of foundation!

With enough foundation, a village could nurture a knight and sign a treaty with the nearby lords; it could be seen just how prodigious a knight was!

Don't look at him with his strength; his other attributes are just that of a squire. That's why his evaluation was that of a Pseudo Grand Knight, while in reality, he had long surpassed the strength of an early-stage Grand Knight.

Fredrinn wouldn't provoke those forces for the time being; his men haven't become squires yet.

As for coming alone, even if he killed the knight, others could run away and report this case, increasing the vigilance of others. That would be a hurdle in his conquest.

Thus, the perfect trajectory is to subdue these rural, weak forces first decisively. When they realized, it'd be too late.

They arrived at a rural village at the foot of a mountain. Ter and his men easily bypassed the resisting villagers and arrived at the square village.

Under the fearful gazes of the villagers, Ter solemnly declared, "My lord has come to offer you a chance. Surrender! Or death will be your last wish!"

Fredrinn twitched. This Ter, he didn't expect him to be so menacing!

The villagers trembled.

Fearing that they would no longer care about life and death, Fredrinn immediately came forward and showed an amicable smile, knocking Ter's head lightly. The man showed a wronged look.

Fredrinn directly ignored him, "I apologize for my subordinate's words. My name is Fredrinn, and I am the Lord of the Village of Peace. If you haven't heard of the news, the outcasts have been trying to breach the line of defense, the territory of Viscountess Nimhel, which happened to be the nearest lord from this vicinity. I fear that the nearby villages wouldn't be able to hold on. Thus, I wish to take the villages in under the same banner."

"In simpler terms, I've come to subordinate this village and protect it from the incoming threat."

Unlike the savage Ter, Fredrinn, clad in his shining armor, was more pleasant to look at. The villagers felt comfortable as they looked at this aspiring lord.

Hearing his kind intention, a dignified old man came out from a group of warriors in this village. He was old but robust, signifying the experience he had as a head village.

He looked at Fredrinn seriously before he sighed.

"A young lad, yet so powerful. I could feel a threatening authority that a knight I met in the past had. It seems like the younger generation has surpassed the old."

The old village head laughed hoarsely as he strode towards Fredrinn. Under everyone's eyes, he drew his sword and offered, "Lord Fredrinn, although I do not object to your decision to subordinate my village, considering your strength, I, along with my people, need ironclad proof. I wish to have a single exchange with you."

The old man may be rural and backward, but he is honorable! Fredrinn's gaze turned amicable as he drew his sword.

"Understood."

It seems like he's lucky; the first village he wishes to subordinate is reasonable and understands the situation clearly. Dealing with smart people is indeed easy!

This old man clearly knew the incoming threat from his own connections.

They stood against each other. Fredrinn knew the old man would be finished if he initiated the exchange, so he gestured for the elder to attack.

"This old man won't be polite."

His old body remained vigorous as he collided against Fredrinn with the speed of a peak-stage squire. However, in a contest of strength, not even an early-stage Grand Knight could win against him!

He lightly bent his sword forward, and the old man's sword directly shattered under the overbearing force. The elder stumbled back as he looked at Fredrinn in shock.

The warriors of the village were also in shock. Their village head was the trusted man of a viscount before he retired, yet he was defeated in a simple exchange.

To incapacitate a warrior by destroying his weapon is the same as amputating his hand!

The elder quickly snapped out of his shock and immediately declared his subordination to Fredrinn. His people also did the same. To easily defeat him required at least the strength of a knight!

This lord is bound to rise in the future. There's no need to hesitate!

Under Ter and his men's admiring gazes, the first village willingly subordinated itself to him. Fredrinn, who received their respect, smiled.

His strength is increasing crazily! It has already reached 350,000 kg, equivalent to a late-stage Grand Knight!

Unlike his village, this village's foundation was way better. There are over 15 warriors in the squire realm, with others having developed their strength in preparation to break through.

The development over the years has also been prosperous; clearly the doing of this powerful elder. The members have surpassed 500!

Fredrinn also noticed multiple new talents in his interface that he could integrate. Unfortunately, the limit of talent he could integrate from his people is just one unless he elevates his force.

As of now, he's still far from fulfilling the requirement.

[Prerequisites to elevate the force from Level 1 (Village) to Level 2 (Small Town)]

«Members: 798/5,000»

«Territory: 2/10 Villages Conquered»

«Squires: 15/100»

«Knights: 0/1»

"I'm still too far."

It seems like he must increase the frequency of conquest.

After settling down the issue and implementing his exercises with the villagers in the hope of increasing their overall strength, Fredrinn and his men were ready to set out again.

He would only begin to apply the policy of divisions after everything has been settled.

However, they were stopped by the old man.

"My Lord, wait!"

"What's wrong?"

Fredrinn replied, not expecting anything out of line. He did not notice a cunning glint in the old man's eyes.

"I wonder if you're interested in marrying a maiden of my village? She was so beautiful, but it's a shame that she's not willing to marry at all. I'm confident that my Lord could subdue her!"

Fredrinn looked at him with a strange gaze. He naturally understood the old man's hidden agenda. By marrying a woman to him, the Lord, their relationship would no longer be as crude as a lord and subordinate.

Fredrinn was repelled by this idea, but after considering things, he realized that it was very necessary. In order to maximize the power of the strength and talent shared by the family members, expanding his family members is a must.

It seems like he must consult this issue with Rea and his mother.

"That could be discussed later."

The old man lit up in joy. This is clearly not a rejection.

Afterward, the old village head led Fredrinn to a dilapidated house. At the front, a frail, beautiful lady with pale skin is sweeping the front yard.

Her hair is dark onyx, and her eyes are bright silver. Fredrinn was amazed. According to his experience as a fantasy fan, this woman is definitely not ordinary!

"Her name is Maltel, and she was found in a city when she was a little girl by my late wife. I'm worried about her since she refused anyone from seeing her, lest propose to her. Perhaps my Lord could move her heart."

"She's indeed very beautiful."

Noticing the admiration and respect in Fredrinn's eyes, the old leader, who was inwardly tensed, relaxed. Most of the men here would turn into idiots if they saw her beauty. And if not for her being his adopted daughter, maybe he would be the same.

The frail lady noticed their presence, and her silver eyes swept on them. After sensing no threat, she continued to sweep the front yard.

She doesn't care at all.

The old leader frowned, but Fredrinn felt it was natural.

"My Lord, I apologize for her impudence."

"It's fine. With her temperament, being chased by men is not strange at all. Perhaps she just saw me as another man."

Fredrinn didn't wait for the elder to reply as he slowly strode towards the lady. The frail lady noticed his movement and frowned, but she ignored him.

However, she was surprised when Fredrinn slightly bent his spine, like a knight offering his hand to the princess.

The old leader was shocked. Such a dignified and powerful lord was willing to bow his head to a mere woman? Even he wouldn't do that!

It was at this moment that he realized the huge gulf between him and his Lord.

"My lady, can I ask you for your name?"

"You already know it, why speak so much nonsense?"

The frail lady's tone was weak and disrespectful, but Fredrinn did not feel embarrassed at all; compared to being spit on by a young master, can this even be called a show of disrespect?

"I wish for you to acknowledge the fact that I know your name, and vice-versa. My name is Fredrinn."

"Don't care, don't know."

Seeing that she had turned her back on him, Fredrinn felt somewhat bemused.

He was about to retreat, knowing that forcing an interaction would make this attempt futile when the frail lady's voice sounded out.

"You want to marry me, right? Many men wanted me as a wife, but after I stated my condition, they refused."

"Can I ask what your condition would be?"

The frail lady, Maltel, slowly faced his tall figure and stared right into his eyes with her silver eyes, tinted with a hint of sadness.

"In half a century, an Emperor will come and take my virginity. If he found out that I was no longer a virgin, he would kill everything he deemed his enemy, including you and everything you love. At that time, would you be willing to protect me?"