Chapter 167: I, Marquis Draven Voss!
Because Silas had personally watched multiple armies march into wars over his lifetime. And every single time, there was always a heavy layer of fear or deep dissatisfaction radiating from the drafted troops. It did not matter if they were against monsters or humans, the vibe felt the same.
But these Oresfall soldiers? Every single one of them looked different. He could clearly see the hope in their eyes. He saw pure optimism. He saw a terrifying, raw ambition burning inside them. And even though he had no clue what they were actually fighting for, that energy was undeniable.
But Adrian knew.
It was the desperate drive to get stronger.
Adrian turned around and walked straight into the glowing teleportation gate.
One by one, the soldiers marched forward and walked into the teleportation gate. Even though the room was small, the exact moment a soldier stepped inside, the array teleported them instantly. So the room’s space wasn’t really an issue.
The courtyard emptied out a few minutes later.
Silas just stood there all alone and let out a long, quiet sigh.
’At least my daughter is in good hands.’ Silas murmured to himself. ’He is not just a brilliant merchant. He is a terrifyingly good leader too... reminds me of that idiot Draven.’
Silas turned around and walked back into his mansion.
Miles away, Adrian stepped out of the teleportation gate.
He looked forward and saw Marquis Draven’s entire army standing at attention as they looked straight ahead.
Marquis Draven stood right at the very front while all of his wives were gathered right beside him.Like he had read in the webnovel, there were ten of them standing right behind him.
Adrian immediately spotted the wife standing closest to Draven’s right side.
He recognized her instantly. It was not because of her face, because the original novel never actually provided official character art for her. He recognized her entirely because of the weapon she was holding.
It was drastically different from the standard broadswords the other knights used. It was a highly unique, beautiful looking enchanted sword. The blade looked like some ancient family treasure instead of a standard military issue sword.
Because that is exactly what it was.
She originally came from a completely different foreign country. Her homeland was brutally conquered and fully absorbed into the Crestwall Empire around two centuries ago. Her surviving family did not receive any official noble status from the Emperor, but they were still widely feared and hailed as one of the best knight bloodlines on the continent.
And she, as the only surviving daughter of her current generation, ended up claiming the family heirloom for herself.
Adrian offered a slight bow to the group.
"Thank you for having us." Adrian greeted them loudly.
Draven walked forward and pulled Adrian into a tight hug.
"Brother!" Draven laughed. "You actually kept your promise!"
Adrian patted Draven’s back and nodded. "Yeah, I did. You actually thought I wouldn’t come?"
"No, I did hope that you would come." Draven pulled back and grinned. "And I did think that you would actually show up. But a lot of times whenever I invited people up here... or even formally requested them to come and help me out... a lot of people just never did."
Draven looked at the gate.
"And even the people who did eventually come to help me," Draven sneered. "They never came personally. They just sent a tiny fraction of their army. And they only sent their weakest, inexperienced soldiers just to save face. It only ended up making the situation worse for us."
Adrian nodded in understanding. He turned and gestured to his own troops pouring out of the portal.
"Well, these are all my soldiers." Adrian told the Marquis. "And they are not exactly sworn knights yet. I left my actual knights back in Oresfall so that my city would have a strong force to protect it."
Draven’s smile faltered slightly.
"But these are my soldiers and I am incredibly proud of them." Adrian continued. "They are all men who have the burning ambition and the will to get stronger. I already told them that they could die out here. I told them to volunteer for this mission. I did not force any of these guys to come with me."
Adrian looked at the two thousand men forming lines at the side.
"This is an army of men who voluntarily chose to die in battle just for the chance to get stronger." Adrian stated.
Draven’s eyes widened slightly. He looked past Adrian and stared at the silent Oresfall soldiers with a sudden feeling of pure respect.
The Marquis did not say a word. He just immediately unsheathed his broadsword. He grabbed the sharp blade with his left hand and just dragged it right across his palm.
Fresh blood hit the ground, but Draven ignored it. He shoved his bleeding hand high up.
"I, Marquis Draven Voss!" he roared. "Shed my blood as a token of respect to your determination and your selflessness!"
The Oresfall soldiers straightened their backs. A massive rush of raw pride swept through the ranks as they watched the legendary northern warlord bleed for them.
Even Adrian felt his hair stand on end.
’God damn.’ Adrian thought. ’I’ve never seen this side of him or even read about it but this is fucking badass...’
Adrian actually felt his own blood pumping faster just from watching the crazy display.
So he decided to match the energy.
Funnily enough, even though Draven used an actual, knight’s sword for the act, Adrian literally could not pick up a weapon of war thanks to his curse.
So Adrian used dungeon link and pulled out a butcher’s knife.
He held the cooking knife tight and dragged it over his own palm to make a shallow cut. Then he threw his bleeding hand up, right next to Draven’s.
"I, Baron Adrian Sterling!" Adrian shouted. "Shed my blood for the determination of my people!"
Draven actually did not expect Adrian to follow his crazy actions and seeing him do it, the Marquis could not help himself.
He just started grinning like a total idiot.
