CRASH—

The words had barely left his lips when Mephit smashed the armrest of her stone chair with a single punch. A dark expression clouded her pretty face as she gritted her teeth and spat,

"Don’t you mention my sister again! Besides sharing the same blood, when have I ever received the slightest favor from her? She’s a stranger I’ve barely ever met, yet I’m constantly being compared to her?!"

"Sir Uther, don’t you dare use her to provoke me!"

’Give me a break. What did the Star Lake Sword ever do to you? You just had to run your mouth, didn’t you?’

"See? You’re getting worked up again."

Uther raised an eyebrow, completely unsurprised by Mephit’s outburst.

’So young and full of fire.’

The Black Knight tapped his fingers on the armrest, shaking his head as he spoke.

"Calm down. I’m only stating facts. Besides, I wasn’t trying to provoke you. The reason the Expeditionary Army is off to such a poor start can be traced back to the Star Lake Sword’s decision."

"Dusk Lamp Territory... In the end, it’s the land she pioneered. And now, it stands in our way. It’s truly... a cruel twist of fate."

For the old Knights of the previous generation, any mention of the Star Lake Sword was inevitably met with mournful sighs. Who could have imagined that the prodigy destined to become the Knight King would throw her future away like that?

Mephit crossed her arms and scoffed.

"Hmph. And whose fault was that but her own? She was too naive, too foolish. To think she could ’civilize’ Beastmen... She even died in that filthy, godforsaken backwater. She had it coming."

"But since she was a member of my family and shared my blood, it is my duty to erase this stain on our name."

A cruel smile touched the blue-haired Knight’s lips.

"By, for example, razing Dusk Lamp Territory to the ground, purifying the land completely... and taking back that Silver Sword."

Uther remained noncommittal. Mephit’s words only echoed what most of the Knights were thinking: any enemy who dared to obstruct the expedition of the Knightly Path would be crushed to dust!

The Black Knight laced his fingers together, his gaze shifting to the lord of Jinquan Territory. "Lionette? So, how exactly did this conflict start? Why did that Monster from Dusk Lamp Territory suddenly lose control?"

Seeing the Grand Knight’s attention finally turn to him, Lionette eagerly began to explain.

"Sir! The Beastmen of Dusk Lamp Territory are utterly treacherous! While I was busy welcoming you all, a troop of Beastmen snuck into Jinquan Territory and incited the serfs to revolt! When that wolf cub realized his plot was exposed, he went on a killing spree, slaughtering my people!"

"But you needn’t worry. I have already purged every last serf who had contact with the Beastmen. Better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let a single one go."

Some of the Knights, who didn’t know the full story, were filled with righteous indignation after hearing Lionette’s embellished account and began to clamor:

"Beastman scum! How dare they? And the serfs, consorting with Beastmen... They’re traitors to their own kind!"

"These unruly commoners are asking to be taught a lesson!"

"Disloyalty is a sickness. A few good slaughters will cure it."

"..."

Uther gazed into the distance, toward the Boundary River of Dusk Lamp Territory. The defensive line constructed by the Qinghui Guard looked impregnable. He asked,

"And what about that? It doesn’t look like something the Beastmen would build."

"That is yet another piece of evidence of the Beastman scums’ crimes."

Lionette snorted coldly.

"They’ve actually brought in people from the Radiant Holy Tree Empire as reinforcements!"