Founder Of The Greatest Noble Family
Chapter 50:The Blue Haired Knight

Chapter 50: 50:The Blue Haired Knight

Nearby, Nora and Noah were being pushed through agility drills, weaving between posts while dodging swinging logs. Noah barely managed to duck, but Nora got hit in the shoulder and tumbled.

She hissed but stood back up, wiping dirt from her cheek. "Again."

Noah nodded beside her, "Again."

They had been pampered once—but no longer.

Roland, watching from the manor balcony above, stood with arms crossed. His eyes didn’t miss a single movement. He saw their exhaustion—but also their growing determination.

He nodded silently.

Inside, Roan stood beside a table spread with parchment and ink. Across from him, Priya, poised and focused, helped sort through intelligence reports. She was the only one of Roland’s wives not currently pregnant, and so had assumed the role of wartime aide.

Roland walked in.

"What have you found?" he asked, voice sharp with growing unease.

Roan’s face darkened.

"My lord... we might be in serious trouble this time."

Roland’s brow furrowed. "What happened?"

Priya looked up, tension visible in her eyes.

Roan laid it out. "The frequency of beast movements has reached a peak we haven’t seen in years. The knights in the outer territories report continuous sightings—direwolves, sabertusks, even armored stonebacks."

He paused. "It’s behaving like a monster tide."

Roland’s expression hardened, and Priya’s breath caught in her throat.

"A tide...?" Roland muttered.

"We don’t know the cause, but other territories are also under strain," Roan continued. "This isn’t just us. It’s spreading."

Roland’s fingers tapped against the wooden table. His gaze turned cold.

"This cannot continue. Roan dispatch my orders."

"Yes, my lord."

"First lock down the outer borders. No villagers are allowed outside the gates unless escorted. Second—hire adventurers. We’ll pay premium for verified strength. Third speed up the wall. The barony lacks many things... but not money."

Roan and Priya exchanged glances, then nodded and quickly began drafting orders.

Roland walked to the window, his eyes scanning the horizon. Inside, his thoughts raced.

"If I can hold it for just two months... with the next wave of rewards, I may finally break through."

Rank 9 to Rank 10...the barrier to become a Transcendent Knight.

In the entire Kingdom of Jin, only a handful had reached that point, all of them serving directly under the royal banner.

"If I reach that rank, no beast or noble will threaten my people again."

But for that, time was everything.

And now... he needed something else.

"We’re blind," Roland muttered. "Roan, the information you bring... it’s still third-party. We’re paying too much and learning too little."

Roan stopped writing and bowed his head.

"Yes, my lord."

Roland’s voice was low. "We need our own intelligence network. Loyal, quiet, efficient. Start drawing candidates."

---

Afternoon.

The entire village moved like a single machine under Roland’s command.

Carriages and horses pulled loads of Black Rock—a rare, nearly unbreakable material sourced from the mines once owned by the Yak Family. It had been "gifted" after Roland’s quiet yet terrifying pressure campaign forced them to surrender it in lieu of their tax arrears.

The rock gleamed faintly in the sun, dark and dense. Perfect for the wall.

Once completed, this wall would be an iron fortress.

Thousands of laborers worked in shifts. Food and supplies were distributed efficiently. Additional beast sightings were immediately dealt with—some killed, some captured and studied.

Even Roland refrained from leaving the village now. He knew—if a true beast wave struck while he was away, Apus could be wiped off the map.

But even as things began to stabilize...

The dense forest of Weiess Banor groaned under the weight of the marching knights. Sunlight barely filtered through the thick canopy above as the group of armored men advanced cautiously, eyes scanning the shadows. Birds had long since stopped chirping—a bad omen, but none dared to speak it aloud.

Leading the formation was Jan, a seasoned knight with a hardened face and battle-worn armor. He raised a hand, signaling the rest to halt. Something was wrong. The air was too still. A low growl echoed from the trees ahead, and before anyone could react, a massive horde of beasts erupted from the underbrush. Dozens of snarling, fur-covered monsters surged toward them, eyes glowing with primal hunger.

"Formation! Shields!" Jan roared.

The knights scrambled into position, forming a tight wall of steel. The first wave of beasts slammed into them with bone-crushing force. Steel met fang and claw. Swords clanged and shields cracked. A knight screamed as he was dragged away into the thickets.

"Damn this cursed forest!" bellowed Rigg, one of the front-line knights, struggling to keep a snarling beast off his shield. "Why is it always us!"

"Shut up and hold the line!" another shouted, blood dripping from his helm.

"We’re outnumbered! Where the hell did they all come from?" someone cried, panic slipping into their voice.

Jan’s voice cut through the chaos. "Calm down! Keep your ground and fight! Let your blade speak, not your fear!"

But it was getting worse. The beasts began forming a rough circle, surrounding them, snarling and waiting to strike again. It wasn’t a frenzied attack anymore—it was organized. Jan’s eyes narrowed. "They’re learning... Damn it."

Just as the knights braced for the next charge, the wind shifted.

A blinding streak of light flashed across the clearing.

A storm-like arc of silver light tore through the trees, cutting clean through the front of the beast horde. A thunderous slash echoed through the woods. The monsters were sliced apart mid-leap, their bodies falling like broken puppets. Blood splattered the leaves, but none of it belonged to the knights.

Silence followed. The remaining beasts hesitated, growling nervously as they glanced at the path of destruction carved through their ranks. The knights stood stunned, awe-struck by the display of raw, overwhelming power.

"...What in the Gods’ name was that?" whispered one.

Jan slowly raised his sword again, steadying his breath. "Whoever that was... they’re on our side. Hold position. We might still get out of this alive."

Moments later..

From the outer path beyond the tree line, a blue-haired female knight stumbled forward.

Her armor was broken. Her cape was torn, and dried blood crusted her limbs. Her blade was missing, her leg dragging behind as she limped with sheer will.

The knights screamed asking for identity.

"Who—?"

The next moment they saw the woman collapsing on the ground.

Seeing this Jan rushed forward and ordered.

"We need to save her.Knights don’t let down your guard.Search your perimeter."