Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

So, Levi moved his entire encampment.

Within the High Cliff Castle camp, a relatively spacious tent had been repurposed from a temporary command post into a dining hall.

A long table stood in the center, surrounded by a dozen or so chairs that were already mostly occupied.

Goat-men, serving as cooks, continuously brought out food, and soon the entire table was laden with dishes.

"My lords, I am overjoyed that you have continued to honor your promises even after my grandfather’s passing. I shall hold your loyalty and courage in my heart forever."

Levi cleared his throat twice, and the boisterous atmosphere instantly fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Liya seized the opportunity to speak, her gaze sweeping over the attendees as she spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

Frankly, although she had told Levi that some nobles in the Southern Territory still supported her, it had only been a guess. With the Old Duke dead, she—possessing only a single Knight and the title of an exiled heir—was hardly a worthy investment.

Yet, to her surprise, nobles led by the Kerchi family of Wolf Island had come to her aid.

"Miss Liya, there is no need for that. You are the heir designated by the Old Duke. We were all at the banquet; we just never expected the Old Duke wouldn’t live long enough to declare it. But even so, we all know perfectly well who he recognized as his true heir!"

Monvert planted his hands on the table, his gaze resolute.

"That Little Duke is the real thief, seizing what does not belong to him through despicable means."

At the banquet in Kolon, Monvert had been one of those who supported Liya as the heir. But everything had happened too quickly. No one had anticipated that Kolon would change hands overnight.

With only a hundred knights in his retinue, he had no choice but to quietly depart if he didn’t want to be devoured by that pack of Golden Lions.

But now, the girl from the Southern Territory had returned with a powerful army in tow. He had barely hesitated before mustering his vassal nobles to offer aid.

"It’s just a shame the other two Counts didn’t come with you," Liya sighed.

The other two Counts had also clearly supported her succession, even expressing their dissatisfaction with Damon in subsequent letters. But once she actually arrived in the Southern Territory, they fell silent and never replied again.

"In this struggle, they neither wish to support Damon nor place their bets too early." Monvert rubbed the Jade Ring on his thumb, as if recalling their words.

He clearly knew who Liya was talking about.

"Aren’t those just fence-sitters? What a lovely idea. But whenever a conflict arises, these so-called ’fence-sitters’ always end up getting attacked by both sides!" Levi interjected. "Even a child knows that. It’s hard to believe that Counts wouldn’t understand something so simple."

"Levi, this world is full of self-proclaimed clever men who can’t read the writing on the wall. Not everyone is like you—daring to dream, daring to act, and actually making a name for themselves," Monvert said, looking at Levi with a broad smile.

Despite the unsavory rumors about the Lion Hunter Knight’s lack of noble decorum, Monvert admired his actions from the bottom of his heart.

He had been in Kolon as well, but it wasn’t him who rescued Miss Liya; it was this Knight.

Whether it was due to the uncertain situation or some other reason, the fact remained that in that crucial moment, he had hesitated.

And that hesitation only served to make this Knight’s bravery stand out all the more.

"I’ve long heard that even the women and children of Wolf Island are loyal, brave, and skilled in battle. Seeing you today, I see it’s true."

You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. Levi gave a thumbs-up and returned the praise.

"The fact that the Count of Monvert chose to aid us already puts you leagues above ninety percent of the nobles in the Southern Territory."

There was a reason why the Lord was so warm toward the Count of Monvert, who had traveled so far to aid them.

His dazzling battle record and questionable origins were already a source of friction. Then, at the very moment he was reaping great rewards, he declared his loyalty only to the future Duke of the South.

It was like pouring oil on a fire.

Liya, at the very least, shared blood ties with Fulina. The Lord, however, was met with unanimous ostracism from the Northern Army.

The grunts, officers, and nobles of the army all acted in concert, choosing to completely ignore High Cliff Castle’s Burning Corps. Despite being camped in the same location, they acted as if High Cliff Castle didn’t exist.

Once such an unwritten rule is established, even those who don’t care are forced to comply. Such is the power of the group.

Even the good-natured Andao and Count Luke—who wanted the Lord for a son-in-law—had to keep their distance, afraid that being seen talking with the Lord would get them branded as part of the "Southern Territory Party."

In contrast, Fujero, the Legion Commander of the Thorn Corps whom he hadn’t seen in ages, secretly found the Lord when they were alone. He suggested the Northern officers were just mad with jealousy because he had stolen their thunder, and that things would calm down once the situation blew over.

Levi remained noncommittal. They weren’t part of the same command structure anyway, and it wasn’t like he was desperate to get along with these Northern People. If that’s how they wanted to play it, then so be it.

It was better to draw a clear line. That way, if a conflict did arise, he could cut down a few more of them without any psychological burden.

The Count of Monvert, on the other hand, was Liya’s Vassal. In the future, they would inevitably be part of the same system, colleagues. He was, one might say, truly one of their own.

He was completely different from the Northern Corps, with whom they were only temporarily aligned out of convenience and intersecting interests.

He was someone worth getting to know.

The arrival of the Count of Monvert didn’t cause much of a stir within the Northern Army. Its only effect, perhaps, was to increase the Lord’s isolation.

But since the two sides were already worlds apart, it gave him a perfect excuse to skip their tiresome meetings.

After all, Levi wasn’t under Fulina’s command. Whether or not he attended the Northern Army’s internal meetings depended entirely on if he was invited.

With relations this frosty, he had the perfect reason to decline.

Although relations were tense behind the scenes, on the surface, their self-proclaimed "Heir’s Self-Defense Force," which supported only Liya, was still nominally under Fulina’s leadership.

They would hold their position until Fulina decided on the next move and would not attack Damon’s army on their own.

Thus, while waiting for the next order, the Lord found himself with nothing to do all day, and the itch to stir up some trouble began to grow.

So he found Monvert and proposed organizing a wrestling competition.

It would allow the soldiers to vent their pent-up energy.

Monvert, who was keen to test the mettle of High Cliff Castle’s men, agreed at once.

That very day, a gladiatorial arena was cordoned off in an open field, crudely enclosed by a fence.

The officers participated in the wrestling as well, not just the rank-and-file soldiers.

At the officer level, however, only three men were chosen to compete.

In the spirit of fairness, the Lord had not intended to participate.

It would seem a bit like he was bullying them, otherwise.

However, upon seeing the hulking frames of Gus, Zat, and Orak, the Count of Monvert forbade those three oversized brutes from competing and instead chose the much leaner Lord.

With those three heavyweights and the non-combatant Earth Goblin, Leiden, excluded, the only other leaders from High Cliff Castle who could fight were Mier and Hog.

Monvert secretly sized up the three leaders from High Cliff Castle who were participating in the wrestling. The corner of his mouth curved into a slight smirk. ’The advantage is mine,’ he thought.

One of them was burly, towering and standing half a head taller than him, but his youthful face made it clear he was just an inexperienced brat.

The one-eyed Jackal Wolfman was also massive, taller still, but not unbeatable. After all, wrestling isn’t just about brute strength.

As for the Lord of High Cliff Castle, the Lion Hunter Knight?

His opponent’s battle record was indeed dazzling, but Monvert hadn’t witnessed it firsthand. He figured that with decades of cultivating his Combat Qi, he stood a decent chance.

After all, wrestling was just about Power and skill.

’My chances of winning are high!’

He thought.

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