Bigusler Family, reception hall.
Lord Rocque sat on the sofa, looking at the person opposite him, his normally unexpressive staunch face was now filled with gloom and a faint rage.
A voice, equally filled with anger but also carrying a hint of subtle unease, came from beside Lord Rocque, reaching his ears and causing him to divert his gaze and look over.
There, a woman clad in light armor and wielding a sword at her waist, who looked exceptionally valiant, sat beside Lord Rocque, looking at him with a humiliation obvious to all in her eyes.
Lord Rocque had reason to believe that his own eyes were likely reflecting the same humiliation.
The situation they were now facing was no different from an insult.
"Have you made up your mind, Lord Rocque?"
A voice with a cold sneer rose from across Lord Rocque.
There sat a middle-aged man, slightly younger than Lord Rocque but also in his forties.
Like Lord Rocque, the man was nearly fully clad in armor, yet he carried a huge longsword; the sword was cradled in the arms of a young knight in his twenties or thirties standing behind him, which in this setting showcased a significant presence.
It was as if the sight was intended to intimidate or even threaten, making the young knight who held it look smug, as if basking in reflected glory, which only intensified the look of disgust on the valiant woman's face.
Besides this sword-bearing young knight, there were several more knights behind the middle-aged man, all of no young age.
These knights exuded impressive auras, each of them radiating a presence that was not ordinary, testifying to their strength.
But such a group of knights only showed reverence when facing the middle-aged man.
It wasn't just because of the man's position but also because his strength was something they could only look up to.
Accompanied by such a group of knights, the middle-aged man confronted Lord Rocque.
Although they were in the Bigusler Family's territory and technically guests, they dominated the hosts and suppressed Lord Rocque, no wonder Lord Rocque and the valiant woman by his side felt angry and humiliated.
Of course, that was not the main issue.
The primary issue was that these people were here to go too far, to bully.
The middle-aged man then spoke.
"Now the Empire no longer trusts you, if you were wise enough to step down on your own, and hand over the position of Knight Captain, it wouldn't make things too ugly," he said calmly: "If you're not wise, once you are judged a traitor to the nation, not only will the position of Knight Captain be taken from you, but the Bigusler Family will be finished."
Upon hearing this, Lord Rocque laughed bitterly in extreme anger.
"Stop twisting the truth, Sarilo," Lord Rocque spoke coldly: "I've said it many times, I'm no traitor; there's no reason for me to step down voluntarily."
The valiant woman also spoke up.
"As the Family Head of the Renitra Family, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knight Order, and a renowned Legend-level powerhouse, are you so desperate to seize the Knight Captain's position that you would resort to manipulating truths?" the valiant woman said indignantly: "Where has your conscience as a knight gone, Lord Sarilo Renitla?"
The valiant woman's question did not provoke a response from the man named Sarilo, but instead, the sword-bearing knight of similar age to him spoke up.
"That's slander!" the young knight retorted with triumph: "Watch your tone, Tilly; don't forget that you too are a member of the Imperial Knight Order. Such disrespect toward the Deputy Commander is insubordination!"
The young knight's words, instead of exuding his own strength, seemed even more pretentious.
The disgust on the valiant woman's face, now known as Tilly, only deepened.
In contrast, Sarilo's expression did not change at all.
"Don't be rude now, Jero," Sarilo waved his hand and spoke: "Regardless, we are in the presence of the Knight Captain; it's not your place to speak."
The remark, although seemingly a rebuke to the young knight named Jero, was actually a veiled taunt at Tilly's lack of propriety.
Tilly was so provoked she almost stood up on the spot.
Lord Rocque, however, extended a hand, resting it on Tilly's shoulder, stopping her.
"What exactly do you want?"
Lord Rocque stared directly at Sarilo, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing enough to make one's skin hurt.
The complexions of the knights behind Sarilo changed, especially Jero, whose face turned pale as he nearly stumbled to the ground.
The awe emitted by a Legend-level powerhouse of Level 97 was not something they could bear.
Only Sarilo, not only withstood Lord Rocque's gaze but also straightened his back, as if confronting him directly, his eyes turning cruel.
"You know very well what I want, Rocque," Sarilo no longer hid his desire and spoke with a menacing grin: "I've had enough of you lording over me."
He was there to force his hand.
To coerce Lord Rocque into relinquishing the position of Knight Captain and the Bigusler Family to give up the title of the Empire's first Knight Family.
"You have been sitting in the position of Knight Captain for twenty years, and I have been the Deputy Commander for those twenty years."
"The Bigusler Family has it worse; the title of the Empire's first Knight Family has been monopolized by your family for hundreds of years, with our Renitra Family being the second for just as long."
"Whenever someone talks about the knights of the Empire or the Knight Families of the Empire, it's always you, always the Bigusler Family that gets mentioned."
"Because we sit in second place, we've always been overlooked!"
A powerful aura began to sweep from Sarilo.
"That taught us a lesson, which is that only the strongest will be remembered."
"Only the first place, that's the true victor, all the others are nothing but losers."
"Even if you're in second place, you won't be noticed."
"So, for hundreds of years, our Renitra Family has fought for the title of the first, for being the strongest, and today, we finally have the opportunity."
"Do you think, now that the opportunity has come, that I would possibly give up?"
Sarilo stared intently at Rocque, every word he spoke was deliberate.
Therefore, taking advantage of this opportunity, Sarilo displayed his most dominant stance and led the Renitra Family in taking the most tyrannical actions.
His aim was solely to push Rocque down, to supplant Bigusler, and to take their place as the strongest in the Empire.
Rocque, of course, knew how much animosity the other party had towards him and the Bigusler Family.
Bigusler and Renitra had been in conflict for hundreds of years without pause, so this current situation was not at all surprising.
But still, Rocque wanted to say... Tosupportourwork,pleasereadon*.
"I said, I have not colluded with the enemy or betrayed my country."
Rocque spoke with a grave voice.
"Is that so?" Sarilo said scornfully, "Does it matter?"
Rocque's breath caught.
For Rocque, it should be very important, right?
He didn't care whether Rocque had betrayed his country or not; mere suspicion was enough.
With suspicion, there was an opportunity to make trouble.
This was exactly what Sarilo needed.
Tilly couldn't hold back anymore.
"I think, the ones spreading the rumors of Father's collusion and treason, are actually you all, aren't they?" Tilly spoke with fury, "To remove my father from his position as Knight Captain, to replace our Bigusler Family, that's why you're deliberately spreading these lies!"
Tilly's outburst was already beyond rational.
At least, in the eyes of the people from the Renitra Family, it was nothing but slander.
"You should mind your words, little girl from the Bigusler Family."
Sarilo watched Tilly coldly, making her heart tighten.
"This is an attempt to tarnish our Renitra Family!"
Geno, seizing the moment, clamored loudly.
The knights Sarilo had brought with him all darkened their expressions and glared at Tilly with malevolence.
This made Tilly feel like she couldn't catch her breath.
Among all those present, apart from Geno, the rest were all more powerful than Tilly.
Even though Tilly was a promising new generation knight, she was still just part of the new generation; she stood out among the young but paled in comparison to the seasoned elders who had trained for years within the Empire.
If she got too out of line, she believed the knights from the Renitra Family wouldn't hesitate to give her a proper lesson.
She wasn't afraid; she even yearned to make a scene and show these arrogant fools a thing or two.
But in these degenerate times, too much had happened in this half month, causing the Bigusler Family to lose a lot of its power, all of their manpower being taken away, resulting in the empire's First Knight Family, when facing the siege of the Renitra Family, only having her and her father that were able to step forward.
This made Tilly feel sad and uncontrollably angry.
Especially Geno, this useless fool who couldn't even lift his head in front of her in the past, now dared to swagger before her, looking smug, as if he was certain of himself, which truly infuriated Tilly.
And Rocque, what was he feeling about this?
He had fought against Sarilo for decades, yet this was the first time he had been pressed to this extent by the other party.
But he was no pushover either.
"I'll say it again," Rocque said expressionlessly, "I have not colluded with the enemy, and I am not a traitor to my country."
The meaning behind these words, he believed, Sarilo could understand.
"So you're saying, you don't want to compromise?"
Finally, Sarilo's tone carried a trace of anger.
But Rocque's expression remained ice cold.
"Why should I, an innocent man, relinquish my position under false charges?"
With that statement, the stance of Rocque and the Bigusler Family was made crystal clear.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the grand reception hall became incredibly menacing.