The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The celebration banquet was not scheduled for today; all members of the Knight Order had returned to their territories to deal with their respective affairs, and the banquet was set to take place the day after tomorrow, on December 23. Therefore, Tulip Castle was not very lively at the moment, with only a few hundred servants busy at work within the castle.

Rondo, Lasse, Paris, and others, who were not nobles, could not ascend the floors and had to wait downstairs.

“Master Liszt.”

“Master Liszt.”

The servants in Tulip Castle greeted him with a bow as they saw him.

They quickly passed the living room and saw Lady Marie having tea. She was listening to a report from the deputy butler, Silva, probably dealing with the management of Tulip Castle’s properties.

“My lady, may I offer my greetings,” Liszt said politely, his voice revealing a hint of unfamiliarity.

Lady Marie responded warmly, “Liszt, how come you’re here today? Your brothers and sister have not yet returned. You should have informed us earlier so that I could prepare.”

“There’s no need for special preparations. I will stay at Tulip Castle for a few days. Today, I just missed my father and brothers too much, so I came early.”

“Oh, is that so? You must have a lot to say to your father. Go on; he’s in the study.”

“Yes.”

After bidding farewell to Lady Marie and arriving at the study, the doors were already open; servants had informed the Earl of Liszt’s arrival. There were not only the Earl in the study but also several strangers, who could be identified as officials from Coral Island based on their attire and the way they stood in the study.

These officials were all minor nobles.

The Earl, looking over from behind his desk, said to the group of officials, “You may leave now. I won’t keep you for lunch; I am hosting a family banquet.”

“Yes, my lord,” the officials took their leave.

They also greeted Liszt, “Master Liszt, long time no see.”

“Good to see you,” Liszt replied with a smile, not recognizing any of them. He had spent most of his time at the Knight Academy before coming of age and truly didn’t know who these officials were.

Once the officials left and the servants also departed, closing the door behind them.

Seeing the Earl again, Liszt felt differently—It was challenging to truly establish a father-son relationship when the blood connection was there, but their souls had previously been unconnected. However, that didn’t stop him from reconsidering how to position his relationship with the Earl from both a benefit and a familial perspective.

In simple terms, Liszt’s sense of identification with the Tulip Family had increased.

His predecessor was timid and liked to evade, feeling invisible and overlooked by everyone. However, through just a few encounters, Liszt noticed some previously overlooked details.

Lady Penelope, who constantly grumbled about not liking him, actually cared a lot about her grandson; his sister, who always bullied him, had never gone too far; his greedy brother mostly targeted Lady Marie and Lidun and hadn’t really gone after Liszt.

Lady Marie and Lidun might look down on Liszt, but they maintained a superficial politeness on the surface.

Just now, the brief exchange with Lady Marie gave Liszt the impression that she had become somewhat warmer—probably recognizing that Liszt would not be mediocre in the future, she had to reconsider how to handle their relationship—even if they couldn’t be close, she needed to try and be as friendly as possible.

What surprised Liszt the most was actually the Earl himself.

This powerful Sky Knight, the Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam Tulip, was not as indifferent to his second son as the predecessor’s “memory” had suggested.

He wore a smile as he measured up the increasingly dashing Liszt.

He extended his hand, motioning for him to sit down and talk.

…

The predecessor always felt that the Earl was disappointed in him, especially since at the coming-of-age ceremony, he had been made a baron of the most remote small town, and was given only four Elf Bugs.

The gap was colossal compared to Li Vera’s allocation ceremony.

This once affected the transmigrator Liszt’s feelings.

He felt that the Earl surely did not value his second son, but after digesting the memory imprints of his predecessor and analyzing with an adult’s rationality, he thought that it might not be so simple—that if the Earl truly did not care, he could have made Liszt an almost noble with no title at all.

Many nobles’ second sons ended up in such circumstances, with no fief and no title.

But the Earl had given him the title of Baron and a small town fief, just that the location was not great and material compensation was less. This was far from neglect, in fact, it showed more consideration than many other nobles’ second sons received.

Even after the allocation, on the first Sea Festival, the Earl brought his family to celebrate in Fresh Flower Town.

“There was probably some disappointment because he had placed great hopes on him… The remote fief and baron title were perhaps meant to let his predecessor lead a quiet life… Having a title meant not needing to struggle on the battlefield. The town could sustain basic needs, but was insufficient for forming a knight squad, let alone fighting in a war.”

These thoughts swiftly crossed Liszt’s mind, but he couldn’t be sure.

Familial affection was not his forte.

“Father, upon receiving news of your safe return, the weight in my heart was quickly lifted, and seeing you well fills me with joy,” he said.

“I’ve caused you to worry,” the Earl smiled. “This Pioneer Mandate expedition concluded somewhat hastily, and the gains were modest, but fortunately, your brother has matured a great deal after experiencing a war.”

“Is my brother safe as well?”

“Yes, compared to his former impetuosity, he is now more polished and steady–most importantly, he has established his own prestige.” There was nothing that made a father happier than seeing his heir mature, “When I returned to Coral Island, I immediately heard news about you.”

Liszt smiled.

The Earl took out some high-quality red wine from the cabinet and poured a glass for himself and his second son, “A cause for celebration, indeed. So, where is your Jela?”

“My servant is looking after her,” Liszt replied.

The Earl rang a bell to call a servant, and Liszt quickly said, “Please inform my valet to bring Jela over.”

The servant took the order.

The Earl then asked, “Would you prefer to hear stories from the battlefield first, or talk about the developments in Fresh Flower Town?”

“I’d like to hear the stories from the battlefield first,” said Liszt without any hesitation.

Surprised for a moment, the Earl said with a sigh, “Indeed, the warmth of a castle can restrain one’s ambitions. A fledgling needs to keep trying to fly… As for the war stories, Levis would probably talk your ear off for a day and a night, so I won’t bother. Let us play a strategic game simulation instead.”

A strategic game simulation was an early form of war chess used to simulate military scenarios.

A thick leather map depicting the coastal region of the Eagle Kingdom was spread out, and crystal pieces symbolizing castles, knights, and Sky Knights were placed one by one.

The game could now begin.