Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Ossen Arrives

After Lurans told Ronin that Princess Blanche would be coming to Wushan Castle, the news swept through the entire fortress like a gust of wind.

Although Blanche’s reputation was poor, she had the blood of the Oduin Royal Family flowing through her veins. No matter where she went, she represented the Royal Family.

So, upon first hearing this news, the nobles were filled with anticipation, but also began speculating about the intentions of the Royal Family and His Majesty Bruno.

“Father, welcome to Wushan Castle.”

At the head of a luxurious carriage convoy, Ossen Hyde, the Count of Black Python City, arrived at Wushan Castle on the evening of the twenty-sixth. Upon receiving the report, Lady Dianey immediately brought Bretton with her to greet him.

“Grandfather, welcome to Wushan Castle!” Bretton chimed in, having followed along.

“Haha, long time no see, my dear boy!”

Ossen strode over and affectionately patted Bretton’s head.

“You seem to have grown taller since I last saw you. Your growth is a continuation of the Wushan Clan’s glory. Excellent!”

He was actually seventy years old, but unlike Lurans, his spirit was exceptionally high. He looked no different from a middle-aged man.

“Dianey, Wiggin is currently indisposed. As his wife, you must do everything in your power to host this banquet properly. You cannot bring shame to the Hyde Clan, and more importantly, you must not neglect the etiquette of Wushan Castle.”

He stepped forward, gave his daughter a brief hug, and patted her on the back. “You’ve worked hard.”

Dianey smiled. “Rest assured, Father. Everything here has been arranged. The hour is growing late; please follow me into the castle.”

With the arrival of a heavyweight like Count Ossen, essentially all the nobles of Wushan City who were expected to attend had now arrived.

“My lord.”

Knight Laurent, who had been by Bretton’s side, walked up to Ossen. “A short while ago, the Marquis revealed that Princess Blanche will arrive at Wushan Castle tomorrow. Ronin is in charge of receiving her.”

“Thank you for informing me, Sir Laurent. I was already aware of this.”

Ossen’s expression didn’t change. “The Marquis’s fame is widespread, and this birthday has drawn attention from many quarters. I predict that in two days, Wushan Castle will be incredibly grand and lively!”

“Like everyone else, I am very much looking forward to it!”

Under Dianey’s guidance, Ossen first went to pay his respects to Lurans. This was proper etiquette for a vassal.

Afterward, he was lodged in a small, private courtyard villa—a courtesy extended by Wushan Castle to Count Ossen.

There, Ossen exchanged friendly greetings and conversation with many nobles, creating a lively atmosphere.

“Ronin, aren’t you going to see Count Ossen? It’s very lively over there!”

McKinney was sitting on a swing in the courtyard, swaying gently as a maid pushed her.

She found it a little hard to understand her younger brother these days. Wushan Castle was so bustling, yet Ronin was in the courtyard by himself, swinging a longsword.

’Even if he won’t see Ossen, he should at least go and mingle with the other nobles.’

“Why would I go see him?”

Ronin simply swung his sword, practicing his basic footwork.

If McKinney hadn’t insisted on chatting with him, he would be studying those Combat Skills and Magic right now.

“We are both Grandfather’s vassals. Since there’s no mutual interest or reason to interact, I don’t need to go out of my way to visit him.”

Ronin executed a fierce thrust, the speed of the blade creating a whoosh as it cut through the air.

McKinney was startled by the thrust. “Kid, your swordsmanship seems pretty impressive. Who taught you?”

“From my knights, Macken and Ridder.”

McKinney couldn’t help but look toward the tall knight standing not far away. She’d heard from Kabil that this Macken was apparently no simple man.

She had been by Kabil’s side for many years and had rarely heard him give such an assessment of anyone.

It was quite rare for this younger brother of hers to suddenly have two such extraordinary knight-retainers.

“You’ve got a point. I can’t stand that old man either.”

McKinney tilted her head and began to fill Ronin in, as if worried her younger brother didn’t know about past events.

“Years ago, Ossen wasn’t one of Grandfather’s followers. But just before the Battle of Mist City, he lost to Grandfather at a knight’s tournament. According to the terms of their bet, the loser would swear fealty to the winner, and that’s how he became Grandfather’s follower.”

Ronin’s movements stopped. “That happened?”

He carefully searched his memories and found that his recollection of this event was hazy. He wasn’t sure if his predecessor had simply never learned about it, or if his memories of his former self were fading.

“He’s never been happy about it!”

McKinney complained, “He’s tried to challenge Grandfather to a rematch many times, insisting they have to settle the score once and for all.”

Ronin nodded to himself. ’That does seem possible.’

’If it weren’t a matter of reputation, he could probably just be a Kingdom Count directly, right?’

’And…’

McKinney had told him a lot about Count Ossen. Although she hadn’t said it outright, she was conveying a message to Ronin—that Ossen was an enemy who must be constantly watched and prepared for.

The bond between McKinney and Ronin as sister and brother was real and certainly good, but her words also carried a purpose.

“My lord, Butler Mosite has arrived,” Tom reported as he entered.

McKinney was a bit curious. ’Why is this knight wearing a mask? Could it be that he has a hideous scar underneath that would ruin his appearance?’

“Let him in.”

Mosite walked in, followed by a male and a female servant.

“Young Master Ronin, this is the formal attire the Master had prepared for you in advance. You may wear it to receive Princess Blanche tomorrow.”

“Whoa~”

McKinney hopped off the swing and ran over in delight, looking at the clothes and turning them over with an envious gaze.

“This fabric, these jewels, this embroidery… It looks like Grandfather put a lot of effort into this outfit, huh?”

Mosite smiled. “The Master did indeed spend a great deal of time on it, just as Young Master Ronin did when preparing the silk scarf for the Master.”

Ronin tossed his sword to Macken and also walked over to take a look.

It seemed to be formal attire made from Magical Beast Hide. It felt full and exquisitely fine to the touch, probably on par with the fur coat of a Storm Demon Wolf.

“Thank Grandfather for me,” he said.

Mosite then handed Ronin a sheet of parchment. “This is the itinerary the Master has planned for you. You can take the Princess sightseeing over the next few days.”

’Lurans is really meticulous; he even planned out the itinerary.’

Ronin took it and glanced over it. It mentioned sights like parks and lakes, as well as elegant venues like an opera house and a music hall.

What caught his attention the most was a spectacular beast fight scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in the Wushan City Beast Fighting Arena, supposedly against a Tier Three Magical Beast.

“I understand.”

Ronin folded the paper and handed it to Macken.

“You’d better give it your all!”

McKinney encouraged him, “Try to win over the Princess in one fell swoop and capture her heart!”

Ronin said with a smile, “Sis, this is a political marriage. It’s not like you and Kabil’s free-spirited romance.”

After getting over his initial resistance to the political marriage, Ronin’s mindset had calmed, and he even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

It wasn’t that he was expecting a wonderful romance; he was just looking forward to seeing this Princess Blanche sooner rather than later, to see what she actually looked like.

Time passed quickly. As the sun rose the next day, a black dot appeared on the southwestern horizon.

The black dot grew larger and larger. As it neared Wushan City, a clear, ringing cry pierced the sky, reaching all the way to Wushan Castle and drawing everyone’s attention.

Ronin walked out quickly, arriving at the plaza in front of Wushan Castle.

By now, the black dot in the sky had revealed its form—it was a gigantic bird!

It was diving at an incredible speed, only to suddenly spread its wings when it was just about ten meters from the ground.

In an instant, a massive gust of air scattered in all directions. Its speed dropped to a minimum, and it slowly descended.

Ronin’s gaze was fixed on the giant beast.

It had the body of a lion and powerful wings, along with the head and sharp talons of an eagle. The creature’s feathers shimmered with a golden light, exuding an irresistible majesty.

A Griffin.

It was an extremely brave and proud creature.

It possessed immense power and outstanding flight capabilities, which had once made it the invincible sovereign of the skies.

In that moment, Ronin was captivated—by the Griffin.

He, too, wanted a flying mount like that.

But it was said that the number of nobles who owned Griffins was extremely limited; the only ones known to have them were the Royal Family and a few select archdukes.

Mosite reminded him from the side, “Young Master, that is a vanguard Griffin Knight of the Royal Family’s Sky Guard. His arrival means the Princess’s entourage will be here soon.”

“Have all the nobles prepare to come out and welcome them!” Ronin said.

Ronin glanced down at his attire as McKinney adjusted his collar and necktie.

He strode forward.

Every Griffin Knight held an extraordinary status; Wushan Castle also needed to receive them with the proper courtesy.

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