- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 122
Time passed slowly.
Upon entering Frostmoon Province, their pace inevitably slowed. With a group as large as Thor’s, they startled many noble lords along the way, which made quick travel impossible.
Still, everything proceeded smoothly.
A month later…
Thor and his entourage finally approached the small town of Dressrosa.
As he stepped into the town, a wave of nostalgia washed over Thor.
Eighteen months had passed, and yet Dressrosa had remained unchanged.
It looked exactly as he remembered when he left.
Thor’s arrival stirred quite a commotion.
Such a sizable knightly retinue led the townspeople to believe that the Count himself had arrived.
In the midst of this confusion…
A squad of knights and Dressrosa’s town steward hurriedly rushed over.
When they arrived…
The steward immediately prostrated himself on the ground.
“Lord Count!”
His voice trembled with respect and anxiety.
The knights with him were also prepared to kneel, though they hesitated upon noticing their leader’s inaction.
Their leader, Maurice Dressrosa, stood there in stunned silence, his gaze fixed on the young knight at the forefront, seemingly unable to process the scene.
Until…
“Maurice, it’s been a long time!”
A gentle, familiar voice rang out, coming from the figure before him as well as from his own memories.
Maurice Dressrosa suddenly came to his senses.
“You—you’re Thor!”
Maurice’s voice quivered with disbelief.
He looked at Thor, then at the knights accompanying him, as if wondering if he was dreaming.
“Of course, Maurice!” Thor replied with a smile.
He recognized the man before him—his fourth brother, the fourth son of Count Engel.
Count Engel had over twenty offspring, with nine currently of age. Of these nine, besides Thor, three had ventured out to become pioneering lords.
These included the second, third, and seventh sons.
As for the others…
The eldest son was being groomed as the count’s successor, while the fourth son—Maurice Dressrosa, the man standing before Thor—chose to remain with the family as a family knight after becoming a trainee knight at eighteen.
The fifth son was adopted by an uncle to inherit a noble title, while the eighth son, who failed to become a trainee knight by eighteen, was cast out and became a wandering knight.
Thor, with his inherited memories, recalled much about this fourth brother.
Among his brothers, Maurice was one who had treated him kindly, particularly because he remained with the family, allowing them to interact more often.
In his earlier dreams, Thor had aspired to become a family knight like Maurice.
But Thor’s arrival had changed everything.
“It’s really you! I’m sorry!” Maurice said, his voice filled with emotion. “This is just… so overwhelming. Thor, you’ve changed so much!”
Maurice’s words, along with their conversation, left the steward still kneeling on the ground with a frozen expression.
“N-not the Count?”
“Young Master Thor?”
The steward looked bewildered, unsure of what to do.
“Haha, Maurice, I agree; I’ve changed a lot!” Thor laughed, dismounting and approaching his brother.
He ignored the steward on the ground.
Maurice did the same.
The two brothers embraced tightly.
Then, they parted.
“Come!” Maurice said with a smile. “Father will be thrilled to see you!”
“Oh, I heard you went to the Northern Province as a pioneering knight. Weren’t you planning to stay as a family knight? How has it been? Any danger?”
With a voice full of warmth and concern, Maurice led Thor onward.
“Maurice, people change. I decided I wanted to see the world beyond the family.”
“Don’t worry—the Northern Province is far more exciting than Frostmoon.”
“Is that so?”
“Well then, I want to hear all about it.”
The two chatted as they walked toward the castle.
Behind them, the steward was left awkwardly standing alone.
Clearly, no one had any intention of paying him attention—not even the knights.
At that moment, the knights looked curiously at the figures of Thor and Maurice, as well as the members of Thor’s entourage.
“Wait, is that you, Mark?”
Among Maurice Dressrosa’s knights, one knight’s voice called out in surprise.
“Portolo!”
In Thor’s group, Mark’s face lit up with surprise and delight.
“It really is you. You, you—?”
Portolo stammered in shock, looking at his old friend, then at the unicorn Mark was leading, unable to believe his eyes.
Mark had once been his equal as a trainee knight, yet now he rode a unicorn—a mount for formal knights, something that spoke volumes about his rank.
Portolo remembered that his own strength had once surpassed Mark’s.
“Heh, surprised? I’m a full-fledged knight now!” Mark said excitedly. “And I’m close to reaching the mid-rank of formal knight!”
“A… a formal knight!”
“You—you actually did it!”
Portolo’s astonished voice broke the silence.
“Of course.”
Among the two knight groups, many familiar faces exchanged greetings.
As they caught up, it didn’t take long for the changes among Thor’s knights to become evident.
Maurice’s knights were wide-eyed, astonished by the progress Thor’s knights had made.
As they chatted…
Maurice led Thor toward the castle.
News of Thor’s arrival soon spread through Dressrosa Castle.
In the castle’s top-floor room…
Count Engel, as usual, was reading.
But compared to a year ago, his brow seemed to carry even deeper worries.
Even the improvement in Dressrosa’s income this year, evident from the report on his desk, did little to ease his concerns.
Not only had his knightly rank reached a bottleneck, but…
The growth of the Dressrosa family itself seemed to have hit a wall.
As a new noble family, both the Dressrosa family and Count Engel personally radiated vigor.
Yet, the restrictions of Frostmoon Province made the family’s expansion nearly impossible.
In the past twenty years, there had been little room for advancement.
“Only two years left…”
“What a pity.”
Count Engel Dressrosa sighed softly.
Then he shook his head, ready to collect his wandering thoughts.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” his gentle voice called, though Count Engel frowned slightly. This was his time for reflection, and it was rare for anyone to interrupt him without urgent cause.
*Creak!*
The wooden door opened, and the butler, Charlie, stepped inside.
“Charlie, what is it?” Count Engel asked with a hint of curiosity.
“Master, there’s news from the town. Young Master Thor has returned from the Northern Province and is now on his way to the castle.”
Butler Charlie reported with respectful precision.
“Oh, Thor?”
Count Engel was momentarily surprised, then a smile spread across his face.
“Our little eagle of Dressrosa has finally come home!”
“Let’s go welcome him.”
The Count’s smile brightened as he rose from his seat.
“Yes, sir!”
Butler Charlie, though surprised, quickly nodded.
As the Count made his way out, news of Thor’s return spread like wildfire through the castle.
Thor Dressrosa, who had ventured to the Northern Province as a pioneering knight, was now back.
Excitement, surprise, and curiosity rippled through everyone.
In the training yard, young knights clad in armor, their helmets strapped tightly, were engaged in drills. Their faces were steely, and sweat poured down in streams.
When the news reached them, their eyes lit up.
Especially two young boys, one around sixteen or seventeen, the other fourteen or fifteen, whose faces showed eager excitement.
“Brother Thor is back!” the younger boy exclaimed in delight.
“Brother Thor, finally!”
The older boy’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He turned to the knight supervising them, Michael, and asked, “Uncle Michael, training is over, right? Can we go see him?”
“Yes, you may,” Michael replied, nodding with a smile.
Watching the two young boys race off, Michael’s mind wandered briefly to a gradually fading figure in his memories. He shook his head and chuckled.
Serving the Dressrosa family, he had seen his fair share of knights venturing out and returning from the frontier; it was nothing new to him.
Of course, this was just his perspective.
The young trainees, on the other hand, were still buzzing with excitement.
Before long, several others decided to head toward the castle as well.
At the castle gates…
Count Engel stood, surrounded by a contingent of knights, awaiting Thor’s arrival.
As the young knights approached, they caught sight of the Count, and some of them shrank back, hesitant to come closer.
Eventually, only the two brothers mustered the courage to approach.
“Father,” they greeted respectfully, though a bit nervously.
Count Engel nodded, glancing at them before shifting his gaze to those hiding in the distance and shaking his head with mild amusement.
He said nothing, but the two brothers stood silently behind him, barely daring to breathe.
Seeing that their siblings hadn’t been scolded…
A few others cautiously stepped forward.
“Father.”
“Father.”
They greeted him in hushed voices as they drew near.
“Hmph.”
Count Engel let out a cold grunt.
At that sound, those about to step forward froze, while those who had already approached instinctively lowered their heads.
Just as the young ones stood there, shivering slightly…
A group approached from the distance.
When he saw them, Count Engel’s expression softened into a smile.
Watching their father smile, the young ones were taken aback.
But Count Engel paid them no mind.
His thoughts drifted to the news he’d received from a close friend, and his smile grew wider.
A single year.
In just one year, his son had been granted a title by the king, becoming a baron.
This was the fastest baronial title ever earned by a member of the Dressrosa family.
Such an achievement filled him with pride.
For some time, he had eagerly awaited Thor’s return.
During his wait, rumors of unrest in the North had raised his concerns.
He’d even considered sending additional support to his sons.
And now, Thor was back.
As Count Engel’s thoughts intertwined, he saw Thor and Maurice approaching, along with the gathered crowd.
“Father?”
Maurice’s eyes widened as he recognized his father waiting at the gates, disbelief evident on his face.
“Father has come out himself to greet Thor?”
Maurice murmured, still a little dazed.
Thor, too, was surprised and a bit taken aback.
He hadn’t expected his father to personally await him at the gates.
It was only the second time he could recall such a reception.
The last time, it had been for a visit from a certain marquis who came to discuss matters of importance with his father, receiving similar honors.
*(End of Chapter)*