FLDI Chapter138

Inside the room, Thor stared at the map, momentarily at a loss for words. The countless red circles before him spoke volumes about the strength of the Dresrosa family. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

It wasn’t until a few moments later that Thor took a deep breath, slowly calming his turbulent emotions.

However, just as he regained his composure, a question surfaced in his mind.

“Father, with this level of power, shouldn’t it be enough to secure a marquis title?”

Thor’s curiosity was genuine. Even based on his limited understanding, the Dresrosa family’s strength was already intimidating.

From his perspective, it seemed impossible that they couldn’t obtain a marquis status. This discrepancy left him puzzled.

“Indeed, it’s more than enough,” Earl Engel replied with a nod, before shaking his head slightly. “In fact, we have surpassed the Dresrosa family’s strength during my grandfather’s time. But, Thor, you must understand—this world is vast, and danger lurks everywhere.”

“Sometimes a single careless action, a momentary lapse, or an unexpected upheaval can bring ruin to an entire family.”

“To ensure the continuity of a noble family, strength alone is not enough.”

Earl Engel’s voice held a serious note as he explained.

Thor furrowed his brow, his curiosity deepening.

“Not just strength?”

Without thinking, Thor voiced his question, casting a curious glance at his father.

“Thor, do you think what you see here is the entirety of the Dresrosa family’s strength?” Earl Engel asked abruptly.

“This? The entirety?” Thor stammered, caught off guard by the unexpected question. He quickly realized what his father was implying, his heart pounding at the thought.

So…this wasn’t everything.

“Do you know where the wandering knights go?”

“And why did your Fifth Uncle, who has decent talent, become a wandering knight?”

Thor was struck by yet another wave of surprise as Engel’s questions carried hints of a larger truth.

And with those hints, Thor’s eyes widened.

“Gulp.”

He swallowed instinctively.

Wandering knights.

He had never given much thought to the wandering knights. He had assumed that the family’s process of selecting and retaining the best meant simply keeping the capable and filtering out the rest.

But now that he considered it, was that really necessary?

A count’s family could certainly afford to support a few family heirs, after all. And just because one generation had weak talent didn’t mean the next would as well.

Even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance of potential, wouldn’t it still be worth holding on?

The standards seemed far too high—requiring one to condense a life seed and become an apprentice knight by the age of eighteen. Even those with reasonable talent would struggle, while those with average talent would find it nearly impossible. Those who failed were expelled from the family.

Even marquis families rarely enforced such rigid standards.

Yet the Dresrosa family had always adhered to this strict system, even to the point of cold indifference.

And even for those who achieved apprentice knight status, there were still two choices: to serve as a family guard or to become a frontier knight. While the family would offer some support, frontier knights were largely left to fend for themselves.

Standing alone, this didn’t seem unreasonable. But in light of the wandering knight policy, it raised more questions than it answered.

With Earl Engel’s words echoing in his mind, Thor’s thoughts swirled like a tempest.

An unsettling realization surfaced, slowly taking form.

As if to confirm his suspicions, Earl Engel continued.

“The Tulip Kingdom has existed for over two thousand years, yet the royal family’s lineage stretches back only eight hundred years. Most other noble lineages barely reach four or five hundred.”

Earl Engel’s gaze drifted to the window as he spoke, his thoughts seeming to reach back through time.

Listening to his father’s words, Thor’s heart pounded even harder.

“This…”

He bit his lip, starting to speak but unable to find the right words.

Earl Engel hadn’t finished his explanation, but the implications were becoming clear.

A kingdom of two thousand years, yet the majority of noble lineages stretched back only four to five centuries, with the royal family itself barely reaching eight hundred.

In a feudal society, such rapid turnover didn’t make sense.

Granted, there was always a gradual turnover of old and new nobility, but it was a slow process. And most transitions only impacted baronies and viscount titles. Upon reaching the rank of count, replacing noble families became exceedingly rare.

In the past hundred years, only one marquis had risen—the Marquis of Rayman. As for counts, there had been no more than seventeen newly established, with none disappearing entirely.

Yet here was a kingdom of two thousand years, where noble lineages were cut down like fields of wheat every few centuries, with the nobility continually renewed.

How was that even possible?

And yet, however implausible it seemed, this was the undeniable reality.

The implications were too staggering to ignore.

Thor’s mind spun with wild theories.

Confinement, perhaps.

A grand experiment.

Or perhaps darker conspiracies flashed briefly through his mind.

There was no helping it; the implications were too vast, making it impossible not to speculate.

“Father, this…” Thor looked at his father, unable to contain his thoughts.

“I know—you want to ask why,” Engel replied. “But I’m afraid I don’t have an answer either. In fact, this phenomenon isn’t unique to the Tulip Kingdom. Even the surrounding kingdoms suffer similar situations.”

“It’s almost the same everywhere.”

“If you want more answers, you’d need either the Tulip royal family or to go to the Empire.”

Earl Engel sighed, recalling his travels in neighboring kingdoms from his youth. The shock he’d felt upon uncovering similar patterns was still vivid in his memory.

He, too, had once sought answers, but they had eluded him.

Thor fell silent at his father’s words.

Asking the Tulip royal family was out of the question; if they were willing to reveal anything, they would have done so long ago.

As for going to the Empire…

Subjects of a kingdom weren’t free to enter the Empire at will, let alone gain such insights.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Thor, and a figure came to mind.

Neilmorton.

As a Sky Knight from the Empire, he might be the only one who could have the answers.

Unfortunately, even if Neilmorton knew something and was willing to share it, Thor had no means of contacting him now.

Thor shook his head.

“Alright, this isn’t something we need to worry about,” Engel continued. “And it’s not what I intended to teach you.”

“What I want to impart is this: never reveal all your cards.”

“The true strength of the Dresrosa family isn’t something even I fully understand. For you to survive in this world, at the very least, you must refrain from showing your full strength to the outside.”

“This would be an extremely dangerous act. Even if it doesn’t bring immediate consequences, no one can predict what might happen in the future.”

With a serious tone, Earl Engel advised Thor.

Thor nodded thoughtfully, deep in contemplation.

Seeing that Thor seemed to grasp his meaning, Engel paused before continuing.

“You’re doing well right now; no one would suspect that you’re a Grand Knight. But it’s still not enough. In Pat City, for example, you didn’t need to act personally. What harm would there have been in following Deguri to the municipal center? Even without your cousin there, do you think the Emerson family could have done anything to you?”

“Always maintain an air of mystery to the outside world; that will give you more opportunities. As you advance to Earth Knight, I hope you’ll keep it concealed. At the very least, don’t display it lightly. As a lord, your focus should be on developing your territory, not proving your strength to everyone. That would do you more harm than good.”

Earl Engel steered the conversation back to the matter at hand, addressing recent events as he spoke. It was clear that he was well aware of all that had transpired in Pat City and was using the incident as a deeper lesson for Thor.

Thor listened intently. Even though he had his own perspectives, he didn’t interrupt his father’s guidance.

After all, this was his father’s second lesson to him—a lesson rooted in a father’s care. Thor had no reason to resist or dismiss it.

Moreover, even if he had his own ideas, there was no denying the value of Engel’s wisdom. As an earl whose family line had endured for centuries, Engel’s knowledge of the world and its intricacies far exceeded his own.

This advice would undoubtedly prove useful in shaping his future actions.

It also allowed him to reflect.

For instance, he realized he had indeed been a bit too bold lately. Perhaps it was his recent ennoblement as a baron, or the sudden surge in talent and his breakthrough to Grand Knight, but he had felt somewhat inflated.

Many situations had simpler solutions, yet he had chosen the most direct, often the most forceful approach. While this did bring swift results, it left behind a fair amount of unresolved issues.

In Pat City, had it not been for his baron status and the foolishness of that Emerson heir, he might have found himself in considerable trouble.

And if it hadn’t been for Rubi, he might not have managed to extricate himself so cleanly.

Even with Anna’s support, he may not have defeated Deguri, and if things had dragged on, there was no telling what might have happened.

These events, as his father had said, could have been avoided entirely.

But things had still escalated to that point.

He couldn’t count on such favorable luck every time. Caution was necessary.

There were other lessons to be learned as well, such as the value of concealing his strength.

Revealing his full capabilities could make his adversaries more vigilant, complicating matters.

As his father had pointed out, he was a lord, not merely a knight. Displaying martial prowess was unnecessary except in the most critical situations.

Thor’s thoughts continued to weave and intertwine.

It was unclear how long he pondered until his father finished speaking, and he had fully processed his own reflections.

“Phew!”

Thor exhaled deeply, feeling a newfound clarity settle over him.

His path forward had never been clearer.

“I understand! Thank you, Father!”

With a respectful bow, Thor expressed his sincere gratitude.

“No need to thank me,” Engel replied, shaking his head with a slight sigh. “As your father, it’s my duty to teach you. It’s only that your growth has been so swift, I barely had time to guide you.”

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

Thor’s progress had indeed been astonishingly fast—so fast that before Engel could act, Thor had already matured on his own.

Many things that should have been taught earlier had gone unsaid.

Thankfully, today’s conversation had filled in some of those gaps. With the series of recent conflicts, he believed his son would understand the deeper meaning of his words.

“You’re too kind, Father,” Thor replied with a smile.

“Good, then,” Engel continued. “Take the next few days to rest. The supplies should be ready in three days.”

“After that, you’ll be able to set off.”

(Author Note: No hidden conspiracy here, just foreshadowing. Explanations will come in due time.)

(End of Chapter)

Series Navigation

<- PreviousNext ->