PS. Today's update is 5400 words, pretty strong, right!

PS2. Why did recommending it to a friend result in fewer recommendations? Sobbing.

Then, he couldn't look away anymore.

The Duke's daughter was walking closer with a smile, her perfectly exquisite face was glowing with her sea-blue eyes, her skin tender and fair like milk, her long golden hair naturally draped over her shoulders, braided with ribbons of various colors.

Her white ceremonial gown was elegant and curvaceous, a bright gold and white base adorned with sea-blue and light purple stripes, rings and necklaces of pearls, emeralds, amber, diamonds, and agate were respectively hanging on her hands and neck, making her shine like a constellation under the sun's reflection.

A magnificent blue sapphire pendant hung in front of the lady knight's chest, Laine could feel the tension of the stitching and fabric at the chest part of the dress, but all he could say was that the Winford court tailors had remarkable skills, and the quality of their dresses was excellent, elsewise the dress would surely risk tearing.

"Surya!" Duke of Winford, Francois, helplessly called his daughter's name, his voice filled with affection.

"Father! Lord Laine, good afternoon." The elegantly dressed lady knight lifted her long dress and entered the pavilion.

"Lord Laine, the dwarf miners you mentioned were really strange." The Duke's daughter muffled her laugh with her hand: "That was clearly the smell of iron ore."

"Is there any difference? Aren't they all children of the mountains?" Laine shrugged, his humorous act made the Duke and his daughter laugh continuously.

"By the way, why haven't I seen Yuri?" Laine quickly shifted his gaze, trying to change the subject, knowing her father was present.

"That boy was stimulated by you, you completed the Holy Grail Trial at 24, and he hasn't even set foot on the Path of the Holy Grail." The Duke chuckled: "This made Yuri, who always saw you as a rival, feel not so wonderful, so he set out on his own shortly after returning home."

"Where to? There are no wars in the Kingdom right now." Laine was a bit puzzled.

"There soon will be, in the northern Arden Forest, Beastmen have begun to frequently appear at the forest edge, and many Ranger Knights and Kingdom Knights have already gone to the forest's edge to station there, preparing to eliminate some scattered Beastmen to reduce the pressure from the summer beast tide." The Grand Duke looked as his daughter took a seat beside him and then continued: "This year's scouts reported very frequent signs of Beastmen activity, come summer, the beast tide might be huge, are you planning to participate in the summer's Knightly War?"

"We'll see, but I plan to participate, having just arrived here, I should show some performance." Laine pondered as he spoke.

"Then if you do go, you should go with Connelly, Connelly is not much of a military strategist, I'd feel easier with you there." The Duke of Winford habitually arranged the matter as he said: "Let's speak of this for now, and discuss it in detail later when the King's summon order is issued."

"Alright." Laine knew this was only a verbal agreement, and specific matters would certainly have to be discussed later, and the Duke must give him some credential or else he couldn't command a Marquis.

The pleasant conversation carried on for a while, and Laine actively brought up the matter of the bandit clearance: "Regarding the bandit clearance, the sooner, the better, let's begin as soon as possible."

"Yes, I'll trouble you with this, if there are any spoils in the bandit fortress, you can distribute them freely; we will offer you an additional reward too, need any help?" The Duke himself found those bandits quite troublesome, many things he couldn't carry out himself.

"Not too many people are needed, my Duke, I just need some knights who are willing to dismount and fight on foot to help prevent the enemies from escaping." Laine appeared very confident, a confidence that seemed to come from nowhere: "Additionally... for the reward, I don't want money, my Duke, I heard your beast stables have some Pure-blooded Elf Warhorses, could I buy one from you?"

.....

So, a day later, Laine, donned in his brand-new Spiritual Masterwork Power Armor, rode on the back of a Pure-blooded Elf Warhorse, leading more than fifty knights, marching on the rugged mountain paths of the Oracle Mountains.

Unexpectedly, a lady knight was also fully armed, accompanying them on the expedition, attracting quite a number of Ranger Knights, most of them young and unmarried, as the chance for close contact with a Duke's daughter was quite rare.

Who wouldn't want the chance to get closer to Marchioness Surya? If one could win the heart of such a beauty, wouldn't it mean having to fight hard for a few decades less?

Bull Knight Baptiste and Stag Knight Gaston also followed along, Baptiste brought out the map: "Lord Laine, we have been marching for more than ten hours, that bandit fortress is on the cliff just beyond that hill ahead."

"Alright, got it." Laine stroked the robust body and firm neck of the Pure-blooded Elf Warhorse, the name he had given to his new steed was Grape.

After donning this silver gleaming power armor, Pinecone could hardly bear his weight, so he needed to change his mount. The superior purebred warhorse of Brittania just suited his needs, these Pure-blooded Elf Warhorses were not only exceedingly excellent in stamina, explosiveness, and carrying capacity but also possessed great strength and a calm will.

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