The fortress of the Iron Blood Order stood atop Mount Olfens. Its high walls were lined with warriors clad in crimson armour.
Outside the city, over a hundred warriors from various orders, wearing armour of different colours, were facing off against the defenders on the walls.
Several bodies in crimson armour lay on the ground between them.
The defenders on the walls stared at the bodies with bloodshot eyes, their rage almost palpable.
"This is too much!"
"Grand Master, give the order! Let us avenge our fallen brothers!"
The Grand Master of the Iron Blood Order did not respond to his knights' fervour. He raised a hand to calm the boiling resentment and asked in a low voice:
"Order, you have come to our walls bearing the bodies of my knights. Am I to take this as a declaration of war?"
Lion's gaze pierced the knight on the wall like ice. His voice was as cold as a frost-laden wind:
"The Iron Blood Order acted in treachery, ambushing our hunting party in the forest and brutally murdering five knights of the Star Cup Order. Since you acknowledge these are your knights, you must pay for this atrocity!"
Amadis stared at Lion, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
His fingers, which had been tightly gripping his boltgun, unconsciously loosened. He had been prepared for battle.
Because given Lion's usual decisive style, he would have pointed his sword at the walls and ordered the knights to charge.
But now, he neither spoke rudely, nor roared in anger, nor taunted with contempt. Instead, he surprisingly chose negotiation.
He simply stated the truth calmly, but that was far more intimidating than a roar.
The Iron Blood knights were still filled with anger, but in their rage, they began to think.
How had these bodies of their comrades ended up with the Order?
The Iron Blood Order hadn't participated in the hunt called by the Order. Why were so many knights dead outside the city?
Their bodies were mangled, clearly showing they had fought hard before dying, and they had been killed by other knights.
But if, as Lion said, these knights had ambushed the Order's hunting party first, then the Order's counterattack was justifiable self-defence. The Iron Blood Order was in the wrong.
The knights on the wall turned to look at their Grand Master. Any knight leaving the fortress had to report to the Grand Master.
Only he could explain why these men were outside the city.
The Grand Master was silent for a long time, then finally spoke in a low voice. "There must be a misunderstanding. Sir Lion, please come into the city and hand over the bodies for our identification. I will give you an explanation."
This statement almost confirmed Lion's accusation, and it shattered the Iron Blood knights' righteous indignation.
The knights on the wall fell silent, quietly loosening their grips on their boltguns and chainswords.
Since they were in the wrong, they couldn't demand justice. They had to make amends.
Amadis said, "Brother Lion, let me go."
Amadis feared the Iron Blood Order's invitation might be a trap, that danger lurked within the city.
Lion understood his good intentions, but firmly shook his head. "No, I must go myself."
"Then at least let me accompany you," Amadis insisted.
Lion thought for a moment, then gave the order. "Amadis, Riley, Vasquez, you will enter the city with me. Luther, you will command the remaining knights and wait here."
Riley and Vasquez were from the Star Cup Order and the Flame Haze Order respectively. They also had the right to demand an explanation from the Iron Blood Order.
RUMBLE!
The city gates slowly opened with a dull roar. Lion and his three companions were personally led by the Iron Blood Order's Grand Master to the council chamber in the centre of the fortress.
A relatively intact body was also brought into the hall. When the Grand Master removed the helmet and saw the bloodstained face, he visibly trembled.
He seemed to age ten years in an instant. Bitterness crept onto his lined face. "Hector. It was you."
Amadis asked, "He's Hector?"
"He's Mann, one of Hector's Eight Knights. If I'm not mistaken, there were nine knights who attacked you."
"Hector was our Sword Master. I'm surprised you could defeat him. Truly, youth is a marvel!"
Amadis and the two knights beside him exchanged subtle glances. The Grand Master clearly had high confidence in Hector, so he thought they should be impressed by him. But in reality, none of them remembered who Hector was.
Because they had all died the same way.
Lion frowned slightly, thinking: 'What Sword Master? He felt just like all the others when I killed him. I thought he was just a grunt!'
But he still gave the Iron Blood Order face and didn't speak the truth, as it would only be seen as provocation.
Lion questioned, "You still owe us an explanation. Why did he ambush us? Whose orders?"
Grand Master replied, "I swear on the honour of the Order, this had nothing to do with the Iron Blood Order! Hector had already left Olfens without permission several days ago."
"You are the Grand Master. Were you completely unaware?"
The Grand Master's face was grim. "Though I am Grand Master, Hector's personal prestige within the Order was no less than mine. If the previous Grand Master hadn't specifically named me as his successor, he would be our Grand Master."
"I simply couldn't control him, let alone know his plans."
The Grand Master desperately tried to distance himself from Hector, to absolve himself.
But Lion didn't respond, only looking at him with cold eyes.
The Grand Master also understood that the Order wouldn't believe empty words. Only evidence could convince Lion.
They had to give an account for the fallen knights.
"But Hector was still our knight. We will pay the price. The Iron Blood Order will join the Order's hunt until the Great Beasts are completely eradicated."
"We will also provide due compensation for the knights killed by Hector: two sets of power armour for each."
The Grand Master's face was gloomy. The Iron Blood Order had only a hundred or so knights. Every set of power armour was priceless.
It pained him greatly, but if he didn't stop the bleeding now, it could escalate to bloodshed.
Then they would pay far more than a few sets of armour.
Riley was quite surprised.
Though they had lost five knights, their armour could be repaired and reused.
If they could get ten extra sets of power armour, it would expand their order by a tenth. This was a sincere compensation.
The dead were Star Cup knights. If they were willing to let it go, the Order would also have to back down.
But Riley wasn't in a hurry to agree.
The Order was fighting for them. If he agreed casually, it would be a betrayal.
"Why did Hector attack us?"
Grand Master said, "Please believe me, I truly don't know his purpose. But it must be connected to the Wolf Order."
"Evidence?"
"Our territory borders the northern wilderness. We have fought alongside the Wolf Order in many beast-tides."
"In his youth, when Hector was being knighted, he went hunting alone in the northern wilderness."
"During that hunt, he became friends with Sartana, who was then just a squire and is now the Grand Master of the Wolf Order."
"If anyone could make Hector betray his order, it would be Sartana."
The Grand Master's evidence wasn't conclusive, but if what he said was true, it was understandable.
He had no reason to deceive Lion. This would be easy to verify.
The Order had a legitimate cause. Even if they took the opportunity to destroy the Iron Blood Order, other orders couldn't object.
The Grand Master's priority now was to gain the Order's forgiveness. Lies would only make things worse.
Amadis murmured, "So the Wolf Order is the real mastermind?"
The Wolf Order had long dominated Caliban's northern wilderness.
Though called a wilderness, the northern wilderness was covered in forests, even denser than other areas, and there were far more Great Beasts there than elsewhere.
So some suspected the northern wilderness was the origin of the Great Beasts.
The Wolf Order's occupation of the northern wilderness might be part of some sinister plot.
In the eyes of Calibanites, the northern wilderness was seen as a forsaken land.
Not only because the forest was too dense to traverse, the Great Beasts too numerous, and the land too barren for farming, but also because strange, inexplicable events often occurred there.
For example, strange lights would appear in the forest. Or people would go missing for days and return home decades older.
The Wolf Order's territory was only on the periphery of the northern wilderness. The Watchers also prevented mortals from entering it.
So people secretly speculated that the Wolf Order's founding might be linked to the Watchers.
Amadis didn't fully believe this, but he didn't dare dismiss it entirely.
At the very least, the Order's founding had been supported by the Watchers. The rumours about the Wolf Order weren't necessarily false.
This was also why other orders hesitated, allowing the Wolf Order to dominate the northern wilderness.
Religion was a core part of Caliban's culture.
The most widespread religious beliefs originated from the first Terran colonists. This traditional religion blended ancestor worship and animism. It was popular among commoners and conservative nobles. They believed in the Watchers of the Caliban forest.
They believed in mysterious, supernatural beings called Watchers, who interfered in the world for their own mysterious and unknown purposes.
In these traditional beliefs, people saw the Watchers as guardian spirits, and Great Beasts as evil spirits whose physical forms were distorted, delighting in spreading suffering and calamity.
People made sacrifices to the Watchers, praying that these mysterious, supernatural beings would protect them from the Great Beasts' harm.
But in many knight orders, they had developed a unique faith.
They believed that even if entities like gods and spirits existed, they couldn't directly interfere in the material world.
They wouldn't share their understanding of the world with humans, nor would they help when humans were in distress.
The philosophy upheld by the knights was that people must rely on themselves, not on supernatural beings.
Therefore, many orders dedicated themselves to training their knights' minds and bodies, to maintain their excellence.
But the Watchers were real.
Though few had the fortune to see them, everyone who did claimed they existed.
Even if they weren't the Watchers of the old faith, they possessed supernatural powers. All orders tried to avoid provoking the Watchers in the Dark.
Perhaps this was another reason the Grand Master couldn't control Hector.
The Iron Blood Order was small, about the size of the Star Cup Order, with only a hundred or so knights, weaker than the Wolf Order.
Even if Hector was close to the Wolf Order, the Grand Master could only pretend not to know.
But when trouble came, the Grand Master had to pay the price for Hector.
Such was the tragedy of a small order.
They dared not offend the Wolf Order, nor the Order.
Perhaps the Grand Master had tried to use Hector to play both sides, but he lacked the skill, and now could only compromise.
The Iron Blood Order had to choose a side: either the Wolf Order or the Order.
Hector chose the former. He died.
So the Grand Master had to choose the latter.
Whatever the Wolf Order's goal, Hector's death showed the Order was superior.
And the Wolf Order stayed in the northern wilderness, while the Order was already at their gates. Reality left him no choice.
Amadis lowered his voice. "Brother Lion, do you truly believe what he said?"
"I don't. But he has admitted his fault. We will allow him to maintain his dignity."
If the Iron Blood Order had stubbornly refused to admit fault, the Order could have justifiably fought an extermination campaign.
But since they had backed down, if the Order insisted on attacking Olfens, public opinion would turn against them.
This wasn't about 'forgiving where possible', but a compromise with the rules of the game.
Unless the Order had power surpassing all other orders, they too had to abide by certain conventions. Otherwise, they would face a united crackdown.
Under the complex gazes of the Iron Blood knights on the wall, the Grand Master personally escorted Lion and his four companions safely out of Olfens.
Before leaving, Lion instructed Luther: "Leave the bodies for the Iron Blood Order."
Luther was taken aback. "And the power armour?"
"Leave it too."
These bodies were the Order's spoils of war. Returning them to the Iron Blood Order was a face-saving gesture.
If the Iron Blood Order was sensible, they would return the armour to the Order.
If not, it meant their willingness to cooperate was insincere.
If insincere, all previous negotiations were meaningless.
Next time they came, there would be no room for compromise.