Chapter 785: Anthony’s Pressure

"My father intends for you to suppress the naval front, with the Sapphire Duchy's knights serving as the main force in the war, and the taxes collected to be split evenly between our two families."

Anthony presented the terms of the Sapphire Duchy.

In previous years, it was the Sapphire Duchy who managed the front, countering any potential Dragon Knights to ensure the battlefield remained at the level of ordinary knights. Thus, all spoils of the knight corps were taxed, especially ores like metals, which had to be allocated by the Duke personally after the war.

This time, the Sapphire Duchy planned for Liszt to suppress the battlefront, with taxes split evenly—a reasonably fair deal.

After brief consideration, Liszt agreed: "Acceptable. However, you must provide a more detailed plan. Investigate how many ports the Kingdom of the Eagle has, the number of ships, and the distribution of shipbuilding technicians. I hope to annihilate all their maritime forces in one battle, leaving them too intimidated to venture into the sea for decades!"

"Your Highness's ambition is admirable. As the commander of this naval operation, Anthony will ensure every detail is thoroughly investigated," Anthony replied solemnly.

Looking at Liszt, whose face still bore traces of youth but whose tone was experienced, he couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

...

As for Liszt himself, the core members of the Sapphire Duchy had discussed him extensively, especially in the aftermath of the dragon-slaying campaign, when debates about him occurred almost daily.

An eighteen-year-old Dragon Knight, and possibly an even younger Archmage—it was unimaginable.

The Sapphire Duchy was well acquainted with Earl Li William of Coral Island at the time—a man of great drive and decent talent, one of the kingdom's most promising newly elevated earls. However, his heir, Levis, was more of a conservative administrator. It was assumed that the Tulip family would need generations of effort to ascend to the marquisate.

No one expected such a game-changing factor to emerge.

Initially, Liszt didn’t attract much attention.

It was only during the Crown Prince’s siege of Düsong Fort that he took notice of Liszt, deeming him a promising young man worth nurturing. Then, in what seemed like a blink, Liszt earned a viscountcy during the expansion decree and advanced to become a sky knight, claiming the title of the kingdom’s youngest achiever.

Only then did Liszt truly enter the Sapphire Duchy’s sight.

As the ruler of the nation, the Duke naturally paid attention to the kingdom’s youth—these were future nobles and potential recipients of his efforts to cultivate loyalty.

Yet before the Duke could act, Liszt became the Ghostblade successor, an elite warrior capable of defeating Domain Knights. Upon receiving the news, the Duke convened his advisors twice specifically to discuss Liszt, with Anthony participating in these meetings.

Ultimately, the Duke decided to personally recruit Liszt as a follower.

But Lee William intervened, citing that "my son intends to help his father secure a marquisate before the family splits." The Duke had no choice but to relent—he clearly believed that the opening created by the Bull Marquis's rebellion had spurred Lee William into striking a deal with his son to vie for the marquisate.

This was understandable, so the matter was temporarily shelved.

"Back then, Liszt was no Ghostblade successor—he had likely already succeeded in taming a dragon... Naturally, a Dragon Knight wouldn’t swear fealty to my father," Anthony’s thoughts flashed briefly. "And Lee William’s claim that Liszt would pledge loyalty to me in a few years was just a ruse."

The realization left a sour taste—being made a fool of.

But as a qualified heir of a dragon-breeding lineage, Anthony didn’t let personal emotions cloud his judgment. Once Liszt succeeded in riding a dragon and, alongside an Archmage, slew a Dragon Knight, Anthony swiftly adjusted his stance, equating Liszt with his father.

He never underestimated Liszt due to his youth.

He knew all too well that the future of the seas would no longer belong to the Sapphire Duchy.

During internal family discussions, his father had once said with difficulty, "The era of Sapphire’s naval supremacy is over, Anthony. When this nation passes to you, you must learn patience and discernment... You must balance alliances—uniting with Steel Ridge to contain Liszt, and allying with Liszt to counter Steel Ridge."

Frowning, Anthony had asked, "Father, what if Liszt becomes aggressive after his rise?"

"Then divert his attention. With the Kingdom of the Eagle—such a large piece of meat—right before him, why would he bother gnawing on Sapphire’s tough, meatless bone? Once Liszt establishes his own nation, he’ll realize that maritime states, unless they plunder mainland resources, find it too hard to rely solely on the sea."

"But Father, if I fail to become a Dragon Knight, I lack confidence in opposing both a Dragon Knight and an Archmage."

After a long silence, the Duke finally replied to his heir, "Improvise as needed."

...

Snapping back to attention, Anthony concealed the sigh in his heart. He realized Liszt's ambitions were far greater than he'd imagined.

The Sapphire Duchy's goal was to annihilate the Kingdom of the Eagle's fleet, but Liszt intended to destroy the ports as well, completely severing the Kingdom of the Eagle's maritime power. This was undoubtedly treating the sea like his personal backyard, letting no one else trespass.

Today, it was the Kingdom of the Eagle being barred.

Would the Sapphire Duchy be next?

Though troubled deep down, Anthony maintained a relaxed demeanor on the surface. After finalizing the general strategy for the naval campaign, he engaged in light-hearted conversation with Liszt, trading noble gossip.

The luncheon grew even livelier, with toasts and merriment aplenty.

In a hurry to return and draft battle plans, Anthony departed by ship in the afternoon.

After seeing him off at the docks, Liszt watched the Fast Royal Yacht sail into the distance and mused thoughtfully to his followers, "Anthony is a good man—a fitting heir for the duchy. Aside from his somewhat mediocre talent, he has no real shortcomings."

The followers exchanged awkward smiles.

In this knightly system where strength reigns supreme, mediocre talent was practically a fatal flaw. Of course, by ordinary standards, Anthony's talent wasn’t exactly mediocre. A sword saint by his thirties, destined to become a perfected sky knight—that’s plenty for a ruler.

As for dragon-riding, plenty of ducal heirs never manage it. That wasn’t a flaw unique to Anthony.

Yet, gazing at their lord’s tall, imposing figure, the followers had to admit that Lord Liszt wasn’t entirely wrong. By Liszt’s standards, Anthony’s talent was indeed mediocre—or rather, 99.999% of the world’s population would be considered mediocre in comparison.

So no one dared to respond.

Serving such a lord was undoubtedly a privilege granted by the Order of Knighthood, yet it also came with immense pressure, a constant fear of falling short in Lord Liszt’s eyes.

Unaware of the psychological toll he had just inflicted on his followers, Liszt turned and calmly ordered, "Commander Marcus, Commander Fox, whip the knight orders into fighting shape as soon as possible. It won’t be long before we face war again!"

"As you command, Your Highness!"