Chapter 616: Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword

Alvin Eaglesword did not need to be searched for; in fact, he was imprisoned in the dungeon of Riverheart Castle.

"My lord, this is the prisoner list of Riverheart Castle. Alvin Eaglesword is held in this very dungeon," Marcus said, holding the prison ledger as he located Alvin's cell.

The dungeon was dark, damp, and reeked of foul odors. The prisoners inside were fast asleep on straw bedding.

Marcus couldn't help but bang his club against the cell bars and shout, "Wake up! Wake up! No more sleeping, Alvin Eaglesword!"

"What's with the late meal today?" Alvin grumbled as he slowly rose and shuffled to the cell door.

Dressed in rotting rags, his hair wild and beard unkempt, his wrists and ankles bore heavy shackles—clear signs of long imprisonment.

Upon seeing Marcus at the door, he froze for a moment. "The meal delivery changed today? And to a knight, no less. Is this my last supper?"

The dungeon reeked so badly that Liszt had retreated to the entrance. Hearing the exchange, he ordered, "Marcus, release him. Have him cleaned up and brought to the great hall to see me."

"Yes, my lord!"

About fifteen minutes later, Liszt, sipping tea in the great hall, met Alvin Eaglesword—now bathed, trimmed, shaved, and dressed in fresh clothes.

He was a tall, hollow-cheeked middle-aged man, though his frame suggested he had once been robust before his imprisonment. Now, his cheekbones protruded, his eyes were sunken, and his skin was unnaturally pale, as if untouched by sunlight. While he hadn't been abused, he had clearly been starved.

"So you are Alvin Eaglesword, an Iron Knight?" Liszt studied him with interest. "Has Captain Marcus told you the current situation?"

Alvin seemed disoriented, taking a moment to respond. "You're with the Sapphire forces? You've taken Riverheart Castle? That hypocrite Deborah Yuhuashi—did you capture her too?"

Liszt frowned. "I'll be the one asking questions here. You need only answer mine."

"I am the Iron Knight, Alvin Eaglesword."

"Explain your origins and why you were imprisoned in Riverheart Castle."

Alvin took a deep breath. "My ancestors were marquises in the kingdom, forging standardized magic weapons like the Eaglesword for the crown, even adopting 'Eaglesword' as our surname... But our house has fallen from grace. By my generation, we lost our title, and much of our ancestral smithing knowledge faded."

To hone his craft and restore his family's honor, Alvin sought the patronage of several nobles, using their resources to study weapon forging. However, his limited talent and refusal to freely share his family's secrets led them to denounce him as a fraud and exile him. He eventually wandered to the Roaring River region.

"Deborah promised to recommend me to the Marquis of Riptide, but when the wrapping of my family heirloom tore, revealing its true form, greed consumed her. She stole it and imprisoned me, demanding I surrender my family's forging techniques... I refused, so I remained in the dungeon."

Liszt showed little interest in his tale but suddenly showed interest at one detail. "What family heirloom?"

Alvin hesitated.

Liszt waited in silence.

Finally, Alvin steeled himself. "Captain Marcus told me of your power beyond measure—how you defeated Deborah in a single strike. My freedom is also your doing... If you retrieve my heirloom, I will swear myself to your service and dedicate all my Iron Knight techniques of the Eaglesword lineage!"

"I freed you precisely because I require your service. But what is this heirloom?"

"It is a Grand Sprite Weapon—the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword! Originally forged from dragon bone, perfected over generations of my family, it became a Grand Sprite Weapon. Deborah has already gifted it to the Marquis of Riptide. I dare not hope to hold it again—only to see it once more if you retrieve it!"

Alvin knew the power of a marquis. He couldn't offer more, so he harbored no greed for the sword's return.

Liszt remained unmoved by the mention of a Grand Sprite Weapon.

No matter how powerful a weapon, its strength depended on its wielder. Even with an ordinary blade, he could surpass a Sky Knight armed with divine steel.

"Are you certain you can truly craft weapons imbued with magic power?"

"Indeed, I did not inherit my family's talent. Common magic weapons like the Eaglesword are within my capability, but gemstone weapons are beyond my reach. However, I possess my family's complete craftsmanship and am willing to offer it to you, my lord. You may train more talented Iron Knights!"

"You’re willing to give it up?"

Alvin lowered his head, looking at his now emaciated body, his voice filled with bitterness. "I wasn’t willing before, but now... what else do I have left to hold onto?"

"Good, I accept this deal!"

No matter what, the Raging Tides Marquis was an opponent he had planned to deal with anyway.

A powerful weapon like the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword should not remain in the hands of an ordinary marquis—the Sapphire Duchy already possessed a Grand Sprite weapon called the Wailing Prison Blade, the finest blade Liszt had ever known. Now, this Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword would perfectly suit his status.

...

Alvin Eaglesword himself was merely an elite Earth Knight. Over half a year in the dungeon had ravaged his body, and it would take a long time for him to recover.

After arranging accommodations for this iron knight,

Liszt reviewed the list of other prisoners in the dungeon, ordering interrogations to determine if any among them were special individuals.

The results were disappointing—they were all merely disgraced territorial knights.

For these errant knights, Liszt had no intention of releasing them. Having captured Snowpear Castle and Riverheart Keep, he now had enough captive knights to select over a hundred elite Earth Knights. At this point, he couldn’t care less about ordinary Earth Knights, let alone these prisoners.

The Tulip fleet was sailing upstream along the Great Roaring River, heading toward Riverheart Keep. The castle’s supplies had already been packed, ready to be loaded onto ships and transported to the estuary.

The knights tasked with contacting the Long Yam family and the Golden Wheat family had also departed on their mission. The Count had specifically written to Liszt’s uncle, Mesiro Long Yam, and the Marquis of Golden Isle, Roderick Golden Wheat, commanding them to mobilize their knight contingents and ships in preparation to enter the Great Roaring River at any moment.

And the first obstacle to the success of this plan is the Roaring Knights of the Marquis of Roaring Tides.

"Mastering mana techniques, being a peak-level Sky Knight, and wielding the Grand Sprite-arm Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword—just how powerful is Dimaria Yuhuashi?"

Standing by the window on the castle's fourth floor,

gazing at the undulating crops in the distance, Liszt swelled with ambition: "I hope to have a good fight, so I can truly understand the extent of my power!"

He felt that he had been getting too full of himself recently, acting recklessly without considering the consequences—a dangerous path.

Yet he couldn't suppress that restless sense of triumph.

"I can't control myself!"

Thus, he hoped a fierce battle would help him fully grasp reality and adjust his mindset to prepare for the possible suspicion from the Sapphire Duchy: "Perhaps I should make up an ancient warrior's legacy to deal with the Duchy... Should I invent a bronze-skinned warrior, a gladiator, or a wolf-pelt warrior?"

As a history expert,

weaving tales was no difficult task for Liszt.

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