Chapter 118 - Chapter 118: Chapter 114: The War Begins (1/2)

Chapter 118: Chapter 114: The War Begins

Although the King of Cyart had tried to emulate the most powerful Lorne Empire by establishing a national standing army and gradually building the concept of a nation-state, he had no way to reclaim the numerous noble lands and their military forces.

The power of the local nobility in the various provinces remained extremely large; they even usurped the fruits of reform, taking direct control of the standing army’s forces and continued to exist as familial local warlords.

Within Cyart, the most powerful families with the largest landholdings included the eight great noble families, among which was the Royal Family itself.

Most of Cyart Kingdom’s land was, in fact, directly or indirectly under the control of these eight great noble families.

Actually, the Eastern Four Kingdoms, including Cyart, Rhea, Vallere, and Carnia, were established by ten great families expelled from the central continent by the Lorne citizens.

The eight great noble families of Cyart, along with two other great noble families from the other eastern countries, had been continuously waging wars and forming marriage alliances for a hundred years, standing tall and ruling over the many lesser nobles.

They were collectively referred to as the “Ten Great Pillars” of the Ouden Continent’s East.

Even the Royal Families of the Eastern Four Kingdoms were actually the strongest among the Ten Great Pillars.

Because of the repeated acts of sabotage by the Sea God Cult in the East Coast Province, both the Tempest Church and the Cyart Royal Family had reached the end of their patience.

They were determined to completely eradicate the Sea God Cult lurking in the White Sea region.

However, although the Sea God Cult was not considered a formidable force on land, conducting an extermination campaign against them at sea was extremely difficult, and Cyart would have to muster the full strength of the nation and make thorough preparations.

A year quickly passed.

The war, jointly organized and prepared by the Tempest Church and the East Coast Governor, finally began, with not only the Cyart Royal Army under the governor’s banner taking the field, but also the private armies of various nobles, which were forcibly conscripted as the main force.

Earl Hovern, the Governor of the East Coast, was indeed the head of the Hovern family branch in Cyart, one of the “Ten Great Pillars.”

The Hovern family, also known as the “Shattered Giant clan,” possessed several powers of Bloodline, the strongest of which was “Demi-God Bloodline·Shattered Giant.”

Within the Eastern Four Kingdoms, the largest branch of the Hovern family in the north of Carnia had wiped out all opposition within its borders and became the Royal Family of Carnia decades ago.

The most powerful Earl Hovern on the East Coast covertly supported the Eagle clan, allowing them to rival the Lion clan, and it was common knowledge that one of the “Ten Great Pillars” also supported the Lion clan, although few knew exactly which one.

Nasir Town.

In the reception room of Fischer Manor, Byrne respectfully conversed with a key member of the Lion clan.

He was in his thirties, of average build, dressed in a Cyart black military uniform, clean-shaven, and his gaze was always serious.

“Let’s leave it there for now, I should be going,” said Abel Leone, putting down his red tea and shaking his head.

He was the most outstanding among the many cousins of Viscount Bast, a lieutenant colonel in the Cyart Royal Army, and also a powerful Bloodline Knight who had successfully reached the high-level Transmutation.

Byrne smiled and said in a tone laced with respect,

“Regarding the supply of medicines and food, the Fischer family is very willing to cooperate with the military. By the way, there are some gifts that I brought for you and Lord Viscount, and I do hope Lieutenant Colonel Abel can accept them.”

Although the war had already started, the Fischer family had not taken to the battlefield.

Because the family owned food processing and pharmaceutical plants and, with the relationship with the Lion clan, they naturally took on a small part of the war’s logistical tasks.

Even though the Royal Army of Cyart was ostensibly controlled by Earl Hovern, who was at odds with the Lion clan, he was not someone who could control everything within the forces.

There were two key reasons for this, the first being that the Hovern family within Cyart was struggling to make ends meet.

Earl Hovern, the sole inheritor capable of activating the “Shattered Giant” Bloodline, was once thought to potentially possess Monarch Level strength.

It wasn’t until a year ago that Earl Hovern’s true level was accidentally exposed; what was thought to be the formidable presence of a Monarch powerful expert was actually just a disguise made possible by his Bloodline traits.

Earl Hovern’s true strength was only at the peak of Level 2, “Metamorphosis Phase,” and although only a step away from Monarch Level, of ten individuals who reached “Metamorphosis Phase,” not even one might actually become a mid-level Monarch.

According to Cyart’s rules, if a family member failed to become an Extraordinary Exponent at the Monarch Level within fifty years, the corresponding title of great nobility would be reclaimed by the Royal Family.

The last person in Cyart’s Hovern family to reach Monarch Level was Earl Hovern’s grandfather, who had been deceased for twenty-five years already.

That meant if Earl Hovern could not breakthrough to Monarch Level within the next twenty-five years, his earl title would be reclaimed, and the entire family’s rights and status would crumble.