Become a Dragon Knight!

In the reception room, Sigismund, Anthony, who had just returned from the Netherlands, and the Emperor's envoy, who had hurried from Serbia, sat around a long table.

Sigismund took a small sip from his cup, his gaze moving back and forth between Anthony and the envoy.

As the butler had said, the envoy's expression was very gentle, while Anthony's face was not very good; it seemed Burgundy was in trouble.

After a moment of deliberation, Sigismund broke the silence: "Mister Envoy, I heard you came with Emperor Laszlo's decree. What exactly is the content of that edict?"

The envoy smiled slightly, took out the Emperor's edict, and unfolded it before them.

Anthony was startled, and he slightly turned his head, politely asking, "For such an important edict, should I excuse myself?"

The envoy shook his head and replied, "No need, Lord Anthony. On the contrary, it's good that you returned to Freiburg at this time,

because this edict also contains matters concerning you."

Anthony looked at the envoy with some curiosity: "Something about me? What exactly is Emperor Laszlo's will...?"

Seeing the two important figures staring intently at him, the envoy immediately cleared his throat and explained to them slowly: "Emperor Laszlo recently obtained the throne of Serbia. Are you two aware of this?"

"I remember Serbia was ruled by King Ulrich. Could it be that..."

Anthony's fiefdom, the Duchy of Macedonia, bordered Serbia, so he was naturally not ignorant of Serbia's situation.

"King Ulrich has passed away, and he bequeathed the throne to Emperor Laszlo."

"What does this have to do with us?"

Sigismund frowned, asking the envoy with some confusion.

He had no interest in what was happening a thousand miles away, and the envoy's evasiveness made him feel somewhat anxious.

How was Laszlo going to torment him this time? He speculated uneasily in his heart.

"Please don't be anxious, Lord Sigismund," the envoy glanced at Sigismund, not understanding why he was so restless, "Although Serbia is in a remote frontier, its position is very important.

As Emperor Laszlo often resides in Vienna, it is inconvenient for him to manage distant subordinate states, so he decided to select a loyal minister with royal blood and outstanding talent to manage Serbia on his behalf.

Therefore, you have been chosen as Serbia Regent, to govern Serbia on behalf of Emperor Laszlo and stabilize the border defenses."

"You said who? Me? I'm going to be Serbia Regent?"

Sigismund pointed to himself in disbelief, then exchanged glances with the equally shocked Anthony.

"Yes, Lord Sigismund, just like Lord Frederick, you will also go to the Balkans to govern the new subordinate state of the dynasty."

The envoy confirmed Sigismund's new identity again.

At this moment, although Sigismund still harbored some worries about the future, he felt more anticipation and joy.

He could finally understand Frederick's feelings when he was assigned to Bulgaria back then.

It wasn't that staying in Austria to help his nephew manage the family's core territory was bad; it was just that going to a subordinate state offered more freedom.

After all, staying in Austria meant being constantly watched by Emperor Laszlo, unable to make any improper moves, and having to do thankless chores.

But going to the distant East, that truly meant a vast sea for fish to leap and a boundless sky for birds to fly.

Being in a place beyond Laszlo's reach was surely better than being under his watchful eye, wasn't it?

Moreover, he didn't want to stay in this godforsaken Outer Austria for another moment.

The Swiss were eyeing it covetously, and on the other side, Lorraine, Burgundy, and France were surrounding this ancestral land of the Habsburg Family.

Even the princes of Swabia coveted this place, only not showing it due to fear of Emperor Laszlo's powerful prestige.

External threats were one aspect, but internal oppression was equally unbearable.

Some requests from Outer Austria were often rejected by Vienna.

Aside from necessary material aid and fortress maintenance expenses, Emperor Laszlo's government hardly invested a single florin in Outer Austria.

Sigismund knew this was a national policy set by his ancestors, to first develop other parts of Austria, and then finally attempt to reclaim Switzerland.

Only then could Outer Austria possibly achieve significant development.

Nevertheless, Sigismund, as the de facto administrator of Outer Austria, was still dissatisfied with this situation.

If he were still the Count of Tyrol, he would definitely heavily exploit the Tyrol silver mines and then use the money to invest in Outer Austria... Well, if that were truly the case, Sigismund realized he would surely prioritize the development of Tyrol first.

Outer Austria was too close to Switzerland and France, always in danger of being overthrown, and clearly not suitable for investment and construction. Thinking of this, Sigismund suddenly came to his senses and asked, "If I go to Serbia, what about here?"

Hearing Sigismund's question, the envoy turned to Anthony and said, "Emperor Laszlo's other decree is to appoint you, Lord Anthony, as the acting Governor of Outer Austria, to manage all affairs of Outer Austria until the officially appointed Governor of Outer Austria arrives.

During this period, contact with Burgundy must be maintained."

Anthony nodded, showing little reaction to Emperor Laszlo's appointment.

He hadn't been back to his own Macedonian territory for a long time, entrusting its management to his retainers.

And he, as the diplomatic envoy between Austria and Burgundy, served on the Emperor's Privy Council's Foreign Affairs Committee.

Now Emperor Laszlo had thrown this position of Governor of Outer Austria to him, truly not treating him as an outsider.

Anthony, who had traveled back and forth between Outer Austria and Burgundy for many years and cooperated with Sigismund for years, naturally knew this was not an easy job.

Outer Austria's economy was not developed, yet its military pressure was surprisingly high.

If a conflict with Switzerland broke out, besides seeking aid from Vienna, he would inevitably have to seek aid from Dijon.

Perhaps, before Emperor Laszlo's army could arrive, his father and brother's reinforcements would have already reached Outer Austria, which bordered Burgundy.

He began to suspect whether Emperor Laszlo was truly harboring such a small scheme.

However, this time he truly wronged Laszlo.

Laszlo had simply not thought well about who should fill the vacancy left by Sigismund, so he temporarily assigned Anthony, who specialized in diplomatic affairs, to fill in.

As for who would serve as the official Governor of Outer Austria later, Laszlo actually already had a preliminary idea.

"Oh, and one more thing."

The envoy thought of another major matter and pulled out several bound booklets from his satchel, placing them before the two.

"What is this?"

"These are the charters and decrees of the Dragon Knight Order. You two must have heard of the Dragon Knight Order, haven't you?"

Sigismund and Anthony exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

The envoy could only explain: "The Dragon Knight Order is a military Teutonic Order founded by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg fifty-four years ago.

The Teutonic Order was initially composed of twenty-one powerful figures from various countries, with several armies under its command.

After Emperor Sigismund's death, the Teutonic Order disintegrated.

Now, only the cavalry units of the Austro-Hungarian Army still use the Teutonic Order's name.

After acquiring Serbia, Emperor Laszlo decided to rebuild this glorious and holy Teutonic Order founded by his maternal grandfather. Emperor Laszlo himself serves as the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, its supreme leader and object of loyalty.

The Teutonic Order aims to protect Christendom from encroachment by enemies and guard the Habsburg Family.

As important nobles in the Balkans, both of you are on Emperor Laszlo's summons list. You only need to sign your names on this charter, and you will be considered members of the Dragon Knight Order.

The knighting and flag-presenting ceremonies will be held later.

Lords, what is your decision?"

Sigismund and Anthony were not foolish; they immediately understood Emperor Laszlo's intention.

Rebuilding a noble Teutonic Order under the banner of "defending the faith and guarding the imperial family" felt like...

Anthony pulled out a golden necklace from his collar, with the Order of the Golden Fleece medal hanging from it.

Although not as luxurious as the medal Philip personally bestowed upon Laszlo, it was more ornate than the medals of ordinary Order of the Golden Fleece members.

This was also one of Anthony's gains from his trip to the Low Countries.

Philip the Good officially bestowed a knighthood upon his son, Anthony the Great Bastard, admitting him into the Order of the Golden Fleece.

However, at the banquet after the knighting ceremony, Anthony was publicly reprimanded by his father and confined for flirting with a noble lady, which was not a pleasant memory.

Unlike religious Teutonic Orders such as the Teutonic Order or the Order of Saint George, which Emperor Laszlo separated from it, England's Order of the Garter, Burgundy's Order of the Golden Fleece, and now this so-called Dragon Knight Order are all noble Teutonic Orders.

The former are true military organizations with strong combat capabilities, such as the three great Teutonic Orders during the Crusade.

The latter, however, are honorary organizations with a membership system, binding members through honor and loyalty to consolidate their own rule.

The original intention of the Dragon Knight Order was to defend the Cross and the Hungarian royal family, but Laszlo made some slight modifications to this.

Just signing their names meant being able to join Emperor Laszlo's inner circle; there was nothing to hesitate about.

Anthony and Sigismund briefly read the charter and then signed their names on it. Afterward, Sigismund also ordered their seals to be brought and stamped above their signatures.

"Gentlemen, after joining the Dragon Knight Order, please maintain absolute loyalty to Emperor Laszlo.

White Knight Janos Hunyadi and Vlad II, the Dragon Duke, were considered the two most famous members of the previous Dragon Knight Order.

Vlad II betrayed the charter and submitted to the Ottoman, so White Knight Janos Hunyadi led his army to take his head to console Emperor Sigismund.

This is a bloody lesson, and I hope you two will keep it in mind."

The envoy's words made the two of them shudder; these words were undoubtedly specially instructed by Emperor Laszlo, meant for them to hear.

What Laszlo could least accept was betrayal. If anyone betrayed his trust, there was only one outcome: death. After seeing off Emperor Laszlo's envoy, Sigismund and Anthony raised their cups and drank together, beginning to talk about some important recent events in Western Europe.