Chapter 11: While My Neighbor Hoards Grain, I Hoard Spears

The reason Hutton could guess that Ryan had come to buy grain was simple: when Old Hutton, the previous baron, had first arrived in the Northern Wind Province, his first problem was also food.

Even though Hutton didn't know what had gone on within the Empire that led to Ryan inheriting the Frozen Soil Territory, and arriving with fewer than ten guards, that was none of his business.

In the baronial circle, as long as Ryan could pay a high enough price, Hutton was willing to sell him some grain.

"Ryan, my friend, I wonder why you've come here with so many people?"

Hutton asked, with an expression of sincerity.

Ryan replied with a bitter look and a youthful voice:

"Baron Hutton, to be honest, I have no food at all in the Frozen Soil Territory. If I don't get some soon, I might become the first noble in the Empire to starve to death."

As he finished, he glanced cautiously at Hutton.

Hutton was about to demand an outrageous price when Ryan suddenly grabbed his hand, and the strength in that grip stunned him—he couldn't break free.

He's a knight?

Despite Hutton being a knight-in-training, he could clearly feel that Ryan's strength far surpassed his own.

How old is this kid?!

Ryan leaned in and said nervously:

"I heard… Baron Hutton has some issues with Sir Watt?"

The smile vanished from Hutton's face, replaced by a flash of anger.

"Even Baron Ryan has heard of that?"

The Watt Ryan referred to was a Pioneer Knight.

In the Empire, one could only claim unclaimed land by acquiring an official "Pioneer Edict" from the Empire, which allowed either Pioneer Lords or Pioneer Knights to settle and govern.

These edicts were common in the Northern Wind Province—like how Hutton's father sold his original estate to come north with a Pioneer Edict.

But Pioneer Knights were far rarer than Pioneer Lords, and obtaining such a title was incredibly difficult, because it offered the chance to rise into the nobility.

There were only two paths to become a Pioneer Knight:

A noble descendant without inheritance rights, but deeply favored by the lord, who could obtain an edict on their behalf.

A formal knight (at minimum), who earned merit in battle and had the support of a noble to petition the Empire for the title.

Both required noble backing.

Especially the second—non-noble knights trying to become nobles had it a hundred times harder than those born into noble families.

Watt belonged to the second type.

His title as a Pioneer Knight came from none other than Grand Duke Meyers—the man who annexed the Northern Wind Province into the Empire.

For five or six generations, Watt's ancestors had served as knight-retainers under the Grand Duke. His lineage even boasted a Golden Knight, a legendary figure. Watt himself earned his edict partly because he married into the Meyers family.

In truth, this was a product of imperial politics and compromise.

Though Meyers conquered the north, the Empire's nobility refused to let him claim land there for his family. As compensation, they allowed him to distribute Pioneer Knight edicts—essentially scraps of paper from the Grand Duke's perspective, used to appease his followers.

Even that "compensation" was a political insult by the nobility.

Ryan could relate—his own barony had been a political consolation prize, handed out to compensate for his father, Count Clayton, much like those worthless knight edicts.

Once a knight became a Pioneer Knight, they no longer fought for others, but for themselves. And former loyalties no longer guaranteed future obedience.

As for the conflict between Sir Watt and Baron Hutton, it had many roots—territorial disputes, monetary disagreements, and competition over resources.

Their territories bordered one another, and they'd even clashed over a small iron mine, resulting in many slave deaths.

As a lazy, inheritance-fed noble, Hutton's strength was weaker than Watt's, and he had no ambition. Compared to the driven Watt, Hutton was like a defenseless sheep.

After multiple skirmishes, Hutton had taken loss after loss. So at the mere mention of Watt's name, he became furious.

"Baron Ryan, are you here to take advantage of me?" Hutton asked coldly.

Ryan replied, invoking a law no Northern noble had ever cared about:

"Nobles must not wage war on each other. Have you forgotten that, Baron Hutton?"

"Watt is still just a Pioneer Knight. Until the Empire grants him a baronial title, he's still just a knight."

"There's a difference between a knight and a noble."

He looked at Hutton seriously.

"Baron Hutton, my friend, I'm here to help you."

Then, without turning his head, Ryan shouted:

"Form ranks!"

Hutton nearly buckled at the knees.

Behind Ryan, thirty knight squires snapped into formation, long spears in hand, while Brand, bare-armed despite the winter chill, stood before them like a statue of war.

Gulp.

Hutton's eyes widened.

He'd completely misjudged these men.

He had assumed—seeing their fur clothing instead of proper Empire armor—that they were mere peasants.

But thirty well-trained knight squires?

Where had Ryan found such elite troops?

Frozen Soil Territory? Don't be ridiculous.

Could it be… that Count Clayton had secretly provided his son with support?

The thought made Hutton's eyes gleam with excitement.

Ryan, seeing the change in Hutton's expression, knew exactly what he was thinking.

He needed food. But with no money, and no land to barter, there were still hundreds of mouths to feed.

There was only one option left:

Take it.

His neighbors surely had stockpiled food for the winter. If it came to hunger or survival, then he would not hold back.

"While my neighbor hoards grain, I hoard spears."

Facing the current food crisis, Ryan had no intention of using conventional methods.

Baron Hutton was a textbook case of a lazy, self-indulgent noble.

Once he learned Ryan had brought thirty armed warriors to support him, his mind stopped thinking entirely.

"Watt, you've taken so much from me—it's time to give it all back!"