Seeing his incoming descendants on the system pannel was a handy feature for Edric. Knowing the result within hours, rather than waiting over a month, gave him certainty about his progress toward completing the task. At least now, he wouldn’t be kept in suspense about whether the night was successful.
"But just one incoming child isn’t enough," he thought, his brow furrowing.
"If I can secure at least ten potential heirs, then the task will still be completed even if something happens to one. I can’t leave anything to chance." The punishment for non-completion was death. This is medieval times with limited medical capabilities, and there are many reasons a pregnancy may fail. Mages may be able to treat diseases and save the mother and baby in the case of an accident, but Countess Lyria Windwalker surely had no mage around, nor did she know any; mages were extremely rare; it can be said that one has to be at least a marquis to have the chance to meet even the lowest-ranking mage.
Of course, Edric himself has a very good chance of quickly becoming a mage, given it takes only 10,000 XP to break through. But his talent is terrible, and he may not be able to learn spells that can be used during pregnancy; treating pregnant women is more complicated than treating non-pregnant persons.
Mage talent was extremely rare, far, far rarer than knight talent.
Edric loved living as a noble in this world of magic. The stakes were too high. Failure to fulfill the system’s requirements meant facing death before his journey even started, and he would not risk it under any circumstances.
Determined not to leave his fate to chance, Edric decided to make two descendants a day; by the end of the week, he should have more than 10 incoming children; that way, unless something catastrophic happens that kills everyone in the city, his task would be successfully completed.
His mother said that Mara would fulfill all of his wishes in this one week; asking for so much is taking advantage of his mother's generosity, but with his life on the line, he couldn't care less about what his mother, Mara, or anyone else thought.
Thinking of the limited time, he nudged Mirelle, waking her up; he then called Mara and asked her for another mistress.
Mara looked at Edric with questioning eyes.
"Master, didn't you just ..." Mara didn't continue her sentence.
Edric said, "My mother said I could do whatever I wanted this week, so please do as I said."
Mirelle stared at Edric with disbelief. Her mind raced, thinking about what she had done to make Edric dissatisfied. She had many dreams, such as capturing the heart of the most famous genius in the entire Windwalker territory, but now, it seemed Edric wasn't very impressed by her.
"Master, please forgive me!" She bowed, trying to understand what caused this sudden change.
Edric looked at her and said, "You did nothing wrong! Please, rest for a few days." Looking at Mara, he said, "Mara, please, take care of her every need."
Mara simply bowed. She had known Edric for years, but until now, she had not known this side of him.
The two left, leaving Edric sitting on the bed.
"The task must be completed!" he determined. Even though he was hungry, he persevered. He must make at least two descendants today to be on schedule!
...
Marquis Rhaegor Darkwind, the patriarch of the Darkwind family, was once renowned as a formidable Silver Knight in his youth. Tales of his strength and valor had echoed throughout the kingdom. However, those days of glory were long gone. At over 220 years old, the current marquis is a mere shadow of his former self.
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Time had taken its toll. The once-mighty knight, who could cleave enemies in half with a single strike, now relied on attendants to help him stand up. He could no longer walk without assistance, let alone wield a weapon in battle.
Silver Knights, blessed with extraordinary longevity and resilience, typically lived up to 250 years. Yet, their prime seldom extended beyond their 200th year; once they crossed that threshold, their bodies would begin deteriorating rapidly, the strength of their youth fading like embers of a dying fire.
For Marquis Rhaegor, this decline had been incredibly tragic. A mere two decades ago, he had been the epitome of vitality—strong, sharp-witted, and commanding respect across the kingdom. Now, he is frail, his authority waning with each passing year.
It was well known that a Silver Knight who failed to ascend to the level of a Golden Knight by the age of 200 would never reach there. The energy required to achieve such a breakthrough became impossible to muster as his body aged past 200 years old. When it became clear that Rhaegor would never rise beyond his Silver Knight status, the focus of the Darkwind family shifted from him to his successor.
The failure of Marquis Rhaegor to break through had set off a chain reaction that plunged the Darkwind family into turmoil. With no clear successor, a fierce battle for the marquisate erupted, engulfing the family in chaos. For the past twenty years, this conflict had raged unchecked, destabilizing the Darkwind territory and its neighbors.
The struggle for succession wasn’t merely a private affair—it had spiraled into a region-wide crisis. Neighboring noble families, such as the Windwalker, Stonefist, and Highpeak families, were all drawn into the vortex of unrest. Trade routes were disrupted, alliances fractured, and skirmishes became commonplace along the borders.
Among these families, none felt the impact as profoundly as the Windwalkers.
The Windwalker and Darkwind families shared a tumultuous history. Once, centuries ago, the Windwalkers had been vassals under the Darkwind banner. However, a schism had fractured that relationship, leading to the Windwalkers breaking away and establishing their independence. The split had left deep scars, and although both sides had signed a peace accord brokered by the king himself, animosity continued to simmer beneath the surface.
This fragile truce had lasted for generations, upheld more out of necessity than genuine reconciliation. Yet, the peace was tenuous at best, and tensions frequently flared into conflict. Even minor land, trade, or honor disputes often escalated into outright skirmishes.
Now, with the Darkwind family embroiled in its internal struggle for power, the situation had grown even more precarious. The Windwalker family, led by the formidable Marquis Alaric Windwalker, took advantage of the chaos and started interfering with the succession battle.
At first, Marquis Alaric Windwalker wanted to avoid getting involved, but after the disruption of the trade routes, it became crystal clear that whether the Windwalkers wanted it or not, they would be affected; so, as the head of the Windwalkers, he decided to support the rebel faction of the Darkwinds. He made a bet: if the rebel faction succeeds, it would bring a lot of benefit to the Windwalker family; if Marquis Rhaegor Darkwind's faction wins, it would be bad but not catastrophic; whoever the successor, they wouldn't be able to do much beyond the disruption of trade routes, which is already happening regardless.
The disruption of trade routes forced Marquis Windwalker's hand; the worst-case scenario of trade route disruption was already happening, so participating in the succession fight was without any drawbacks.
Of course, the Windwalker family, once a vassal of the Darkwind family trying to interfere, outraged many in the main faction of the Darkwind family. They started to call for a war to bring the Windwalkers back into vassalage. However, everyone knew this was all empty talk; the Darkwind family was powerful, but it was split, consuming itself in the internal struggle; furthermore, it was surrounded by three noble families waiting and looking for an excuse to bite a chunk of territory out of the Darkwinds. Even though conquering the lands of other nobles is forbidden, if the excuse is defensible, the king would approve it.
As such, the Darkwinds would never give an excuse to the three hungry wolves around them; if they did, they would be swallowed up or at least lose a lot of territory.
Disruption of trade routes, economic sanctions, etc., are not acceptable excuses by the king's standard, but starting an all-out war to conquer another noble's territory absolutely is; once they do it, the king would doubtlessly allow the other three families to conquer Darkwind territory.