The Kingdom of the Holy Cross suffered a heavy defeat as the Barbarians launched a devastating attack, defeating the entire military of the Saint Michael Province in a single battle. The vast land of Saint Michael, home to over a million people, fell into Barbarian hands.

Clearly, the Barbarians launched two attacks. While they suffered some losses on the side of the Kingdom of Locke, they achieved a great victory against the Holy Cross Kingdom.

Normally, enemies from two opposing countries would be pleased to hear such news. However, for the three Southern Kingdoms, this was not something to celebrate. After all, these kingdoms were all born from the same lineage, and this was essentially a civil war. The Barbarians, on the other hand, were foreign invaders.

The Barbarian Kingdom's actions were surprising. Over the past thirty years, much had changed. A new power had truly risen in the North, and through two wars and tens of thousands of deaths, the Barbarians had proven their strength.

The nobles and officials of the Northern Province had not yet recovered from the shock of this news when two consecutive orders arrived from the royal capital.

The first order granted honors to all those who had contributed to the war, and the king's rewards were generous. Derek was granted the title of hereditary baron, court viscount, and the position of Commander of the Saint Michael Legion.

Indeed, the Saint Michael Legion was a new military unit, even receiving an allocation of 5,000 soldiers. However, aside from the title, the troops were simply taken from the Second Legion. This was secondary, as the title itself spoke volumes about the king's intentions.

Furthermore, Derek's fief was located within the Holy Cross Kingdom, and its area even surpassed the lands held by the Ferreira family.

But Derek was not the only one to receive such rewards. Many other nobles and heroes were granted fiefs in the Saint Michael Province. If one looked at the map, it was clear that half of the entire province was promised to various recipients by the king.

Before the nobles from the Northern Province could voice their anger, the second order arrived: the king officially recognized the Barbarian Kingdom's status and established diplomatic relations. As part of the agreement, the Barbarians would hand over the entire Saint Michael Province to the Kingdom of Locke.

This clarified the king's decision, and it was clear that the Barbarian envoys had been waiting in the royal capital for this moment.

Had the Northern Province fallen, perhaps the nobles of the Holy Cross Kingdom would have been the ones to take over the lands.

Before Derek had the chance to reflect on these orders, royal envoys and representatives from the noble senate arrived. They quickly conducted a rushed awarding ceremony, bypassing the usual process of traveling to the royal capital. The Senate handed over the noble crest and coat of arms that had already been prepared.

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When Derek had registered as a knight, the double-headed dragon had already been established as his emblem. However, knights were only permitted to use triangular and swallowtail flags. Now, he could replace the swallowtail with the noble square flag.

The titles granted by the king were Viscount of the Court and Baron of Augusta. Following the usual custom, Derek could now be called "Von Ferreira Augusta Derek." His descendants would inherit the Augusta surname. His fief would be in the Augusta region of the Saint Michael Province.

However, given the ongoing conflict, it was likely that Derek would soon lose this land to the Holy Cross Kingdom’s counterattack.

"This is not a good situation," Derek thought to himself.

"The king is pressing for your action, Derek. Please depart quickly. His Majesty is eagerly awaiting your good news."

The envoy urged Derek.

Indeed, there was little time to waste. The Holy Cross Kingdom had clearly been preparing for a counterattack since the Barbarians began their invasion. However, they had not anticipated the extent of their defeat, nor that it would be the Kingdom of Locke that would suffer the consequences.

Still, the Holy Cross Kingdom would not give up easily. They would undoubtedly reclaim Saint Michael Province. The question was, how much damage would be done to the Kingdom of Locke in the meantime?

That evening, the governor summoned all the nobles and officials. Many of them looked at Derek with pity, knowing full well what was coming.

Although it was not certain that the Holy Cross Kingdom would immediately recapture Saint Michael Province, a protracted conflict seemed inevitable. The Holy Cross Kingdom would not let the matter rest.

The governor cleared his throat, addressing the gathered nobles:

"The loss of Saint Michael Province is unfortunate, and the Barbarians' actions were unexpected. But this was a rare opportunity, and had it not been for the Barbarians’ surprise attack, the province would not have fallen so easily."

The governor's statement was accurate. If the Kingdom of Locke had mobilized its forces sooner, the Saint Michael Province would have been better prepared. It was only because of the Barbarian surprise that they had caught the province off-guard.

But despite this, the king's actions were still seen as dishonorable.

The governor, awkwardly facing the silent nobles, continued:

"Rest assured, for the next three years, no taxes will be levied in Saint Michael Province. The kingdom will provide generous assistance with food, supplies, and even people to help the province recover."

The king knew that the Barbarians would not allow the situation to stabilize easily. So, the kingdom would have to provide support to the province.

Compared to the cost of recovery, the rewards were worth it.

The nobles seemed relieved.

Baron Ferreira called Derek over to his side.

"I will be heading out to the front soon. The First and Second Legions will be merged into one, along with your Saint Michael Legion and various private armies. We’ll have around 20,000 to 30,000 troops, but we will face the Holy Cross Kingdom’s first counteroffensive. Our reinforcements won’t arrive for at least three to five months. Derek, what are your thoughts?"

Baron Ferreira was clearly feeling the pressure. A single mistake could lead to the loss of Saint Michael Province.

Derek thought for a moment before answering:

"We’ll have to assess the situation once we reach Saint Michael Province. But we must be cautious of the Barbarians as well."

"Indeed," the baron agreed. "We must secure the province quickly and prepare for the Holy Cross Kingdom’s counterattack."

Derek had already anticipated the situation. "If the Barbarians don’t cooperate, we’ll have to show them some force. They want us to fight each other for space to grow, so they won’t dare turn against us too soon."

Derek's keen insight impressed Baron Ferreira.

"Good thinking," the baron smiled. "I’ll begin preparations and hand over the military to you. You’ll head out first and assess the Barbarians' intentions."