The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 392: The Frustration of a Knight

Before departing for Caritas, Baroness Weilmar had expected to meet an adult man. However, reality shocked her when she found herself facing a young man who seemed no older than his twenties. He had handsome black hair and wore noble attire that exuded strong charisma, making those who saw him instinctively feel respect for him.

Aldrian looked directly at the baroness and offered a slight smile.

"What an unexpected visit from an esteemed guest. Welcome to Caritas, Baroness Weilmar," he said, extending his hand.

The baroness snapped out of her shock upon hearing Aldrian’s words.

"Ah, yes, my apologies for coming without prior notice. My circumstances required me to act quickly, so I hope Your Excellency understands," Baroness Weilmar said as she accepted Aldrian’s handshake.

They sat on the sofa, facing each other, while her guardian knight stood behind her, keeping watch. A maid served Aldrian another cup of tea as he turned his gaze toward the baroness.

"So, for an esteemed leader of a noble family to come to this place at this time, I suppose you’ve already heard the rumors about me. For Lady Charoline to make the trip here, despite being cornered in Weilmar City, the situation must be dire. I won’t beat around the bush, as I know you don’t have much time—you have a war to fight. What is your purpose here, or more specifically, what do you want from me?" he asked with a calm expression.

Baroness Weilmar nodded.

"Then I’ll be direct as well, since I dislike dragging things out. But first, my apologies—please don’t misunderstand, as this is truly a question that came to mind when I saw you, and I hope Your Excellency can satisfy my curiosity. Are you really the one who took over this city?"

"Well, that is a fact," he replied calmly.

"I see." Baroness Weilmar sighed. Once again, she was amazed that someone so young had already done something as bold as killing many and seizing a city from the second prince’s faction.

"The purpose of my visit is to seek Your Excellency’s support for Weilmar City. Our city has been under blockade for almost two weeks, and there are many people inside who need food. However, the blockade has made it impossible to supply them. We predict that if the situation doesn’t improve within the next two weeks, our people will begin to starve. I hope Your Excellency can at least provide logistical support to prevent such a tragedy."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Additionally, we hope that Your Excellency can offer a refuge for my people in case something worse happens to Weilmar City."

Her gaze was full of hope, and Aldrian could sense that she genuinely cared about the well-being of her people. He smiled as he picked up his cup of tea.

"Is that all?" he asked before taking a sip.

Baroness Weilmar was momentarily stunned by his question. She lowered her gaze to her lap for a moment before looking at Aldrian again.

"Actually... personally, I would also like to ask for Your Excellency’s help in pushing back the second prince’s forces at Weilmar City. With your strength, it would be a great help to us. Now that your warning has likely spread across the entire empire, the second prince will surely target Caritas even more. We can offer our support to help ease some of your burdens, as the second prince will have to send a massive force to reclaim this city."

She hesitated before adding, "However, that is merely my personal hope. I do not expect much from it. I know it’s asking too much of Your Excellency, especially since you have no moral obligation to involve yourself further in this war."

Aldrian look at her eyes and keep silent. He can saw that she seems anxious waiting for his answer. He put down his cup of tea.

"I can provide your people with supplies, and I will also allow them to escape if something happens to Weilmar City. However, I don’t need your help regarding this city. I can take care of the second prince’s forces myself," Aldrian said calmly.

Baroness Weilmar was stunned, but she sighed inwardly. While she was relieved that Aldrian was willing to provide a way out for her people, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he had no interest in aiding her in the war. She had already expected this—Aldrian didn’t seem to be from this empire, and he had no obligation to save its people. Once he was done with his business here, he could simply move to another empire, leaving the second prince with limited options.

"I see, then—"

"Arrogant! With the second prince’s massive forces, how can you possibly hold them off by yourself? There are even Emperor-stage cultivators among them! If they come for you, you’ll be caught off guard, and that will be your end!"

Suddenly, her guardian knight’s voice resounded through the room, causing Baroness Weilmar’s eyes to widen in shock as she turned toward him.

"Dan, what are you—"

"No, Milady! I can’t stand his arrogance!" Dan interrupted. "He thinks that just because he liberated this city from the second prince’s faction, he can hold off the second prince’s forces by himself. He underestimates them far too much! I’m afraid he’ll fall before he even realizes what hit him," he said, his expression filled with anger.

"SILENCE!" she shouted.

Her outburst stunned her guardian knight. He turned his head to the side as if trying to calm himself, but the fury in his eyes remained. Dan had followed Baroness Weilmar for a long time, witnessing the countless hardships she had endured in this war. He knew firsthand how formidable the second prince’s faction truly was.

If the second prince’s faction were so easy to defeat, their alliance wouldn’t be in this dire situation in the first place.

Baroness Weilmar sighed and turned to Aldrian.

"I apologize for my—"

She stopped mid-sentence when Aldrian gestured for her to stop. She noticed the smile on his face as he turned his gaze toward her guardian knight.

"Is that so? And what makes you think I can’t stop his forces? You’ve never seen me fight, nor do you know my strength," he asked calmly.

Dan, the baroness’s guardian knight, looked at Aldrian again. He couldn’t help but feel even more irritated at the confidence on Aldrian’s face, which he perceived as sheer arrogance, as if he were underestimating everything.

"He has the support of many noble families, and if we count his entire army along with those nobles’ forces, it numbers over half a million troops. And that’s not even considering their qualitative superiority—with more than fifteen Emperor-stage cultivators among their ranks."

"Meanwhile, our combined opposition force amounts to barely half of that, and we’ve already suffered heavy losses. We have only six Emperor-stage left cultivators supporting us."

"If the second prince’s forces could be held back by a single person, we wouldn’t be in this dire situation, constantly on the brink of being wiped out," he said.

It was clear that he was pouring out all his frustration onto Aldrian. Aldrian could easily sense the deep frustration that had been weighing on his heart.

The long battles he had endured, combined with the constant retreat against the second prince’s forces, had made him pessimistic. Despair continued to build in his heart.

So, when he first heard that someone dared to challenge the entire faction—boldly claiming he could stand against anyone who tried to take Caritas—anger surged within him.

And now, hearing how Aldrian seemed to dismiss his master’s intent to form an alliance, rejecting the idea that they could help each other, and even arrogantly claiming he needed no one’s help, Dan finally lost control. He felt as if his master’s hope and goodwill had been carelessly brushed aside by this young man.

Aldrian simply smiled. This guardian knight had a point. After experiencing continuous losses, it was only natural for the opposition forces to harbor negativity. Aldrian understood what was going through Dan’s mind and wasn’t offended by his outburst.

He then turned to Baroness Weilmar.

"You have a good guardian knight, Baroness Weilmar." freēnovelkiss.com

Baroness Weilmar, who had been on edge due to her guardian knight’s outburst, was stunned by Aldrian’s response. She had braced herself for a harsh reaction, perhaps even being chased away but instead, Aldrian remained calm and level-headed, showing no sign of being offended.

Dan, still seething with anger, grew even more irritated when he saw that Aldrian seemed completely unfazed by his words.

"You—"

"My lord, bad news!"

Before Dan could say more, a maid suddenly burst into the room, panting heavily as she frantically tried to deliver her message. Panic was evident on her face.

"My apologies, my lord, Your Excellency, but I bring urgent news!" she gasped. "They’re here!"

"Who is here?" Aldrian asked, his expression unchanged.

"The second prince’s troops! They’re approaching the city as we speak!"

Upon hearing the maid’s words, Baroness Weilmar and Dan widened their eyes in shock. The second prince’s troops were already here? That was fast!

The baroness instinctively turned to Aldrian, wanting to say something, but what she saw left her speechless. He was simply smiling—a calm, indifferent smile, as if it didn’t matter whether the second prince’s forces had arrived or not.

Aldrian then shifted his gaze to Baroness Weilmar and Dan.

"Excuse me, esteemed guests, but I have something to take care of before we continue our conversation."