Chapter 498

"My noble lords, due to my health, I have not personally presided over such banquets in many years—these matters have been handled by the Crown Prince!"

"All these years, my eldest son has truly borne the burden!"

Upon the high dais, the King of Gryphon sat down and began to speak.

As he spoke, his gaze turned tenderly toward the Crown Prince.

"Father, as your eldest son, it is my duty to share your burdens—so you need not concern yourself with me!" the Crown Prince immediately replied with solemn respect.

The King nodded with a smile, deeply moved.

This scene of filial piety and paternal love moved many noble ladies and young ladies to nod in quiet emotion.

Then the King changed tone: "Of course, this situation has now passed, as my health improves!"

"From now on, I shall resume my duties as King, and make our Gryphon Kingdom greater than ever!"

"And you, my Crown Prince, may now take some rest! Enough said—let us drink to the future of the Gryphon Kingdom!"

"To the future!" At these words, the nobles raised their cups and cheered as they drank.

Only the Crown Prince and a few nobles flickered expressions of unusual insight.

Gervas was among them.

The King’s words appeared to be a scene of paternal love and filial duty.

But viewed differently, they signaled his return to power and the reclamation of authority.

Of course, Gervas cared nothing for any of this—he cared only when his title would be granted.

Fortunately, the King did not keep him waiting long.

After the toast and cheers, the banquet immediately moved to its main purpose.

"My noble lords, you all know the purpose of tonight’s banquet at the Onyx Estate: to honor the heroes who bravely fought in the Northern Front and successfully repelled the beastmen invasion!"

"Now, let me, the King of Gryphon, personally reward these meritorious subjects!"

"Let us welcome our foremost hero of the Northern Front: my loyal subject, the fearless knight of the Gryphon Seventh, Lord of Stormhold in the Southern Marches, Viscount Gervas Gale!"

Instantly, many nobles turned their gazes toward Gervas.

Of course, these glances came mostly from nobles who had participated in the Northern Campaign—outside the capital, few knew Gervas by name.

As these nobles stared, the curious lords, ladies, and young ladies of the capital who had been scanning the hall now fixed their eyes on Gervas.

"Oh! So young! Could he really be the top hero of the Northern Campaign? He doesn’t look it at all!"

"Yes! So young, so handsome—how extraordinary must he be to earn top honors fighting beastmen in the North!"

As the capital nobles fixed their gaze on Gervas, a low buzz of murmurs spread through the hall.

Especially among the noble ladies—they were utterly taken aback by Gervas’s youth and beauty.

True, there had been young heroes before.

But most were elderly, burly men.

Only at such an age could one possess the wisdom and strength to achieve great deeds.

Men like Gervas, young and untested, usually still lived under their fathers’ shadows.

Still, though surprised, the noble ladies quickly accepted Gervas as this handsome young hero.

Some even began subtly sending him flirtatious glances.

"Lord Viscount Gervas, please follow me to the dais to present yourself before His Majesty!"

A servant appeared swiftly beside Gervas and led him through the crowd to the foot of the dais.

"Your servant, Gervas Gale, greets Your Majesty!"

Standing before the dais, Gervas struck his chest with his right fist and bowed deeply, performing the standard bow of respect.

Though this world did have kneeling rituals,

they were mostly reserved for serfs and commoners.

Between monarch and vassal, kneeling was generally unnecessary.

Only during ennoblement was a single knee lowered as a sign of reverence.

This was a dignity nobles of this knightly world had fought to secure for themselves.

Though distinctions still existed between great and lesser nobles,

all believed that once admitted into the noble class, one must no longer suffer the utter lack of dignity accorded to commoners and serfs.

Thus, it was universally accepted: lesser nobles did not kneel to greater nobles, nor to their liege lords.

"Rise, Viscount Gervas!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Gervas rose with full deference.

The King then studied Gervas closely and nodded. "When Lord Willoby told me your age, I thought he had made a mistake!"

"But after repeated verification, I confirmed your age was correct. Gervas, to possess such ability and courage at your age is truly rare!"

"Now tell me: having earned the top honor in the Northern Campaign, what reward do you desire?"

Hearing the King’s question, Gervas’s eyes lit up.

I know this one!

Without hesitation, Gervas replied firmly: "Your Majesty, as a subject, it is my duty to defend the Kingdom when invaded, and to defeat all who dare challenge Your Majesty’s dignity!"

"Therefore, I seek no lavish reward—I only pray that Your Majesty and the Gryphon Kingdom may enjoy eternal peace and stability!"

The nobles gasped in astonishment.

What a man!

Not only young and handsome, but his words were so perfectly crafted!

"Hahahaha! Excellent! No lavish reward sought—only eternal peace for the Kingdom!"

"Viscount Gervas, if every noble in this Kingdom shared your resolve, our Gryphon Kingdom’s greatness would be assured!"

"Yet as monarch, I cannot leave a great deed unrewarded—otherwise, who would ever risk their life for my Kingdom?"

"Therefore, I, Henryk of Gryphon, Lord of the Gryphon Kingdom, hereby proclaim: in recognition of Gervas Gale’s outstanding merit in the Northern Campaign!"

"I bestow upon Gervas Gale the title of Earl, and grant him lands befitting his new rank!"

Gasps erupted.

"An earldom! He’s being made an Earl—and with land! Good heavens, Gervas has become a great noble!"

"Yes! How old is he? Twenty? Twenty-three? A young Earl? Unless he’s a direct heir of a Marquis or Duke, I doubt the Kingdom has ever seen another!"

"Exactly! Even the sons of Marquises and Dukes don’t receive an earldom with land as prestigious as this one, granted directly by His Majesty!"

"True! The land alone can’t compare—by the way, is Viscount Gervas—no, Earl Gervas—betrothed? If not, I wouldn’t object to marrying him..."

As the King announced the reward, the hall erupted in uproar.

Though a few had foreknown Gervas would be granted an earldom,

the vast majority had not.

And rising from Viscount to Earl

was no simple step like ascending from Baron to Viscount.

Many Viscount families, even after generations of effort, could never cross this threshold.

It was like a commoner ascending to nobility—there was a vast chasm between them.

But once crossed, one’s status and position underwent a qualitative leap.