Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Claws tore through the air with a piercing shriek.

Roland yanked hard on the reins. The magnificent warhorse beneath him instantly understood, rearing up on its hind legs to narrowly avoid the fatal blow.

He raised his Buch Shield, inscribed with complex Magic Patterns, to block the heavy strike that immediately followed.

Sparks flew.

The immense impact surged through the Magic Shield and into his right arm, even causing the warhorse beneath him to let out an uneasy whinny.

Its hooves slammed back down, cracking the hard ground beneath them.

’A Level 4 Rock Ridge Lizard, but its strength is far beyond its peers.’

Roland calmly assessed his opponent’s strength. Fortunately, his companion and equipment were just as extraordinary.

He kept his shield raised, leaning forward to pat his warhorse’s neck reassuringly.

Enraged, the Rock Ridge Lizard let out a furious roar. Its thick, keratin-covered tail swept horizontally, kicking up a spray of crushed rock as it targeted both man and horse.

Roland held his ground.

The moment the giant tail was about to strike the warhorse, man and mount, as if of one mind, leaped sharply to the side.

WHOOSH—

The long tail swept past, barely grazing the warhorse’s rump. The powerful gust it created made Roland’s cape whip and snap behind him.

An opening.

Now was the time.

No words were needed. Roland lowered his body and leveled his lance, which pulsed with the magical light of Spiritual Qi. Man and horse became a streak of white lightning, charging toward the vulnerable neck the Giant Lizard had exposed with its missed attack.

His own weight, his steed’s momentum, and his Knight’s Spiritual Qi—all three merged into one, concentrating at the very tip of his lance.

The tip of the lance blazed with a dazzling, milky-white halo.

SQUELCH—

The lance plunged into the soft flesh beneath the Rock Ridge Lizard’s neck without resistance, bursting out the other side.

Scalding blood erupted, drenching both Roland and his warhorse.

The Rock Ridge Lizard froze. Its body swayed twice before it crashed to the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

Roland reined in his steed, calming his companion, who was agitated from the fight. His gaze remained sharp.

"Oh, my heavens! Knight Roland, you... you are our savior!"

Roland swung down from his horse, planted a foot on the massive head of the Rock Ridge Lizard, and wrenched his lance free from the Magical Beast’s corpse.

He rested the heavy lance against the ground beside him, then turned his attention to the young nobleman hurrying toward him.

"Upholding the code of chivalry is my creed, Sir Bazier."

The young nobleman, Bazier, hurried forward and offered a heavy coin purse with both hands, his face full of awe and an eagerness to please.

"Thank you for saving me. This is your rightful reward. Please, you must accept it!"

Roland didn’t even glance at the coin purse.

"I fight for honor, not for money."

His firm refusal left Bazier’s outstretched hand frozen in mid-air.

He awkwardly retracted the purse and said with even greater reverence, "You are truly a noble knight. If I may ask, where are you headed next?"

"It’s not very safe around here. I’ve heard there have been strange tremors recently over by Shiyan Town, in the Gray Sea Marsh. There are also rumors that the frontier lord there is gathering people to hunt some great beast."

’Shiyan Town, a frontier lord, hunting a great beast.’

Roland raised an eyebrow.

He had been traveling the Duchy for nearly a year and had seen far too many frontier territories fall to ruin because of their lords’ arrogance.

’A frontier lord with no deep-seated power or significant military strength daring to hunt a great beast? It was tantamount to suicide.’

’A chivalrous knight’s duty also includes preventing misguided nobles from walking to their doom.’

He decided he should go and help.

Roland’s Magical Beast warhorse was as swift as the wind. He had intended to ride straight for Shiyan Town, but in his haste, he galloped right past it and instead arrived at Newly Town—the place truly being ravaged by a Magical Beast.

Arriving at the town gate, Roland went straight to a guard and asked in a deep voice, "Is this place being ravaged by a Magical Beast? I have come to help. Take me to see your lord."

Intimidated by his powerful presence, the guard dared not delay and immediately summoned the Captain of the Guard, Barrett.

Barrett was worldly and perceptive. He instantly recognized the emblem on Roland’s armor—a Sun wreathed in flowers. This was undoubtedly a high-ranking nobleman. After confirming the stranger meant no harm, he decided to escort the distinguished Knight directly to the lord.

"Sir, this way please."

However, as Roland followed Barrett through the town, the sight that greeted him was completely unexpected.

There were no panicked refugees, no scenes of desolation and ruin. Quite the opposite, in fact; the entire town was buzzing with a kind of frenzied purpose.

Groups of townspeople, organized by the garrison, shouldered tools and materials, shouting slogans as they hurried in every direction.

A continuous chorus of hammering rang out from the workshop district, where chimneys stood in dense rows.

This didn’t look like a fief facing the threat of a great beast; it looked more like a military fortress running at full tilt.

After his identity was announced, Roland entered the study in the Lord’s Mansion.

Inside the study, Velin stood before a massive map of the territory, discussing something with a few artisans. He wasn’t wearing the ornate finery typical of nobility, but rather simple, practical clothes, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms.

"My lord, Knight Roland has arrived," Barrett announced.

Velin turned and gave Roland a nod of acknowledgment.

"Sir Roland, welcome. Please, have a seat."

He gestured to a nearby wooden chair, forgoing any ceremony.

Roland did not take a seat. He got straight to the point. "Greetings. You may call me Baron Roland of the Sun Clan, from the southern reaches of the Duchy. I am a Level 5 Knight, traveling the realm to uphold the code of chivalry. I heard you are preparing to hunt a great beast?"

"I am," Velin confirmed without hesitation.

Roland’s gaze swept over Velin’s rather spartan study, and his brow furrowed slightly. "May I ask what manner of beast it is? And what is its strength?"

"A Marsh Giant Python," Velin replied calmly. "A Level 5 Magical Beast."

"Level 5?!"

Roland’s voice rose uncontrollably, his composure vanishing, replaced by sheer, disbelieving horror.

As a Knight of the same level, he knew exactly what a Magical Beast of that caliber represented—a being capable of effortlessly wiping out an entire army or threatening a major city.

He strode forward, his tone urgent as he remonstrated, "My Lord, forgive my bluntness, but this is suicide! I saw on my way here that your lands are still being developed and your forces are meager. I doubt you could even muster a single Level 4 practitioner. What do you possibly have that can stand against a Level 5 Magical Beast?"

Roland’s expression turned gravely serious. "As a nobleman, your life is more valuable than anything else in this territory. Your foremost duty is to preserve your family’s bloodline. There is no shame in a strategic retreat when facing an insurmountable threat!"

Velin didn’t argue. He simply listened in silence.

Roland, thinking his words were having an effect, pressed on. "As long as you live, as long as your family crest endures, this land can always be reclaimed. Your bloodline and honor are far more valuable than a single frontier town."

"Sir Roland, I understand your reasoning," Velin finally spoke. "But my people, thousands of them, have chosen to stay, to live or die with this land. If I leave, what becomes of them?"