When the cold wind from the north of the Boundary Mountain completely disappeared in the south, and the second crescent moon hung high in the night sky, it was the day of the Midsummer Festival.

According to rumors, the Midsummer Festival was actually a custom that was introduced from Sackland, but the Byrins, who clinged to the "old tradition", embraced this new tradition with great enthusiasm and speed.

Or rather, it's just that the Byrne, who is a fan of feasting and partying, is looking for a better reason to have a party.

The silver moon was in the sky, and the night made Nanguo sink into a quiet sleep, but at this moment, the palace of the Red Blood Castle was brightly lit, and the entire castle from the courtyard to the hall was as bright as day.

Although there was still some time before the banquet officially began, all the knights had already arrived, and the spacious palace was crowded with guests, chatting with each other, and marveling at the exquisite fluorite lamp with the mark of "Produced in Red Blood Castle" on their heads.

As the annual Midsummer Festival, and also the "swearing-in feast" before the Byrne Knights are about to sail to the Great Green Sea, Crimson Blood Castle has almost brought out the utmost enthusiasm and generosity to welcome every guest present.

Knights from the Thirteen Lords of Byrne, members of the Imperial Legation... From the hall to the palace gates, almost every table was crowded on both sides, and the smell of wine and food filled every table, leaving everyone unoccupied and focused on the table.

There is no place in this world where people are more enthusiastic about wine, food, and feasting than the people of Byrne, and even if the palace banquet in the Heavenly Dome Palace is more solemn at best, it will not be more sumptuous than the dinner party of Byrne.

Baked snails, red wine chicken, foie gras, fresh fish soup, fresh cheese... These most common Byrne delicacies were filled with the presence of every knight.

In addition, there are roasted snails, smoked ham, tender steaks, gingerbread and other "specialties" of the Red Blood Castle, bright red red wine stew beef with green onions, and juicy chunks of beef with the local specialty mustard sauce of the Red Blood Castle.

In the courtyard, fat deer and wild boars from the hunting grounds of the Red Blood Castle were set up on a blazing grill, and with the constant rotation and spraying of spices by the servants, they soon "sizzled" and turned into an alluring golden yellow.

Naturally, Byrne's feasts were never short of good wine - every winery and cellar in Crimson Castle was opened, filled with every knight's cup and their gut.

There is nothing more important in this world than wielding a sword and drinking wine for the knights of Byrne, who believed that wine is blood, and drank bright red wine in normal times, and then sprinkled it with even more red blood on the battlefield.

As honored guests of the Red Blood Castle, the members of the Imperial Mission were fortunate enough to taste the legendary Red Blood Wine while enjoying the food.

As a sign of Byrne's submission to the Empire, and one of the most important tributes, Red Blood has been the highest level of imperial wine in the Heavenly Dome Palace for many years, and only six Grand Dukes and Imperial Ministers under the Imperial Family are eligible to drink it.

And Loren and Charlotte, who specially took out the "red blood wine", also had the idea of "bribing" the mission.

Although the Imperial Envoy Yuli Wirtz had reached an agreement with them, the people who could really influence the political situation in the Heavenly Dome Palace were still the close ministers of the Emperor in these chambers.

Even if you don't expect them to help you in any way, at least don't mess with yourself at times like this... Even if he had to pay for a wine that cost more than gold, Loren felt it was worth it.

As the real protagonist of the banquet, Loren's seat was naturally in the most prominent center of the hall, and at the urging of a certain butler, he changed into a red and black dress that he had personally prepared and a cloak painted with the coat of arms of the golden lion of the Turin family.

In front of everyone's eyes, Loren, who had become the focus of everyone, attracted countless eyes, and they kept looking at the huge, ornately ornate two-handed sword in front of his desk, either jealously or enviously.

It was the Mithril sword "Dawn", which had been handed down from the time of the Knight King and was also recognized as the sword of the Duke of Byrne.

For the Byrnes, it was natural for Loren, a duke and descendant of the House of Turin, to have the sword, but in the eyes of the Empire, it had more meaning.

Possessing it proves that Loren Turin has completely mastered the right to speak in the Red Blood Castle, and it also marks Charlotte Turin's relinquishment of the status of Lord of Turin to him.

Originally, the imaginary "Turin dispute" between the Duke of Byrne and the Countess of the Red Blood Castle did not happen, which somewhat disappointed the envoys of the Heavenly Dome Palace, but now it is still expected that the Byrnes will go to Poi to "put out the fire", and the Duke of Ellemont is watching, so no one has talked about this matter.

As a wizard, Loren had always been very cold to banquets and pomp, and disgusted by the noisy atmosphere, but the moment he became a duke, many things were completely insulated from his likes and dislikes.

Even Yuri Wirtz, who hated feasting and drinking, had been toasting with the knights around him since the banquet began, and the wine glass in his hand was never empty.

After that ceremony, the knights of Byrne did not have the slightest affection for the Duke of Ellemont, and almost all of them had the intention of watching the joke of the "little duke".

The indifferent Yuri was undaunted by the provocation, much to the surprise of the Byrnes - it was not until the fourth creature with a red neck and a dancing shout of "Let go!" was carried down that the Earl of Bowes, of the Castle of Loyalty, stepped forward with a red face and drank away the knights who were still eager to try.

Coldly putting down the wine glass, Yuri Wirtz, whose face did not change, still sat upright, glancing around with a very contemptuous gaze, making the Byrne knights in the hall so angry that they couldn't even speak.

Although he was still very unconvinced, no one deliberately provoked or despised this "little duke" after that;

The simple and enthusiastic Byrne knights admired only two kinds of people in their lives, one was able to fight, the other was able to drink, and sometimes the latter was higher than the former.

However, according to Lusen, who had been watching from the sidelines, the Grand Duke was actually stubborn, and the reason why he was still so serious was because he was exposed as soon as he stood up......

Although the scene was a little awkward, the rest of the mission were veterans of this kind of social scene, and they were extremely good at stirring up the atmosphere, and under the wine, the original contradictions and embarrassments were slightly dissolved, and they were immersed in the bright red wine.

"Knights of Byrne, guests of the Heavenly Dome Palace......"

A calm bell sounded in the hall, and Count Eckert and Loren from Fort Fury looked at each other in Charlotte, raised their glasses, and said in a deep voice to everyone:

"Today, at the time of the first new moon of midsummer, the Byrnes finally have a new duke once again, Loren Turin!"

The restless hall was silent, and all eyes were once again focused on Loren.

I saw Count Eckert, who raised his wine glass, took a step and walked in front of Duke Byrne with a resolute expression:

"I know that everyone in this hall was suspicious of him before he officially swore allegiance, but now that he has taken the banner, and all of us will be led by him to the Great Green Sea to confront the centaurs and recreate the Black Duke's legacy. ”

"Leave no doubt then, entrust him with your swords and shields, and bless him with the heroic spirit of the Knight King, and bless him with Brunhilde, the Valkyrie. ”

"May Byrne once again have an invincible duke, so that the iron horsemen of this knight's land can once again conquer the Quartet, and fly the banner of the golden lion on all battlefields......"

"Where is such nonsense?!"

Under the watchful eye of everyone, the irascible Count Angette slammed his wine glass, interrupting Count Eckert, who was still toasting, and roared in a deep voice in the hall:

"Today, we will have a good drink, and tomorrow, we will die for him!"

"Long live Loren Turin, long live Byrne, God bless Turin——!" The old man who raised his glass raised his arms sharply, and he drank it down, slamming it on the table again.

"Drink ————!!!!"

In the next second, a tidal wave of cheers resounded through the hall.