The nobility also bore obligations—paying taxes to the imperial court, answering the call to war, and defending their territories. Although whether the wretched Nightfall Domain even existed made no difference to the crown, if Phield were to flee on his own, then his future life—and his noble identity—would be gone for good.
"You have remarkable courage," Sherry said in a coaxing tone, her voice smooth and persuasive. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're a first-rank knight, aren't you? Why not become my knight? I can grant you a knightly fief, and your military merits would have room to grow. His Imperial Majesty holds the Gassina family in very high regard."
"Uh…"
Phield immediately recalled the entire crates of relics left behind by the Investigation Corps—and the girls who had been sacrificed and turned into spider monstrosities. A chill ran down his spine.
Did the Empress truly value the Gassina family as much as Sherry believed?
