The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 1055: Chapter 1052: Eighth-Rank Noble Chapter 1055: Chapter 1052: Eighth-Rank Noble The list contained not only the information of every noble ennobled but also the detailed “Ennoblement Regulations” that introduced the noble ranks of the kingdom, which Liszt read with great seriousness.

The noble ranks of the Flame Kingdom were formally designated as eight grades.

The highest rank was King, followed by Prince or Grand Duke as the second rank, and Duke as the third rank; these three ranks belonged to the senior nobility. The King followed a primogeniture system and was the only rank; all knights of the kingdom must follow the King, conditioned or unconditioned, and obey the King’s dispatch.

Princes and Grand Dukes were of the same rank; Princes needed to possess the royal bloodline, specifically the Flame Family bloodline, and become a Dragon Knight. Grand Dukes had no bloodline restriction but had to ride a dragon not owned by the kingdom—that is, a dragon knight trained by the royal family could not obtain the rank of Grand Duke.

In other words, without a dragon of one’s own, one could not aspire to become a Grand Duke and establish a new nation.

The rank of Duke was somewhat more complicated, with three main sources.

First, if a Grand Duke’s offspring could not become a dragon rider, they would be demoted to the rank of Duke and continue to manage their nation; second, a dragon knight trained by the royal family could attain the rank of Duke after distinguished military service; third, Domain Knights who repeatedly earned military accolades could also be considered for promotion to Duke.

However, aside from the offspring of Grand Dukes, as Dragon Rearing Families, any qualification could be inherited unchallenged for the Duke rank.

For the other two types of Dukedoms, the offspring must become Domain Knights to smoothly succeed the title—to prevent the situation where the Duke dies unexpectedly and the offspring are too young and not sufficiently trained, a relaxation is allowed for one generation. That means the son of a Duke remains a Duke, but if he fails to become a Domain Knight, the grandson will only be a Marquis.