Knight: Becoming King of the World

This young nobleman seemed to possess a special quality, one that allowed him to influence the situations around him.

"Countess Ratifa, do you truly believe that Henry joining us will be to our advantage?"

Ratifa nodded resolutely. "Yes, Your Highness. I believe his inclusion will bolster our strength, helping us fight the enemies who constantly harass the border."

The First Prince gave Ratifa a long, hard look. "Very well, I will consider your suggestion... But Henry is no simple character. He would be bringing an army, which might be helpful, but the potential for unknown troubles and complications is vexing."

Ratifa pursed her lips slightly. ’If Henry were a simple character,’ she thought, ’would I even be recommending that the First Prince bring him in to fight?’

’The First Prince doesn’t think he can’t control Henry, does he? He isn’t afraid of Henry, is he? No way. Surely not?’

’If he doesn’t even have that much backbone, how can he become the next leader of the empire? How can he lead the nobility toward a better future?’

Watching the conflicted First Prince, Ratifa’s estimation of him fell. This display truly made it difficult for her to support or trust him.

She feared that if she helped the First Prince stabilize the situation and ascend the throne, she would just end up being bled dry and carved up by other rebellious nobles.

The First Prince’s brow was tightly furrowed. His mind was in turmoil, filled with conflict and contradiction.

He sat in a chair in his study, leaning against a thick, warm bearskin throw. His gaze drifted between the report and Ratifa, as if searching for some kind of answer.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Ratifa seemed very keen on getting Henry to the Northern Lands, yet the two of them had no apparent connection or shared interests.

"Your Highness, I can understand your hesitation, but time waits for no one. The Emperor’s patience is limited." Ratifa’s voice broke the silence.

The First Prince sighed. He knew Ratifa was right.

In theory, he did want Henry to come to the Northern Lands, as it would be a way to demonstrate his influence to the other nobles from the Knight Academy.

Many of the nobles from the Knight Academy were either high-ranking officers in the Legion or local Viscounts and Barons. Even the Knights themselves were all "high-caliber" nobles.

It was a vast network of connections, a web of contacts cultivated by the Emperor himself.

At the same time, this was an excellent opportunity to win over Henry. The conflict between the Second Prince and Henry had become irreconcilable. If he could openly bring Henry into his own faction at this moment, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Second Prince.

It would also make those half-witted steppe nobles, as well as the nobles who supported Henry, switch their allegiance to him.

Furthermore, the relationship between the Third Prince and Henry had always been a mystery. The First Prince had no idea if they truly had some sort of deal.

He only knew that the Third Prince’s reputation in the desert was extremely high, while Henry’s renown in various other lands was not to be underestimated.

If they were to join forces, they would undoubtedly be a massive threat to the First Prince.

The First Prince did, in fact, want to win over the young nobleman, Henry.

He couldn’t let the idea go... because Henry was simply too powerful. His army was strong, his domain prosperous—all things the First Prince found appealing.

But Henry’s ambition also filled him with dread.

’That’s right—dread! It’s almost laughable, really. An heir to the empire, actually afraid of a mere Baron...’

The greed and lust for conquest Henry displayed, along with his formidable combat prowess and destructive capability, all made the First Prince uneasy.

He hated people who disrupted the established order!

In all his memories, from childhood to the present day, the empire had always been a place of peace and harmony.

If nobles from different regions wanted to go to war, they first had to write to the Emperor and could only proceed after receiving his consent.

But now, the entire empire had been thrown into chaos, and the system of nobility had been severely undermined.

Especially this Henry. If he were some insignificant pest, it would be one thing, but he just had to be a hawk! It was impossible not to notice him!

It was all Henry’s fault. As a mere Knight, he had the audacity to propose the Pioneer Bill, turning the eastern border into a chaotic free-for-all where the sons of various nobles were constantly at each other’s throats.

Why couldn’t Henry just keep a low profile? In the few years since he was granted his title, he had been constantly at war, either drilling his troops or extorting others.

The First Prince was exasperated. He didn’t understand why Henry always had to provoke conflict. Why couldn’t he just be a nobleman in peace?

If Henry joined them, their odds of victory against the enemies on the border of the Northern Lands would be much higher.

But he also worried that Henry’s arrival would bring more problems.

He worried that Henry would seize the opportunity to expand his own power and influence, perhaps even threatening his own position.

He recalled Henry’s past, how that young noble had gone from an obscure lord to the powerhouse he was today in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

The First Prince finally spoke. "Countess Ratifa, I need more information. I need to know exactly how strong Henry’s army is and how many troops he has.

"I need a detailed plan, one that can ensure Henry’s involvement won’t bring me more trouble."

Ratifa nodded. The First Prince needed more evidence to convince himself. At the same time, her opinion of him sank even lower.

’Well, at least he has a good father, I suppose?’ she thought. ’The dignified eldest son of the Emperor, and yet he’s so timid and indecisive, second-guessing every step.’

"After the most recent campaign, Henry brought back about a thousand soldiers to his fief. All of them are the elite of the elite.

"According to the intelligence I have, it seems Henry began recruiting and training a new army the moment he returned to his fief. The exact number is impossible to estimate, but it’s at least fifteen hundred men, if not more."