Knight: Becoming King of the World

"My lord, they say bathhouses and pleasure houses are where nobles go to fall into debauchery. Today, I’ve finally experienced it firsthand."

Henry smiled faintly. Claude’s words were a bit of an exaggeration.

He glanced around. The bathhouse walls were adorned with exquisite tapestries, and the floor was covered with soft carpets. ’It seems... this really is a bit extravagant.’

"Claude, you’re not wrong. This place is indeed a paradise for nobles," Henry said softly, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Bain sighed at his side. "To have this kind of luxury in the middle of the desert is truly unimaginable. It costs ten Dinar per person. What we spent today is enough to cover a common Free Person’s savings for several years."

Henry nodded. A worker at a Workshop, even with housing and meals provided, earned a high salary of seventy Su a month. Without spending a single coin, it would still take them more than a year to save up that much.

Selas nodded. "Yes, my lord. Everything here makes you feel as if you’re on the plains, completely forgetting the desert outside."

Selas had once been a noble in the western regions. He had never felt the bathhouses there were particularly extravagant, but here in the desert, the stark contrast highlighted just how expensive it was.

Time ticked by. The sky dimmed, lit only by the faint moonlight.

"Claude, go settle the bill," Henry instructed after their massages were finished.

Claude immediately stood up and followed an attendant out to pay.

Seeing that Henry and his party were preparing to leave, the attendants all came forward and bowed respectfully. These nobles were their most important customers, and their satisfaction was the staff’s greatest goal.

Henry left the bathhouse with his Attendants and officers, their figures gradually disappearing into the streets of Gasil.

When Henry and his officers returned to camp, they found it brightly lit by bonfires. Soldiers were gathered around them, their faces filled with expectant smiles.

Henry did not disappoint them. His extravagant purchases at the open-air market that afternoon had already filled the entire camp with the enticing aroma of food.

Three cartloads of beer barrels were placed securely in the center of the camp, flanked by mountains of bread, fresh fish, cabbage, dates, olive oil, and golden-brown roasted chicken, pork, and lamb.

Everything was ready. They were just waiting for Henry’s command to start the feast.

"Soldiers! In the past few days, your marching and fighting in the desert have shown unparalleled courage and resilience. Tonight, let us cast aside our fatigue and enjoy this feast to the fullest!"

The soldiers cheered, their voices echoing in the night sky. The praise from their great lord and his acknowledgment of their hard work was the highest honor.

"Let us raise our cups and drink heartily!"

The soldiers swarmed toward the piles of food. They grabbed bread, tore off crispy pieces of roasted meat, and ate with gusto.

Beer was poured into large mugs, and the soldiers toasted one another, the air filled with laughter and chatter.

"This beer is really good. It feels even better than what I drink at home," a soldier said as he drank, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Tch, you just haven’t had any in a long time. Of course it tastes good."

"Yeah, and this lamb is roasted so perfectly. I’d almost forgotten what roasted meat tastes like," another soldier exclaimed, taking a bite of lamb.

"Did you even eat meat before you became a soldier? I remember you and I were both serfs on a farm in Hernlei Village!"

"I am a Senior Infantryman now! What are you talking about!"

Watching all this, Henry felt a strange sensation. ’It’s as if, from this moment on, they are no longer mass-produced, humanoid fighting machines in my eyes.’

The night grew deeper, but the joyous atmosphere in the camp did not diminish in the slightest. The soldiers continued to drink and sing.

Henry sat by the bonfire, his heart filled with warmth.

This feast was not just a reward for the soldiers’ hard work, but also an encouragement. When the banquet ended, the bonfires in the camp gradually died down.

Filled with satisfaction and exhaustion, the soldiers drifted off to sleep, but all wore happy smiles.

Because they still had a whole day tomorrow to go into the city and have fun!

「The morning sun shone on the camp outside the city of Gasil, where Henry’s soldiers were already eagerly preparing to enter the city.」

Blando and Mato were good friends in the same Senior Infantry squad. They had been together since their days in the New Recruit Team, surviving several post-war reorganizations, and were partners they could trust on the battlefield.

Today, they had decided to go into Gasil together and have a full day of fun.

They queued up with the Free People and merchant caravans outside the city walls to get in. Lured by a fragrant aroma, the pair headed straight for a small tavern, deciding to have a quick drink first.

Blando and Mato thought the people who rushed straight to the market upon entering the city were foolish.

’We still have to go to war later. What’s the point of buying so much "useless" stuff? What if we die? Wouldn’t that be a complete waste of money?’

’It’s better to put it in your stomach. That’s the only thing that makes sense!’

They ordered the local specialty, coconut wine. Whether it was because they were still feeling the effects of last night’s alcohol or something else, they felt cool, refreshed, and a bit dizzy after drinking it.

As they savored the drink, Blando and Mato chatted with the tavern owner. "This wine has a real kick. How do you brew it?"

The owner replied with a smile, "That’s a secret passed down through my family for generations. I’m sorry."

The two shrugged, looked at the menu board, and ordered a plate of roasted meat, fragrant rice, and fresh salad. It was the most lavish breakfast they had ever eaten.

Seeing that he had some big spenders, the owner immediately invited the two up to the temporarily empty second floor and gave them a nice table by the window.

The two drank and chatted, watching the number of pedestrians outside the wooden window gradually increase. They felt a sense of contentment. It wasn’t a physical comfort, but a mental one.

It was like someone who worked every day suddenly having a day off, waking up early as usual, and sipping morning tea while watching others rush about to make a living. The sense of ease was indescribable.

The tavern owner didn’t keep them waiting long. After the owner furiously kicked the lazy cook a few times, the cook finally got to work.

The owner personally brought up their breakfast. As Mato ate, he praised, "This lamb is so tender, just as good as what we had last night."

Blando, on the other hand, couldn’t stop praising the salad and fragrant rice. "These vegetables are so fresh, it’s like they were just picked from the ground. And the spices in this rice... it feels like we’re eating money."

The tavern owner left with a smile. As long as the customers weren’t dissatisfied, it built his reputation, even if their accents marked them as passersby. This was the secret to how his tavern had been passed down through generations.

"Blando, if we ever leave the army, how do you want to spend the rest of your life?"

Blando glanced up at Mato but didn’t answer, just kept eating quickly. Only after they had both finished did Blando consider Mato’s question.

As for why he waited until after he finished eating to think? ’Of course, it was so Mato wouldn’t eat all the food!’

"Maybe I’ll find a village in the lord’s fief, buy a dozen or so acres of land, and build a house with a yard. Oh, and I could buy a few chickens, so I can have eggs often."

Mato leaned back in his chair and said, "I want to stay at the lord’s Westwood Laine. I don’t want to farm anymore. I was a serf for five or six years; I get a headache just looking at seeds now."

"Thank goodness the lord bought us. We were lucky to join his army."

The two reveled in visions of their lives a few years, or perhaps a decade, from now. This was humanity’s greatest freedom: imagination.

After their meal, they left the tavern and decided to check out the city’s various entertainment venues to relax. As it happened, they found a cockfighting pit, which was a novel sight for them.

They had never seen such a place before, only knowing of arenas for men to fight in.

Blando said to Mato, "Look at that black rooster. It looks the strongest. I think it’s going to win."

Mato chose a rooster with colorful plumage. "I’m betting on this one. It looks fast."

’If we won, that’d be one thing,’ they thought, ’but if we lost? Wouldn’t we just be giving away our hard-earned blood money for nothing?’ So, though they got excited talking about it, they didn’t spend any money placing bets with the owner.

After the cockfight, they went to a theater and, for the first time in their lives, watched a wonderful play.

It was the kind of place that even Free People, whose families had struggled in the city for generations, would consider a waste of money to visit even once, let alone former serfs like them.

After the performance, Mato said wistfully, "Blando, that show was incredible. I felt like I was right there in the play."

Blando laughed. "Yeah, it just felt like it went by too fast. It’s like I watched it, but I didn’t, you know? It feels like something was missing."

Mato roared with laughter and said self-deprecatingly, "We’re still just poor. We should figure out how to learn to ride horses. If we could become the lord’s Cavalry, our pay would double."

"Look at those Grassland Warriors. All they can do is ride a horse, and they get paid twenty Su more than us."

Blando nodded. If they could really become Cavalry—not even considering a high rank—if they could become a Heavy Cavalry trooper, the monthly salary was four hundred and fifty Su.

That was four Dinar and fifty Su a month! ’It was an unimaginable amount of money, more than they could ever spend!’

Before they knew it, more than half of their day off was already gone. The two exchanged a look and broke into strange smiles.

’Well, what’s a man to do after he’s had his fill of food and drink?’

With their arms around each other’s shoulders, the pair arrived at a place filled with a fragrant perfume and were coaxed inside by several women.

They were very annoyed with themselves. ’How could we, proud Warriors, be tempted by such decadent pleasures?’

’Unacceptable! We must go in and critique it thoroughly!’

When the two, refreshed and invigorated after a full day of eating, drinking, and entertainment, returned to camp, everyone had a happy expression.

Even the unlucky souls chosen for guard duty were cheerful. Upon asking, they found out that Henry had given a one-Dinar bonus to everyone who stood guard today!

"Hey! Blando! What did you two get up to today? We didn’t see you in the city at all!"

Blando and Mato looked at each other and burst out laughing.