Knight: Becoming King of the World

Ratifa looked a bit embarrassed. "Yes, that’s about their level of strength," she explained, "but there are so many of them. Every time a battle breaks out, tens of thousands of enemies appear."

Henry curled his lip. ’Tens of thousands? So what if it was a hundred thousand? My army could probably take on a hundred thousand Inferior Horned Beasts without me even needing to join the fight.’

He had always thought his heavy armor forces were on par with the Empire’s elite standing Legions. He never expected the Empire’s armies to be this "bad."

The tips of Ratifa’s ears turned a little red. It was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from the shame of Henry’s questioning.

’Come to think of it, it’s true. They have several Imperial Legions and so many armies from the nobility, yet the front line has been stalled at the border for ages.’

Comparing goods reveals which to discard; comparing people is enough to make one die of shame.

Compared to Henry, their armies’ combat effectiveness was indeed pathetic.

Ratifa once again felt that familiar worry. ’A man this powerful... will he really be content to be the Prince’s Vassal?’

’She thought about how the Empire hadn’t been at peace in recent years. Wars were flaring up on all its borders—either internal rebellions or external threats.’

Ratifa drew in a sharp breath.

Ratifa looked at Henry, who had just been on a murderous rampage yet now acted as if nothing had happened. She was speechless.

’Seriously? The blood on you is thicker than the snow on the ground. How are you not even out of breath? You’re not tired, and you’re still talking with so much energy?’

"Aren’t you tired? You should be resting."

"Huh? I’m not tired."

After hearing his reply, Ratifa watched Henry’s Attendants and officers bustling about, cleaning up the battlefield. Not a single one of them came over to check on Henry or ask how he was.

Even Henry’s Quartermaster, Claude, was leading the army’s Record Keepers to tally the severed heads and other spoils of war.

’Don’t they care about their lord? No, that’s not right. With Henry’s immense Control Power over his subordinates, that’s impossible.’

’There could only be one reason for their behavior: they were completely accustomed to Henry’s way of fighting. It was entirely routine for them.’

Henry pulled his gaze away from the bustling battlefield and turned to Ratifa.

Henry spoke slowly, "Ratifa, do you have any thoughts on how we should divide the spoils of war and the military merit from the heads?"

Ratifa froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected Henry to ask for her opinion.

If it were any other noble, she would have spared no effort to secure a larger share for herself.

But with Henry, she didn’t dare.

The man’s performance on the battlefield had been too terrifying. She didn’t even dare to meet his gaze.

"I have no objections," Ratifa said, her voice holding a trace of respect that she herself didn’t even notice.

"It is entirely up to you."

Henry nodded, as if he had expected her to say as much.

He mulled it over for a moment, then said, "For the heads, we’ll do an eighty-twenty split. I take eighty percent, you take twenty. As for all this scrap metal, we’ll do the same eighty-twenty split, but I don’t want any of it. I’ll just sell my entire share to you."

To Henry, the captured weapons and equipment from the Inferior Horned Beasts were useless. They would only add to the burden on his supply train.

Even taking the time to sell it off himself would be a waste.

But just throwing it away would be a waste of money. It was better to sell it to Ratifa. ’In my eyes, she’s basically a scrap collector at this point. She’ll buy anything, and she has the money for it.’

Ratifa was inwardly delighted. While the eight hundred Heavy Armor Infantry she had committed to the battle were a powerful force...

...she knew her limits. Her Personal Guard’s contribution to the battle had been minimal. The real main force had been Henry himself and his infantry, while the Grassland Warriors had been the tactical cornerstone.

To put it bluntly, she and her Personal Guard had just been doing grunt work.

Besides, this equipment that Henry considered scrap could be used to arm more of her Recruited Soldiers and Militia!

The equipment might be crude, but for her domain, it was an invaluable resource.

Yes, one shouldn’t assume that wealthy, high-ranking nobles look down on simple armaments.

The greater the noble, the more land and people they must protect. A larger domain requires a larger armed force.

However, there is a limit to the number of standing and elite troops one can maintain. Exceeding that limit without restriction leads to financial collapse.

Most Militia units have to make do with simple weapons.

If patrol and Militia forces are too sparse, they invite bandits to prey upon the people living in their vast territories.

If the number of Recruited Soldiers is too low, it significantly weakens their position when conflicts with other nobles arise.

"I accept this arrangement. This equipment will be very useful for my domain."

Henry grunted in affirmation, knowing Ratifa would accept the terms.

His gaze swept over the battlefield again. "Then it’s settled."

Henry’s gaze fell upon the battlefield once more, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

This battle had not only allowed his army to stretch its legs and get back into the rhythm of combat, but it had also earned him military merit. And for him, military merit meant status, honor, and money within the Empire.

The Inferior Horned Beasts had also brought him a hefty amount of experience points. However, since his status panel had updated, he could no longer see exactly how much experience he needed to advance from the second to the third Life Level.