Knight: Becoming King of the World

The initial estimates shocked him. The number was unbelievable.

A sense of unease washed over him. He had never witnessed a war of this scale, nor a death toll this high...

Such casualties were only seen in minor pitched battles when the nobility united to fight the Alien Races!

However, when his gaze fell upon the three towering skull mounds, his expression grew even more grim.

Those mounds, built from the skulls of his enemies, were particularly glaring under the sunlight.

A chill ran down Count Akakarat’s spine. Such skull mounds were a stern warning from Henry to his enemies, as well as a demonstration of his own power.

But no matter how you looked at it, they were too close to Akakarat City! Erecting such monuments next to his own fiefdom was an undeniable provocation and threat!

Count Akakarat couldn’t help but wonder if Henry’s next move would be against him.

He was conflicted. Henry’s power was immense, unfathomable.

’If Henry really decides to move against me, can I possibly resist? Can my walls hold back his army? Are my men even willing to fight for my rule?’

Count Akakarat turned, his gaze sweeping over the city and its residents within the walls.

’This is the city my family has poured generations of blood and sweat into building. Is it all to be destroyed at my hands?’

Count Akakarat sighed. He didn’t know Henry’s true intentions, nor did he know if Henry would actually move against him.

He only knew that he had to make a choice.

’If Henry really does attack, do I surrender? Or do I surrender? Or... do I surrender?’

’Such a difficult choice...’

He racked his brain, but he couldn’t think of any way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and beat Henry.

’Damn it all, that bastard Henry is too ferocious!’ Count Akakarat even suspected Henry could probably just smash through his city gates.

He ordered his scout Cavalry to continue their observation and commanded his advisors to begin preparing potential countermeasures.

He couldn’t just sit back and wait for disaster. Whatever Henry’s true intentions were, Count Akakarat was determined to defend his lands.

The Count’s mind raced with anxiety when suddenly, inspiration struck. He immediately turned and ordered his steward and an Attendant to fetch him paper and a quill from the castle.

’I need to write a letter. To the Emperor and the Prince. It’s the best idea I can come up with right now!’

’You may not fear me, but you have to show the Emperor and the Prince some deference, don’t you? Right?’

Once the paper and quill arrived, he found a table, dipped the quill deep into the ink, and began to write with feverish haste.

He knew this letter had to be both respectful and sincere, expressing his loyalty while also conveying his deep concerns.

He began by expressing his deepest concern and well wishes for the health and accomplishments of the Emperor and the Prince, using florid language to convey his respect and loyalty.

’This was a necessary formality. This kind of formal respect was indispensable.’

’They might not like it, but you still have to go through the motions.’

Next, he began to describe the war between the Anti-Henry Alliance Army and Henry’s coalition of nobles.

He detailed the scale of the war, the comparative strength of the two sides, the duration of the conflict, the immense impact the war had on the surrounding nobility, and the final outcome.

He neither exaggerated nor concealed the facts, remaining as objective and truthful as possible.

’Especially those three skull mounds! Good heavens, the Emperor has taken plenty of Half-Beastman heads, but has he ever built such extravagant monuments?’

Then, he began to express his own concerns.

He described to the Emperor and the Prince just how formidable Henry’s power was, the shock the three skull mounds had given him, and his fears about Henry’s potential next move.

Finally, he made his request.

He hoped the Emperor and the Prince could write to Henry, urging him to show some restraint and not act rashly near Akakarat.

He mentioned Westwood Laine Castle and Odoche City, which was near Ximira Castle, hinting at the old feud between Henry and Count John.

Henry could very well turn his attention there, instead of toward Akakarat.

’As for the Emperor ordering a mediation? Hah, that sort of thing is just a matter of a single word from the Emperor, isn’t it?’

Anyone could see how much the Emperor favored the students who came from his academy.

The last mediation happened because the Emperor thought Henry would be at a disadvantage against John.

But the power Henry had now displayed was far, far greater than the impression the world had of John.

Count Akakarat even suspected that once the Emperor received his letter, he would wait for Henry to return to his fief and reorganize his army, and then prematurely lift the order of mediation between Henry and John.

’When that happens, heheh, the southeastern grasslands are going to get very interesting!’

Count Akakarat carefully reread the letter, revised a few phrases, and then nodded in satisfaction.

This letter could change his fate, and perhaps the fate of Akakarat City as well.

He immediately ordered someone to contact the messenger at the imperial office within the city and prepare to depart, to deliver this letter to the Emperor and the Prince with the utmost speed.

’Time was of the essence; he had to act quickly!’

After the messenger departed, Count Akakarat walked back to the city wall, his gaze falling upon the distant battlefield.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield outside the city, Henry still stood between the three skull mounds, his brow furrowed and his gaze profound.

He could feel the nobles’ awe and anticipation, but his mind was on the garbled text and the data that had stopped updating.

’These anomalies might be part of a larger change. It’s not like it actually caught a virus, right?’

Henry tried various operations on his Personal Attribute Panel, hoping to find a solution to the garbled text.

However, no matter what he tried, the data on the panel remained a chaotic mess, showing no signs of recovery.

In the end, Henry decided to temporarily abandon his attempts to fix the panel.

Sometimes, becoming too fixated on a single problem only leads to an impasse. His gaze fell once more upon the three items that were radiating a mysterious light.

First, he picked up the huge, heavy tome.

He gently opened it, only to find the pages were completely blank, without a single word.

’This was confusing. What was this book for? Was he supposed to write in it? Or did the book itself possess some kind of unknown power?’

’He started to wonder, could this book be like a Death Note? Just write a name, and you decide someone’s fate?’

’Or maybe like one of those chronicles of old, where everything he wrote would become reality?’

Henry shook his head. ’Those ideas are too bizarre. If Jianqi could make such changes to Caladia, its armies would already be swarming everywhere.’

Next, he picked up the... pillow.

It looked ordinary enough, but in reality...

He gave it a light squeeze. It was incredibly soft and felt wonderfully comfortable.

’Could this be an item to help me rest and recover better?’

After all, a good rest was crucial after an intense battle. Perhaps this pillow could help him recover his stamina faster, or maybe even grant him some kind of revelation in his dreams.

’But the real question is, whose idea of ultimate pleasure is sleeping? Is this the sacred pillow of the number one religion in the universe... the Sleep Sect? Seriously?’

Finally, his gaze fell upon the warhammer.

This was clearly a weapon. Its size and shape were similar to the great axe he usually wielded, but its design was more intricate. It was engraved with complex patterns and emitted a faint glow.

The head of the hammer was covered in spikes. Henry could only imagine how astonishingly destructive this warhammer would be in battle.

He picked up the warhammer, feeling its weight and balance. This weapon could not only shatter enemy armor with ease, but also inflict devastating damage.

Before, his great axe could only hack an enemy into two irregular halves.

’Now, this was an improvement. He could smash an enemy’s head to pieces or just tear their entire chest cavity open!’