Knight: Becoming King of the World

Every time Henry raised his glass, he was met with compliments and toasts from the nobles. As expected, Henry’s incredible tolerance for alcohol and hearty manner once again left the assembled nobles soundly defeated.

"Another round! To our friendship, and to the glory of the Empire!" Henry’s voice boomed, and with every glass he raised, the surrounding nobles had no choice but to grit their teeth and keep up.

If they failed to let Henry enjoy himself to the fullest tonight, their future dealings with this newly promoted Count would likely be difficult.

’Want to ride my coattails? You won’t even drink with me, and you still expect a seat at the table? In your dreams!’

Around the banquet table, nobles collapsed one after another, yet Henry remained standing as firm as a pine. The nobles who had succumbed, their stomachs churning violently, began to regret ever trying to match drinks with this Count and his frightening capacity for alcohol.

The moniker "Bottomless" spread like wildfire. He wasn’t just an Overlord on the battlefield; he was invincible at the banquet table.

Looking at the nobles he had laid out, Henry could only resign himself to the new title.

The banquet continued late into the night, and Henry finally felt a touch of fatigue. He made an excuse, left the raucous hall, and stepped outside to relieve himself.

The cold wind on his face sobered him up a bit. He saw the officers of the Imperial Legion still drinking and carousing, and a smile touched his lips. He decided to teach them a little something about the cruelty of the world.

"Gentlemen, let’s go another three hundred rounds!" Henry’s voice was laced with challenge as he picked up his cup and raised it toward the officers.

The officers exchanged glances, hesitating for only a few seconds before accepting Henry’s challenge.

’This is Henry! What an honor, to get to drink with our idol! Besides, there are so many of us. Can he really drink us all under the table? Absolutely not! The advantage is ours!’

And so, a new drinking battle began.

Henry’s hearty challenges and sheer capacity made the Imperial Legion officers tremble. They could only force themselves to down one bitter cup after another, until the very last one of them collapsed.

The night deepened, and the banquet was finally over. Henry stood alone in the vast, empty hall.

After tonight, his name would be known even more widely throughout the Empire. And those nobles and officers he had drunk under the table would forever remember this night, and this peerless Count—Henry.

The next day, when the first ray of sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains to fall upon his face, Henry opened his eyes.

The discomfort of his hangover did nothing to dampen his mood, for today, he would be leaving with his army and his fortune.

Henry rose quickly, donned his military uniform, gave his equipment a final check, and then issued the order to set out.

Henry’s army assembled in the morning light. As was their standard procedure, they would split their forces and advance on two separate routes.

Claude would lead Selas, Roland, and the infantry forces back to Westwood Laine. They would be responsible for maintaining border security while also preparing for the major infrastructure projects to come.

Claude carried with him the reward money and commission from the Prince, a total of 330,000 Dinar, plus the more than 70,000 Dinar from Ratifa’s munitions purchase, making for a grand total of 400,000 Dinar.

’I imagine Tommy’s been tearing his hair out, struggling to hold down the fort all by himself,’ Henry mused. ’He’s probably lost even more of it by now.’

Tommy: ACHOO!

Henry, for his part, would travel light to Lukaron, accompanied by his trusted confidants—Bain, Leon, Ailia, and Orianna—along with two squads of Grassland Riders totaling eighty men, and three squads of Grassland Warriors totaling one hundred and twenty men.

Positioned at the head of his men, Henry gave the order from horseback: "Move out!"

Astride his horse, Henry’s figure seemed especially tall in the light of the rising sun.

’A quick mental calculation told him the wealth at his disposal had already reached a staggering 1,300,000 Dinar. It’s more money than I can spend! There’s no way I can spend it all!’

’And I still haven’t received the two million from the emperor’s reward. Good heavens, it’s like money is just falling out of the sky!’

Familiar with the route, Henry’s army advanced slowly under the morning sun. He was much more relaxed on this trip to the capital, no longer in a rush like he had been the first time.

The last time, a large group of them had been ennobled together. This time, it was just him. Without the clamor of fellow travelers, Henry was free to simply enjoy the journey.

’There really are too few forms of entertainment in this world,’ Henry thought. He could finally understand why the people of old sought solace in nature and developed an eye for its beauty.

’Was it a matter of having refined taste? No, it was just that they had nothing else to do for fun!’

Along the way, they traveled from one settlement to the next. Every night, Henry chose to rest in the comfort of a town inn rather than making camp in the wilderness.

’It wasn’t that he’d gone soft or couldn’t handle the hardship of the wilderness anymore. After such a long campaign, what was wrong with getting a little rest?’

’Why suffer needlessly?’

They passed through the cities of Amperela, Mizea, Xilonia, and Feikawen. In each place, upon seeing Henry’s noble banner, the local nobles, prominent merchants, and Governors would flock to offer their congratulations and present a small gift.

While these gifts were not extravagant, they were an acknowledgment of Henry’s status and accomplishments, as well as an investment in his future influence.

’Relationships aren’t something you build only when you need a favor,’ he reflected. ’You have to constantly maintain them and remind people you’re around, don’t you?’

Information on Henry’s noble banner and family crest had long since found its way to the desks of nobles, who had committed them firmly to memory.

There were as many nobles in the world as hairs on an ox, but those worth remembering by the majority of them numbered fewer than thirty.

Even Henry’s older brother and his father sent gifts. They weren’t money or luxury goods, but local delicacies that Henry had been fond of ever since he was a child.