Knight: Becoming King of the World

On this cold winter night, every heart was filled with warmth and hope. All were convinced that under Henry’s leadership, Westwood Laine Castle would have an even more glorious future.

The next day, the sun lazily climbed into the sky, casting its light upon the streets of Westwood Laine Castle.

The entire town was exceptionally quiet, as if still savoring the previous night’s revelry.

Only a few early risers were seen staggering across the streets, enjoying the festival’s peace.

Most of the populace slept until noon. They were exhausted from the previous night’s revelry, but their faces still wore smiles.

A few who had drunk too much even slept straight through to the afternoon, their snores as loud as the previous night’s laughter.

But no one was anxious about waking up late, for today was still part of the New Year’s holiday, just as Henry had decreed.

The people had worked hard all year and needed to relax and celebrate. Aside from the healer’s hall and the taverns, practically no businesses were open.

The physicians in the healer’s hall remained busy, tending to those who felt unwell from drinking too much.

The taverns, meanwhile, offered a place for those who wished to continue enjoying the festive atmosphere, where they could keep sampling fine food and wine and share tales of the previous night’s excitement.

Likewise, the staff at both establishments would receive triple their daily wages from Henry as compensation.

Henry woke up and, after Ailia helped him wash and dress, ate a light breakfast to settle his stomach.

Claude and Tommy, who had been waiting outside the study, came in. Seeing Henry’s smiling face, they spoke in an equally relaxed tone, "My lord, you’re awake. Last night’s celebration was a great success. The people are all very happy."

"Yes, Claude. But after the New Year, we still have much to do."

"Of course, my lord. I’ve already assigned people to begin preparations for the spring plowing today. Furthermore, I’ve notified the department officials that they are to resume work immediately after the holiday ends."

Henry nodded in satisfaction. "Good. We can’t let the joy of the festival interfere with our work."

Claude and Tommy were long prepared for this. After all, they were practically the seconds-in-command of the Barony of Bro.

It was a pity the western rebellion had been quelled so quickly. Otherwise, if Henry had taken his army over to earn some merit, he might have been enfeoffed with more land and had his title elevated to Viscount.

All good things must come to an end. Three days after the nobles had departed, a solemn expression settled on Henry’s face. His mind had already pulled away from the festive revelry.

The New Year’s celebration was intoxicating, but war never rests.

In Henry’s notes, the first target was locked: Mace, the second son of Count John.

Mace’s current status was that of an imperial Pioneer Noble. He was not part of the aristocratic hierarchy of the John Hoyland Earl Clan and was therefore not on the emperor’s list for mediation.

This meant Henry could take action against Mace without challenging the emperor’s authority.

Mace had once fought side-by-side with Henry on the battlefield against the Half-Beastmen, and there was a certain camaraderie between them.

But Henry knew this friendship was fragile and wouldn’t stand up to a real test.

Henry decided to move against Mace first, but he would also hold back. It wouldn’t go so far as to leave Mace missing any pieces.

If they met again on a future battlefield, Henry would show no hesitation or mercy.

Mace’s fief was located to the southwest of Westwood Laine Castle, separated from it by a great stretch of flat land, several mountains, two rivers, and three forests.

According to a prior report from Jemins, Mace’s pioneer territory currently consisted of two villages, three farmsteads, and a sizable ranch. For a Knight’s domain, this was already considered an impressive setup.

He hadn’t taken Mace’s lands when he occupied Ximira Castle last year. For one, Mace’s territory wasn’t on his line of march.

For another, Henry had intended for Mace to use his own manpower and resources to develop the land, thereby distracting Count John’s attention and draining his resources.

But now, things were different.

As Count John’s son, Mace was currently an independent Pioneer Noble, but who was to say he wouldn’t receive additional support from his father at some point?

Henry and John had now dropped all pretenses. This confrontation had come much, much earlier than Henry had originally anticipated.

Following "procedure," Henry had his Minstrels begin spreading rumors about Mace among the other nobles’ fiefdoms.

Most of the nobles who had returned to their own fiefs from Westwood Laine Castle were quite perceptive. By studying their maps and listening to the gossip, they seemed to discern the purpose behind the rumors.

Henry’s ambition and decisiveness sent a chill through them. They realized he might be about to launch a large-scale campaign of territorial expansion.

’Isn’t this too fast? The celebration just ended, and now there’s going to be bloodshed?’

These nobles were scared into silence, knowing full well their own strength was no match for Henry’s.

Their domains lacked sturdy castles and high walls. Most had only one or two earthen forts, and they didn’t even have the basic stone framework of a castle, like the one Henry had enclosed with barracks and archery ranges.

They knew that if Henry decided to move against them, their domains would be as fragile as if they were made of paper.

At the same time, they began to consider whether they should make occasional shows of "loyalty" to Henry to avoid potential conflict.

Among these nobles, the more cautious ones began quietly moving their valuables to safer locations. Just in case, they had to prepare for the worst.

’What if Henry is all smiles today, only to come at them with a knife tomorrow? Who would dare take that bet?’

Word of Henry’s reputation and strength spread among the nobility; his powerful army and castle became the focus of their discussions.

As if by unspoken agreement, all the nobles began to intensify their army’s training. They increased their stockpiles of weapons and armor and started conducting frequent military drills.

The soldiers of the Private Armies were baffled. ’What’s all this about? Are the Half-Beastmen attacking again?’

At the same time, the nobles began to bolster their own fiefs’ defenses, even if it just meant putting up another wooden wall.

They built watchtowers and palisades to improve their domain’s defensive capabilities.

As news spread that nobles were intensifying military training and bolstering their defenses, lords in more distant regions also began to grow uneasy.

They didn’t know what was happening and could only speculate that the other nobles had secretly formed an alliance and were preparing to attack them.

This tension spread rapidly among the nobility like a tidal wave.

Count John also noticed these unusual movements, alerted by an increase in the number of merchant caravans passing through.

His intelligence network was focused primarily on monitoring Henry, but he knew Henry had hosted a grand New Year’s festival attended by many nobles.

This sent a jolt of panic through John. He began to suspect that Henry had formed an alliance with these nobles, preparing to join forces and carve up his Earldom of Hoyland.

John’s fears were not unfounded. Henry’s expansion and military campaigns had long been a focus of John’s intense scrutiny.

Now, the collective action of these nobles undoubtedly intensified John’s anxiety. ’The emperor mediated peace between Henry and me, but the other nobles can still attack me!’

John dispatched more spies to gather intelligence on Henry and the other nobles.

He needed to understand their plans, their weaknesses, and just how solid the alliance between them really was.

If possible, he would consider a strategy of sowing discord among the other nobles to disrupt Henry’s plans.

Meanwhile, in Westwood Laine Castle, Henry seemed oblivious to all this. He was busy managing the affairs of his domain, preparing for spring plowing and a new round of training for his army.

Henry spent all six of his remaining "Overlord Training" points to train six new units of recruits, restoring the numbers of his field army.

’In any case, "Overlord Training" points didn’t accrue interest. If he had time to train new soldiers, he might as well use them.’