Knight: Becoming King of the World

Bain and Leon immediately readied the horses. Henry was only bringing two attendants this time; Vasco needed to remain at the garrison to watch over the soldiers.

This was a riding horse, not a warhorse. Henry leaped into the saddle, and with a light flick of his whip, the fine steed galloped out of the camp.

Bain and Leon followed, their figures fading in and out of the early morning mist, leaving only the sound of hoofbeats behind.

The buildings on either side of the street receded rapidly. He knew his destination well. To put it bluntly, Henry was more familiar with Lukaron than he was with Westwood Laine.

Henry also noticed that, compared to usual, the Security Teams were out in abnormally high frequency today. A patrol of fully equipped soldiers could be seen almost every hundred meters.

The soldiers’ faces were etched with vigilance. This was clearly because the recent riots were still fresh in their minds, and they didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest.

That riot had not only shocked the populace, but had also struck a nerve with the Empire.

The four Sheriffs of the East, West, South, and North, as the officials directly responsible for the city’s internal security, had certainly received a severe reprimand from their superiors after the incident.

Although the specific punishments were not publicly announced, one could imagine they were not having an easy time.

’Tsk, tsk. These sheriffs might enjoy the conveniences of power on a normal day, but in the political struggles of the Empire’s upper echelons, they’ve become nothing more than inconsequential pawns.’

They were completely ignorant of the conflicts among their superiors, yet when those conflicts erupted, they were the ones to bear the brunt of the anger and punishment from above.

They never shared in the good fortune, but were certainly forced to share in the hardship. Unfair, you say?

If you won’t do the job, plenty of others will.

Henry’s horse came to a halt in front of the North City Public Security Bureau. He swung himself out of the saddle and strode purposefully through the main gate.

His arrival immediately caught the attention of the personnel inside. They hurried forward and bowed respectfully.

No one dared to stop him. Only high-ranking nobles could wear clothes like Henry’s, and the people in the imperial capital had sharp eyes.

’And what constitutes a high-ranking noble? A Count, of course! A Grand Duke would typically go out wearing a coronet to display their special and esteemed status.’

"Lord Count, what brings you here in person? Do you have any orders for us?" a Security Captain asked, rushing forward.

Henry nodded and said, "I have some business to discuss with your Sheriff. Is he in?"

The captain nodded hastily. "Yes, he is. I’ll take you to him right away."

Henry followed the captain through the corridors of the Public Security Bureau and arrived at the Sheriff’s office.

Henry pushed the door open and walked right in. The captain didn’t dare say a word and quickly departed.

Daimon Horner looked somewhat haggard at the moment, clearly from a lack of rest over the past few days. When Daimon Horner looked up and saw a familiar face in unfamiliar clothes, he was filled with mixed emotions.

’My old schoolmate got promoted again, huh. Haha, I’m really not jealous. A promotion for an old classmate is a win for our whole academy faction; when one thrives, we all thrive. I’m happy for Henry’s progress, but... this is a little too damn fast!’

’It’s only been a few years!’

Daimon Horner sighed. He still felt that the old days of carousing with Henry were what truly made him happy.

"Lord Count, welcome. How may I be of service to you?"

’What?’ Henry thought.

’Has work addled his brain? Or did he get chewed out for something?’

Henry pulled over a chair and sat down. Glancing at the mountain of documents piled in front of Daimon Horner, he said, "I heard the security situation in the imperial capital has been a bit tense recently. I wanted to know how you’re handling it and if there’s anything I can do to assist."

Daimon Horner shook his head. "We’ve already increased patrols and are closely monitoring suspicious individuals. The situation is currently under control."

He knew Henry must have come to him for something else, not to actually help stabilize the peace in Lukaron.

Besides, even if Henry really wanted to help, what authority did he, a mere North City Sheriff, have to allow a regional noble’s army to patrol the streets of Lukaron?

He didn’t have that kind of power!

"Count Henry, what is it you really want to ask?"

Henry smiled. Even though Daimon Horner had tacked "Count" onto his name, his attitude hadn’t changed much from before. At least it hadn’t devolved to him calling Henry "My Lord."

"I do have something I’d like to ask you."

Henry’s gaze swept across Daimon Horner’s office before finally landing on the man’s exhausted face. He wasn’t sure how Daimon would react to the news he was about to deliver.

"Daimon, I received some information from Vostrom earlier that you might find very interesting."

Daimon detected a subtle seriousness in Henry’s tone. His brow furrowed slightly; he could sense that what Henry was about to say was no small matter.

"Go on."

Henry continued, "From what I’ve learned, a Mysterious Merchant has appeared in Lukaron. He’s selling off Imperial Legion armaments on a massive scale."

The moment the words left his mouth, the color drained from Daimon Horner’s face. He was no fool; he of course understood what this meant.

’One person, selling Imperial Legion armaments on a massive scale... that’s a capital crime, punishable by beheading!’

Who didn’t know that the Emperor had always strictly controlled the number of high-grade armaments flowing into the market? This was to guarantee the Imperial Army’s combat effectiveness and equipment advantage, making it easier for the Emperor to prevent regional rebellions.

’It’s unbelievable.’ Daimon racked his brain, picturing face after face, but none of them matched the situation Henry described.

’Wait, this person is in Lukaron?’

Daimon Horner’s eyes went wide, and a sudden fear gripped him.

First of all, a Mysterious Merchant was operating in Lukaron, and he hadn’t heard a single whisper or found a single clue. He was supposed to be the one most familiar with all the various groups in Lukaron. The implication of this was self-evident.