Knight: Becoming King of the World

"So you’re telling me," said ’Iron Fist’ Carlos, "that even though I’m paying them a salary, they’re still taking an extra cut?!"

Henry’s roar pierced through the study. Outside, the Attendants stared nervously at the closed door.

They had never seen Henry so enraged outside of the battlefield.

Inside Lord Henry’s study were sixteen of Westwood Laine’s most prominent shop and small Workshop owners.

They were the earliest arrivals, the first group to have rented shops in the city to do business and successfully stay afloat.

Henry had originally planned to chat with these small business owners today, to see how they could expand their operations, hire more workers, and to ask about their profits.

But as it turned out, these owners were telling him that the Record Keepers were extorting protection money from them! If they didn’t pay up, their shops would be seized!

Henry laughed in fury. He was wracking his brain for ways to reduce taxes for his subjects, making up for deficits by plundering on the battlefield or getting sponsors. But these sons of bitches... well, wasn’t this just great. Henry had wiped out the gangs, only for these damn Record Keepers to become a gang themselves!

"Good. Just great! First, there was a Record Keeper named Ku Luo who embezzled my military funds, and I had him executed. Now they’ve set their sights on my subjects!"

The sixteen business owners looked at each other, not daring to speak. Until today, they had all assumed the money the Record Keepers were collecting was a tax. Now they saw that the Lord Baron had no idea this was happening.

"Bain!"

"Sir, I’m here." Hearing Henry call his name, Bain immediately pushed open the door and entered.

"Take a team of new recruits, and according to the list these merchants have provided, arrest every single one of those Record Keepers!"

"Yes, Sir!"

After receiving his orders, Bain swiftly assembled a New Recruit Team from the City Defense Sequence.

They wore Armored Clothing with swords at their waists and spears in hand, ready for action. Bain himself was clad in plate armor, carrying the Knight’s sword Henry had gifted him.

"Soldiers, our mission is to apprehend those greedy Record Keepers. They have abused their authority to extort Dinars from the Lord Baron’s subjects."

Bain’s voice was crystal clear in the soldiers’ ears. "Their actions have incurred the wrath of the Lord Baron. Now, it’s time to make them pay the price!"

The soldiers responded with a unified shout. Bain waved his hand, and the New Recruit Team of one hundred twenty men split into ten groups, quickly dispersing.

Following the list provided by the business owners, they began searching for the Record Keepers within the borders of Westwood Laine.

The residents on the streets saw this and couldn’t help but start murmuring amongst themselves.

Some worried that another war was about to break out, while others were simply curious about what major event was unfolding.

Children followed curiously behind the soldiers, wanting to see what was going on.

Could it be? Lord Henry had just returned to his domain and rested for only a day, and now he was going to war again? What kind of noble was this, a total workaholic!

The Record Keepers, who were still strutting arrogantly and wandering around the streets, had all stayed overnight in Westwood Laine.

Henry hadn’t asked about the specific situations in the domain’s various villages, farms, pastures, and the Forest Hunting Ground yesterday. So, to be available for his questions today, they were all still in Westwood Laine.

They had originally thought today would be a peaceful day to continue their "work."

However, they never imagined that their actions had crossed Henry’s bottom line. The fires of Lord Henry’s wrath were already closing in on them.

Bain’s squad of soldiers caught one of the Record Keepers from the list in front of a grain store.

The Record Keeper, who had been glowing with health and good cheer, instantly turned pale when he saw the fully armed soldiers surrounding him. He tried to explain himself, but Bain gave him no chance.

"In the name of Baron Henry Bro, you are accused of corruption and extortion. You are under arrest!" Bain’s voice was ice-cold as he grabbed the Record Keeper’s arm and dragged him out of the grain store.

As the grain store owner watched the soldiers drag the Record Keeper away, he didn’t even realize an imperceptible smile had formed on his face.

’Damn that Record Keeper! Making me give him discounts! Bossing me around every day! Why didn’t they just break all his bones?!’

A fire of rage burned inside the grain store owner as he recalled how he had bowed and scraped, fawning over those Record Keepers while Henry was away from Westwood Laine.

The other soldiers also sprang into action. Following the names on the list, they arrested the Record Keepers one by one in alleys, taverns, and shops.

Some Record Keepers tried to flee, but they were quickly chased down and subdued by the soldiers.

Others tried to bribe the soldiers, believing that there was nothing in the world that couldn’t be solved with Dinars.

Unfortunately for these corrupt officials, they had just met the exception to that rule. These soldiers were loyal to Henry and were unmoved by the Dinars.

Compared to lining their pockets with a few Dinars, they were far more eager to earn Henry’s favor and be allowed to fight for him on the battlefield.

As the Record Keepers were arrested one after another, the residents of Westwood Laine began to realize what was happening.

Some who had been exploited or bullied by the Record Keepers began to cheer. They had had enough of their greed and corruption.

As for the shop and small Workshop owners who had been extorted by the Record Keepers, they were deeply moved.

’The Lord Baron is too benevolent!’

The operation continued until noon, by which time all the Record Keepers had been apprehended. They were escorted to Lord Henry’s study to await his further instructions.

Originally, Henry wanted to parade them through the streets in shame, but Claude talked him out of it.

Claude’s main concern wasn’t the life, death, or reputation of these Record Keepers, but rather for Tommy’s sake.

No matter how you looked at it, the corruption and extortion by these Record Keepers had happened while Tommy was the Civil Servant, with full authority over the affairs of the Bro Baron’s Domain.

There were eleven of these Record Keepers. If they were all publicly shamed, it would render all of Tommy’s recent hard work and effort meaningless.

Henry took Claude’s advice, essentially cleaning up Tommy’s mess. As for Tommy? He was still asleep.

Henry looked at the bound Record Keepers before him, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.

Their faces were all rather familiar; Henry himself had approved their appointments as Record Keepers.

He never expected that while he was fighting and dying on the battlefield, these Record Keepers would be back in his domain, lording it over everyone.

"Your actions have severely damaged the morale and development of Westwood Laine. I am deeply disappointed. You will receive the punishment you deserve."

"Strip them of their official robes! Take their hats and throw them in the dungeon!"

Henry ignored their explanations and pleas for mercy. All eleven of them were taken to the castle dungeon, where a harsh judgment awaited them.

After Henry gave the order, Bain, Selas, and Roland were put in charge of interrogating the Record Keepers.

The three of them took the Record Keepers down to the castle dungeon. It was dark, damp, and reeked of death.

The Record Keepers were tied to racks, their eyes filled with terror. It was their first time in a dungeon, but they weren’t blind. This didn’t look like a place you could leave alive.

"Do you know what crimes you have committed?" Bain, who held Henry’s interests as his highest priority, was filled with rage toward these Record Keepers.

"We were just following tradition..." one of the Record Keepers tried to argue, but Bain cut him off before he could finish.

Bain sneered, "Tradition? Is your tradition to exploit the lord’s subjects? Now, you will pay the price for your actions."

Bain didn’t give a damn about tradition. If you were in Henry’s territory, you followed Henry’s rules!

If Henry said you were guilty, you were guilty!

Selas pulled out a whip, a cruel smile touching the corners of his mouth. He had felt Henry’s fury. The crimes of these Record Keepers had to be punished, and they needed to learn this lesson before they died.

Roland was responsible for recording the crimes they confessed, his eyes devoid of any sympathy.

It was necessary to record these crimes. This was for the subjects to see: anyone who broke the law would be punished!

The whipping was relentless, and screams rose and fell one after another. Bain and Selas took turns flogging the Record Keepers.

Their strikes were vicious and precise, each lash bringing excruciating pain to the Record Keepers.

The pampered bodies of the Record Keepers were flayed open, but their faces remained untouched.

This was because Henry wanted their heads mounted in the square outside the military barracks for all to see their fate, as a warning to everyone.

After several hours of torture, the Record Keepers were on the verge of death. Their bodies were covered in welts, and blood streamed everywhere.

After washing his hands, Bain went to the study and found Henry looking over the ledgers. He reported, "Sir, they can’t take much more."

Henry nodded. He knew the Record Keepers had received the punishment they deserved.

"Mount their heads in the square outside the barracks for three days. Let everyone in Westwood Laine know that anyone who harms the interests of the domain and its people will be severely punished."

The heads of these corrupt officials were severed by the soldiers, bound with rope, and mounted on eleven poles erected in the square. Every person who passed by could see them.

The residents of Westwood Laine saw all this, and their hearts filled with excitement.

Punishing corrupt officials was a great thing. If someone was afraid after seeing such officials severely punished, then they were either a corrupt official themselves or wanted to become one.

And how should such people be dealt with?

They should be killed!

Henry’s actions this time not only punished the greedy Record Keepers but also served as a deterrent to anyone else who might think of following their example.

More importantly, Henry wanted to tell his subjects that they had only one leader, one head. They only needed to pay taxes to one person: him, Henry, Baron Henry Bro!