Knight: Becoming King of the World

The speech Henry had prepared was completely derailed by a single sentence from the Emperor.

He stood frozen, torn between taking a seat or first explaining what had just happened. The Emperor seemed to notice his hesitation. Shaking his head, he pointed to the chair beside him. Henry had no choice but to go over and sit down.

The Emperor first asked Henry a series of questions: how his feoff was developing, if he was encountering any difficulties, whether he was applying what he had learned at the academy, and, as an outstanding graduate, if he felt the curriculum needed any additions or improvements.

This left Henry a little flustered. The Emperor had always been like a true mentor to him, and this level of personal concern made him nervously tug at the corner of his clothes.

"Headmaster, the development of my feoff is proceeding smoothly, it’s just..." Henry paused. He didn’t know how to bring up the recent chaos and his own suspicions.

The Emperor, seemingly oblivious to Henry’s hesitation, continued, "Are the academy’s courses helpful in managing your feoff? Is there anything you feel needs improvement?"

Henry took a deep breath, deciding to answer the Emperor’s questions first and bring up the other matter later.

’The Emperor’s demeanor seemed to say, ’I know what you want to talk about, and I know what just happened. I know you’re anxious, but be patient.’’

"Headmaster, the academy’s curriculum has been a great help to me. The knowledge of strategy and governance, in particular, has made me much more adept at managing my feoff.

As for areas needing improvement, I believe we could add more practical command courses. That would give the younger students more opportunities to grapple with real-world battlefield problems."

The Emperor nodded, seemingly satisfied with Henry’s answer.

"Excellent. I will consider your suggestion. The empire is currently unstable and rife with banditry. Letting these students ’pay their tuition’ by leading troops against them might be a fine choice indeed."

The Emperor stroked his scepter with a thoughtful air and continued, "Now, tell me about the situation at the main camp on the border of the Northern Lands. I need you to tell me, in detail, everything you saw and heard."

Henry collected his thoughts and began to recount his experiences at the main camp on the Northern Lands border.

"Headmaster, the Eldest Prince’s command ability is formidable. His performance on the battlefield was deeply impressive. The Legion Commanders all hold him in high regard and follow his orders.

As for the armies of the nobility, while they are well-equipped, they are still lacking in practical combat experience."

The Emperor listened to Henry’s report, nodding from time to time as if lost in thought.

"Then, do you believe the Eldest Prince is capable of inheriting the throne?"

’Huh? He’s asking me?’

Henry froze. He had never considered the question, nor did he want to offer a reckless opinion.

’Give it to whoever the hell you want, I have no opinion on the matter.’

"Headmaster, the Eldest Prince is undoubtedly an outstanding leader. But as for his suitability to inherit the throne, that decision rests entirely with you."

The Emperor smiled, apparently pleased with Henry’s caution. He was, after all, his most outstanding student in recent years, his greatest protege.

"A fair answer. Now, regarding the armies of the nobility, do you have any suggestions?"

Henry thought for a moment, then said, "Headmaster, I believe we could improve their practical combat capabilities by having them clear out the bandits themselves.

For example, you could decree that by the end of the year, the nobles’ feoffs must be clear of any robbers, brigands, mountain bandits, and other such Bandits.

At the same time, you could also dispatch a few Legion officers to supervise and guide them."

The Emperor’s eyes lit up as he nodded. He’d had this idea before himself, but he was surprised someone else had thought of it too.

These nobles were always crying poor and paying less in taxes, yet their lands were overrun with bandits. Was this acceptable? He had granted them titles and land so that they would defend and develop their territories.

If you can’t handle being a noble, there are plenty of others who can.

If all the nobles in the empire mobilized to eliminate the bandits, instead of holing up in their manors just eating, drinking, and waiting to die, the empire would surely flourish.

Besides, from a macro perspective, the empire was currently facing a food shortage. Recruiting the bandits would only exacerbate the problem, whereas eliminating them would helpfully reduce the population and give the second- and third-line armies some much-needed combat training.

’A perfect solution, is it not?’ At least, that’s what the Emperor thought.

"That’s an excellent idea. I’ll consider implementing it. Now, was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Henry knew this was his opening to discuss what had happened earlier.

"Headmaster, there was a disturbance in Lukaron today. I suspect someone orchestrated it deliberately, with the goal of driving a wedge between you and me."

Henry decided not to beat around the bush and addressed the Emperor directly.

The Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly as he gestured for Henry to continue.

Henry recounted the entire incident in detail, including his suspicions and the clues he had gathered.

After hearing him out, the Emperor was silent for a moment before speaking. "This is a serious matter indeed. I will have it investigated. You’ve done well."

Henry could tell the Emperor wasn’t surprised—it was as if he had anticipated the name. Still, the Emperor was clearly furious. If it wasn’t a trick of the light, his face had turned red with anger.

"Headmaster, I have one more request."

The Emperor looked at Henry, gesturing for him to go on.

"Headmaster, regarding the reward you granted me... could it be disbursed as soon as possible? I, too, wish to open up more land for the empire and cultivate a larger population."

The corner of the Emperor’s eye twitched. He had thought Henry was about to volunteer for the mission to investigate Battania, but instead, the conversation had turned back to matters of Dinar.

’This Henry... is he really that desperate for money and men?’

The Emperor and Henry spoke for a long while longer, with the Emperor doing most of the talking and Henry most of the listening.