Knight: Becoming King of the World

The other officials, terrified by this sudden move, crouched on the ground. Some had even lost control of their bowels. The scene in front of the city hall was one of total chaos.

"I don’t want to hear any more excuses. I want to see the merchant ships today." Henry’s voice thundered before the city hall, his eyes burning with fury.

’Trying to squeeze Dinars out of me? Not a chance! I have plenty of blades to go around, though!’

The other officials were stunned by Henry’s resolve and decisiveness. If they delayed any longer, their fate would be unimaginable.

The Civil Servant of Gasil, in particular, frantically began directing his Record Keepers and other Civil Servants to rush and prepare the merchant ships.

’He didn’t dare bet on whether Henry would actually kill him. This guy dared to murder the emperor’s officials in the street—was there anything he wouldn’t do?’

The citizens watched the scene from a distance, shocked by Henry’s boldness and decisiveness.

The members of the Security Team also watched from the side. They hadn’t expected Henry to resort to such drastic measures.

’So that’s what a noble is? Turns out there are masters even above the officials?’

The garrison camp within Gasil was also in an uproar.

"What? A noble’s army entered the city en masse, wearing full armor?"

"Yes, it’s that army from outside the city. They seem to belong to the Bro Clan."

"Oh... The young noble who’s been active on the Alien Race battlefields?"

"That’s the one."

The commanders thought it over and decided to act as if they hadn’t seen a thing.

The Empire’s Standing Legions had their own network of contacts and information channels, and they paid close attention to both the established, combat-proven nobles and the rising stars throughout the empire.

This was how Henry was described in their intelligence circles:

’Student of the great emperor, graduated first in his class and was ennobled as a Knight. Participated in two major battles against the Half-Beastmen in the same year and was granted another fief by the emperor, with his title elevated to Baron. Raided the lands of an eastern Independent Baron and seized the castle of an Independent Count.’

As for what happened on the Lizardmen battlefield, news had not yet spread among the various Legions and the garrisons of the Free Cities.

’The officials might have had their brains scrambled by a camel’s fart, but these men of the sword were still in their right minds.’

"Commander! Bad news! Baron Henry killed several officials in front of the city hall! A lot of citizens and Sheriffs are gathered around watching!"

The commanders instinctively shot to their feet, only to slowly sit back down again.

"Hmm... Bar the gates. We’re in the middle of physical training. We know nothing about what’s happening outside."

"Huh? Yes, Commander!"

’The Security Team didn’t dare get involved, and the Gasil garrison was burying its head in the sand.’ The officials cursed them all as useless bastards. ’They were always so eager to take their cut of the money and perks, but when real trouble hit, they were nowhere to be found!’

Before long, news came from the direction of the port that the merchant ships were being prepared. Henry’s hardline stance had finally paid off.

He sheathed his sword, gave the officials a cold glance, and then led his Personal Guard toward the port.

’Some people are just gluttons for punishment. They won’t do their jobs properly. You have to threaten to take their heads off before they finally wake up.’

The officials were trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice. Some were already beginning to worry. Their prestige had taken a huge blow. What if some literate citizen decided to stir up trouble? The people of the desert regions were known to be fierce.

’When it comes to rebellion, all it takes is for one person to lead the charge.’

Baron Henry’s army poured into the city, forming a long column that snaked through the streets of Gasil.

Nearly eighteen hundred soldiers, clad in armor, marched in unison, radiating the keen edge only possessed by troops baptized in the fires of war.

Hundreds of wagons followed close behind, carrying necessary supplies and equipment, while the Cavalry’s horses were led by hand. Their hoofbeats thundered on the flagstone road, shaking dust from between the stones into the air.

Originally, there were more wagons, but due to heavy casualties, they had to sell off some of the carts themselves to avoid slowing their marching speed.

The benefit of this was that every wagon now had two draft horses, allowing even the Grassland Warriors to experience the Heavy Cavalry’s standard of two horses per man.

The citizens stood on either side of the street, witnessing the army’s awe-inspiring presence. No one dared make a sound.

They had never seen such a disciplined and imposing army.

Compared to Gasil’s garrison, this army was clearly more elite. One could almost smell the stench of blood from the battlefield on them—the scent of victors.

The Empire’s merchant ships looked somewhat out of place in the port. They had both sails and oar decks in the lower hull, rowed by serfs.

The design was awkward for open-sea voyages, but on the Empire’s Inner Sea, it ensured the merchant ships could travel swiftly even on windless days.

Before Henry’s army, the captains and crews of the five merchant ships were scared into silence. They followed his orders with trepidation, not daring to show the slightest bit of negligence as they diligently attended to every last detail.

Henry boarded the largest merchant ship. These vessels would carry his army and supplies across the Empire’s Inner Sea to Vostrom.

’He would not tolerate any mishaps. His soldiers could die on the battlefield, but he wouldn’t let them die pointless deaths at sea.’

As the last wagon was pulled aboard, Henry gave the order to set sail.

The merchant ships’ sails were raised, the rowers began to move their oars in rhythm, and the ships slowly left the port of Gasil, heading for the northern seas.

And so, Henry’s army—which had left such a deep impression on the officials, Security Team, merchants, and Free People of Gasil—vanished from sight.

As the merchant ships slowly pulled away from the port and the silhouette of Gasil began to fade, Henry’s army embarked on its first sea voyage.

At first, the soldiers found the sea voyage novel and exciting. They walked about the deck, admiring the magnificent view of the sea and sky merging as one.

The ship rocked gently with the waves, a swaying sensation that everyone found amusing. It was a novel kind of trip.

However, the novelty was soon replaced by the discomfort of seasickness. Barely an hour had passed before some of the men began to vomit violently. Their faces were pale, they staggered on their feet, and they looked as if they could pass out at any moment.

This sudden turn of events dampened the once-excited atmosphere, and some soldiers even began to wonder if they could last until the end of the voyage.

Henry felt powerless to help. He could only order the Medical Masters to do their best to treat the seasick soldiers.

The Medical Masters bustled about the deck, providing treatment and comfort to the afflicted men.

They distributed herbs of questionable efficacy. The herbs might alleviate the symptoms of seasickness, and though their effect was limited, they at least provided some psychological comfort.

The horses weren’t faring much better. They were restless and agitated, their neighs echoing one after another.

This equine anxiety could trigger a chain reaction, jeopardizing the safety of the entire voyage. Their agitation had to be brought under control as soon as possible.

The Medical Masters, who doubled as veterinarians, had to call on soldiers to help restrain the horses before they could carefully administer medicine.

To make matters worse, two of the Medical Masters themselves unfortunately succumbed to seasickness.

They had come to help the soldiers, but now they were the ones who needed to be looked after.

As time wore on, the sun began to set, and the waves on the sea grew choppier.

The merchant ship pitched and rolled on the waves, each lurch testing the will of everyone aboard.

A salty, damp sea breeze swept across the decks as the soldiers struggled to adapt to life at sea.

’It was just as Henry said: endurance is victory. It was only for a few days; the time would pass in the blink of an eye.’

They began to learn from the sailors and crew how to keep their balance on the rocking ship and how to find a bit of peace amidst the discomfort of seasickness.

Amidst the lurching of the merchant ship, Claude barely managed to steady himself. He felt as if a small beast was churning in his stomach, but he persevered and made his way to the captain’s cabin, which Henry had commandeered.

Henry was standing by the porthole, his gaze fixed on the churning sea. His face showed no signs of seasickness; to him, every lurch of the ship seemed to be nothing more than a gentle breeze.

"My lord, I feel that killing the emperor’s officials... probably wasn’t a good idea."

Henry turned and stared at Claude but did not respond immediately.

Claude swallowed and continued, "I mean, after we arrive in Vostrom, shouldn’t we write a letter to the emperor, explaining the situation and our reasons in detail?"

’Claude felt that even if Henry was the emperor’s student and held a special political status, he couldn’t just kill the emperor’s officials and then say and do nothing.’

’Isn’t this a bit disrespectful to the emperor?’

Henry was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and said simply, "I understand."

Claude had no idea what Henry was really thinking. He only knew that Henry’s decisions were always unexpected and often came with great risks and great rewards.

"Then... I will go instruct the cooks on each ship to prepare tonight’s dinner, my lord," Claude said, then turned to leave.

Wasn’t Henry seasick? In truth, he was. He was just putting up a strong front.

’As for explaining his reasons to the emperor, Henry felt it was unnecessary.’

’First, Henry wanted to give the emperor more leverage—more "handles" with which to control him. Only then would the emperor dare to treat Henry as a true confidant and use him as such, which could lead to benefits like lower taxes and more aid.’

’Second, the officials Henry had killed had themselves violated the Empire’s wartime laws by obstructing a military directive from the emperor.’

’Third, if the emperor ever really used this leverage to move against him, then Henry would have to go to Lukaron and see just who was whispering slander in the emperor’s ear, causing a rift between a wise ruler and a loyal subject.’

’For Henry, rebellion wasn’t a question of daring to or not. It was a question of whether or not it was worth the trouble.’

’Right now, the emperor sat securely in Lukaron, keeping the empire running. The nobles and cities everywhere were playing within the rules, goods flowed freely, and entertainment and luxuries were readily available. There was no need to rebel.’

’But if the day ever came when Henry’s fief, wealth, material comforts, or his very life were threatened, then his axe was no mere decoration.’

’You think I’m out here to play games? You ever seen a true cutthroat in action?’