Knight: Becoming King of the World

Count Akakarat glanced from time to time at the bustling city walls, then looked up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

Many of the nobles and high-ranking officers under Count Akakarat had gathered in the city, with no idea why.

They huddled together, exchanging bewildered looks. They asked one another if anyone had any news.

Unfortunately, after asking around, they discovered no one knew what was going on. When they saw the Count begin preparing for war, they were all utterly baffled.

’Are we preparing for war? Who are we fighting? Is someone about to declare war on us?’

It wasn’t just the nobles who were baffled; even the high-ranking officers in the Count’s army were confused. Indeed, why prepare for war when everything was peaceful? The borders were secure, so where was the enemy? Preparing for war meant consuming vast amounts of grain every day to train soldiers!

Everyone began to speculate about the reason for the preparations. Someone had a wild thought: ’Could the Count be preparing to defend against Henry?’

As this idea spread, everyone fell silent. But they soon shook their heads, dismissing it as impossible. The guess was a bit too "bold."

However, when one of them mustered the courage to ask Count Akakarat, the answer left them dumbfounded.

Count Akakarat’s face was grim. He nodded and said, "That’s right. We are taking precautions against Henry!"

When the news got out, everyone was stunned. They gathered in small groups, unable to believe their ears.

’How could our Lord become so fearful?’ the nobles complained endlessly.

They couldn’t understand it. Henry had committed his entire army to the war with Count John!

Most of them didn’t believe Henry could defeat John in the first place. But even if Henry did win the war, his losses would surely be catastrophic! Where would he find the troops to immediately launch another war against a different Count?

’He’d need at least a year or two to rest and recuperate! He should be grateful we don’t attack him during that time!’

Count Akakarat offered no explanation for the rumors swirling around the city, merely letting out a cold snort.

He knew in his heart that these arrogant, good-for-nothing gluttons under his command could not possibly comprehend how terrifying Henry was.

’Who knows what Henry is truly capable of?’ He didn’t dare take the gamble. The miracles Henry had created over the years were simply too numerous, each one more unbelievable than the last.

Their lack of understanding didn’t discourage him. Count Akakarat sat alone in his study, his brow furrowed, his eyes roaming back and forth across a map.

His fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the desk as he struggled internally, two ideas pulling him in opposite directions.

The first idea, which had crossed his mind countless times, was to let John and Henry fight to the death.

After all, they were his two most powerful neighbors to the south. Letting them wear each other down would undoubtedly be a good thing for him.

He even fantasized that when both sides were battered and broken, he might be able to seize the opportunity to reap some benefits. Who knows, he might even hit the jackpot.

However, he quickly cast the thought aside with a self-deprecating smile. That was just the stuff of dreams, wishful thinking. Reality was never so kind.

His gaze refocused on the map, his finger tracing the borders of his own territory. Count Akakarat’s plan was to actively prepare for war, improve his army’s combat effectiveness, stockpile supplies in advance, and make his city impregnable!

The plan was conservative, but it would maximize his own safety and interests.

The second idea had once thrilled him, but it had crumbled just as quickly.

It was to proactively assemble a large army, try to coax other Independent Nobles into joining, form an Alliance Army to aid John, and nip Henry’s ambitions in the bud.

The thought had initially filled him with excitement, as if he could see the glorious spectacle of a united front resisting a powerful foe.

’Heh, you can’t fight all of us at once, can you, Henry? We’ll just bog you down! We’ll wear you out until you’re forced to face your own demise!’

However, when he tentatively proposed this idea to the other Independent Nobles, he was met with a chorus of rejections.

The other Independent Nobles heard him out. ’Fight Henry? Me? No thanks, not going.’

Henry’s name carried too much weight on the eastern plains. Unless he came knocking on their door, no one was willing to provoke him.

This situation arose partly because of Henry’s formidable military strength, and partly because of the subconscious fear and resistance instilled in them by the constant chatter of Minstrels, adventurers, and travelers.

And so, Count Akakarat’s plan to form an Alliance Army fell apart before it even began. He certainly wasn’t going to attack alone; he had no confidence he could defeat Henry.

’If I sent out my troops, I’d have to face Henry in the open field! That’s a guaranteed death sentence, isn’t it?’

Furthermore, knowing Henry, if he truly dispatched his army, Henry would likely turn his own forces around and attack him directly! That was absolutely out of the question. He couldn’t take the risk.

Without his army, he would be a fish on the chopping block, just waiting to be carved up by his neighbors.

In the end, Count Akakarat chose the first plan.

As the saying goes, "When our ’allies’ are in peril, our forces remain Immovable as a Mountain."

’This isn’t cowardice, it’s caution!’

The night was deep. The power games played on this land were both exhausting and fascinating. He smiled, but it was a smile of resigned helplessness.

In this situation, self-preservation was paramount. He had to firmly hold on to his foundation amidst the coming storm.

John didn’t yet know that of the two potential allies he was preparing to ask for help, one had "defected to the enemy," and the other was hiding in his shell like a coward.

Just as everyone was on the edge of their seats, watching Henry’s every move with bated breath, his army finally appeared within sight of the defenders of Odoche.

At first, the defending soldiers paid them no mind. They were just tiny black dots on the horizon, like a distant flock of birds—insignificant, almost unnoticeable.

However, as time passed, those dots gradually converged into a winding black line, like a mountain ridge slowly slithering across the horizon.

’What is this?’ There were no greenhorns on the walls at this moment; the officers immediately understood this was a massive army!

’This is bad. Henry is here!’

The defenders nervously gripped their weapons, their hearts pounding and their throats dry. They knew it wasn’t just a black line, but a storm of countless soldiers and warhorses—it was Henry’s fearsome army.

Now that the day had truly come, they realized they were cowards, too.

The black line grew wider and clearer, eventually becoming a dark, oppressive forest that kicked up a cloud of dust, blotting out the sun.

Wheels rumbled and warhorses neighed as the dark forest surged forward, each step seeming to crush the hearts of Odoche’s defenders, leaving them feeling suffocated.

The defenders stood on the walls, watching the approaching army, a sense of powerlessness washing over them.

They were about to face an invincible conqueror, an army that was surging toward Odoche. And it seemed all they could do was tremble before its might.

As Henry’s grand army drew closer, the very earth seemed to tremble! Even the sky itself appeared to change color.

Sunlight, filtering through the dust, cast only dim shadows, enveloping the entire world in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

The defenders gripped their weapons, their palms slick with cold sweat. ’Do we really have to fight? Why don’t the lords above just surrender? Aren’t they just sending us to our deaths?’

But then again, they had never heard of Henry having a history of plundering commoners’ property... and Count John had given every participating soldier a one-time bonus equivalent to two years’ salary.

That money was real; it was already at home, in their families’ hands. ’Even if I really die, I can accept it.’

Those without families had already spent their share on wine and women, living like rich men for a while. Even if they died now, it wouldn’t have been for nothing.