The King's Army Is Here, and the Sky Has Cleared!

"If you have other matters to attend to, you may refuse. This is not a summons from your liege lord, merely a gathering.

If you have nothing pressing at the moment, or can settle your affairs before coming, then I will welcome your army.

I hope you can bring a force of one hundred men and arrive in Autongard within six days. A small number of cavalry and sufficient infantry. If your army is too small, your share of the spoils will be meager."

Henry closed his eyes and considered it carefully. He felt that he had to take part in this gathering!

First, Earl Sebastian Thor Sauer was one of the King's court sword nobles. Though he had no fief, he held great power and status. Henry had to show him respect.

Second, Henry had never fought Half-Orcs before. He needed others to serve as cannon fodder at the front while he trained his troops.

"Bain! Bain!"

"My lord!"

"Go, bring Claude and Philip here. Oh, and have Philip bring the troops as well."

After quite a while, Claude and Philip entered Henry's study, both drenched in sweat.

"My lord."

"My lord."

Henry nodded and arranged matters. "Have Tommy take charge of West Lyme Village. You and Philip will come with me to Autongard."

Claude nodded. "My lord, how many men are we taking?"

After handing the Letter to Claude, Henry said, "I plan to take fifty veterans, sixty New Recruits, and thirty Serfs. Claude will serve as the army's clerk, Philip as the cavalry commander, and Bain as the infantry commander... Bain is qualified. His theoretical knowledge scores are very high. If he never commands, he will never improve.

Leave sixty New Recruits for Tommy. I don't want to return and find that old fellow Tommy dead at the hands of Bandits, haha."

Next, Claude went to allocate supplies while Philip hurriedly assigned and mobilized the troops. Everyone sprang into action.

It would take at least four days to travel from here to Autongard, while the Letter itself had taken two days to arrive. In other words, Henry had to depart today.

The only one who was not busy was Henry. Watching his maid pack his things gave him a headache.

"Ailiya, I'm going to war. Why are you packing up my bedding?"

"My lord, I don't know what campaigning and fighting are like, but I know how miserable traveling can be. If you bring these pillows and bedding, you'll be able to rest well at night."

Ailiya's hands never stopped moving, and she packed with remarkable speed. Her ancestors had been Sturgia people from the far north of the Empire, and she was a Free Person from the city.

Ailiya had not liked shivering through every winter, so she came to the heartland of the Empire to make a living and was hired by Henry. Hired, yes! Not bought. Servants, attendants, and Slaves were entirely different things.

Watching Ailiya keep organizing the luggage, Henry smiled and shook his head. She was making it seem as if they were going on a hunting picnic.

He patted Ailiya on the shoulder. "Fine, we'll do as you say. But let me remind you: once we reach Autongard, you are not to leave our own camp. If you truly need to go somewhere, remember to bring Oriana."

"Oh, right! Pack more toilet paper!"

Henry could not stand going without toilet paper. It was beneath a noble's dignity. In the Calradia Empire, only nobles, merchants, and large Landlords could afford toilet paper.

At that moment, the sound of hooves came from outside. Philip had already brought the army to wait at the entrance to the Barracks.

After finding Henry, Claude saluted and reported, "My lord, forty New Recruits will guard West Lyme Village, and twenty New Recruits will remain stationed at the castle Barracks.

Our marching supplies have been loaded onto the wagons. Sixteen carriages in total, including one dedicated to carrying the Heavy Cavalry's armor and horse barding. The force is ready. We can depart."

"Move out!"

The prepared party left the castle Barracks in a grand procession. When the foreman at the Trade Guild's construction site saw this, he hurriedly wrote a Letter to his employer, Baron Pedro, asking him to send more manpower.

Henry encountered no mishaps along the way. No Bandits foolish enough to attack an army of more than a hundred men. There was no profit in victory, and defeat meant losing their heads. It was not worth it.

After four days of arduous travel, Henry's force arrived safely at Autongard.

Autongard, the King's directly governed city on the Eastern Border, was a fertile land upon the grasslands. It produced cattle, sheep, Warhorses, fur, grapes, oil, salt, timber, and Iron Mine ore. It was the pearl of the Eastern Grasslands.

Autongard's walls stood tall and sturdy, its Gatehouse wide open. Soldiers filled both the gate and the ramparts. Not far away stretched vast fields of temporary Barracks, their tents seeming to reach the sky.

Noble banners of every color fluttered in the wind, surrounding the largest, most dazzling banner at the center—the Imperial Royal Standard!

Henry led his army to the Gatehouse. The garrison Soldiers watched him nervously, afraid he might force his way in.

Nobles, after all, all had something wrong with their heads. They were always doing outrageous things to flaunt their special status and power.

"I am the Knight of West Lyme, the King's vassal, Pioneer Noble, Knight Henry Burley."

Henry voluntarily showed the Gatehouse Soldiers his noble crest and summons, identifying himself. This finally put their anxious hearts at ease.

The Soldiers found a literate captain to verify the documents, then opened the Gatehouse and allowed Henry to enter the city with ten men.

"Lord Knight, please forgive us. Earl Sebastian Thor Sauer does not permit nobles to bring too many troops into the city."

Henry did not mind. He had his troops wait outside the city while he brought a few men inside.

Without a damned map navigation system, how was Henry supposed to find City Hall? The answer was simple: the tallest, most imposing building, the one flying the Royal Standard, was City Hall.

After Henry and his party arrived at City Hall, they underwent a tedious identity verification process before being allowed through.

A junior Officer respectfully said to Henry, "Lord Knight, your men cannot enter and must wait here. Earl Sebastian Thor Sauer is currently presiding over a meeting for the summoned nobles. Will you attend?"

"Of course. I am one of the summoned nobles."

Soon, led by the junior Officer, he reached the meeting hall, and then... heard fierce arguing from within.

Henry sighed. Why did he always run into this sort of thing? Heavens, where was the dignity of the nobles? Every meeting turned into an argument! What a disgrace to civilized conduct!

Before long, the Officer received word and invited Henry into the meeting.

When Henry entered the hall, the people who had been arguing fiercely fell silent at once. After glancing at Henry a few times, they resumed their quarrel.

The meeting hall was filled with Independent Nobles. A minor Knight like Henry had no right to speak, while the Pioneer Nobles seated at the back were not considered one of their own by these nobles with fiefs.

Count Sebastian nodded in welcome at Henry's arrival. Henry swept his gaze around, spotted Boman and Fas, then went over and took a seat beside them.

Count Sebastian and Henry were both vassals of the King. Though neither commanded the other and Counts and Knights were equals in rank, it was proper etiquette for nobles with lower titles to show respect to those with higher titles.

Henry silently listened to the Viscounts and Barons argue, learning the subject of the meeting.

The purpose of Earl Sebastian Thor Sauer's gathering was to prepare for a future counteroffensive against the Half-Orcs. He planned to organize a "Great Hunt" to explore the Half-Orcs' range of activity.

"Earl Sebastian Thor Sauer, I brought an army of five hundred men. Why can't I go out hunting?"

"Have you no shame?! And you dare ask the Earl? Viscount Iva, you brought five hundred Infantry as a Viscount. Did you come here just to eat for free?"

"Count Sebastian, I am Baron Nurland. I brought thirty Grassland Warriors and thirty Tribal Warriors! My troops come and go like the wind. We will surely send the Half-Orcs fleeing in disarray!"

"Sit down! What can sixty riders even do? Count Sebastian, let me go!"

Henry scratched his head, feeling helpless. Were these people taking the Half-Orcs far too lightly?

At the same time, Henry began wondering why a world without magic even had creatures like Half-Orcs.

Was that scientific?

"Henry, how many men did you bring?"

Henry looked at Boman, who had asked in a low voice beside him. "What is it? Got an idea?"

"Of course. You, me, Glen, and Fas—we're all graduates of the Royal Knight Academy. We can join forces and earn a rich haul of spoils in this battle!"

Only after carefully listening to Boman excitedly explain how much profit the Half-Orcs could bring them did Henry understand why these people were so eager to fight.

First, the Eastern Border had suffered under the Half-Orcs for far too long! This was a blood feud!

Henry had only recently been granted his title and had never suffered harassment from the Half-Orcs. But these people were different. Every year, the Half-Orcs left them utterly overwhelmed.

These Independent Nobles had no leader and could not mount an effective counterattack. But now things were different. The King's Army was here, and the sky had cleared! The King's Army was here, and the realm would know peace!

Second, there were the tempting spoils!

Half-Orcs were powerful. Their bodies were taller and sturdier, their strength and speed terrifying. Many people would die. But the Empire lacked nothing more than people!

Half-Orc weapons and armor were far larger than human ones. One piece of loot was worth two, even three pieces! As for the Serfs who died holding the line... Serfs may suffer, but I will not bear the blame.

Furthermore, Half-Orc tribes possessed enormous amounts of gold and silver, vast fortunes they had mined and plundered themselves.

And Half-Orc captives were extremely valuable!

Centaur, Minotaur, Gnoll, Kobold, Goatman, and the like—starve them for a few meals, and they would make excellent miners!

Moreover, the old noble families and wealthy merchants of the peaceful southern and Western Region had special demands. For example, female Tiger-men, Cat-people, Fox-people, and others who fit human beauty standards commanded extremely high prices.

Finally, the reason everyone was scrambling for this mission was because the slots were limited. Count Sebastian could not let too many armies spread out, or it would trigger a premature decisive battle.

Henry was tempted too—not by those female Half-Orcs, but by the chance to take part in more wars!

The last time the Bandits had gathered to raid, the "Total War Panel" had not reacted at all. It had not even regarded those Bandits as people!

Henry refused to believe that the "Total War Panel" would still show no response to a war against Half-Orcs.

"How many men did you all bring?"

Boman said quietly, "I brought two Knight Attendants, one Officer, twenty crossbowmen, and sixty Serfs. Fas brought the same.

Glen's fief suffered no losses. This time, he brought five Retainers, two Officers, ten Heavy Cavalry, thirty Light Cavalry, and two hundred Serfs."

Henry asked in surprise, "Senior Glen is that wealthy?"

Boman curled his lip. "We were both top of our class, so stop pretending. Who hasn't saved up a fortune in three years? If my fief hadn't been destroyed, I'd be even more arrogant than those Barons!"

Henry nodded and revealed his own strength as well. "One Retainer, one Officer, twenty Heavy Cavalry, ten Veteran Shielded Crossbowmen, ten Veteran Spearmen, and ten Veteran Skirmishers. Sixty New Recruits and thirty Serfs."

Having received a clear answer, Boman immediately slapped the table and rose to his feet, drawing everyone's attention.

"Count Sebastian! I am Knight Boman! Knight Henry, Knight Glen, Knight Fas, and I have formed a Joint Force. We are all graduates of the Royal Knight Academy. We will field an army of more than five hundred men, with sufficient Cavalry and Bows and Crossbows. We are qualified to join this hunt!"

Knight Boman's words were like pouring a barrel of oil into boiling water, setting off a crackling wave of arguments among the other nobles.

That was right! If one noble's army was not strong enough, then three or four nobles could join forces! But then another thought arose—how could they ensure those allied nobles were not merely going through the motions?

Baron Nurland looked at the four Knights, and a nameless fury rose in his heart.

Damn it, these people again! The hatred of having one's wife stolen was irreconcilable! Wherever people from the Royal Knight Academy went, conflicts erupted!

"Boman! Why are you Knights with destroyed fiefs joining in the fun?!"

Boman flew into a rage at once. Damn it, wasn't your fief destroyed too?

Boman drew his Knight Sword and glared furiously at Nurland. "Nurland! My noble honor has been insulted! I challenge you to a Life-and-Death Duel!"

Henry and Fas rose as well, drawing their Knight Swords. Nurland's words had been far too offensive!

The other nobles, delighted to watch the chaos unfold, chimed in with cheers.

Fight! Fight! The Pioneer Nobles who had come from all over the realm also had gleaming eyes. What was the fun in mere arguing? Better if they all died here and left their lands vacant.

Count Sebastian slammed his fist against the table repeatedly, forcing everyone to quiet down.

"The meeting is over. I will send the hunting assignments to the Barracks of those who are permitted to go out. Now get out, all of you!"

Although Count Sebastian was an Honorary Noble, he was the King's Honorary Noble. Moreover, he was the commander-in-chief of this Autongard Front Army and their temporary superior.

Therefore, once Count Sebastian issued his order to leave, everyone else could only depart.