What the Lord Did Must Have His Reasons

"Lord, this castle is far too... luxurious. Ailiya had never seen a place this big before."

Ailiya panted as she carried the meal tray into Henry's study. It was clear that the castle was extraordinarily large.

In a noble's castle, the study was usually located on the third floor of the main building, connected to the noble's bedroom. Though it was called a study, it was essentially just a dining table and a desk.

Only when entertaining a large number of guests would the Banquet Hall on the first floor of the main building be used.

Seeing that Ailiya was drenched in sweat from exhaustion, Henry asked, "Looks like you need to be promoted to head maid. I plan to hire another five maids to handle cleaning the main building and such."

Ailiya immediately straightened up upon hearing that. Was she getting promoted and receiving a raise?

"I'll make the arrangements. But for the next few days, you'll have to work a little harder on your own. Have you figured out how the bathroom here works?"

Ailiya nodded. She had already figured out how to heat the castle bathroom and cycle the water, so Henry's evening wash would not be delayed.

"Good. I haven't had a proper wash in days. I feel sticky and miserable."

Henry sat before the dining table, candlelight glimmering across the exquisite silverware. These had all been spoils from his first hunt at the Half-Orc tribe's settlement.

Waves of steam drifted upward, carrying an enticing aroma.

A golden-roasted chicken breast sat in the center of the plate, garnished with brightly colored vegetables and mashed potatoes covered in rich gravy.

This was a standard Baron's dinner, and Henry was already enjoying the treatment in advance. Hard farming was no match for raiding; only by farming while plundering could one rise step by step.

Henry picked up his knife and fork and carefully cut off a piece of chicken. The tender meat made the corners of his lips lift slightly as he savored its delicate texture and rich flavor.

Only eating well and sleeping deeply were truly humanity's most comfortable moments. After dinner, Henry wandered around the castle for a while longer, growing more satisfied the more he looked. After washing and changing clothes, he went to sleep happily.

That night, Henry unusually had no dreams and slept deeply.

Early the next morning, Henry began another busy day, because the merchants had caught wind of the news and come running!

Word of Henry's great display of power had long spread. Those who had done business with him and signed contracts a few months ago were thrilled beyond measure.

This was a huge deal. They had previously worried whether Henry would die on the battlefield or lack enough funds to keep things running.

When Henry's steward Tommy had asked them in advance for the remaining goods of various kinds two and a half months ago, all their hearts had risen to their throats.

After all, even if Henry truly defaulted, small merchants like them would not dare do anything to a landed noble. Those goods would have been lost for nothing.

But now...

"Lord Knight, I've always kept Slaves reserved for you. Look, when your steward came to collect the goods, I didn't even ask for any additional deposit! That's how much I trusted you!"

"Yes, Lord Knight. I've kept those farming tools, livestock, and seeds ready for you at all times. People wanted to place orders before, but I refused to sell them!"

Henry paid no attention to their flattery. Merchants were like nobles—their mouths spilled lies as easily as breathing.

Besides, their behavior was truly ugly. In the Calradia Empire, nobles and merchants had to pay a deposit before signing contracts, which was itself a form of subtle humiliation.

The one truly nervous now was Bern, the arms merchant. Henry no longer lacked military equipment and might renege on their remaining deal, yet Bern did not even dare ask for compensation.

Harry, on the other hand, was not worried. His grain trade certainly would not be turned down.

"Don't worry, everyone. Since we signed contracts before and I paid the deposit, now that you're here, let's complete the remaining payment and delivery. After that, we'll be square."

The merchants all let out sighs of relief, especially Bern, who offered Henry five sets of Chainmail and ten sets of Iron-studded Leather Armor.

Naturally, Henry did not refuse such a gift. Something was better than nothing.

Those fifteen sets of armor might have made other Knights so happy that they could not sleep for days, but to people like them, they were hardly worth mentioning.

With so little, Boman would probably toss it right back at you.

Both sides remained busy all day, confirming the delivery and handover dates. After Henry spent all the money he was required to pay under the contracts, he still had 13,200 Denars left.

Terrifying, wasn't it? Did they understand the value of a Royal Knight Academy graduate?

Boman and Fas definitely have tens of thousands in savings too.

Seeing that Henry had no desire to continue talking, the merchants could only leave one after another, saying they looked forward to their next cooperation.

Over the following days, ignoring Claude and Tommy's advice, Henry gathered enough serfs for "loyalty" training. The castle's garrison Barracks were large enough to house so many people anyway.

Henry trained them according to the methods in the Overlord Training Manual. Large quantities of food were consumed, and the serfs became more and more... loyal with each passing day.

"Can the lord really manage recruiting so many people all at once?"

Watching Henry enthusiastically training in the Barracks, Claude said uncertainly, "Probably. There's enough food and enough money, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Tommy rolled his eyes in frustration. "Are you playing dumb? The territory only has three thousand people right now, and the lord wants to raise over a thousand professional private soldiers. That's extremely unhealthy for the territory's development."

"Then go tell the lord. Why are you telling me?"

Claude did not care. Besides, if the lord did this, the lord must have his own reasons.

Tommy was so furious that he pointed at Claude, truly wanting to punch him hard enough to put him on injury leave.

"You're the Steward. You have to be the one to say it."

Claude fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How are the forty New Recruits the lord left with you?"

"Not bad. Why?"

Claude looked at Tommy meaningfully. "They used to be serfs, yet they willingly obeyed your command when there wasn't any force in the territory capable of suppressing them. By all reason, they should have long since run off with their Cotton Armor, swords, and shields to become bandits."

Eh? That was right. What was going on?

Tommy's mind began spinning rapidly. After thinking for a long time... he still did not understand what Claude was trying to say.

"Tommy, it's not your fault. You didn't see it, so you don't understand. Do you know? Those serfs the lord trained for a month behaved on the battlefield like elite reserve New Recruits who had trained for half a year. And when facing Half-Orcs, they showed incredibly fierce fighting spirit. Philip and Bain told me all this. Do you understand, Tommy? Our lord truly knows how to train soldiers."

Claude himself did not notice how fanatical his tone and expression had become while speaking.

Seeing Claude's excited expression, Tommy also realized how terrifying it was. This bewitchment... no, this ability to train soldiers was far too powerful, wasn't it?