Don't Underestimate Anyone; No One Is a Fool

Henry drew an arrow and surveyed the surroundings. He was not trying to show off; he simply did not want to embarrass himself.

Control Bow Skill: ② Moving Shot, ③ Eagle Eye, ④ Horse Archer activating...

Endurance Riding Skill: ④ Mounted Archery Talent activating...

Cunning Scouting Skill: ② Vision Correction activating...

The dirt beneath him, all the scents of nature, the strength and direction of the wind... Henry's nose twitched, and he suddenly noticed a black speck in the distant grass. He immediately spurred his horse forward.

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Bain had noticed nothing, but he immediately mounted up and chased after Henry.

The thunder of hooves startled the animals in the grass, sending them fleeing in groups. Wild boars! Seven wild boars! Henry urged his warhorse faster, drew his curved bow, nocked an arrow, and fired in rapid succession!

Control Bow Skill: ① Quick Shot, ② Moving Shot activating...

The Armor Piercing Arrow shot from Henry's hand like lightning, instantly piercing through a boar's heart! It passed straight through from its anus.

Henry smiled tightly, drew another arrow, nocked it, aimed, and released! A piercing whistle tore through the air, and another boar fell at once.

Henry repeated the motion and brought down a third boar.

Henry turned and saw Boman and Fas galloping toward him, so he reined in his warhorse. Three boars were enough. There was no need to steal all the glory.

They were his two senior schoolmates, and in the coming Pioneering War, they would also be the nobles Henry intended to use as Half-Orc arrow shields. He had to consider their feelings.

Those who needed social etiquette kept it in mind; those who did not need it disdained it.

Besides, three boars were already enough—his limit, in fact. He could not bring back any more. He had only brought Bain, and even the cart for hauling prey had been provided by Boman.

Hunting Expert, Experience +66

"Bain, collect the arrows, tie them up, and throw them onto the cart."

"Yes, my lord."

Suddenly, Henry heard cheers in the distance. Boman or Fas had probably managed to bag some prey.

"Fine shooting!" Fas called from afar.

Henry looked toward the voice and saw Boman riding slowly toward him, with a dead boar slung over his retainer's horse behind him.

"Looks like everyone's had a fine haul today," Henry said with a smile.

"Haha, it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't shot those boars earlier, I doubt I'd have even caught sight of one," Boman laughed heartily.

"Not at all. Just luck," Henry replied modestly.

As they spoke, Fas rode over as well. His horse carried a prey animal too, something that looked like a large bird.

"You two are impressive!"

"Heh, nothing much." The corner of Fas's mouth lifted slightly, and he looked rather pleased with himself.

Today, he had not lost to Boman. A small deer and a large bird were no worse than one boar.

Once everyone had packed up the prey, they prepared to return to Audoh. They chatted and laughed along the way, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Boman and Fas told Henry stories about the academy's past. Whenever Henry heard the names of familiar teachers, he chimed in with a few remarks.

The rich spoils from this hunt were a minor matter. Its main purpose had been to deepen their friendship.

Relationships needed to be maintained.

"Henry, should we take the prey to the market and sell it?"

Henry thought for a moment. "Why don't we give the prey to Earl John? We've stayed in the Earl's castle for so long. We should show some gratitude."

Earl John Hoyland, ruler of the Hoyland Earldom, controlled more than 37,200 square kilometers of land.

A large city with a castle, four independent fortresses and their Subsidiary Villages, farms, seventeen villages, two pastures, seven estates, one Horse Ranch, one Forest Farm, hundreds of serf farms, and a population of more than seven hundred thousand within his domain—he had to be taken seriously.

This world was no ordinary medieval age. High-yield crops brought by maritime trade and the Southern Trade Route allowed the Empire to support more people.

After thinking it over, Boman and Fas agreed with Henry's idea. When they returned to Audoh, they drew countless gazes. Of course, most of the attention was on the prey. It was practically a mountain of meat.

Boman found Earl John's Butler and told him that the prey was a gift for the Earl, in thanks for his hospitality over the past days.

"Thank you for the thoughtfulness of the three knights. May I ask which prey belongs to whom?"

Boman pointed at a boar. "This one is mine. The remaining three belong to Knight Henry, and the other two belong to Knight Fas."

"Thank you, three knights. I will report this at once."

Henry and the other two did not meet the Earl. They simply went their separate ways. These animals were only a small gift. What was an Earl's status? Would he express gratitude to them over a few animals?

No way, right?

After the Butler reported the matter to Earl John, the Earl praised the three men and decided to invite them to the upcoming Arena Tournament.

The east was about to become lively. Disorderly security, dense flows of people... but with them would come inexhaustible wealth.

Yes, even Honorary Baron Pedro had received the news, so naturally Earl John knew as well. Undercurrents had been stirring in the Capital these past years, and security on the Eastern Border had grown increasingly serious.

This large-scale Half-Orc invasion had severely provoked the Empire's authority. The King would certainly launch a counterattack.

Could Earl John truly have failed to think of the Pioneer Act? Or had none of the border counts and viscounts thought of it? But they could not be the ones to say it. It would make the King wary of them.

When the Empire had just unified Calradia, there had been nine Grand Dukes and nine massive principalities within its borders. Later, the royal family had gradually eliminated five of them, one by one: the Urhun Nait Principality, Banu Huleting Principality, Gondarov Principality, Dai Melok Principality, and Fen Gruffindok Principality.

Those five grand principalities had originally been titles granted by the royal family to the defeated royal houses of other kingdoms, in order to stabilize and develop the Empire quickly. Once the Empire had recovered, the first to be dealt with were the remnants of Kusait, followed by the historical remnants of Sturgia, Aserai, Battania, and Vlandia...

Now, there was no longer any distinction between this nation or that culture. Everyone had long since become Imperial citizens.

Since then, the Dukes within the Empire had generally been cautious in word and deed, constantly taking the initiative to dilute their own power. With such precedents before them, the border counts did not dare make any major moves.

Therefore, the Pioneer Act could only be proposed by Lesser Nobles, and they had to be Lesser Nobles whose fiefs had been destroyed.

And there it was: Henry had taken the initiative to propose it, and he had only just received his royal investiture. Henry had to be the one to say it!

The latest news Earl John received was that seven of the King's directly controlled Imperial Standing Army Legions had already gathered in the east. As soon as their joint petition reached the Capital, the Pioneer Act would be activated immediately!

Earl John tapped the table. "How long has the Courier from the Imperial Office been gone?"

"My lord, three hours. The office takes this matter very seriously and has stated that they will spare no horses or manpower, traveling day and night without rest. Even if seven or eight horses die, they should reach the Capital in about four days."

Earl John nodded. "I recall that some Mercenary Groups and Trade Caravans, drawn here by the news, are already heading for the various border cities, correct?"

"Yes, my lord. Roughly three Mercenary Groups and twenty-seven Trade Caravans will come to Audoh."

Earl John snorted. No one liked these constantly roaming Trade Caravans and mercenaries. They were experts at evading taxes, and they could also recruit people from noble territories perfectly legally.

But he had to admit that these motley people were indeed experts at making a region lively.

Earl John nodded. "Ten days from now, Audoh will hold an Arena Tournament. The champion's prize will be a warhorse, five hundred Denars... oh, and that useless medal.

"As for their gambling matters, let Pedro handle them. He's an expert in that area. Spread the news. Make everyone nearby turn their eyes toward Audoh, and make them come spend their money here!"

"Yes, my lord. I will make the arrangements at once."

John picked up the Wine Cup on the table, took a sip of wine, and muttered, "I need to make a fortune quickly."

Meanwhile, the Earl's Butler came to Henry's room and relayed Earl John's intentions.

"What? An Arena Tournament? You want me to participate?"

The Earl's Butler nodded. "His Lordship will organize an Arena Tournament in ten days. The champion's reward is a Champion Medal notarized by the Imperial Office, a warhorse, and a prize of five hundred Denars. If you wish to place bets yourself, that is your own business.

"The Earl likes your gift and has specially invited you, Knight Boman, and Knight Fas to participate in the Arena Tournament and show your skills."

Henry nodded to indicate that he would participate.

After the Earl's Butler left, Bain sidled up to Henry with a fawning grin, twisting about awkwardly until Henry found the sight irritating.

"Out with it!"

Bain smiled. "My lord, didn't you say you'd get me a warhorse? Look, war's about to break out. If I had a warhorse, I'd be able to protect you. Just look at today—I couldn't even keep up while you were hunting."

Henry suddenly understood. So Bain was talking about the warhorse Henry had said he would get him that morning.

"Isn't a warhorse one of the prizes for this Arena Tournament? That one will be yours when the time comes."

"Long live my lord!"

Henry waved Bain away to groom the horses. He himself sank into thought, sensing that something was wrong.

Why would the Earl hold an Arena Tournament at a time like this? To make money?

Could it be Pedro? Possible. That fellow just secretly invested 170,000 Denars in me. That's a huge gamble! Perhaps one Arena Tournament could bring Pedro a great deal of income.

No, no. The Earl ordered this tournament... Could it be...!

Henry suddenly stood up. He quickly recalled everything he had seen and heard over the past two days and discovered a problem he had overlooked.

On the road from the Capital to Audoh, there had been more and more Trade Caravans. That alone represented a major problem.

The greatest wealth of the Eastern Grasslands was horses, furs, clay, Iron Mine ore, and the like. There simply was not enough trade volume! For the eastern Empire, trade had always been a weak point.

Then why were such an outrageously large number of Trade Caravans heading east?

The small merchants of Audoh usually had no major business. How could they suddenly produce such massive quantities of food and military equipment?

Henry suddenly understood. It all clicked at once. The Pioneering War had been inevitable from the beginning!

"So these people were all just waiting for someone to propose the Pioneer Act... Heh. They're all clever people."