The main castle was filled with a joyful atmosphere, with happiness drifting throughout the hall. After being upgraded, Morland Castle's hall had become much more spacious, nearly twice its original size.
Servants hurried between the dining tables, constantly placing food on them. Of course, there was nothing particularly fancy. What good things could a low-ranking noble like him possibly obtain?
Productivity limited the variety of food he could eat in his daily life. Aside from some especially delicious specialties from the Northern Frontier, there was little more than honey, meat broth, and roast meat. In this season, they could not even eat fruit, making the dining table look even more monotonous.
However, Reiner's knights did not mind. To them, being able to eat food like this was already quite good. Besides, the focus of this banquet was not the food, but the rewards they were about to receive.
The servants quickly finished setting out the food. Banquets were very expensive to hold. A Baron usually held only one or two each year. The great nobles might hold them more often, since they had more subordinates to win over, but even then, it was only five or six times a year. Any more than that would be beyond what their finances could bear.
Reiner's banquet this time was relatively inexpensive, as it was an internal Victory Celebration Feast. Only the knights under the Moreland Family and their families had been invited. If other nobles had been invited as well, the cost would have been far greater.
Besides, most of the lords in the Northern Frontier were currently hiding inside their castles. Even nobles somewhat closer to the south were spending the winter in their castles, waiting for winter to pass before resuming their activities.
Thus, once winter arrived, news came to a halt. Otherwise, news of Baron Lobean's defeat would quickly spread. By then, the other nobles would swarm in like sharks that had smelled blood and divide up the fruits of Reiner's victory.
All the guests had taken their seats. Torches planted around the hall burned fiercely, their constantly leaping flames casting hazy shadows over everyone. The scene had a mysterious, eerie quality.
The guests, however, paid no attention to it. In their minds, a banquet was supposed to look exactly like this.
There were more than fifty guests in the hall. Aside from the knights, the rest were their families. Everyone had put on their most presentable clothes. Although knights were the lowest-ranking nobles, their families were not reduced to rags, after all. A hundred or two hundred people supported each knight.
The knights of Morland Castle were all in good financial condition. The chain mail produced by Reiner's blacksmiths was sold to them at low prices, and equipment could also be exchanged for a very small fee from Reiner.
Of course, he could not provide them with equipment for free. The reason they had fiefs was so that they could equip themselves at their own expense. Only Squire Knights without fiefs received equipment distributed by Reiner.
Reiner sat at the head of the long table in the center of the hall. Apart from members of the Moreland Family, everyone seated there was a knight capable of fighting. More than a dozen people sat at the table. Reiner occupied the seat of honor, with his mother, Lady Moreland, beside him. His uncle, Sir Cord, sat first on his left, while Sir Valas, the commander of the Crimson Gryphon Knights, sat on his right.
There were ten knightly families under the Moreland Family, which meant that ten villages had been granted as fiefs. Only twelve villages remained under Reiner's direct control.
In truth, Morland Castle should have had a considerable population. However, because it faced invasions by the Krad People every year, the population of the territory grew very slowly.
Otherwise, Morland Castle's population would have surpassed Goer Castle long ago. How could twenty-two villages have fewer people than the eighteen villages under Goer Castle?
When Reiner saw that everyone had quieted down, he stood and raised his wine cup. "We have won! Not only have we achieved victory in the war against the Krad People, but the Gwen Family has also been defeated beneath our assault, and Goer Castle has become part of the territory I command!"
"This victory does not belong to me alone. That is the truth, and I must admit it! My knights deserve credit as well! You deserve credit!" Reiner swept his gaze across the knights seated there.
"You launched the fiercest charge and shattered the Krad People's formation, causing them to suffer total defeat! You also overcame your physical exhaustion and marched through the night, arriving at Morland Castle in time to defeat Baron Lobean. I must thank you, my brothers. I must acknowledge your achievements!"
"Let us drink to the knights' bravery and martial prowess!" Reiner said as he raised his wine cup.
Everyone present had flushed faces, especially the knights at the long table. They all excitedly raised their cups and stood from their chairs. Even Little Wend, sitting at the very back, raised his cup. It contained mild wheat ale, perfectly suited to a boy his age.
Reiner's words had clearly stirred his heart. That was only natural. Thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys always thought the battlefield was incredibly romantic, so even though these words had nothing to do with him, he was still immensely excited to hear them.
"I must reward you for your achievements! Goer Castle now belongs to me, and I will divide its subordinate villages among you!"
Reiner drew the Longsword fastened at his waist and walked to Lumbard's side. Though he was only sixteen, this was the second time he had gone onto the battlefield to fight the enemy. However, the education and training he had received since childhood meant that killing and warfare did not unsettle him. He had also performed very well on the battlefield.
"Sir Lumbard!"
"Yes, my lord!" Lumbard immediately knelt on one knee and pressed his right hand to his left chest, performing the salute of offering one's heart.
Reiner placed the Longsword against his right shoulder and said, "Sir Lumbard fought bravely against the enemy on the battlefield without the slightest retreat, providing tremendous assistance in the battle. Therefore, I grant you Cabbage Village, under Goer Castle, as your fief. You may collect taxes there, conscript soldiers, and protect its residents—or exploit them through excessive taxation. These are the rights I grant you!"
"At the same time, in return, you must fulfill the oath you made to me. Use its people and resources to serve me. When I summon you, immediately gather your troops and report to me. You must also obey the laws I establish. Can you do this?"
"Yes, my lord. I will obey all your commands and protect you with my life. Wherever your Longsword points, that is the direction toward which I will charge!" Lumbard said excitedly. At sixteen, possessing a fief of his own was exceedingly rare among knights.
After hearing this, Reiner tapped his shoulder three times and said, "I hope you will keep your oath. From this moment on, Cabbage Village is your fief!"
Next, Reiner granted fiefs to the remaining five knights who had none. The Crimson Gryphon Knights, meanwhile, received material rewards. After all, they were troops exchanged from the system, so fiefs were not necessary for them.
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