Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!

Chapter 306: You’re Too Softhearted

Fiel von Steinhof, the man destined to lead the future of Steinhof, the renowned swordsmanship family, was a remarkable talent who had shown ability in many fields, and he had displayed outstanding skill as vice commander of the Gale Knights as well.

The grand duke had named Fiel and Ulrich as the men he needed to rebuild the Imperial Knights and the Grand Duke’s Guard. Ulrich had mentioned there was a position the grand duke had promised him, and it was one of these two.

In effect, my subordinates were being taken from me, but Fiel was, after all, the legitimate heir of Steinhof, so his standing was never such that I could claim him as a vassal noble in the first place.

I’d known the day would come when he would leave, but I never expected it to come this suddenly. I wondered whether Fiel, recuperating in Feuzen, would be happy or sad when he heard the news.

If I had to guess, Fiel would most likely become the Imperial Knights commander, and Ulrich the Grand Duke’s Guard commander. The Imperial Knights commander was a position with plenty of public-facing activity, while the Grand Duke’s Guard commander was a position devoted to attending the king at his side.

With Fiel loving to be out and about, and Ulrich quietly carrying out whatever duty he’s given, it was an easy prediction. When I was summoned by the grand duke, this very topic came up.

"You wish to recommend Steinhof as Imperial Knights commander and Steiner as Guard commander?"

"The decision is Your Highness’s to make, but in my view, it’s the arrangement that best suits their temperaments."

"Hmm, I’m taking your vice commander from you. Doesn’t that sting?"

"Sir Steinhof was never truly my subordinate. It stings, but it can’t be helped."

I may hold the commander’s seat of the Gale Knights for life, but one must never forget that it is an order directly under the grand duke. If the grand duke chose to reclaim the commander’s position, I would have no choice but to step down.

So I had not the slightest intention of defying the grand duke.

The Gale Knights were practically an extension of myself, which is exactly why I’d worked so hard at every mission—to prove their usefulness. Even so, if he took them from me, there would be nothing I could do.

Though I’d be cursing him as a son of a bitch on the inside.

Fortunately, the grand duke didn’t take the Gale Knights away.

"By the way, why haven’t you filled the Gale Knights to capacity?"

"Well, I’ve been so focused on careful selection that I haven’t managed to fill the roster."

"I intend to expand the roster to three hundred. Do you still plan to select so cautiously?"

"...Three hundred? Wait, is there even the budget for that?"

An order’s standard roster is two hundred. Forget two hundred—I hadn’t even filled one hundred, yet the grand duke, well aware of the Gale Knights’ exploits and usefulness, ordered me to expand the roster to three hundred.

"Fewer than eighty men can hardly be called a fighting force. This is an important matter, so do not put it off under any circumstances. See that the order’s roster is filled."

Now I was in trouble. Recruiting just eighty had been hard enough, so how was I supposed to find three hundred? Filling the numbers alone would be easy with my reputation and track record, but disposition was the crux.

Isn’t a positive disposition exactly why I brag about my men? I was proud of having subordinates who wouldn’t get swept up in the frenzy while everyone else’s eyes lit up at the chance to plunder.

The problem is that finding positive dispositions in an era this brutal is no easy task.

In that case, even if I let disposition slide, I should at least prioritize recruiting men who follow orders well. For instance, any cavalryman who has served under my command even once tends to be quite favorably disposed toward me.

With that in mind, I thought of the Hungarian mercenary company, whose status had been left up in the air. Barosi wanted to settle in the Duchy of Beren after the war, and I had promised to take his men in.

Hungarian cavalry would be reliable, battle-ready assets, but their aggression and cruelty could actually tarnish the Gale Knights’ reputation. Then again, if they follow orders well, there’s no cavalry more formidable.

Hmm, what to do about this?

I should at least give the grand duke a heads-up first.

"May I accept Hungarians into the order?"

"The Hungarian cavalry? They were remarkably devoted to you. Have you grown attached?"

"Yes. They have nowhere to go, so I promised to take them in."

"The standard practice is to use mercenaries and then dispose of them. You’re too softhearted."

Despite his words, the grand duke had an air of "of course you would" acceptance. Discarding people once they’ve outlived their usefulness runs completely against my nature. My conscience simply won’t allow me to squeeze them dry and toss them aside.

If we’d been bound by contract from the start, like the Swiss mercenaries, that would be one thing—but turning away vagrants who want to come under my wing just feels wrong, doesn’t it? Besides, they’re a source of quality cavalry.

It was a relationship where both sides stood to gain, but in the eyes of the Berenites, it was outrageous. Most fiefs had insular cultures, and to conservative eyes, I was far too open a lord.

Fortunately, the grand duke gave his permission.

The mercenaries of the Kuschak faction who’d surrendered to Barosi also hoped to settle, so the Gale Knights effectively came to possess horse archers as well. Proportionally, one hundred of the three hundred would be filled by Hungarians.

Thanks to the Hungarian language pack, communication was no problem for me; the issue was communication between the existing members and the Hungarians. If they’re going to live in Beren, they’ll need to learn at least southern German.

How about picking out the ones who want to learn the language and teaching them first? It seemed best to search for Hungarian speakers through the Church, or to instruct Wenzenberg to ask around and find a teacher.

"It seems Louis made an unreasonable request of you. Will you be all right?"

"...I’m not sure what you mean, Your Highness."

Springing that on me out of nowhere, really?

As I suspected, the grand duke had clearly been keeping watch on Louis.

And those watchers were no doubt Hoenir’s people.

Hoenir hadn’t shown himself to me at all since the civil war ended. His traces had vanished as if he’d never existed. Of course, I could probably track him down if I set my mind to it, but was there any need?

In any case, I feigned ignorance. Since the grand duke hadn’t mentioned anything specific, the right move was to keep the matter of Viola hidden to the very end. The grand duke didn’t press, either. I suppose he had no need to.

"Is Prince Louis’s health holding up?"

"No. The court physician tells me he’s unlikely to see out the year."

There wasn’t much left of the year now.

The new year was fast approaching, and Louis’s prognosis was that he would have trouble living to see it. I’d thought he seemed unburdened after entrusting Viola to me, but had that request been him squeezing out the last of his strength?

From the moment visits to Louis were forbidden, I had sensed that that day had been our last. He’d burned with ambition to drag down Crown Prince Franz, but his end was hollow beyond words.

Was his only blood kin the last comfort left to him?

I wanted to ask the grand duke what he thought of the Bavarian princess, but that seemed likely to touch a nerve, so in the end I didn’t. He’d accepted the political marriage, but he didn’t exactly look pleased about it.

After finishing my audience with the grand duke, I was summoned this time by the crown prince on my way back. The crown prince’s face looked utterly drained. Playing counterpart to Imperial Crown Prince Maximilian seemed to be wearing him down especially hard.

"You look exhausted from dealing with His Imperial Highness."

"That’s part of it, but Louis is in such terrible shape."

The crown prince was steeped in gloom and fatigue, pitiful to behold. He was clearly one of the biggest beneficiaries of this civil war, yet he hardly looked like a man who had won.

Hmm, time to change the subject.

"How is His Imperial Highness?"

"Our tastes are similar and there’s nothing prickly about his character, so it’s fine. Except..."

The crown prince trailed off, gauging my reaction.

And in his eyes, I sensed a stubborn refusal to be robbed of something.

"The trouble is that he’s excessively interested in you."

"I-is that so? My, how humbling."

Was the imperial crown prince really that interested in me? The crown prince said he’d told Maximilian everything he knew about me, and apparently Maximilian had become such a devoted fan that he even enjoyed listening to the Gale Knight heroic ballads circulating in the streets.