Chapter 123 - 117: This City Belongs to the Citizens

Belem looked away and began to whistle, acting as if he’d done nothing and was just passing by.

"What’s done is done; no more nonsense is needed. Sparing an enemy’s life on the battlefield is already the greatest mercy. Now then, Baron Velen of Surrey, give me your answer."

Eric looked at Baron Velen.

"Let me remind you, I have no interest in your ransom. As a loyal supporter of King William, I will not let you leave so easily."

"As the vanquished, I have little to say. I can surrender. In fact, it hardly matters whether I surrender or not, does it? Theo has clearly taken your side, though I don’t know what you promised him."

Baron Velen sighed and looked at Theo, who was standing behind Eric.

Theo was holding a parchment-bound booklet and flipping through it, seemingly oblivious to his uncle’s gaze.

"Where is William now?"

"I don’t know."

"What?"

"I really don’t know. You moved too fast. Even if orders had been sent to knights across the land immediately, a great deal of time would have been wasted. They’d have to gather supplies, mobilize recruits, and then make the journey.

It would have been useless. So, he directly ordered us to reinforce Winchester. No one could have expected that his own brother, Count Moretan, would be the one leading the main force to attack Winchester.

But in a way, that was a blessing. That idiot Moretan knows next to nothing about warfare. The man is only good for counting his money at home. I always thought his greatest achievement in life was having a good mother.

He gets so much more than others without having to do anything, no matter how hard those others work. Come to think of it, the man is truly fortunate," Baron Velen muttered to himself.

He was one of the veterans who had participated in the Norman Conquest from the very beginning. He considered himself to have served his lord, William, with utmost dedication. Not a single scar on his body was earned for his own sake.

He felt he deserved the position of a Count.

And the result? The lord he had served so faithfully had no intention of granting him that.

Even an honorary title of Count, a hollow shell without any accompanying land, would have been enough. This left him feeling rather awkward in front of his old comrades.

"Enough of this nonsense. I need a more valuable bargaining chip."

"Of the Norman Nobility responsible for dealing with Count Moretan and defending Winchester, the most influential besides myself is Walter, Baron Langwell. I can find a way to persuade him."

After Baron Velen finished speaking, Eric waved his hand at a few of his attendants behind him.

"Take him to be treated."

Then Eric looked at Theo behind him. Theo was currently holding a quill and rapidly writing something in a parchment booklet.

Eric shook his head, snatched the booklet away, and smacked Theo on the head with it.

"Alright, he’s gone. Since you’ve already made your choice, there’s no point in being an ostrich. It doesn’t change anything, it won’t lessen your guilt, and it won’t alter reality in the slightest. When will you learn to be more straightforward?"

"Tell me, does this make me a proper Knight?" Theo sighed, glancing back at Baron Velen, who was being helped away.

’Even though reason told him that in such a disadvantageous situation, protecting oneself and knowing when to yield was a wise and rational choice.’

’His career as a Knight had just begun. His Chapter had not yet been written. He couldn’t let it all end here.’

’But this act of betrayal went against the code of a Knight and was a disservice to his uncle. He couldn’t stop feeling guilty.’

’Besides, he really didn’t want to go back to the Monastery. He had had enough of that kind of life, where you could see the end from the very beginning.’

"What do you think a Knight is? A Saint? This thing born of violence, that dies by violence... no matter how you try to glamorize it, you can’t change its grim nature.

Once you have enough wealth, status, and a fief, then you can start pursuing spiritual honor and perfection.

For any Knight, the former is far more important than the latter. In fact, as long as you have the former, you can be called an outstanding Knight.

Do you know why the Knights in epics and legends are so perfect? Because they never existed."

Eric hadn’t been as fortunate as Theo, who had the good luck of being in line to inherit his uncle’s title.

Eric, who started with nothing, had no time to consider the latter.

’Definitions like ’honor’ or ’perfection’ could wait until after he had a fief of his own.’

"Go and integrate your uncle’s Knights into our forces," Eric said, patting Theo on the back.

Theo nodded and walked off to the other side.

Belem sidled up to Eric.

"Brother Eric, you trust them that easily? As for persuading Walter, old Velen’s words are just that—words. It might just be a delaying tactic. If he suddenly turns on us, we’ll be caught completely off guard."

"Baron Walter may own vast lands in England, but his mother is a direct vassal of the King of France. He is set to inherit those lands in the near future, so he wouldn’t want a King of England who is on bad terms with the King of France.

Besides, even if Baron Velen can’t persuade Walter, it doesn’t matter. All I wanted was a show of commitment from Baron Velen. Now that he has been defeated, the pressure in Western England is greatly relieved.

As for Velen’s Knights..."

Eric looked at Belem, his gaze sweeping over their own Knights.

"Do you think your own Knights are completely reliable?"

"They’re not?"

"Although the banner we fly is to purge the sycophants around the King and reaffirm Robert’s right of succession, this is still a venture with all the risks of a rebellion.

We have to keep winning. If we are defeated even once, our morale and the army’s resolve will crumble several times faster than in a normal war.

However, we can’t be without any precautions. When the time comes, I will mix Baron Velen’s Knights in with your own."

Eric looked toward the gates of Southampton City. The drawbridge was down, but the gates remained stubbornly shut.

Their army had marched from London all the way to Southampton, and then they had spent three days camped outside the city to defeat Baron Velen’s army. The Knights and their Attendants were exhausted and in desperate need of rest.

After a long wait, the city gates finally opened. A man ran out—it was the attendant who had been sent in a short while ago.

The attendant whispered a few words in Belem’s ear. Belem’s expression changed slightly, and then his face flushed with anger.

"What is it?" Eric frowned.

"How dare they! Those ungrateful bastards! Those commoners are telling us to pack up and get lost!

They say that Count Moretan already abandoned the city, and that the citizens were the ones who defended it, so it now belongs to them.

As a reward for our help in defeating the enemy army, they will remain neutral and are willing to provide us with supplies," Belem couldn’t hold back any longer and roared with fury.