Chapter 313 - 233: ’Kingmaker’ (2)

"Annie... did you know? Last time, you made her stand outside the door for an entire afternoon..." Eleanor said, her face flushing as she gave Eric’s arm a light punch.

"Oh, really? It seems she’s learned her lesson then," Eric chuckled, deliberately pinching Eleanor’s toes.

...

Eric stayed at Fougeres Castle for half a month, caring for Eleanor.

He did his best to restrain himself, trying to be as gentle and harmless as possible whenever they were in bed together.

After she fell asleep, Eric would move to a separate bed and try his best not to sleep too soundly.

Eric wasn’t sure what good it would do, but he hoped it offered Eleanor some measure of comfort.

He didn’t set off for England until the week before Christmas.

It took him two days to reach Gloucester.

Gloucester was covered in snow. The sight was beautiful enough to make the most frigid traveler stop, slap their thigh, and nod in admiration at the white-capped castle. The tracks of foxes and rabbits crisscrossed the surrounding fields, and many farmers reported seeing wolves within half a mile of the town.

On the riverbanks on both sides of the ford, the daily wheel ruts froze overnight. Every morning, the ice was broken anew, and the cart drivers prayed their wagons wouldn’t break down mid-river. Sitting on the driver’s seat was unbearably cold, but if they had to climb down and stand in the river—

They made good use of their whips, and their curses carried through the silent air.

They were startled, however, by a party of knights riding past. They soon saw that the knights were escorting a young man.

Leif arrived with twelve knights to greet him. Although Leif himself had been knighted, he still disliked mounted combat, treating horses only as a means of transport. The Danish had learned to fight on horseback, their knightly skills now rivaling those of the southern kingdoms, but Leif stubbornly insisted on fighting on foot. He was currently training a small unit of Shield Soldiers for Eric.

In his spare time, he acted as a steward, managing the finances for Gloucester County. He was well-traveled and well-read, though many of his books were considered Heresy. He also knew several languages, with Arabic being his most fluent. His farthest voyage had taken him all the way to Constantinople.

Of the twelve knights Leif brought to welcome Eric, seven were formerly King’s Knights from the Gloucester Region. After Eric received his title, all the King’s Knights in Gloucester, including these seven, were transferred to his command and swore fealty to him.

Gloucester had originally been part of the Royal Domain, administered by the Earl of Hereford. As such, the two hundred Knight’s Squires that the Earl of Hereford assigned to Eric were all from the Gloucester Region. They held varying amounts of land in Gloucestershire; some were local Norman Gentlemen, younger sons of Norman Knights, or wealthy Norman Tenant Farmers, while others were even Sains whose land holdings had been reduced.

He had promised to knight the most deserving among them after Rufus was dealt with. As it turned out, they were not heavily involved in that conflict, so Eric had taken them to Italy instead, where they participated in the campaign against Milan.

Eric had taken note of the ones who had performed with distinction.

So, the next day, Eric held the ceremony. He knighted twenty-eight men. He could have knighted more, but he worried that creating too many knights at once would make his men think he was a soft touch.

Generosity was a fine quality, but it wasn’t always suitable for a new earl, especially one who was not yet familiar with his domain.

A good, attainable goal would keep them motivated and loyal.

Therefore, including the King’s Knights assigned to him, Gloucester County now had 128 Feudal Knights.

Unlike Fougeres Castle, Gloucester Castle was made of wood. At present, there were no more than five stone castles in all of England. These included the Tower of London and Winchester Castle, controlled by the Royal Family, Rochester Castle, built by the King’s uncle, Odo, the Earl of Kent, and the Earl of Hereford’s Xialing Castle.

Eric was trying to figure out how to rebuild the castle in stone, but it would cost a fortune.

However, as he was wondering what to do, Leif informed him that his lands in the Cornwall Region had not paid a single penny of tax this year and that he would likely never see any income from them.

Because the land there had already been "donated" for free to the local Church by the Earl of Cornwall.

The Earl of Cornwall was the King’s uncle, Robert Conteville, the younger brother of Conqueror William and Odo, the Earl of Kent. He was the former Count Moretan.

His capriciousness had cost him his domain as Count of Moretan, and his County of Cornwall had also been partitioned. A small portion was granted to Eric, while the majority was reclaimed by the Royal Domain.

"I made a special trip to the local church in Cornwall to ask, but it was no use. They have no intention of spitting it back out. They say no one can take something that’s been put in God’s pocket and that the soul of anyone who tries to demand it back or take it by force will be damned."

"So I’ve been waiting for you to come back to hear your opinion. It is your property, after all." Leif shrugged.

Though his loyalty to Odin and Sol wasn’t absolute, he had no great love for this religion either.

So he wasn’t afraid of such a curse at all.

However, he couldn’t have Eric answer for his own recklessness. After all, Eric had granted him twenty Hyde of land, and he needed to prove he was worth it.

’The Church... Cornwall... the King’s uncle, Robert.’

Eric figured this was probably Robert’s brother, Odo, the Earl of Kent, making a show of force against him.

’Whatever, it’s fine. The Royal Court will convene in a few days. I can appeal to King Robert about Robert Conteville’s transgression.’

"Regarding this matter, I will appeal to the King in a few days. But before that, I should conduct a tour of my domain."

"I think you may have more important things to worry about. Perhaps you should think about how to deal with your King." Leif sighed. "Lately in England, or at least in Gloucester, rumors about you are spreading everywhere. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think it’s a good omen.

I spent some time in the Norwegian court. If you have a place at court and you’re not a member of the Royal Family, you shouldn’t leave your king for so long. You’re just leaving a vacuum for others to fill, especially those with ulterior motives."

"What’s happened?"

"I don’t know when it started, but by the time I noticed, it seemed like everyone was talking about it.

They’re calling you... the ’Kingmaker’."

...

「Three days later, on Christmas Eve.」

Gloucestershire. The forest outside the royal lodge.

Belem was informing Eric about the recent situation in England.

"Odo has revised the previous punitive ordinances. The knights and barons who once stood by the former king can now be pardoned, and both their lands and titles can be fully restored.

The condition is the payment of a hefty fine. Depending on the degree of the landowner’s crime, the fine is usually several times the land’s annual rent.

The judgment and collection of the fines have been left entirely to Odo. For those close to him, the fine is pitifully small or even nonexistent. For those on bad terms with him, the fine is so high it exceeds the total value of their lands.

And get this, his brother, Robert Conteville, the Earl of Cornwall, paid a symbolic one pound and got back almost half his lands. If Normandy weren’t under King Robert’s personal control, his domain as Count of Moretan would have been returned to him as well.

Then he uses the Jews as lenders, providing loans to the nobility who can’t afford the fines. The lands of any noble who can’t repay will pass through the hands of the Jews and into his own."

"And what about King Robert?" Eric asked again, his scalp tingling with dread.

"He’s never been interested in this sort of thing. He, Sir Loren, and Earl Edgar are out touring all day. He even accompanied the Queen to Scotland twice and Wales once. He only returned to England a week ago.

During his absence from England, Odo acted as Regent, just as he did in the late king’s time."