Chapter 235

Of course, the one who bestowed the title and name of “Knight King” upon young king Lucius was none other than me.

In a world where the concept of knighthood didn’t exist, there could be no one else but me to bestow such a title, you know.

Thus, through the title of Knight King, the concept of knights began to spread, and little by little—just a tiny bit at first—the notion of honor started to take root.

Through the most promising young king, I aimed to spread the idea of knighthood, utilizing those who admired him to ensure that this concept would widely propagate. That’s why I granted the title of Knight King to young king Lucius.

People naturally tend to want to emulate what they admire. This was simply leveraging that tendency to disseminate the concept.

And surprisingly, it worked better than expected. The previously non-existent concept of knights quickly reached the ears of the powerful.

Knights who were loyal to their lords and protected the weak.

Knights who valued honor and respected others.

They were beings of an entirely different concept from soldiers, warriors, or hunters.

Upholding noble missions, knights always strived to do the right thing.

The image of these individuals gave many people a fresh shock, and it was only natural that the number of those who admired such knights would increase.

Of course, some places dismissed these knights as meaningless antics, but such people were seen as vulgar and lacking in honor, so they eventually had no choice but to hide their attitudes inwardly.

That’s how the concept of knighthood gradually spread…

Just as I planned.

Phew. Seriously, if humans lacked guiding principles like this, they could become incredibly unruly creatures.

A patch of land. A group of commoners. A handful of food. Despite just wanting such trivial things, humans would easily hurt each other in attempts to seize them, making them difficult to control.

Especially those kings who strutted around arrogantly, possessing much yet desiring even more, starting wars left and right.

Honestly, despite achieving this level of development, the savagery inherent in humans showed no signs of disappearing.

At least with the teachings of the Church of Life and Shamash’s strict laws distinguishing between forbidden and permissible actions, we managed to keep things somewhat under control… but still…

If Shamash and I hadn’t tightened the reins even slightly, perhaps things would have descended into utter chaos? Massacres during wars, cannibalism among their own kind—it could’ve gotten truly horrific.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. Phew.

Anyway, the concept of knighthood introduced through the Knight King taught many people about the attitude of taking responsibility.

Those who enjoyed many privileges but also bore many responsibilities.

Receiving support from the commoners, looking after them, protecting them, and accepting the taxes they offered.

Individuals who took responsibility and fulfilled their duties.

Whereas before, they were nothing more than bullies wielding strength to oppress the weak for personal gain, the concept of knighthood taught them honor and nobility, transforming them into what we now call aristocrats.

Well, the word “aristocrat” itself existed before, but its meaning back then merely referred to the wealthy and powerful.

Now, things will change.

Because through the concept of knighthood, they’ve learned nobility.

Of course, I never expected everyone to become like that. Naturally. Of course.

There are countless people in this world, with countless thoughts. Some won’t accept this concept, while others might mimic it for personal gain.

But compared to a time when such concepts didn’t exist at all, it’s like the difference between heaven and earth.

0 and 1 are completely different things, after all.

Hmm. My thoughts wandered a bit there. Cough cough.

Anyway, the Knight King performed admirably just as I envisioned.

With an unbeatable army and the weapon of noble honor, the Knight King subjugated other nations, expanding his kingdom further.

The Knight King had twelve highly capable vassals transcending racial boundaries… though, hmm, I don’t need to elaborate on that part, do I?

By the way, there was no round table. No round table.

Cough cough. Anyway, through repeated brilliant exploits, the Knight King stopped his advance once he had conquered a territory twice the size of Arcadia and began focusing on internal affairs.

Though his territory expanded through repeated wars, the lands, which weren’t properly organized due to continuous conquests, were in a state barely better than wastelands.

The Knight King had to invest far more time into governing than conquering.

Of course, given the Knight King’s existing knowledge, it was impossible to govern all the territories, so he sought out extensive knowledge through his vassals.

Not only from kings who ruled nations before but also priests from temples, mages from Procyon, and even elves, dwarves, and beastmen.

To acquire the knowledge necessary for ruling the nation well, the Knight King and his vassals traveled far and wide in search of it.

One piece of information that reached the king’s ears was a rumor about a sage deep in the forest who had supposedly lent wisdom even to the hero Rychlen. Though it had been an age since any human should’ve survived, the rumor claimed the sage still lived.

There were even whispers that the sage wasn’t human but belonged to a long-lived race like the elves.

Upon hearing this rumor, the Knight King made inquiries and set off toward the deep forest where the sage was said to reside.

If this sage had aided Rychlen in returning from the Underworld, surely he could impart fitting knowledge too.

Thus, the Knight King journeyed to meet the sage.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Why does Your Majesty try to solve everything alone?”

The Knight King was momentarily speechless at the sage’s opening words.

“Alone…?”

“You are not an omnipotent being who can do everything. You are simply someone who stands above many and bears responsibility for them.”

The Knight King silently listened to the sage’s words.

“You are not a god-like entity. What you can handle is the multitude of your vassals and commoners. Shouldn’t you rule this land through them?”

“Rule through my vassals and commoners…?”

“Governing a single city might be possible with individual effort. Even ten cities could somehow be manageable. But how could one person govern twenty, thirty cities, along with countless villages included within them?”

The sage’s words were undeniably true. The tasks related to numerous cities and villages, the mountainous piles of documents—no single king could possibly read and confirm them all.

“Do not attempt to do everything alone. Use your vassals. A burden too heavy to bear alone can be shared.”

“But sharing… this land belongs to me.”

“All dominion remains yours; you’re merely delegating governance to your vassals.”

“Delegating…?”

The sage calmly explained.

“You grant your vassals the authority to manage your lands and towns, and in return, they offer you a portion of the goods and produce they gather from governing those places. That’s how you appoint representatives.”

“Representatives…”

“Of course, you’re not transferring full ownership of the land and towns, merely the authority to manage them. The land remains yours. Your vassals receive a share of the produce they gather from governing, offering the rest to you.”

The king nodded slightly. At first glance, it seemed reasonable. However, since it was an unfamiliar concept, some unease still lingered.

“There’s still unease in delegating direct control…”

“Unease… Does His Majesty not trust his vassals?”

“No, that’s not it. I trust my vassals. But what about my children? My descendants? Will every child who inherits this crown win the hearts of all my vassals? Won’t future generations of vassals include those who covet the throne?”

The king was envisioning the future. While there might be no issues during his lifetime, things could change with his descendants.

That’s why he felt uneasy.

“In that case, how about this?”

The sage spoke as if trying to alleviate this unease.

“Establish walls between your vassals so they check each other.”

“Walls?”

“Ah, not physical walls. It’s a metaphor. Simply put… aren’t all your vassals unequal in status?”

The king nodded at the sage’s words. While all vassals may be loyal, their abilities certainly weren’t equal. Some had achieved great deeds, others lesser ones, and some had failed yet barely survived.

All vassals were not equal.

“So, create divisions among them like steps in a staircase. Grant the authority to govern one city to those capable of managing one, three cities to those capable of handling three, based on their achievements.”

“Based on achievements… divide…”

“If all vassals’ contributions aren’t equal, it’s problematic to give them equal rewards. Great contributions deserve great rewards, small contributions deserve small rewards. Thus, you create divisions among them.”

“Create divisions…”

The king fell into deep thought. To him, vassals were simply those who moved forward together toward the same goal. He had never discriminated against anyone.

However, the sage’s words held merit. If someone who achieved great deeds received the same reward as someone with smaller accomplishments, dissatisfaction would naturally arise.

This seemed right.

Seeing the king’s contemplative expression, the sage smiled.

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