He had thought things might quiet down for a while after the fiefs were destroyed, but it was just business as usual.
"Knight Henry, I am Count John Hoyland, lord of this city and a Vassal to the King. Your fief was destroyed before you even arrived. I am very sorry."
Henry nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, my Lord. I was wondering if you might be able to help me?"
John shook his head. "Look around you. There are five Barons and more than twenty Knights in this hall, plus you. I'm sorry, but I can't help such a large number of nobles."
'So basically, everyone in this room has had their fief destroyed...'
Henry shook his head, rose, and said, "My hope, my Lord, is that you will lead us in a joint petition to launch a new wave of pioneering! We need a temporary Pioneer Bill to attract Mercenaries to fight for us!"
As soon as Henry spoke, some of the people in the hall were tempted. The empire had not seen a war of expansion for decades.
"Knight Henry, tell us what you have in mind."
Henry cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "What good would it do to rebuild our fiefs? We would still be under threat from those Half-Beastmen!
If the King enacts the temporary Pioneer Bill, droves of ambitious people from all over the empire will flock to our eastern border, bringing their considerable wealth with them.
These people will draw away a great many of the Half-Beastman forces for us.
I'm sure all of you still have plenty of Gold Coins on hand. The Mercenaries that will inevitably follow them will become our ready-made army!"
At this, Henry waved his arms excitedly and asked, "Don't you want to obtain more fiefs? Don't you want to elevate your titles?
Petition the King! Enact the Pioneer Bill! More land, higher titles, more subjects, more armies, more wealth!"
Ever since he was in the tavern, Henry had been thinking about how to profit from this disaster. The plan he'd settled on was to get everyone fired up, and then go on the attack!
The other nobles all looked to John. They agreed with Henry's proposal; it was time to launch a war of expansion and restore the eastern plains to their former glory.
The Count was also tempted. If he could acquire even a small new fief in this war of expansion, he could turn it into a rich and fertile land within just two years.
"I agree with Knight Henry's proposal. I will immediately send men to contact all the surrounding nobles appointed by the King and seek their support.
This meeting is concluded. Tonight, I will host a banquet to welcome Knight Henry."
The other nobles left one after another, taking their leave of Count John.
"Knight Henry, you may stay in my estate for the time being. All these temporarily displaced nobles are staying here." It was no skin off John's nose to host Henry, and maintaining goodwill with the local nobility was essential.
"Thank you for your hospitality, my Lord. Do you think the King will approve our request?"
Count John nodded. "The King is an ambitious and brilliant sovereign. No one refuses the chance for greater glory."
Henry and John exchanged a few more pleasantries before Henry rose and took his leave. Led by one of the Count's servants, he found his Attendant, Bain. The lad was squatting on the ground, playing with ants.
"Bain, we'll be staying here for a while."
"Right away, milord. I'll go sort out our luggage."
Bain left with the servant, and Henry waited by a flowerbed in the small courtyard.
'Overlord Stage Two... I wonder what that is?' Henry's mind wandered.
"Knight Henry, what's on your mind?"
Henry turned to see Knight Boman approaching and answered, "I was just thinking about the feasibility of my plan."
Boman nodded in agreement. "The King will approve. The empire has been at peace for too long. It needs a war to root out its internal troubles."