Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside, a noisy clamor that was grating on the nerves.
Henry opened the door and heard that all the nobles whose fiefs had been destroyed were packing their bags, preparing to leave.
"Boman, what's going on?"
"Henry, the Pioneer Bill has been officially enacted. The Imperial Office in Odoche has posted a public notice. And there are letters from the King for all of us vassals whose fiefs were destroyed. They're all at the Imperial Office."
Henry set off for the Imperial Office at once.
"I am Knight Henry. I'm here to pick up a letter from the King."
"Of course, my lord. Right away."
Soon, Henry had the King's letter in hand. He didn't intend to read it there, however. Instead, he turned to look at the key points of the Pioneer Bill posted on the public notice.
'Scope of Pioneer Nobility: Independent Nobles whose lands border the frontier, second sons of Independent Nobles throughout the empire, urban Free People with no criminal record, farmers with no criminal record, and Mercenaries registered with the Royal Capital Mercenary Guild.'
"My fief is Westwood Laine. I want to apply to become a Pioneer Noble."
The staff at the Imperial Office quickly prepared the documents and credentials and handed them to Henry.
After returning to the Earl's Mansion, Henry examined the envelope from the King. It was bulging, as if it contained something else besides the letter.
Opening it, he found a sponsorship fee of one hundred Dinars in addition to the letter. The letter itself was mostly official jargon—platitudes about the Alien Race being beasts and how he, as their Lord, expressed his regret.
"Hm?"
Henry felt the envelope carefully and found another letter inside. He opened it and read it closely, growing more alarmed with each word. This lord of his was no ordinary man; he had ideas.
That evening, after bidding farewell to Count John, Henry left Odoche with Bain on horseback. Following the official road on the map, he set out for Westwood Laine. From this moment on, it was a race against time to claim land.
「Two days later.」
Henry arrived at his loyal Westwood Laine. Although the place was still in ruins, the bustling construction sites everywhere brought a new sense of life to the area.
Philip, who was on patrol, spotted Henry immediately and spurred his horse over.
"My lord."
Henry nodded and asked, "Is the barracks built? Is that cluster of buildings the barracks?"
Philip nodded. "It was completed yesterday. It's a military barracks for a five-hundred-man garrison, located thirty meters from the castle walls. The stables and archery range are still under construction and will probably take another four or five days."
"Right, what about the vassal village? That's also crucial. It needs to be built first."
Philip smiled and said, "My lord, you'd better ask Claude and Tommy. I'm in charge of military patrols."
Henry let out a breath. 'He's right,' he thought. 'Why am I asking Philip?'
"Go and have them come see me. You can fetch them."
"As you command."
Soon, Claude and Tommy hurried over.
"Master."
Henry waved his hand and asked, "Is the vassal village built? What about the temporary housing for our people?"
Tommy bowed and reported, "Master, the temporary housing was completed the day before yesterday. It won't cause you to lose any due dignity. The vassal village is about to be built... right about... now?"
"How many serfs did you buy?"
Claude said, "Six hundred, Master. This number of serfs is sufficient for now. If we are to wage a war of expansion, these serfs can be conscripted as suitable Militia to serve as a transport corps."
Henry nodded and asked Claude, "What are they doing now?"
"Master, most of them have been sent to chop down trees. The construction teams won't do that kind of work; they only brought a limited amount of building materials with them.
I've assigned two hundred of them to clear land for farming. Autumn is coming, and if there's time, we can plant potatoes, which came from overseas. They're highly adaptable, come in many varieties, and can be grown year-round. It'll be enough to feed the serfs.
We can also plant some wheat, sowing it in the middle to late part of next month. It will be ready to harvest in the middle to late part of June next year. With this spring and autumn crop rotation, Westwood Laine will recover within a year."
Tommy nodded and said, "It's a shame our conditions here are so limited. I hear that in the south of the empire and along the west coast, they can even grow pearl rice in the winter."
At that moment, Henry's eyes were fixed straight ahead. He hadn't heard a word of Tommy and Claude's chatter, because just a few seconds ago, the Overlord Panel had automatically appeared before his eyes.
[Tutorial Mission]
[Mission: Rebuild the Village]
Requirements: Population of 300 or more, corresponding basic housing
[Mission Status: Complete. Overlord Stage Two initiated.]
The next second, the Overlord Panel before Henry's eyes suddenly split into two categories: one was the previous [Personal Attribute Panel], and the other was the [Overlord Full-Scale War Panel].
'Open the Overlord Full-Scale War Panel.'
Henry was getting excited. 'Let's see what this Overlord Full-Scale War Panel looks like!'
[Leader]: Henry
[Affiliated Force]: Caladia Empire
[Leader Title]: Hereditary Independent Knight Nobility, Pioneer Noble
[Inner Court Members]: Government Housekeeper Claude, Housekeeper Tommy, Heavy Cavalry Captain Philip
[Territory Main City]: Westwood Laine Keep (Unfinished)
[Main City Buildings]: Lv.1 Small Fortress Garrison Camp (50/500), Lv.1 Fortress Vassal Village (Population 600+)
[Upgradeable New Buildings]: Lv.1 Tavern, Lv.1 Blacksmith, Lv.1 Open-Air Market, Workshop, Lv.2 Medium Fortress Garrison Camp, Lv.2 Fortress Vassal Town
[Current Building Sequence]: Lv.1 Stone Walls, Lv.1 Gatehouse, Lv.1 Moat, Lv.1 Drawbridge, Lv.1 Towers, Lv.1 Arrow Towers, Lv.1 Stables, Lv.1 Archery Range
[Army]: Imperial Heavy Cavalry x20, Veteran Pavise Crossbowmen x10, Skilled Spearman x10, Skilled Scouts x10
[Treasury]: -19,899 Dinars (Debt)
[Overlord Training Points]: 10 (Initial Reward)
(Acquisition Method: Leader campaign victories, leader reputation increases, overall territory development, etc.)
[Trainable Recruits]: 120-man Imperial New Recruit Team (Cost: 1 Overlord Training Point, Training Duration: 1 month)
[120-man Imperial New Recruit Team]
[Level: Lv.1]
[Type: Melee/Light Infantry]
[Description]: A team of new recruits composed of bankrupt city dwellers, landless farmers, or serfs. They usually enlist with scythes, sickles, and pitchforks. These weapons can be used to hook cavalrymen and pull them from their horses, although this has yet to be tested and confirmed.
Imperial new recruits have almost no protection, wearing only simple cloth or Linen Clothing. Some may have their own leather boots and caps, but these offer no defense against an enemy's blades.
After one month of training, they have mastered simple combat skills and can proficiently form up in ranks and execute left and right turns.
They have undergone special training, possess High Morale, and are completely loyal to their leader. If you can provide them with shields and swords, they might be able to continuously advance on the battlefield and become Imperial infantry.
...
Henry nodded in satisfaction. The other parts of the Full-Scale War Panel didn't matter much, but the [Trainable Recruits] section was the real prize.
Providing their own personnel and equipment? That's nothing! What's that count for? The empire has no shortage of people! Equipment is a minor issue too.
The most important thing is loyalty! There was a saying from before Henry transmigrated: "Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty!" Henry could accept his army being weak, he could accept them having low combat effectiveness, but when it came to loyalty, nothing was more important!
Besides, a one-month training period wasn't long at all. If he trained them himself, it would take at least a month just to get these new recruits to the point where they wouldn't flee on the battlefield.
But for soldiers trained by the Full-Scale War Panel, the most important trait was loyalty!
'One month... A trifle!'
The news of the pioneering effort had just reached Odoche. It would be at least another twenty-some days before the empire launched a full-scale counteroffensive.
The life-and-death struggle against the Alien Race on the front lines could be left to the Imperial Standing Legions and those suckers who wanted to become nobles in one fell swoop. In Henry's eyes, they were good friends, perfect for drawing enemy fire.