Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 72  Arrogance

Inside the hideout, Henry finally found the time to rest his head on a makeshift bed made of fur. It was placed next to a crackling fire in a secluded part of the cave where no other soldier would dare to enter without his explicit permission. His eyes traced the irregular pattern of the ceiling filled by stalactites that seemed eager to plunge to the ground. Although he tried to close his eyes and sleep, his mind buzzed with thoughts, seeking more efficient ways to win this war. He had to fight and win on two fronts, against Aritreia and Luak.

Henry had already began implementing the Scorch Earth military tactic to create obstacle on Aritreia's invasion. He ordered the evacuation of the people, ensuring their safety, while also the destruction of any valuable resources that could potentially benefit their invasion, reducing food supplies to smoldering ashes and even razing entire villages to the ground. Henry had thought about destroying the frozen fields, afraid that they could be used in the long run by the enemies, but the lack of food would starve them on the short term. Without a reliable food supply chain, the enemy forces would easily succumb within a matter of weeks. Of course, Henry had planned countermeasures if they managed to survive.

On Luak's front, Henry's plan to mine away the enemy's morale and starve their forces was already being implemented. He would keep wiping out their hunting teams in calculated skirmishes, gradually impacting their minds and wearing them down. By the time Aritreia's army reached this region, both armies would have already been weakened, making them easy targets. Henry wanted to exploit this opportunity and eliminate the forces of both kingdoms, allowing him multiple future possibilities.

"My liege!"- Leier's voice rang out, causing Henry's mind to slow down and focus on the present.

He lightly scanned the cave, observing those soldiers who were sleeping on the ground next to the bonfires while covering themselves with thick fur blankets. Henry then shifted his gaze to the slender figure standing in front of him, concealed in tattered clothes, with its face hidden by a simple hood. The flickering light of the bonfire made those icy blue eyes glimmer in the dark cave, like a beautiful blue diamond, drawing Henry's attention.

As he gazed into those piercing blue eyes, memories of this determined young woman's agonizing screams as she withstood the painful Tribal Tattoo Ceremony flooded his mind. The ceremony consisted of a person being chained on the ground as four people pulled the chains on four opposite directions, stretching the body and the skin as much as possible. Then, a barbarian elder would begin the ceremony, piercing the person's skin and making the beast's blood seep deep into the skin, reaching the blood tissue. It was an excruciating process with a high mortality rate, but Leier managed to survive this ordeal. In exchange for her loyalty, Henry had pledged to give her the chance to enact her revenge on the one who destroyed her whole family and future. Leier had been with him since then, becoming a great resource in his hands, someone able to directly impact the course of the war.

During her very first mission, she had risked her life to open the gates of Mirante, allowing Henry's army to successfully enter the city and exterminate the revolutionary forces. Even after he had granted her a well-deserved break, Leier refused to stay quiet and chose to use her power to gather information from the West of the Kingdom, allowing her to find suitable hideouts and to map out the region. On this mission she had also sneaked into enemy's camp to gather vital information. She was indeed a great and valuable asset.

"My liege!" - Leier called out once more. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Go on!" - Henry said, waving his hand and urging her to continue, finally snapping back to the present.

"They've started to move; our scouts have reported signs of activity near their campsite. It looks like they are already sending out new hunting teams." – Leier said – "According to our intel, the one leading them is a captain, which means that he is at least a Fourth or Fifth Stage. Also, they are not splitting up in groups and will be moving in a single unit.".

Henry nodded, before silently rising from his position and stretching his body, easing the tension from his muscles, and warming his body up. Although he hadn't been able to sleep, being in the fourth stage guaranteed that a few sleepless nights would have no impact on his mind and body. He brushed off the snow from his tattered clothes, ensuring they were clear, and then reached out for the handle of his sword, that was stuck on the snow near the fireplace, feeling the warm handle.

"Wake Zahra and Grok." – Henry commanded as he carelessly made his way towards the cave's exit – "Instruct them to gather the soldiers outside of the cave. We have another mission ahead of us."

Leier watched as the king marched away from her, worry evident in her icy blue eyes. She couldn't help but ask in concern – "Where are you going, my liege? Should I accompany you?"

Henry couldn't quite understand why, but a familiar sense of arrogance flared up within him once again, urging him to silence this disrespectful woman and teach her a lesson. It was as if an innate feeling of superiority existed deep withing him, present ever since he occupied this body, one which refused to entertain any questions or objections from those of a lower stratus.

It was an overwhelming feeling that seemed to resonate with the power of the Sun God Technique, amplifying its force and driving him to act in a way that he wouldn't have in his previous life. Sometimes, he didn't feel like himself. It was a perplexing and uncontrollable sensation that occasionally led Henry to lash out at his own soldiers or even those he trusted. He would utter words and act with extreme arrogance, which could lead him into difficult situations, contradicting his usual calm demeanor.

"It's troublesome" – Henry thought as he took a deep breath, trying to regain control of his emotion and suppress the stirring Sun God Technique, that seemed to rotate on his own, threatening to consume him – "These impulsive thoughts and actions could put me in an unfavorable and dangerous situation. I need to be cautions, or it can be my downfall."

On Earth's history, there were numerous examples of the downfall of rulers due to their arrogant and detached personality. Henry had read once about the Emperor Justinian II, the Slit-Nosed, who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century. Justinian was known for his haughty attitude, one who would use torture and execute those who dared to disrespect his image and threat his authority.

He had also pursued costly military campaigns in order to satiate his arrogance and his desire to become the only true emperor, disregarding the sentiment spreading across his subjects. He had participated in costly military campaigns, persecuting the nations that opposed him, occupying their lands and turning their people into slaves. Some of these actions were not well received by his subjects and culminated in a rebellion overthrew him from power, contributing to the decline of the Byzantine Empire during that period.

Because of such example, Henry understood the dangers behind acting on impulse, without deliberating twice before taking an action. It could lead to his head rolling on the ground and being kicked by his own subjects. He had to control his emotions and the boiling blood coursing through his veins that screamed at him to eliminate hundreds if not thousands of people and to expand his sphere of influence across the continent. He could also feel the strange energy that he had amassed during the conquer of the barbarians and the extinguish of the civil war boiling inside him, something that he didn't quite yet understand. It was different from Mana and he still hadn't found out about its functions or how to control it.

Henry took a deep breath, not wanting to lash out at Leier and forcefully suppressing the arrogance. He controlled his tone as he responded – "Don't worry, I'm just going to assess the situation and gather information before we proceed with our next attack. I need to confirm and their strengths and their ranks."

"I will accompany you."- Leier declared with determination, refusing to let the king venture out alone. It would be unwise to expose the king to unnecessary danger.

Henry swiftly turned towards her, anger flickering in his eyes. - "There is no need. Go and gather the others! I want everyone ready in thirty minutes" - He commanded, clenching his teeth as he struggled to rein his emotion.

He understood her worry, but in order to devise the best strategy, Henry had to see things for himself. He was someone who had to take control of everything, before finally making decisions. Although Leier was skilled and wouldn't be spotted by the enemies, he still wanted to speed things up here and began the next phase of his plans.

Feeling the king's frustration and understanding her position, Leier bowed in apology – "I apologize, my liege!" – she said in a tone of regret and apology.

Henry glanced at her, his expression softening slightly, and nodded in acknowledgment. "Very well." - he replied, his voice softening- "I will see you later."

The king hurriedly moved through the sleeping soldiers, coming out of the cave in a single breath. The beautiful desolate scenario basked in the new light of the rising sun, which seemed to have forgotten and banished the north. As soon as he came out, Henry's eyes had already locked into the camp nestled beneath the mountain's shadows. There, a group of armed soldiers were moving in preparation to go out of the camp. There was a man leading them, marching while throwing the snow upwards in anger. He was the captain of this team.

"Hm…" – Henry murmured – "It will be somewhat troublesome to kill them without showing the Sun God Technique."