Leo let out a long, relieved breath, staring at the card in the system space. The single word that glowed brightly on it read: Heavenly. "Finally," he muttered under his breath, a mixture of exhaustion and elation washing over him. Heavenly Knight. With one of these powerhouses by his side, his safety—and his ambitions—were now guaranteed. All the obstacles he'd been facing suddenly seemed much smaller.
But what exactly was a Heavenly Knight? To put it simply, they were the pinnacle of martial power. Their strength was beyond comprehension, far surpassing golden knights, who themselves were famous figures in their own right. In fact, the Heavenly Knights were so rare and powerful that no one had ever seen or heard of anything stronger. They were considered the apex of knighthood for all practical purposes—unmatched and unrivaled.
Even the leader of the Knight Association, a man who proclaimed himself the strongest knight, was no stronger than a Heavenly Knight. The most prestigious mage academy was led by a Rank 4 mage, a figure of power equal to a Heavenly Knight.
With a Heavenly Knight by his side, Leo could be considered equal in strength to the entire Knight Association. Kingdoms, kings, and even neighboring countries were nothing compared to the might of a Heavenly Knight.
Legends spoke of an ancient empire once led by a Heavenly Knight emperor. But those days were long gone, and the kingdoms that now surrounded Leo were weak. At best, they could hire Golden Knights by spending a fortune, but even those kingdoms survived mostly due to the ongoing conflicts between the Knight Association and the Mage Academies. If the knights and mages ever put aside their differences one day, the kingdoms would likely dissolve, replaced by puppet governments controlled by the mages and knights.
Leo sent Caelan outside the room without wasting time and used the summoning card; he didn't want Caelan to see the process.
A bright red light filled the room, and soon, a man clad in pure white armor appeared before him.
Name: Sir Cedric Stonefury
Physical Constitution: 4,250
Strength: 4,000
Agility: 4,100
Combat Power Evaluation: Heavenly Knight
Leo was astonished. "Four thousand? I've been killing myself with elixirs and barely have a constitution above ten, yet this guy's stats are in the thousands!" he thought jealously. Although Leo would have preferred to possess such stats himself, the unfortunate truth was that his system couldn't transfer a summon's power to him.
"My lord?" Sir Cedric asked, noticing Leo's strange gaze and wondering if he had done something wrong.
"Sir Cedric! I'm relieved to have summoned you!" Leo said, quickly regaining his composure. His mind was already racing, planning how best to use Cedric's overwhelming strength.
"I could probably take over the kingdom without much resistance," Leo mused. "Neither the Rank 4 mages nor the leader of the Knight Association would care too much to send reinforcements for them. But Sir Cedric's identity as a Heavenly Knight must remain a secret. It would be too suspicious for a Heavenly Knight to suddenly appear out of nowhere. After all, such knights are not unknown figures. I'll have to use Sir Caelan for tasks and keep Sir Cedric as my bodyguard. Even though revealing a Golden Knight like Caelan is risky, it won't attract as much attention as a Heavenly Knight would. It would be ideal if I could keep Sir Caelan a secret, too."
Leo put aside the tempting thought of using Cedric's strength to conquer neighboring countries for the moment.
"But using Caelan to directly take over the kingdom directly will still be too attention-grabbing. I'll need a solid plan to achieve my goals without revealing my details." Forcing his way to the throne would be unwise, as the knights would certainly send someone to investigate the sudden appearance of a Golden Knight.
"I should leverage first stop the proceedings in the House of Lords," Leo thought. Taking over the kingdom could significantly boost his leveling speed, but he prefers to remain hidden to level up quickly.
Over the past year, the kingdom had begun investigating his territory, sending agents to probe into the sudden changes. Fortunately, Leo had been prepared and managed to deceive the investigators. But, despite his careful planning, clues had begun to accumulate. For example, his frequent sales of horses to foreign merchants had raised eyebrows. Leo's territory had never been known for horse breeding, so the sale of so many horses was highly suspicious. Eventually, the agents began to suspect that he was helping bandits launder stolen goods.
With this evidence in hand, the king formally appointed investigators, seeking permission from the House of Lords to proceed with a full investigation. Luckily for Leo, the House of Lords refused to vote on the matter, causing it to stall. However, the uncovered evidence remained damning. Many nobles, the king, and even commoners began to whisper that Leo was aiding bandits while hiding behind legal protections. There were rumors that the king was close to striking a deal with the House of Lords to resolve the issue once and for all.
"They'll probably hire a Great Knight to arrest me and wipe out the bandit dens. No noble would stand up for me!" Leo began to think deeply.
Sir Cedric stood silently nearby, not daring to interrupt his master's train of thought.
Leo sat down in a chair, closing his eyes to focus. In his previous life, he hadn't been much of a strategist, but with the system's help in this life, he had become far more cunning.
"According to current trends, the king and the nobles will reach a deal concerning me within three months. Once that happens, the House of Lords will probably vote to invade my lands."
"The king is powerful, but the House of Lords is the true power. If I can control the big players in the House of Lords, I could even overthrow the king," Leo reasoned. But the problem was clear—most nobles despised him.
"It seems blackmail is my only option!" Leo concluded. He understood that neither negotiations nor bribes would work at this point.
"I don't have a reliable spy network, so I can't gather dirt on anyone yet. Without information, planning is impossible. Let's fix that problem first." He decided to take action immediately.
"Sir Caelan!" Leo called.
Caelan entered the room, bowing deeply. His eyes briefly flicked to Sir Cedric, awestruck by the presence of such a powerful figure. "My lord, congratulations!" he said.
"Sir Caelan, I have a mission for you," Leo began. "Take a thousand gold coins from the treasury and leave for the capital. Use whatever means necessary to gather information on the nobles, the king, the ministers—everyone of importance. Return within fifteen days."
If Leo could collect enough blackmail material, he could halt any proceedings against him in the House of Lords. Long term, his goal had always been to take control of the kingdom and the surrounding area, but he wasn't in any rush. His mage cultivation was progressing steadily, and he grew stronger each day. He might even summon more Golden or Heavenly Knights in a few years. There was no reason to take unnecessary risks while he only had one Heavenly Knight.
For now, his strength—both his Golden Knight and his Heavenly Knight—remained hidden from the major powers of the Knight Association and the Mage Academies. But once the kingdom attacked with a Great Knight, Leo would have no choice but to reveal Caelan, which would undoubtedly draw attention from the top-tier Golden Knights and mages. Attention Leo desperately wanted to avoid.
"I was foolish to start the bandit group," Leo sighed. "It drew far too much attention." But in truth, he hadn't had much choice at the time. His harem now included fifty maids, and he had fathered three illegitimate children. The expenses were enormous, as his maids made constant demands. He had already built twenty mansions for them, with fifteen more under construction.
"How did the ancient kings manage harems of so many women? I'm spending all my money on them, and it's still not enough!" Leo sighed again.
Yet, money didn't concern him too much. Hiring a single Golden Knight for a day likely cost more than maintaining his entire harem for a year. With a Heavenly Knight at his command, he could easily rob the kingdom's treasury without anyone knowing. The only reason he hadn't was that such an act would draw the attention of the high-ranking knights and mages.
From the intelligence he had gathered, the kingdom's treasury was protected by Rank 3 magic formations. For Cedric, bypassing those would be easy, but the consequences would be dire. Once word spread, everyone would start looking for the mysterious Rank 4 mage or Heavenly Knight behind the theft.
"For now, I'll delay the proceedings in the House of Lords and bide my time. Once I have more Heavenly Knights, I'll conquer the surrounding kingdoms." Leo nodded to himself, satisfied with his decision. Time was on his side; soon enough, the world would be his for the taking.