Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 345 - 344: Day of Allegiance

According to the law, when a noble lineage affiliated with the royal family is removed from the records, the royal family has the right to reclaim the property of this noble lineage and reassign it to others. Subordinate vassals who were loyal to the previous noble should, under normal circumstances, pledge allegiance to the new leader—however, this is not mandatory, but rather a moral and customary requirement. The King has no authority to interfere with the vassals of vassals, so whether the followers of the old leader will swear allegiance to the new master often depends on the new leader’s skill. In fact, the ability to make the previous generation’s vassals swear allegiance to oneself is an important standard by which to measure whether a noble possesses adequate strength and prestige, at least in Anzu.

The name Gawain Cecil is undoubtedly prestigious among the knights, and his legendary personal strength and the current prospects of the new Cecil territory are enough to convince the old knights of the Kant territory to pledge loyalty. However, the final test still lies ahead of them—

That is, whether they are willing to give up their old land privileges and comply with the new order of the Cecil territory.

The knights of the Kant territory are not unfamiliar with the order of the Cecil. Although traditional aristocrats are somewhat slow to react, the Cecil Clan had effectively ruled the Kant territory for a full six months. Even the most oblivious would have noticed the changes infiltrating, and those with a mind for detail would inquire deeply into the "legal basis" behind these changes—after all, they had already guessed that the Cecil Clan would eventually become the new master of Kant, and no one ignores their own future.

After understanding the institutional status of the Cecil territory, the Kant knights became tense, but no matter how nervous, they had to face the reality—the royal seal became a fact, and Sir Philip, who was always responsible for Kant’s affairs, brought the summoning order from the leader.

The Kant knights responded to the summons with apprehension, and on the seventh day of the Revival Month, the "old knights" of the Kant territory, led by Wald Peric (the former Chief Knight of Viscount Kant), arrived at the mansion of Duke Cecil.

Everyone knew the purpose of gathering here today, so they donned their bright, clean armor with surcoats over it. These mighty knights gathered somewhat uneasily in the hall of the feudal lord’s mansion, occasionally exchanging whispers.

The main topic of their discussion was the intolerable "new order" of the Cecil territory and how to negotiate with the new leader for the privileges they were rightfully owed.

"I heard everything in the Cecil territory revolves around that ’Administrative Office’, including tax collection and conscription," a young knight said to his companion, "land is only nominally owned by the nobles, but in fact, those who hold the land have virtually no rights... they even have to follow the arrangements of the Administrative Office."

Another knight seemed more worried: "They might reclaim all the fiefs—Sir Philip has said he doesn’t have a fief."

"It’s said the fiefdoms will become ’domains’, and in the future, we can only receive annuities based on the domain size, with no other powers—even if villagers want to work in the city or do pioneering and hunting, they just need to report to the Administrative Office without needing the leader’s permission..."

A tall and thin knight frowned: "Without even the authority to keep the commoners from wandering, how can we maintain order on the land? Over time, even those peasants might not bow to us anymore!"

The knights were worried; someone whispered: "We should express our stance—Duke Cecil is indeed a great man, but his decrees are absurd, leaving the order on the land to a group of busy clerks in the Administrative Office will only end in chaos!"

Others nodded in agreement, and a majority of their gazes focused on the old knight seated at the center: "Mr. Wald, what do you think?"

The old knight, being watched, remained silent for a long time, frowning and slightly shaking his head: "...Let’s see, take it one step at a time."

This response clearly offered no reassurance, so the knights gradually resumed their discussion, their whispers never ceasing.

All this continued until the moment the man with the aristocratic cloak, an awe-inspiring face, and an extraordinarily tall and strong stature walked into the hall.

Their low murmuring ceased immediately, and each person instinctively averted their gaze.

Entering the hall, Gawain cast a sweeping glance over the Kant knights: there weren’t many in number, as a Viscount’s followers and Transcendents were already few, and those awarded were even fewer. In front of him, those "standard knights" with knightly titles and estates numbered only about a dozen. Judging by the Transcendent aura they exuded, only one was middle-ranked, the gentleman at the center of the knights with gray hair: the former Chief Military Officer of Kant Castle, Wald Peric.

Gawain had met Wald Peric before, after the nightmare event at Kant Castle ended, when this middle-aged knight was one of the first to reach the castle’s main hall and stabilize order. In Gawain’s impression, Wald was loyal to the Kant Clan but did not reveal much outwardly. Yet, he had been loyal to the Kant family the longest and had the strength of a middle-ranked knight, thus possessing the highest prestige and speaking authority among the Kant knights.

As Gawain observed these knights, those led by Wald also rose to salute, the sound of metal rubbing and clashing on their armor echoed. This time, Gawain calmly accepted everyone’s salute and only spoke after each had completed this courtesy: "Ladies and gentlemen, you’re very punctual."

There were not only men among the knights; three women were also part of the group—in this world where Transcendent power exists, women who awaken such powers also entirely possess equal rights to men.

This is one of the few types of "fairness" in this world marred by injustice.

"Salute to you, great pioneer, the knight of knights, the founder of Anzu, the kingdom’s sword and shield..." Wald began with a series of titles, clearly having recited these words many times before coming here, "It is our honor to step into your castle—we are pleased that you can become the new protector and ruler of Kant territory, that land will obtain safety and prosperity because of your presence."

After Wald finished what was almost a routine statement, Gawain raised one hand and immediately said, "I am not someone who likes to waste words, so let’s get straight to the point—we all know why I summoned everyone today.

"I have become the legitimate ruler of the Kant territory. Following the usual customs, you should all swear an oath of allegiance to me. I believe your punctual arrival indicates your stance on this matter. However, before doing so, I should explain the new ’rules’ you must adapt to after pledging allegiance to the Cecil Clan."

Such a straightforward manner of speaking is unlike the typical style of aristocrats of this era—where it’s impossible to reach the main point without several segments of rhythmic intonation. But Gawain of the Cecil Clan is clearly not of this sort.

The knights exchanged glances for a moment, and then the atmosphere on site became tense and subtle.

However, Gawain seemed not to notice this. He beckoned, and a few attendants beside him stepped forward to distribute sheets of paper filled with text to each knight.

"I have a habit of putting everything into clauses; written agreements in black and white are more reassuring," Gawain smiled. "Please take a close look."

When Wald Peric saw the clauses printed on the paper, a complex emotion that was both unsurprising and resistant immediately surged within him.

Abolish the fiefdoms, switch to dependencies, abolish tax revenue, switch to investigation, calculation, and distribution of annuities by the Administrative Office, abolish governance rights, switch to management by the Administrative Office or subordinate units. Knights can join the Administrative Office, but like civilian clerks, must undergo assessments, and the "official" position is non-inheritable...

On one sheet of paper, nearly all land-based privileges were erased.

This is just for knights equivalent to "half a leader," whose privileges are limited to begin with. If a Viscount or even an Earl were to be incorporated into the Cecil Clan, how much aristocratic power would he lose?

The old knight noticed that those around him had fallen silent. Without even looking up, he knew several pairs of eyes were focused on him. But what could he say?

What could he say to a Duke?

But he had to speak; at the very least, he couldn’t remain silent. So, after ten seconds of difficult thought, Knight Wald raised his head: "Duke, please allow me..."

"No rush," Gawain interrupted Wald with a smile. "These things on paper are just to give everyone an initial understanding of the ’order’ of the Cecil Clan. But swearing allegiance is a very serious matter. Merely understanding some legal clauses is not enough—I invite you all to tour my city, so you can understand this land from all aspects. This way, you can better judge whether the Cecil Clan is worthy of your allegiance, don’t you think?"

The knights exchanged glances. Some showed a thoughtful look, while Wald Peric quickly nodded in agreement: "You are very right."

The new leader might want to showcase the territory’s economic and military strength as leverage to gain allegiance. Everyone understood this point, and it was also the most common method for new leaders to attract followers.

So, since Gawain wanted to follow this "traditional process," the Kant Knights didn’t mind cooperating. But cooperation was one thing; striving for the necessary rights was still essential.

Everyone was scheming in their own minds and followed Gawain out of the feudal lord’s mansion, embarking on a tour in this city that was still somewhat unfamiliar to them.

The city was orderly and well-regulated, with wide and straight streets paved with some unknown material, bustling commercial streets, and neatly-dressed civilians visible everywhere. Wald rode silently, observing everything before him, though his mind was elsewhere.

What lay before him was indeed a representation of a thriving territory, a powerful testament to Gawain Cecil’s governance capabilities and wealth. To be fair, for a place established in under a year to develop like this has surpassed the concept of "rapid development." It could almost be described as incomprehensible, yet the Kant Knights’ attention seemed not to be focused on this at the moment.

Gawain kept a smile on his face, silently observing the reactions of these old knights, but he said nothing. Instead, he signaled for the team to speed up, heading towards the city’s northeast exit.

A female knight noticed the increased pace and couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity: "Duke, where are we heading?"

Gawain casually replied, "I noticed you don’t seem very interested in the commercial streets and residential areas of the territory, so why not first check out something you might be interested in?"

"Something we’re interested in?" The female knight became even more curious. "And you mean...?"

"It’s something you will definitely have to deal with in the future."