Kapitel 64: Time Well Spent

A few months later.

After the attempt on Haldor's life, many people had to be killed, heads rolled on the ground, and sincere apologies were expressed to Haldor, who cared little for such things.

For him, it was inevitable that someone would try to kill him; unfortunately, he was someone important who would always be in the sights of those hungry for power, and this was something unavoidable.

Even so, he took advantage of the situation to expand his influence. To appease him, the King granted permission to officially create the order of Templar Knights, who would be the force to face the White Walkers when the war began.

Haldor convinced them that the crown would not spend a single coin; everything would be his responsibility, and months later, he had something decent.

The tower named Silver Peak was completed and was located in a less populated area of the capital, very close to the sea, where Haldor currently resides.

This tall tower, the largest in the kingdom after the castle, was one of the most advantageous places to establish an order of knights. The tower remained unnoticed due to its unremarkable appearance, allowing Haldor to do whatever he wanted here without anyone interfering.

Everyone hoped to someday become a member of the Templar Knights, as this guaranteed them unimaginable power. It was said that those who became members would quickly become formidable warriors who feared nothing, not even death.

It was true that once one belonged to the Templar Knights' guard, betrayal was punished with death, and no one had ever escaped this fate. However, not all Templar Knights became warriors; some were honest workers, and as long as they were members of the tower, no one could touch them, as this would trigger a punishment no one wanted to face.

Concerns grew as days passed because the main trading companies were losing not only authority but also their usual income, which had significantly decreased recently. If this continued, they could lose all the power they had gained within the capital within one or two years.

But what irritated them the most was that no one knew the tower's owner. Many said it belonged to a noble family who had recently gained a surge of power and income, so their business grew rapidly and unexpectedly within the capital.

"Will the death of the crown prince help his wife take the throne?"

"If he wants to live, he might die at thirty. We did a lot to keep that king's son alive, so the least we should do is let him reign during that time. Besides, I wouldn't get involved in a war, as it would weaken us."

Watching the sunset from the top of the tower in the capital, Haldor had learned many things after his influence grew rapidly and steadily within the kingdom.

Whether to govern on a throne or through trade, there are always rules to follow, regardless of anything else. No power, no matter how strong, should forget the people who form a kingdom. All of them—even those who steal—make the world work.

For Haldor, a kingdom is ruled by power, which is determined by who governs. These are standards for men and must be respected. If a king is not strong, then he is not a king but an inept person sitting on a throne without power. If a man is strong, he could become emperor of a great territory.

However, this kingdom, considered the strongest among all, was being led by a weak and fearful man, as Haldor had seen since he arrived here. Though he came from a powerful family and had dragons he could use, his weakness was evident even to Haldor, who had spoken little with him.

"This kingdom was a mess until I decided to invest resources in it. All the slums love me, and I can say I've gained enough fame to be deserving of their princess."

"I improved the sanitation here a bit, its cleanliness, and a little more. I just increased my influence and strength and generated wealth to inject into my new city, so we won't do more from now on."

Lucian, who listened to Haldor's words, saw in him a blue shadow, a back he could never surpass, and a man who could become ruler of all seven kingdoms if he wished. The decline in the people's strength must be matched by their rulers; slavery must be erased, and the children who would be the walls of human strength in the future must be considered.

During the human war against the White Walkers, millions of lives were lost, but still, there was no winning side as both races still lived and prepared to face each other again.

It seemed that many did not learn from the war, and after a few years, they remained just as careless and undisciplined, and those nobles still believed they were the peak of the kingdom when they had done nothing to improve the lives of their people.

"I believe you can be a turning point for all humans, someone who can merge with the people and understand what is in their hearts," said Haldor with a deep and calm voice.

"What has been the response from the families to whom you required their hand?" asked Haldor with his hands behind his back, watching the sun set behind the mountains.

"The Black Crow family accepted your invitation; the Harringtons have not yet sent a response; and the Ivanov family said they would come. That is already a lot, considering they do not involve themselves in politics like the others, so this would be your victory."

Within his royal guards, Haldor, with the support of his first servants, began aggressively reforming their training after they swore loyalty to him and accepted an unparalleled sword in this world. He started by giving them lessons on leadership and group battles, strategies, and the cruelty that must be unleashed against the enemy.

After the first evaluations, those royal knights became captains who began training warriors who followed him regardless of what the future held for them, with the only hope of becoming stronger.

To prepare a group of royal knights with potential and a hidden one in the shadows, it could be said that Haldor personally managed the chain of command. Who would be commanders and captains was decided by him. His intentions were to create a central power group within the capital that worked in the tower and in the respective businesses he had been opening over time.

He divided his forces into four very important parts. The first division was led by Lucian, including non-affiliated royal knights who were captains and instructors. He also valued Lucian's tranquility and coldness in making decisions that improved everyone's position.

The new recruits recently accepted are classified by Ravyn and trained by him until they are worthy of moving to the central part. He is in charge of seeing who has potential in magic, swords, finance, trade, intermediaries, or servants.

Haldor had his reasons for choosing Ravyn. He has a great eye for managing finances and judging people, so his decisions would be assertive in finding talents to increase the innovative sales spreading throughout the kingdom.

As for the real knights who joined his royal guard, all of them were led by Criston Cole. This group was personally selected by Haldor. They were demonically trained by him, and no one else had the right to order them.

Finally, the last part were those who had not yet joined his ranks; all of them were being trained to aspire to some of the positions and be trained under one of the high commands. They would be, in the future, the next form of growth for Haldor's power; they would be his wings spreading across all regions of the Asura kingdom.

All had been trained with special methods made by Haldor, which immediately increased the physical strength of all warriors, and their mastery of the sword took several terrifying leaps.