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Join the ServerAs the first in line to inherit Baron Khepri’s title, Su Na’s succession had long since become a foregone conclusion thanks to everything she had accomplished over the years.
The lesser nobles under Baron Khepri no longer had any reason to hesitate.
To them, the recruitment for Su Na’s new army was the perfect opportunity to win her favor and pledge their loyalty.
In truth, this corps of officers would become the backbone of Su Na’s future administration.
After all, the most reliable talent was talent you had trained yourself.
She didn’t mind if some of the available positions were taken by the families investing in her.
To put it bluntly, two thousand troops were nothing.
If the higher authorities hadn’t imposed a limit, she’d have gladly trained twenty thousand.
Unfortunately, the Regent kept an exceptionally close watch on powerful families like the Fafnirs, leaving Su Na with very little room to surprise him.
Even so, compared to those who had built their fortunes from nothing, Su Na’s starting capital was astonishingly solid.
She lacked neither followers, land, nor money.
She hadn’t even raised her banner yet, and supporters were already gathering in droves.
As for why these small and medium-sized nobles placed such importance on joining the entourage of a baron’s heir, it certainly wasn’t because they were foolish enough to ignore higher-ranking patrons.
There simply wasn’t much point in doing so.
Aside from the King and certain Dukes, barons and the other ranks of high nobility were essentially equals.
The only real difference lay in their titles.
Back in her previous life, Su Na had never thought much about her father’s rank as a baron.
After all, there were several noble ranks above him, making barons seem like the lowest tier among the high nobility.
But after spending time in this world and gradually untangling the relationships between the aristocracy, she finally understood what a noble title—especially one belonging to the high nobility—truly represented.
Although the kingdom’s high nobility was divided into five ranks—Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron—these rankings did not indicate a superior-subordinate relationship, nor were they necessarily tied to military or political strength.
Generally speaking, the higher the title, the larger the territory and fiefs under its control.
The title of Duke was reserved exclusively for members of the royal family.
When the Crown Prince was officially designated as heir, they would also be granted a ducal domain.
In most cases, this title was bestowed personally by the King.
Among the nobility, there was also a distinction between territorial lords, who directly governed unified domains with real administrative authority, and fief-holding nobles, whose scattered estates were managed by appointed governors while they merely collected taxes and revenues.
Marquises and Counts stood on parallel footing.
Marquises governed the kingdom’s frontier territories, while Counts held lands scattered throughout the interior.
Viscount was largely an honorary title, usually serving as a transitional rank for the heirs of Counts or nobles of even higher status.
These first four noble ranks had a fixed number of hereditary seats.
No matter how great one’s achievements, newcomers could only rise as far as Baron.
The Fafnir family was one such example.
That was also why some older noble houses mocked Su Na as a “nouveau riche.”
After all, the Fafnirs were neither related to the royal family through marriage nor descended from any illustrious bloodline.
Even if the Lord of Fafnir possessed greater power than a Duke, within the kingdom he could still hold no title higher than Baron.
For that reason, being ranked last among the high nobility did not mean a baron was weak.
That was especially true for a great barony like Khepri, whose territory was vast.
After the Regent assumed control of the kingdom, he further weakened the authority of the high nobility.
Nowadays, noble titles carried more symbolic significance than practical power.
Below Barons were two ranks of lesser nobility: Knights and the newly proposed Sub-Barons, a title the Regent intended to sell to raise funds.
Below the lesser nobility came free citizens.
At the very bottom were slaves.
Even so, these distinctions mattered greatly.
No matter what, a Baron was still a member of the high nobility.
Unlike commoners, whose rights were heavily restricted, or lesser nobles, who were required to attach themselves to a high noble as vassals, high nobles enjoyed full legal rights and complete ownership of their property.
More importantly, their assets were protected by the entire class of high nobility.
That alone was invaluable.
After another two days of waiting, Su Na stood atop a raised platform in a newly constructed training ground outside the castle.
The grassy field had been leveled and transformed into a military camp.
Dressed in a knight’s uniform, she folded her arms across her chest and looked down with satisfaction at the group of youngsters gathered below, all roughly her own age.
Long banquet tables had been arranged across the parade ground.
This was the welcoming feast Su Na had prepared for them.
From her elevated vantage point, she could easily divide the two hundred recruits into three distinct groups.
The most conspicuous among them were the children of noble knights.
Lesser nobles were still nobles.
Whether they were truly capable or not, knightly codes and aristocratic etiquette demanded that they maintain impeccable composure at all times.
As a result, they stood out at a glance.
Naturally, even among the nobility there were differences.
The lesser nobles themselves had split into two camps.
Besides the apprentice knights stood another group—delicate young noble ladies and finely dressed young noblemen, beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads.
The young noblemen in particular kept looking at Su Na with twitching, eager eyes.
Although her expression remained calm, she was anything but pleased inside.
She didn’t mind people with weak constitutions.
What she disliked was the ulterior motives of certain old nobles.
But there was no helping it; to utilize their network of connections, she naturally had to appease and balance the various factions.
The last group, neither too large nor too small, consisted of the commoner youths from within the territory.
Their eyes were the clearest, yet they were also the most silent and rigid.
Given their reactions and Kaibuli’s usual style, this group must have been specially selected.
If she guessed correctly, they were likely the descendants of soldiers from the territory who had died in battle.
Their family backgrounds were clean and transparent, and their fathers had already proven their loyalty with their lives.
In the eyes of any lord, these people were the absolute first choice for the most trusted personal guards.
After sweeping her gaze over the crowd, Su Na spoke in a clear, resonant voice: “Hello everyone, I am the honorable heir of the Fafnir family, Su Na Fafnir!”
“Although you all know me, I still have to say it, just in case someone actually mistakes me for someone else~”
The crowd below obligingly let out a wave of laughter, instantly washing away the strange atmosphere in the room.
Once the laughter died down, she continued: “Before coming here, you were all very clear about what I intend to do.”
“Since you ultimately chose to stand here, I hope I will not hear a single voice of doubt during the upcoming training.”
“Please remember this above all else: Fafnir does not believe in tears.”
A faint smile appeared on Su Na’s face: “Of course, if you truly cannot handle it, you are welcome to leave at any time.”
“Because cowards will indeed feel pressured in this environment; they are better suited to cowering in their mothers’ arms seeking warmth.”
Another burst of laughter erupted from the crowd below, though this time, quite a few people began to break into a cold sweat.
Su Na then stepped down from the platform and clapped her hands.
A group of Fafnir family servants streamed in from all directions carrying trays, rapidly setting down various prepared raw ingredients.
To put it bluntly, these people were her private soldiers; they only needed to recognize her as their leader.
Therefore, she chose not to speak of grand principles or national righteousness.
Right now, let alone a nation, even a sense of national identity had not yet fully formed.
This was also the reason why Su Na had not yet begun trying to manufacture muskets; the line infantry volley-fire tactics of the era of enlightenment were very difficult to implement in an age of ignorance.
As for grand principles, you couldn’t expect a group of children raised under a completely different educational system to understand what you were saying.
In the end, it was far more practical to simply provoke the pride of these young people.
During training, fostering camaraderie first was essential to dilute class differences.
Only after mutual recognition was achieved could a cohesive group form, allowing for effective communication.
Only after their acceptance and recognition of a shared ideology had increased would Su Na formally instill in them what needed to be instilled.
Whether dressed luxuriously or plainly, the group of little youngsters sat in their seats, looking bewilderedly at the plates of raw meat and raw vegetables, their knives and forks hesitating, not knowing what to grab.
Did high-ranking nobles play this high-end nowadays? Were they starting to eat things raw?
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