The nobles looked down on Simon for his common birth, but Derek possessed an impeccable northern pedigree. Some envied him, yet he had earned his titles through military merit, the most respected path to ennoblement. Far more admired him.

Knights of noble birth especially treated Derek as a model for rising in the world. The Augusta barony was enough to pass the name down for generations. After repelling the Holy Cross’s first counterattack, that possibility had become impossible to ignore. Even if Saint Miller Province someday fell back to the Holy Cross, the Augusta name would not easily vanish.

For most nobles in this world, that was the ultimate goal of a lifetime.

Derek possessed another advantage as the future son-in-law of House Perez. Together with the new Count Jeffries's goodwill, that connection opened the entire northern noble circle to him.

Together, those distinctions formed Derek's public standing. Northern nobles were willing to deal with him and extend favors. Caravans under his banner could travel freely between the Northern Province and Saint Miller Province, paying reduced road tolls. His businesses could operate openly in the cities of both provinces without fear of local interests forcing them out.

Among the two million people of the provinces, Derek’s banner now carried weight. That was what he wanted: a new beginning, a larger market, more resources, and rapid growth for his power.

So when Count Perez saw him, he even rose from his seat and warmly took Derek’s arm.

“Derek, come. Let everyone see the bearing of our new generation of northern knights.”

The old count did not say it casually. As Derek’s fame spread, the title northern knight would become one of his marks.

That was a good thing. Central and southern nobles might despise their northern peers, but they could not ignore one fact: whenever the Kingdom divided offices, land, or wealth, the northern knights always claimed a share.

Why? Ancient pedigrees could be excluded from power, but northern knights remained indispensable because they possessed real military strength.

Their name had been earned in the war of division thirty years ago. No one dared dismiss northern knights. The title brought many advantages, and the only possible loss was face.

Reputation mattered to Derek, but not at every price. He accepted the mantle without hesitation and declared before everyone, “My lord Count, the crown of the northern knights will not fall from my generation's hands.”

The declaration answered a deliberate southern campaign. In recent years, rising nobles from the south had proclaimed the decline of the northern knights, hoping to undermine their privileges and exclude them from the Kingdom's most valuable decisions.

The northern nobles resented the claim, but they could not simply run over and fight. Derek’s appearance answered their need. The old count hurried to push him to the front, both for himself and the northern nobles, and to support one of his own.

Derek accepted readily. He did not fear the trouble the title might bring. He even welcomed some trouble.

Derek privately agreed that this generation of northern knights had declined. Martial prestige could not be preserved through polite argument alone. If a southern upstart challenged it openly, the north needed someone willing to answer with force. A few drawn swords at a royal council, he thought, would end the debate quickly enough.

He kept that thought to himself. He still needed broader support among the northern nobles.

But the younger generation could still be saved. Derek now had the right to rally young northern nobles. That came not only from reputation but political resources.

The seemingly modest post of Saint Miller Legion commander gave him control over numerous appointments. Formally, he could even influence the selection of constables throughout the province. A commander rooted in the region wielded enormous influence.

Great nobles might disdain such resources, but the sons—even the heirs—of most lesser and middling houses coveted them. Patronage on that scale could build a durable political following.

Indeed, no sooner had Count Perez seated Derek than several familiar nobles approached, hesitantly trying to place second sons and the like under him.

In the Northern Province, that privilege had belonged to Counts Perez and Jeffries. Their houses trained most noble children as knights, turning education into political capital. That was why Count Perez had commanded the provisional First Legion during the crisis, and why its officers obeyed him. Most northern knights had passed through one of the two counts' households; a stranger appointed from above could not command the same loyalty.

The former Count Jeffries had died beneath barbarian blades. The First Legion's commander lacked the prestige to replace him, leaving Count Perez in control.

Beneath every surface lay deeper rules. The old count's prestige had not been earned in one or two victories. These quiet bonds were the foundation of House Perez's power. Leadership of the Northern Province had long belonged to its two comital houses.

With House Jeffries badly weakened, Count Perez stood unchallenged as the north's leading figure. He was pleased to see Derek building influence of his own and offered a few personal observations. Derek understood at once, gratifying him further.

Such an outstanding young man might truly become Saint Miller Province's next great power. If he did, House Perez's interests there would be secure.

That lay ten or twenty years ahead. By then Derek would be in his prime, while the old count, if alive, would be too old to walk well. That was nobility: blood ties kept a house’s glory from falling.

House Jeffries proved the point. Its count had been beheaded and its lands overrun, yet the house received only a light punishment. Upstarts often vanished as quickly as they rose; established houses survived reversals and endured.

The old count had seen much and planned far ahead. Every concession he made now was an investment in the future. One granddaughter could not bind a noble like Derek, but she could provide the first link. Once affection and shared interests intertwined, the alliance would be difficult to break.

Of course, without the new space in Saint Miller Province, Derek’s attempt to grow in the Northern Province would have immediately drawn the old count’s suppression.

That too was nobility. Blood was a weapon.

Birch Fort’s conditions were crude, but host and guests enjoyed themselves. Derek chose a bonfire feast unique to northern nobles.

Knight Cesar approached quietly and made an embarrassed request. “Viscount Derek, I have a son who is about to begin knightly training. I hope you will accept him.”

In a short time, the gap between them had widened. Cesar enjoyed many opportunities at the Count's side, but no sudden path into the highest ranks. He adjusted his manner accordingly; their old acquaintance did not erase the difference in status.

Derek wanted to rise, but petty displays of superiority served no purpose. He knew each relationship required a different touch.

Cesar was the old count’s confidant and had helped him before. Acting superior before him might look impressive, but it would damage Derek’s reputation. Yet ignoring the class difference between nobles would also anger many people.

So Derek drained his mug of ale, showed a little drunkenness, and took Cesar’s hand.

“Cesar, my friend, this is a small matter. Give me your son, and I will return a fine young man to you.”

For the moment, he set rank aside and spoke as a friend. The rough bonfire feast served the same purpose, drawing men together in a way no formal banquet could.

Cesar understood that the gesture was deliberate, yet it still moved him. Courtesy from a man of higher rank carried particular weight, and Derek had not forgotten an old friendship after rising.

They drank together as freely as before. When the next dispute arose, Cesar would remember the evening and incline toward Derek—all for the cost of a little warmth and courtesy.

The feast ended, and Count Perez departed as quickly as he had arrived. Saint Miller Province remained a tangled mess, and every lord had problems demanding his attention. Derek also saw off one group of nobles after another. Though the fighting had ended before they arrived, they had come intending to support him, and he would remember the gesture.

Then it was time to straighten out the work at hand. Under threat of war, many matters had been handled roughly. Now that he had a brief peace, he could free his hands.

The next day, a heavy snowstorm struck. On the twentieth day after the winter solstice, the first snow finally fell. Derek rode through the border outposts first. Only after confirming there were no gaps did he leave Birch Fort and return to his domain.

Thanks to the barbarians' “kindness,” the Domain of Augusta's population had exploded. Fortunately, construction had continued throughout the war, preventing deaths when the snow arrived.

The barony was assembled from several former crown lands of the Holy Cross. The royal nobles had wanted Derek at the front, so with a stroke of the pen they made a substantial barony.

What had begun as one town and four villages had, after population increased more than tenfold, become a new structure of one city, eight towns, and several villages. Such a population brought problems, first a shortage of farmland and then comparatively scarce resources. Luckily, Derek had moved first and seized many resources in Saint Miller Province, so there would be no immediate issue.

Through the snow, Derek arrived at the city being built at the center of the domain. A large population had gathered into a functioning settlement. Beginning from the original town, roughly one-fifth of the planned new district had taken shape.

Though planned in advance, it was inevitably chaotic and filthy. Adrian had been waiting. During Derek’s time at Birch Fort, Adrian had watched the rear.

When Derek arrived, Adrian hurried from a roadside pavilion, took the horse, and brushed snow from Derek’s cloak.

“Your Excellency, following your plan, we settled everyone before the snow. Next we will build a fortified inner city at the center, then complete the remaining districts—a new city belonging to Augusta.”

Building a city from nothing and making it Saint Miller Province’s new center was a great undertaking. If it succeeded, House Augusta would leave a lasting mark on the province.

Derek took off his gloves, handed them to an attendant, and entered the pavilion. Burlap enclosed all four sides, while a brazier crackled in the middle.

“Sit closer. It is too cold.”

He gestured for everyone to form a circle. They were familiar faces, old companions who had followed him from the Northern Province, and they sat without ceremony.

“This winter is important. We must do two things. First, create features unique to the new city. This is the extension of Augusta’s will and the embodiment of our authority in Saint Miller Province.

“Second, reorganize the army. I need a knightly order, though it can begin small, and we should take in some noble children.”

The storm outside suddenly grew fiercer. Having gained a foothold, Derek had to think further.

“Our forging is unrivaled in the north,” Adrian said. “We can bring Master Tru and his people here. Complete, inexpensive weapons and armor will attract many caravans.”

“Weapons and armor can be a pillar industry, but they are not enough. Recruit every sort of craftsman first. Augusta has fewer resources per person, so we must take another path.”

Derek listed several high-value industries. Rapid growth always came at someone else's expense, but technological advantage extracted wealth far more quietly than armed plunder.

“Also, control our stud farm strictly. I want an absolutely superior cavalry. Do not neglect the squires sent by the various houses. They will later become junior officers and local officials in the Northern and Saint Miller Provinces. It is an excellent chance to exert influence.”

Derek knew his men might not yet understand. Their backgrounds limited their experience, and even Derek's memories from his previous life had not shown him the full value of patronage. Watching Count Perez had taught him that lesson.