The fallen reaver cavalrymen had not yet completely lost their ability to fight. They continued to shoot arrows at the shield wall, but the dense shields blocked them effectively.

Lancelot, well-versed in dealing with barbarian cavalry, smirked and called out. "Brothers, don’t let our own caltrops trip us up! Pick them up and throw them at the enemy!"

The iron caltrops had hindered not only the reavers’ movements but also those of the defending soldiers.

Following Lancelot’s command, the soldiers picked up the caltrops at their feet and hurled them at the reavers.

The reavers cursed while continuing to fire their arrows.

The shield formation slowly tightened, curving into a semicircle that completely encircled the reaver cavalry.

Their archery was formidable, and they were skilled in close combat, but with the caltrops trapping them, they had no space to fight properly.

Whenever a reaver tried to leap out of the caltrop-strewn area, they were immediately beaten to the ground.

Within ten minutes, all thirty reaver cavalrymen were captured.

Inside the city, as the reaver captives were escorted in, Percival, his face swollen and bruised, clung to Simon, sobbing. "My Lord, you must uphold justice for me! Captain Lancelot is too much! Just to steal the credit, he completely disregarded our camaraderie. Look at how badly I fell!"

Lancelot, utterly unimpressed, scoffed. "My Lord, if I hadn’t kicked him aside, the fool would be dead by now."

Simon had seen everything clearly. He was no longer the foolish prince who would stubbornly defend the wrong side out of spite.

He nodded and spoke. "Captain Lancelot is right. He saved your life; you should be treating him to a drink instead."

"Hahaha! The King is wise!" Lancelot laughed heartily, a newfound respect in his eyes.

Simon smirked to himself. He was notorious throughout his domain, with few who genuinely respected him.

But after this clever ambush, he might finally be able to restore some of his reputation. Lancelot’s attitude alone was proof of his success.

Then, Simon turned serious. "Captain Lancelot, interrogate them thoroughly. Find out exactly where they crossed past Dunmere."

"Understood!" Lancelot responded firmly.

After a pause, he hesitated slightly before bowing and asking. "My Lord, could I request that these reaver horses, armour, and bows be granted to my men?"

Simon glanced at the Brambleford cavalry behind Lancelot. They were still clad in leather armour, and their horses were far less sturdy than those of the reavers.

As Lancelot made his request, the cavalrymen’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, eagerly awaiting Simon’s response.

"You are the elite of Brambleford. If these fine horses and armour don’t go to you, then who should they go to?"

If Simon wanted stability in his domain, he needed to maintain good relationships with his generals. This was an easy way to win their favour, after all, he was simply distributing captured loot.

"Thank you, My Lord!" Lancelot was thrilled; these barbarian weapons and horses were far superior to their own ragged equipment.

At that moment, Bjorn, the officer in charge of military supplies, stepped forward. "My Lord, we have finished inventorying the spoils. However, two of the reaver horses are severely injured; they won’t survive. What should we do?"

Simon’s eyes gleamed like a hungry wolf. He hadn’t had a single bite of meat in three days; he was nearly desperate enough to gnaw on his own foot.

"Roland, have the castle chefs slaughter these two horses and stew them. Let the soldiers have a feast!"

"Thank you, My Lord!"

The soldiers cheered in unison, their Adam’s apples bobbing hungrily as they swallowed their drool. In these hard times, eating meat was an almost unimaginable luxury.

Simon could practically smell the aroma of horse meat already. He secretly leaned toward Roland and whispered. "Save a leg for me."

"Understood, My Lord," Roland replied with a sly grin.

That evening, as dusk settled over the city, the enticing scent of stewed meat drifted from the King’s residence, accompanied by the shocking news that the prince had personally orchestrated the capture of the reaver cavalry.

As they savoured the tantalising scent of horse meat, the citizens of Brambleford also found themselves puzzled, since when had the King changed so much? Instead of cowering in the palace in fear, had he actually taken the initiative to fight back?

Though many found it hard to believe, a quiet hope began to stir in their hearts.

"My Lord, I’ve gotten the information. This squad of reaver cavalry stumbled upon a hidden cave in the Salas Peaks and accidentally made their way through." Lancelot reported.

As he sat around the pot of stewed horse meat, he explained the interrogation results. Given his direct and brutal methods, the captives had confessed quickly.

"A cave? Do any other reaver troops know about it?" Simon frowned, flipping through the maps in his system.

It clearly referred to a small mountain near Dunmere.

Ancient landscapes were vastly different from modern times. Outside of official roads, most areas were covered in dense forests and swamps, making them impassable for cavalry.

This was why reaver cavalry had always been forced to breach cities to invade.

"They claim no one else knows about it, My Lord. But if this cave really exists, we must seal it off. If the reavers can bypass Dunmere and attack Brambleford directly, we will be in serious trouble." Lancelot warned.

Simon nodded. Stability in his domain was essential; without it, he wouldn’t be able to focus on developing the territory. This was exactly why he had risked his life to capture these reavers.

"This must remain a secret. Captain Lancelot, I want you to personally travel to Dunmere and have that cave sealed off, make sure it’s well-hidden."

Lancelot bit into a chunk of horse meat and assured him. "Don’t worry, My Lord. I already killed all the reaver captives; not a single one was left alive."

He spoke as if he were discussing slaughtering livestock.

But that was the reality of this world.

In an era where slavery was still rampant, the concept of human rights barely existed.

This was a savage age.

Two horses’ worth of meat was not nearly enough to feed all the Brambleford soldiers. After distributing portions to those who had participated in the battle, the rest had to make do with bone soup.

Even so, they were content. In these hard times, just being able to eat their fill was a luxury, let alone getting to drink broth.

After feasting together, Simon felt his relationship with his soldiers improve significantly.

[Task Complete: Stat Points added]

[Influence: 10]

[Intelligence: 25]

To them, the fact that the King had willingly shared the precious horse meat with them was remarkable. Food was scarce for everyone, even royalty, so this act of generosity subtly altered their perception of him.

Of course, they had no idea that Roland had secretly stashed away two horse legs.

"Too bad we don’t have any wine." Lancelot lamented, sneaking a leftover meat bone into his coat. He had a wife and children at home, and he wanted to bring them a taste of meat as well.

Percival noticed Lancelot’s sneaky act and was about to tattle, but upon seeing the dangerous look in Lancelot’s eyes, he quickly swallowed his words.

Instead, he muttered sarcastically. "Wishful thinking. Soldiers can barely eat, and you want to use grain to brew wine?"

Watching his men struggle for food, Simon sighed deeply.

"If my soldiers can’t even eat properly, how much worse must the common people be suffering?"

He looked at the raggedly dressed soldiers sitting on the dirt floor of the royal residence, savouring their meat in small bites, and made a solemn vow.

"One day, I will make sure you can drink whenever you want and eat meat whenever you please."