Chapter 10 Ambition: A Model of Virtue

Early the next morning, a cold drizzle fell incessantly, making the lands around Canossa Castle muddy. Leo wore a hat and a leather coat. The waterproof wax applied to the leather kept the rain at bay, but the stuffiness made Leo a little uncomfortable.

“Envoy, my name is Niccolo Corrado. My father’s friend, Alberto, sent me to find you,” said a short knight standing before Leo.

Looking at him, Leo seemed to understand why Matilda had refused to take him. He was simply too short. The average height of medieval Europeans was around 1.7 meters, but Corrado looked to be not even 1.6. If he weren’t strong enough, Leo wouldn’t have wanted him either.

“I’m setting out for Corezzola today. Are you coming with me?” Leo asked.

Corrado replied without a change in expression, “I came to follow you, so of course I’ll go with you.”

“Good.” Leo nodded. “I need loyal and ambitious knights like you.”

He glanced at Matilda beside him. Unlike Leo, Matilda’s attendants held an umbrella over her. She wore the same thick bearskin shawl and deep red gown as the night before, but today, a golden crown—the symbol of her authority—rested on her head.

“Sir Leo, it seems many people wish to join you,” Matilda teased.

Leo chuckled awkwardly, saying nothing. Behind him, the light infantry were already prepared. Once again, they brought their pots and pans, ready to follow Leo to Corezzola.

“Is everyone ready?”

Matilda checked in with Leo, glancing back at his men. Once satisfied, she stepped up beside Leo and nodded to him.

“Be sure to visit often,” she said.

Seeing the trust in Matilda’s eyes, Leo nodded as well.

“I promise, Your Highness.”

...

Corezzola.

This was a scarcely developed land. Mountain streams merged into the Enza River here, creating a small plain where a few families had managed to clear fields for farming. Besides that, the region was covered in endless forests, with shepherds occasionally appearing at the mountain’s edge.

Though only about four kilometers from Canossa Castle as the crow flies, Leo’s party had to wind through mountain paths, circling again and again before arriving. As his company appeared, the local peasants looked up, puzzled by the sight.

“It really is a wasteland...” Leo shielded his eyes, gazing out over the land.

Enrique stepped forward, hands on his hips. “This is where we’re to build a monastery?” he marveled at the wild, mountainous landscape.

“Yes, this is the place.”

Leo glanced back at his light infantry. Though called soldiers, they were scarcely different from old farmers—ideal for building houses.

“Have the soldiers set up camp here, Enrique.”

Leo sent Enrique to settle the troops, while he walked to the stream to survey the terrain. To the east lay endless mountains and forests. To the west, after crossing a shallow shoal, the mountains and forests continued. Only to the north and south did narrow riverside paths offer passage. This was a small river valley, completely wrapped in mountains. Development would be limited, but there were advantages as well.

A peasant, looking puzzled, approached Leo.

“S-sir,” the man stammered, his tone tinged with fear. Leo wore clerical robes, and ordinary folk revered such men, though they feared he might seize their land.

“Yes? What is it?” Leo met the peasant’s gaze, making him even more cautious.

“I wanted to ask... why have you brought these people here?”

“Nothing much. I’ve been ordered to build a monastery in this area.” Leo pointed to the valley ahead. “It’s a fine place, but I’ll need your help when the time comes.”

The moment he heard it was for a monastery, the peasant was reassured. In the Middle Ages, living near a monastery was a boon for most peasants. Monasteries, unlike feudal lords, did not seize their land. They were small economic hubs, and peasants could benefit from their growth and protection. The knights and high walls of the monastery meant safety to these people.

Helping the monastery was nothing to fret over.

“We are happy... happy to serve God,” the peasant said, crossing himself twice over his chest.

Leo felt his spirits lift at the peasant’s eagerness. Until now, he hadn’t truly experienced the power of religion. Now, he began to understand how important religion was to ordinary people.

“You may go home now,” Leo said.

The peasant nodded and hurried off to tell his family the good news.

As for Leo, he felt inspiration striking. He closed his eyes and murmured silently to himself.

[Crusader King System]
[Exchange Shop]

This time, Leo would not use reputation, but piety points.

[Papermaking]
[Papermaking from the East is already widely used in the Arab world. Paper from Andalusia has arrived in Italy—there’s no reason it can’t be done here.]
[500 piety points]

Well, it seemed he wasn’t pious enough.

What about another important technology?

[Movable Type Printing]
[Printing from the East, able to greatly increase the efficiency of book production.]
[1000 piety points]

Seeing the high cost in piety, Leo suddenly felt disheartened. Saving up piety seemed useless, especially since he hadn’t figured out how to earn it. Reputation could be gained by burning people, but piety?

Still, since he had the system open, Leo decided to check the Ambition system. Perhaps he could find something useful there.

[Ambition]
[1: Become Pope]
[2: Secularize and become a temporal ruler]
[3: Become a paragon of virtue]
[4: Become an epic hero]
[5: Marry]

Staring at the list of ambitions, Leo fell silent. The first two were out of the question, and as for marrying—hardly an option for a cleric. Ever since the Cluniac Reforms began in Rome some decades ago, one central tenet had been the prohibition of clergy marrying; they must remain celibate. Though not strictly enforced everywhere, marriage would surely lead to censure and possibly expulsion from the Church.

Leo, not wanting to lose his standing, immediately ruled this out.

Suddenly, the system prompted him.

[Selecting an ambition unlocks a chain of events, as well as paths and methods to achieve it.]

Seeing this prompt, Leo found the system rather considerate.

So, it came down to the paragon of virtue or epic hero. It was an easy choice: paragon of virtue. Lacking piety as he was, Leo was eager to see what methods the system would suggest.

[Ambition selected: Paragon of Virtue]
[There are many ways to earn piety. The most common are the following:]
[1. Become a bishop: Gain faith through your cathedral and congregation. Each believer provides 0.1 piety per week.]
[2. Suppress heresy: Earn varying amounts of piety depending on the situation.]
[3. Maintain monks and nuns: Each nun provides 0.2 piety per day; each monk provides 0.1 piety per day.]

Raising monks—Leo found this quite reasonable.

Yet he felt he had overlooked something. He looked again at the system screen, reading the words carefully, and fell silent.

Why did nuns provide more piety than monks? Well, he couldn’t be blamed for preferring nuns. It was simply that nuns earned more piety.