Chapter 413
Chapter 413: The Door Opened (1)
“P-Please save me!”
On the road to the West, the people of a small merchant group were kneeling and begging someone.
The ones they were begging were the bandits.
Despite hearing news about the unrest in the area recently, the merchant leader bowed his head with a dark, deadpan expression.
Once, this region had been under the influence of the great lord, Marquis Roderick of the West, but now it was ruled by Count Penris, the mightiest of the North.
As trade was essential, the surrounding lords wouldn’t sit by idly and watch the bandits run rampant in this area. The bandits would only roam within small territories.
Thus, the merchant leader hadn’t worried too much. He never imagined he would encounter bandits that would wipe out his guards.
One bandit approached and lowered his head to what seemed like the leader.
“There are no more around. It seems our troops haven’t moved yet.”
“Right, finish up and move. We need to let them chase us as much as possible while fleeing this area.”
“Understood.”
The merchant leader trembled as he looked at them, and he fell into doubt.
‘What kind of bandits are these…’
He had met many bandits in his lifetime, but these ones felt different.
Their attire was typical for bandits, but their words and actions lacked the vulgarity and treachery typical of criminal groups. Instead, they exuded a military-like atmosphere.
They didn’t speak unnecessary words. Their actions were precise. Even in their movements, they formed ranks as if it was the most normal thing.
‘Are they… deserters?’
Recently, there had been rumors about deserters from the West becoming bands of robbers.
‘But I heard they all surrendered after Penris took over Roderick’s territory.’
Moreover, the people in front of him didn’t look at all like those who were on the run.
The bandit leader spoke.
“Kill them all and leave the corpses. Take the valuables and dispose of them as needed.”
“Understood.”
The bandits drew their weapons and approached. The merchant leader turned pale and begged again.
“Please spare my life! I’ll give you everything! Just let me live!”
No matter how much he pleaded, the bandits remained silent. They didn’t accept any negotiations. From what he overheard, it didn’t seem like they needed valuables at all.
He had never seen a band like this before. They seemed like utterly insane people.
One bandit raised his sword. The merchant leader and the others screamed and closed their eyes.
Thud!
“Uwaaaah!”
The merchant leader, who was kneeling in front, screamed upon hearing a piercing sound.
But he didn’t feel any pain.
“Huh?”
Surprised, he opened his eyes and looked ahead. The bandit, who was about to swing his sword, had his chest pierced by a spear and fell backward.
The remaining bandits took a tense posture, raising their weapons.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The merchant leader slowly turned around, following the bandits’ gazes. A man was galloping toward them on a black horse.
There were thirty bandits. It made no sense to be afraid of just one person.
As he stared at the man approaching, his eyes began to widen.
“What kind of speed is this…”
With each blink, the distance diminished rapidly. Upon closer inspection, a strange crimson light emanated from the man, encasing his horse.
And then came the bandits’ cries.
“It’s Count Penris!”
“Count Penris?!”
The one galloping was Ghislaine.
Ghislaine grinned as he looked at the bandits in front of him.
“Looks like they’re not ordinary bandits.”
The bandits operating near the West immediately recognized him.
Given Ghislaine’s extensive feats, it was only natural they could identify him. But their disciplined movements were certainly not something ordinary bandits would display. Even Roderick’s deserters couldn’t act like this.
Boom!
In an instant, the Black King leapt over the people and arrived before the bandits.
Thud.
Ghislaine dismounted, drawing his sword as he spoke.
“Not a single one of you is to think of escaping.”
“Attack!”
The bandit leader shouted, and all the bandits rushed toward Ghislaine, their eyes filled with the resolve to die.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ghislaine swung his sword lightly, the bandits’ heads flew off.
Nonetheless, facing the relentless enemies, Ghislaine smiled.
“A knight is robbing, huh?”
Though their skills were not high, every one of them was using mana. That meant at least they were novice knights.
What would such guys want with robbing? They had to be sent by the Duke’s faction. Despite being mere novices, there was no place other than the Duke’s faction that could afford to throw away knights like this.
Of course, the bandits didn’t think they were being discarded pawns. Their mission was simply to create distractions and run around. They thought that much was easy.
The one disguised as the bandit leader realized how wrong he was only when he faced Ghislaine directly.
“Seeing him in person, he’s beyond the rumors!”
It was an illusion to think they would manage to flee in an area that had already become Count Penris’s domain.
Despite standing guard and observing their surroundings, they didn’t notice Count Penris approaching.
It implied he had the ability to surveil a far larger area or could arrive faster than what even novice knights could perceive.
Boom!
All the bandits that had charged at Ghislaine were quickly killed. Recognizing they could not handle Ghislaine, the leader immediately drew his sword and slit his own throat.
Boom!
With that, there were no bandits left standing.
Ghislaine looked at the fallen leader, wiping the blood off his sword.
“Hmph.”
Though they were weaklings, they had some discipline instilled. The fact they killed themselves without revealing any information showed that they were not easily broken.
‘This just reassures me more.’
Where else could you find knights so skilled and loyal that they would be used as mere bandits?
The Duke’s faction was clearly scheming something in this area.
“Oh, thank you!”
As Ghislaine was lost in thought, the merchant leader came rushing over and bowed again. The others did the same.
They thought they were doomed, but now they were overwhelmed with joy at being alive.
Ghislaine looked at the merchant leader and asked.
“It’s Count Penris. Did they say anything special?”
“Indeed, it was Count Penris! They didn’t seem like ordinary bandits.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It seemed like they had some purpose, offering no mercy in negotiations and showing no interest in valuables. And… They said we needed to flee through this region while leading them.”
So I thought they were deserters…”
The merchant leader was quite chatty. Whether he was just too delighted to be alive or was always like this, Ghislaine nodded while listening to him.
“Looks like I was right to divert their attention.”
If those knights pulled together, it would be tough for any ordinary punitive force to catch them.
And it wasn’t just one group like that but multiple.
Not everyone would be a knight, but it was clear there were considerable powerhouses among them.
The Duke’s faction and the Salvation Society were creating false bands of robbers to divert the attention and troops of every lord.
‘This was well done. They’re not idiots.’
The Crown Prince faction also knew that what was in the information provided by Ghislaine was not the entirety of the rift. They had stumbled upon rifts in other kingdoms that were not mentioned in the intel.
Therefore, searches were ongoing throughout the kingdom. But with bandits suddenly rampaging, troops had to spread out, inevitably delaying searches.
‘If they hadn’t been conducting searches, the Duke’s faction wouldn’t have acted to draw attention like this. It’s evident there are still many rifts remaining.’
As Ghislaine furrowed his brow at the unpleasant conclusion, shouts from the knights could be heard from a distance.
“Lord!”
The knights only arrived after Ghislaine had killed all the bandits. He clicked his tongue at their arrival.
“Still slow.”
‘No, it’s the lord who’s fast.’
The knights pouted. How could they possibly catch up with a madman like the Black King, who was charging ahead on a mana-enhanced horse? Honestly, it felt unjust.
Ghislaine said to the merchants.
“I’ll send troops to hunt down the bandits, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you! But what will you do, Count? If you’re heading to a nearby city, I’ll treat you with utmost respect.”
His intention of sticking with them was evident. He was worried they might encounter bandits again.
“I have other business. I’ll stick a few knights with you, so don’t worry and go.”
“Oh, thank you!”
The merchant leader continuously bowed his head, expressing his gratitude.
Ghislaine estimated the capabilities of the bandits he had just dealt with and sent ten knights along with them.
“After escorting the merchants, head to Linderstein and wait there. Tell Count Selburk to prepare the punitive forces.”
Currently, although Count Selburk represented the West, the actual administration was handled by Penris’s stewards.
The vassals who had followed Marquis Roderick had sworn their loyalty to Ghislaine anew. Non-vassal lords were also keeping a wary eye on him, ensuring management of the West would not be difficult.
“Understood!”
Feeling secure with the knights’ protection, the merchant leader and his people set off.
Ghislaine sighed lightly as he watched them.
‘Whatever they were doing, it must have progressed considerably.’
It had already been several days since he had heard rumors about the bandits running riot. Considering the time it took for information to spread and gather intel, quite a lot of time had already passed.
‘It can’t be helped.’
No matter how much information from his past life he held, Ghislaine wasn’t a god. Therefore, he had consistently adjusted plans according to circumstances.
The Duke’s faction and the Salvation Society were trying their best to move as well. He couldn’t know everything and preemptively block them.
Ultimately, he needed to prepare as much as he could and gather strength to smash whatever his opponents tried to pull.
“For now, let’s head to Baron Phinros’ Territory.”
That was the place most strongly suspected to harbor a rift. Going there to investigate would be the best course of action for now.
The soldiers stationed at the checkpoint in Baron Phinros’ Territory were shocked when Ghislaine appeared.
“W-What brings Count Penris here?”
Even the leading knight was trembling.
Having seen what had happened to Marquis Roderick, everyone had every reason to be terrified.
Originally, Baron Phinros was a lord who had left the Duke’s faction. And recently, the Duke’s faction’s biggest enemy was not the Crown Prince faction, but Penris.
So, it was only natural that the Penris Count arrived, leading close to two hundred knights, leaving them astonished and lost.
Seeing the trembling soldiers, Ghislaine cracked a smile.
“I just came to look around the territory.”
“……”
The knights couldn’t find the words to respond.
Had it been in the past, they would have shouted something absurd. When he had been part of the Duke’s faction, they had actually done so because they had the Duke backing them.
But now, they were merely at the level of a barony. Since he originally wasn’t part of the Crown Prince faction, they had no one to support them.
In such a state, how could the strongest noble of the Crown Prince faction merely say he was here to look around?
“I-I’ll quickly report to the lord!”
“No, that’s unnecessary. Just think of me as a traveler. Got it?”
“A-are you serious…?”
How could they treat the lord who brought his knights along like a traveler and just let him through? Who knew what trouble he might stir up?
“Just think of it as a trip. I’m quite busy right now, you see?”
There was a palpable pressure in his tone. The knight tightly shut his eyes and said.
“Welcome to Phinros Territory, Count. Have a pleasant journey.”
Ghislaine passed through the checkpoint with obvious reluctance and took the fastest route to his target destination. The destination was a small city.
The rifts the Crown Prince faction had found until now weren’t only in small villages like where Raviere had hidden. Some rifts were in the cities.
In cities with many people and buildings, locating a rift was rather difficult, requiring substantial troop deployment for the search.
Now, the Duke’s faction had set the bandits loose to disperse those troops.
As Ghislaine arrived in the city, a situation comparable to what had happened at the checkpoint unfolded again.
“Contact the mayor immediately…!”
“No, forget it. I’ll do that later. I’m quite busy right now.”
“Then what’s your business…?”
“I have some matters to attend to. I’ll just go in for a moment.”
As soon as Ghislaine entered the city, he instructed the knights.
“Everyone, maximize your mana to search the surroundings. You know the energies we felt last time?”
The knights nodded. They had clearly sensed that subtle and disgusting energy in the village where they captured Raviere.
It was an energy that could only be perceived with intense focus and awareness. They needed to release their mana to lessen the interference from other energies.
“Alright, I’ll take responsibility, but search every place thoroughly.”
“Understood!”
The knights moved vigorously. The city guards could only watch.
After patting the shoulders of the guards, Ghislaine said.
“It’s fine, nothing will happen.”
Of course, no soldier believed that.
What kind of a man immediately unleashed knights in the city upon arrival? An uproar would surely follow.
Ignoring the guards, Ghislaine moved, emanating mana as well.
As they were meticulously searching the surroundings, Lucas rushed over, panting, and yelled.
“I found it! I found it!”
“You found it?”
“Yes! Remember how I fought in that village and broke my arm? I’m certain! It felt exactly the same! But the people around there seem a bit strange!”
“Strange how?”
“Yes, you should definitely come and see!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Ghislaine smiled. It seemed a rift was indeed waiting in this place.
