Gratitude from the Robbers

The battle ended quickly.

When that skeleton appeared through the bathroom door and entered the apartment, its eerie blue Soul Fire flickering in its eye sockets, only a few seconds had passed.

The Swadian Recruits swarmed it, raised their Long-handled Sickles, and smashed it into a pile of bones in just a few blows.

It collapsed at the bathroom entrance, returning to its skeletal state.

"This feeling of having subordinates handle the fighting is actually pretty nice." Shen Mu had done nothing himself, yet he found it strangely wonderful.

He took out a match and casually lit the crude candle, which had clearly been handmade from wax and cotton thread. Then he placed it in the bathroom, letting its flickering flame drive away the darkness.

Whoosh! The candle flame swayed.

The wisps of gray mist born from the bathroom darkness encountered that flame, no larger than a soybean, as though cold butter had met a hot dinner knife. The tiny light instantly dispersed them completely.

It was as if they had encountered their natural nemesis!

And that was indeed the case.

The residual memories of Shen Mu's predecessor clearly told him that light and flames could disperse gray mist and darkness.

They could drive away the evil rules born from that dead spirit realm.

Creating a temporary safe zone.

That was also why, once the sun rose during the day, the entire world returned to peace.

"But it's still fairly safe right now." At the very least, Shen Mu no longer had to worry about Undead Monsters being born from the darkness every so often, filled with hatred for the living and launching attacks on sight.

The fifteen Swadian Recruits had each taken seats in corners or wherever space was available.

They set their fan-shaped wooden shields beside their legs, while their sharpened Long-handled Sickles, capable of both thrusting and chopping, rested against the walls.

But if anything happened, these Swadian Recruits could immediately rise, seize their weapons, and fight.

After all, in Calradia, a war-torn world plagued by constant conflict, bandits, and robbers, even the most ordinary farmers had received Military Training.

That was why these young men, freshly recruited from the countryside, remained calm in a crisis.

They were only moving corpses and skeletons, clumsy and stupid.

Could they possibly be worse than those cruel bandits and robbers, or even the lords who frequently slaughtered people and burned villages?

"And then there are you two." Shen Mu turned and looked at the two robbers curled up in a corner.

"My lord, we're bankrupt men from Dhirim. We originally invested in a bakery, but years of war kept grain prices high. We truly had no choice but to become robbers."

The two robbers had had the rags removed from their mouths, though their hands and feet remained bound. They were pleading their innocence and misery.

But their darting eyes made it obvious to anyone observant that they were lying.

"Behave yourselves!"

Three Swadian Recruits stood on either side of them, gripping the One-handed Axes they normally used to chop firewood, glaring coldly at the two unforgivable robbers.

That was right. These Swadian Recruits, who had once been farmers and still retained much of a farmer's mindset even after being hired as soldiers, deeply despised robbers.

Whenever they went to town to sell crops or buy tools and cloth,

the most troublesome people they encountered were these robbers!

This also included bandits, brigands, and the Outlaw Bandits who roamed the Kingdom of Swadia in groups.

In short, they were all people that the civilians and farmers of the Kingdom of Swadia loathed.

So, these Swadian Recruits had no friendly expressions for the two robbers they had captured earlier.

"Wait." Shen Mu's gaze suddenly went blank, as if he had seen something.

A dialogue box issued by the system appeared in his mind.

Ding! The Temporary Mission System has detected an event!

Mission issued: Dealing with Robbers.

Mission description: You captured two robbers in the previous battle. However, since your current area of activity is not within Calradia, the laws of the past apparently do not apply to the current situation, leaving you in a difficult position.

Mission conditions: You may choose to "release/kill" these two robbers, resulting in different methods of handling them.

Reward for condition ①, release the robbers: You release these two robbers. Your name will spread through the robber circles around Dhirim, and people will sing your praises. When you obtain a "Swadian Stronghold," you will receive the "Robber Contact Point" building, which can provide fencing services or allow you to purchase supplies.

Reward for condition ②, kill the robbers: You kill these two robbers. Your troops will receive a +2 morale boost.

"Temporary Mission?" Shen Mu froze slightly before recalling that, when he had integrated all the Mount & Blade games, he had casually included a small program capable of detecting the protagonist's events and issuing Temporary Missions on its own.

It seemed that even after crossing into this world and activating the Mount & Blade System, that little program had come along with him.

But as he looked at the rewards for this Temporary Mission,

Shen Mu pursed his lips slightly.

"There doesn't seem to be any need to choose, does there?" Shen Mu made his decision immediately. "Choose to release these two robbers!"

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord! Thank you for your mercy!"

The two robbers immediately raised their heads in delight, their faces filled with the joy of surviving the ordeal.

Calradia had clear laws.

If one encountered robbers or bandits, killing them was not a crime, no matter who did it.

Even capturing these robbers or bandits and selling them as goods to slave traders for a few Denars was a legal transaction that violated no kingdom's laws.

So, once these robbers and bandits were captured, they were generally either sold or killed.

Being released directly like this was truly rare!

"Untie them." Shen Mu gave the order.

"Understood." The Swadian Recruit standing behind the two robbers nodded, took out his one-handed axe, crouched down, and used its equally sharpened blade to cut the ropes around the robbers' hands and feet, setting them free.

"We will remember your mercy, Lord Shen Mu!" The two robbers stood up and repeatedly bowed to Shen Mu with excitement.

"It's nothing. You're free." Shen Mu waved his hand, indicating that the two robbers could leave.

This was merely part of the mission, after all.

"Lord Shen Mu, please believe us. Your mercy will eventually bring you our gratitude."

The two robbers said nothing more. After bowing respectfully once again, their bodies gradually began to fade.

Even Shen Mu looked surprised.

The two robbers simply changed from solid to phantom-like, all color draining from their bodies before they truly vanished without a trace.

Only a dialogue box from the Mount & Blade System remained in Shen Mu's mind.

You released the robbers.

Because your personnel have not yet reached 30, and Swadians make up the majority among them (70%), you cannot form a "Swadian Stronghold."

Your Legendary Reputation among "Robbers" has increased by 1 point.

"Thirty people are needed before a Swadian Stronghold can be formed?" Shen Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

He turned to look at the fifteen Swadian Recruits still crowded inside the apartment, feeling somewhat helpless.

He had no idea how to increase the population.

"Should I keep completing battles and obtaining rewards?" Shen Mu pondered. After all, that was how he had just acquired ten Swadian Recruits.

And speaking of battle,

Shen Mu looked toward the apartment door, which remained tightly shut.

"If I follow that line of thought, does that mean going outside to fight those Undead Creatures?" Shen Mu pursed his lips, hesitation appearing on his face.