The Noble's Patrol

After resting, the group slowly rose to their feet, preparing to officially enter the noble's forest to fell trees.

The sunlight no longer shrank their shadows beneath their feet as it had at noon, yet the restless heat in the air could still be felt.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The sound of hoofbeats drew closer, and everyone turned to look. It was probably the local lord's patrol.

The patrol, consisting of only seven people, finally reined in their horses before the group. "Who are you people? This isn't wartime. Why are you here?"

"We're rebels. Don't you already know that?"

Mel's purpose in coming here was naturally not just to chop down trees. Drawing the local lord's attention was also one of his goals. The problem was that the man had only sent seven people. What could they possibly do with so little equipment and so few horses?

He had thought that moving with such a large group would draw more attention, at the very least.

If they only wanted to fell trees, Mel could simply use his skills to knock down a whole stretch of forest, then store the logs in his inventory. The reason he was doing this was, first, to train these villagers and bandits in marching, and second, to lure some people over.

Since they had already decided to strike at the local lord's granary, there was no chance of settling things peacefully. When the lord's scouts had come to investigate the village, Mel had not chosen to kill them outright. Sooner or later, everything would have to be brought into the open.

They immediately subdued all seven men, gaining seven horses along with their armor and equipment.

"We won't kill you this time. Leave all your weapons and equipment behind, then walk back naked." Mel stored all