Slaughter

Linshui City was a little over two hundred kilometers from the Sean Family's territory in a straight line, and the journey on horseback took around three days. Once they set off, the guards quickly surrounded Sean and the carriage. This time, Sean chose to ride back on horseback in order to train his riding skills.

After the New Year, Sean would soon take up a post in the Garrison. It was necessary for him to get used to long hours in the saddle beforehand. At that moment, Captain Jack of the Guard Cavalry rode up beside Sean. His expression was somewhat unnatural, though his tone remained respectful. "Young Master Sean, today's plan is to reach Neo Town, eighty kilometers east of Linshui City, before nightfall..."

Sean frowned. He knew Captain Jack was saying this to hint that he should return to the carriage. These Guard Cavalry belonged to the Sean Family's lordly guard force. The person who could decide Captain Jack's fate now was Sean's father; in the future, it would be his elder brother.

Whether now or in the future, Sean had no authority to deal with these cavalrymen. Captain Jack only wanted to complete his mission of safely escorting Sean back to the territory and had no desire for unnecessary complications. Thus, he was faintly dissatisfied with Sean's decision. After all, riding for an entire day was exhausting, and he had no idea how skilled Sean was at riding.

"Captain Jack, please rest assured. I'll keep up with everyone," Sean replied calmly.

Captain Jack could only express his dissatisfaction indirectly. After all, Sean was still a young master of the family. Seeing that Sean insisted on his decision, he could only abandon his attempt to persuade him. He naturally assumed that after a grueling long journey, the "delicate" Young Master Sean would willingly return to the comfortable carriage.

Before long, the mounted party left Linshui City through the eastern gate. Numerous merchant caravans and commoners traveled along the main road. When they saw Sean's group of cavalry passing by, they quickly moved aside, avoiding conflicts and unnecessary trouble.

Neatly arranged plots of farmland stretched along both sides of the road, all planted with winter wheat at this time of year. Scattered among them were farmers dressed in gray-black linen clothes, busily tending the fields.

Sean and the cavalry soon passed the busy stretch outside the city gate, and the warhorses began to pick up speed. More than two hours later, the group successfully reached a village along the way where travelers could rest and resupply. Sean and the others entered the village, found an inn, and stopped to eat and rest.

They continued their journey that afternoon and likewise reached Neo Town without incident before dusk. They then stayed at an inn in town.

After years of development by the Empire, the Southern Region north of the Dorosun River had become prosperous. Small towns and villages dotted the land like stars, but the roads linking them were all muddy tracks. For Sean, who was riding continuously for an entire day for the first time, it was extremely exhausting. Even so, his performance that day still surprised Captain Jack and the cavalrymen under his command.

After dinner at the inn, Sean left alone and found an empty patch of ground to complete his daily knight training. Once he finished, he returned to the inn and instructed the owner to prepare hot water for him. After bathing, Sean went to bed early.

The next morning, Sean and the others continued on their way. Once again, nothing unexpected happened, and they reached the planned destination, North Bank Town, before dusk. North Bank Town lay directly beside the Dorosun River to the south and was one of the most important ferry crossings along the river's lower reaches. Sean's party planned to cross the Dorosun River at North Bank Town and enter the Southern Wilderness Region. From there, another half day or so eastward would bring them to Blue Fortress Town, where the family castle was located.

On the morning of the third day, Sean and his group set off immediately after breakfast. Though Sean had appeared quite exhausted over the past two days, his physique meant that, after receiving fairly sufficient rest, his body did not feel particularly fatigued.

North Bank Town had a specially constructed ferry dock, and many commoners here made their living fishing and ferrying passengers. Sean's mounted party hired three fishing boats used for crossing the river, which was enough to transport everyone across the Dorosun River in one trip.

The Dorosun River originated in the Sunset Mountains in the west, ran across the Western Continent for over a thousand kilometers, and flowed eastward into the Mediterranean Sea. It was the widest river basin and carried the greatest volume of water on the entire Western Continent. Its favorable climate and abundant waters made the lands along its banks fertile and easy to irrigate. It should have been a land of plenty. However, every rainy season, the Dorosun River flooded wildly, destroying vast tracts of farmland in its middle and upper reaches. Coupled with the sparse population and the rampant criminals and bandits throughout the region, this was how the Southern Wilderness Region came to be.

North Bank Town stood along the lower reaches of the Dorosun River, where the current was gentle. The river was also narrower here than in other areas, which was why North Bank Town had become the main ferry hub connecting the Southern Region and the Southern Wilderness Region.

Sean stood at the bow of the ferry, watching the surging river before him. He could not help feeling somewhat uneasy. Perhaps this was what people meant by being timid when nearing home. These feelings should not have belonged to the current Sean, but perhaps the other person's emotions had also affected him when he devoured that soul. It made Sean somewhat afraid of being with his true blood relatives. Baron Horton's family, after all, were merely relatives.

Afterward, Sean and the others crossed the river smoothly and entered the Southern Wilderness Region. After a brief rest, they immediately set off again. More than an hour later, the mounted party entered an uninhabited hilly region. At this point, the guard cavalrymen all became alert.

Captain Jack rode over to Sean and said respectfully, "Young Master Sean, Golden Wolf Ridge lies ahead. Bandits have been known to lurk in these forests. Perhaps... you should return to the carriage." After spending two days together, especially after witnessing Sean's various performances over those two days, Captain Jack had developed a new respect for him. His manner toward Sean had become even more deferential.

"Golden Wolf Ridge? Captain Jack, how far are we from the family territory? Also, do you know the scale of the bandits active in this area?" Sean considered Captain Jack's words, then quickly asked several questions in succession.

From what Sean knew, Golden Wolf Ridge was a hilly region of roughly one hundred square kilometers on the southern bank of the lower Dorosun River. It was said that wolf packs roamed the ridge, and that people occasionally discovered gold sand there. That was why the surrounding people called it Golden Wolf Ridge.

"Young Master Sean, once we pass Golden Wolf Ridge and travel another twenty-odd kilometers, we'll enter the Viscount Territory," Captain Jack answered at once. After a brief pause, he continued, "It is said that small groups of bandits operate within Golden Wolf Ridge. They usually only dare attack lone travelers or small merchant caravans. They probably won't have the courage to attack our mounted party, but..."

Before Captain Jack could finish, Sean interrupted him and waved his hand. "Captain Jack, don't worry. I'll take care of myself. Send out cavalry scouts immediately, and instruct the men to heighten their vigilance." Sean knew that Captain Jack was worried about his safety. If anything happened to Sean, Captain Jack and the guard cavalrymen would all face severe punishment.

What he did not know was that Sean was already a Rookie Knight and had more than enough strength to protect himself. Instead, Sean was somewhat looking forward to the bandits having the nerve to attack their party, so that he could test his own abilities.

Captain Jack somewhat helplessly passed along Sean's orders. He had no way to make Sean hide inside the carriage. All he could do was strengthen their vigilance while hoping no foolhardy bandits appeared.

Before long, the mounted party followed the mountain path deep into Golden Wolf Ridge. The tall trees lining both sides of the path made it extremely dim. The cavalry scouts rode a hundred meters ahead of the party, warily watching both sides of the road. Suddenly, a tree trunk as thick as a bowl flew out from behind a large tree beside the path and shot straight toward the scout in front.

The scout immediately performed an iron bridge maneuver from horseback, bending backward and narrowly avoiding the trunk aimed at his chest. At the same time, he let out a piercing warning whistle. Upon hearing it, the cavalrymen immediately drew their longswords and formed a defensive formation, keeping watch on their surroundings. The carriage driver also seized a wooden board and held it in front of himself.

With the sound of a tree crashing down behind them, Sean's party had its retreat cut off. The scout then returned and joined the formation. Sean had intended to draw his longsword, but after hesitating, he instead picked up the powerful bow hanging at his horse's side.

Numerous figures flickered faintly among the surrounding trees. After directing the cavalry to defend themselves, Captain Jack shouted, "We are the cavalry of Viscount Winchester. Whoever you are, leave at once, or you will be killed without mercy..."

After hearing Captain Jack's words, the other side erupted into a noisy murmur. They were clearly somewhat frightened upon hearing Viscount Winchester's name. Then a rough voice shouted, "Brothers, there aren't many of them! Kill them all, and we can go back to drink and eat meat!" As soon as the words fell, several cries of "Kill!" rang out in response, and several figures rushed from the woods toward the mounted party.

Sean nocked an arrow and immediately entered a focused state. He understood that even when hunting a rabbit, a lion should use its full strength, much less when facing bandits who outnumbered them several times over. As the bandits charged, Sean drew his powerful bow to its limit. A black blur shot forth, and a bandit in the woods screamed before falling to the ground. Seeing this, Captain Jack immediately led the cavalry in a mounted charge. Within moments, the dozen or so bandits blocking the mountain path were wailing as they fell into pools of blood.

Sean fired arrow after arrow. Soon, all ten arrows in his quiver had been shot. With Sean's strength, firing ten arrows in succession only made his breathing slightly heavier. The cavalryman guarding Sean stared in shock at his archery. When he saw that Sean's quiver was empty, he immediately handed Sean his own quiver.

Soon, Sean had emptied another quiver. Aside from one or two luckier bandits who fell screaming in the woods, more than a dozen bandit corpses lay among the trees with feathered arrows protruding from their bodies. This caused the bandits to turn and surround the cavalry on the mountain path instead.

Sean shook out his arm, quickly easing the fatigue in it. Seeing that Captain Jack still had strength to spare even under the bandits' siege, he could not help casting the bandits a disdainful look.

Rather than bandits, these people looked more like farmers. They wore tattered linen clothes and carried hoes and woodcutting axes. A few held rusty longswords that looked ready to break at any moment, or wooden-shafted spears. Their fighting skills were even more unbearable to watch. Their cheekbones jutted out, their eye sockets were sunken, and their skin was dark over starving bodies. They let out cries mingling fear and madness as they charged forward, only to fall for good.

Sean no longer hesitated. He put down his bow, drew his sword with his right hand, and urged his warhorse forward as he charged into the fray. With flashes of sword light, two terrified heads had already flown into the air. Sean was a Rookie Knight, and against bandits who were farmers by trade, he possessed an overwhelming advantage in both strength and speed. Combined with his superior equipment, that advantage produced terrifying results.