The People

The people watched Lothar, drenched in blood and slaughtering those brutal bandits as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, like some demonic god. They were silent as cicadas in winter, utterly unable to believe what he had said.

Only after he repeated himself did someone finally rise to his feet, his face full of sorrow as he said tremblingly:

"Honored sir, thank you for saving us from those villains and generously granting us freedom. But where can we go now?"

Lothar fell silent for a moment.

The village had been burned to the ground. Rebuilding it would require far too much time and effort.

The man continued, "Our lord is a cruel and miserly man. I was his personal manservant; no one knows him better than I do."

"When he learns that we failed to protect his manor, he may not execute us, but he will certainly sell us into slavery and take every possession we have."

"Honored knight, he will never help us rebuild our homes. He will only squeeze us dry before abandoning this place!"

Lothar frowned, finding the matter rather troublesome.

"If he abandons his fief, won't his lord punish him?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he will, but surely not severely, because he is his lord's brother-in-law."

The man lowered his head earnestly, dropped to one knee, and said, "Please allow us to become your followers. Everyone still alive here is a strong young man or woman. I guarantee that they will work as diligently as mules and horses, and serve you as loyally as hounds. We ask only for your protection."

The men and women behind him also began making promises, saying that they would work hard.

They could all see that Lothar was an exceptionally kind lord.

Serving him as retainers was entirely different from being sold as slaves in a slave market.

More importantly, this lord was clearly stronger.

Warriors in such gleaming armor served at his side, and he had slain those bandits cleanly and efficiently. He was far more formidable than their former knightly lord.

Lothar said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry. I understand your hardships and difficulties, but I have no fief where I can take you in."

"We are bound for the Holy Land to wage a bitter struggle against the heathens. If you follow me, you will certainly face many dangers."

He did indeed need followers.

These dozen or so young men and women were in the prime of their strength, with a balanced ratio of men to women. They would make excellent subjects.

Compared to recruiting pilgrims in the Holy Land... one could imagine how many decent people there would be among poor pilgrims capable of surviving such a harsh pilgrimage.

"Praise the Heavenly Father. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a glorious and sacred mission. If we follow you, your glory will shine upon humble people such as us."

All the survivors of the village knelt with the manservant.

Some of them were still bewildered, but the manservant's image as a "wise man" had clearly long since taken root in their minds.

With him taking the lead, the rest did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Very well."

Lothar no longer hesitated and said:

"I am Lothar von Habsburg, a knight of the Habsburg family from Argao. I accept your allegiance and promise not to treat you as slaves, but as free subjects of my domain. Once I acquire a fief, each of you will receive land of your own. But in return, you must swear fealty to me in the name of the Heavenly Father and fulfill your obligations of tax and military service!"

He had counted carefully. There were seven men and six women, so it would only cost thirteen additional tickets for the ship.

As for their food and drink, the wealth plundered by the bandits would cover it, so he would not need to spend any extra money.

Besides, there would clearly be some of the bandits' loot left over. From the sound of it, the bandits had raided a knight's manor.

"Ryan, go bring Moder over."

"Hans, you will inventory the spoils and property, return the possessions originally belonging to these subjects, and assign them carts and horses to care for."

Ryan and Moder were both illiterate; they could not even convert gold coins into silver coins. For the time being, Hans would serve as clerk.

After dealing with all this,

Lothar and Prajna came before the three surviving bandits.

Lothar looked at the three cowards trembling like leaves and frowned. "Speak. Where is your hideout? How many people are left defending it? Are there any traps?"

It was not because he wanted to "root out evil completely," but because he wanted to test whether the system would classify the same bandit gang as two separate groups.

If it did, then after wiping out the bandit hideout that had lost its main force, he would be able to complete the Chivalrous Knight milestone.

He increasingly felt how difficult it was to find capable people.

Even a one-star squire like Hans, according to the system's evaluation, was an outstanding talent that a mere knight like himself could never have recruited in this age.

None of the three spoke.

Lothar found it strange. These cowards had surrendered without resistance, yet now they suddenly had backbone.

Lothar snorted coldly. "Tell me the truth, and I will spare your life. I swear it before the Heavenly Father!"

"This is a rare opportunity. Whoever speaks first gets to live."

At last, someone was tempted. He cautiously raised his hand and said in a low voice, "Sir, our hideout isn't far from here. We had planned to enjoy ourselves here before returning."

"Pike, you son of a bitch, shut your mouth! Have you forgotten the oath we swore before the Heavenly Father? Do you want to sink into the fires of hell for breaking it?"

The bandit beside him immediately began cursing.

Pike cursed back without yielding. "You and Old John both left wives and children at the hideout. I'm alone. What's wrong with wanting to save my own life?"

"Why should I risk my life to protect your wives and children?"

Lothar nodded. "You're smart. Now tell me the location honestly. I warn you, don't try any tricks. I'll take you to your hideout before setting you free."

Pike immediately spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

He trusted Lothar.

People of this era still took oaths very seriously, especially knights like Lothar.

A knight who casually broke his oath would be regarded as dishonorable, and his reputation would be ruined on the spot.

Pike wore a fawning smile. "Sir, I've explained everything clearly, including the traps they set. I haven't left out a single thing."

Lothar nodded, then called out loudly, "Subjects, did any of these three murder your relatives or friends, or steal your property?"

The men and women who had just recovered their belongings immediately showed looks of hatred.

"It was him! He killed my mother and violated her!"

"That man killed my father, then cut off his head and stuck it on a spear to frighten others!"

"That one-eyed beast—I saw him smash my three-year-old son against the wall with my own eyes. His little head caved in. Sob... sob... sob..."

As she spoke, the woman broke down in grief.

"Then repay grievance with grievance, and blood with blood."

Lothar waved his hand and turned to leave.

Pike's face was filled with terror. "Honored knight, you promised to spare my life."

Without looking back, Lothar said, "I did spare you. But they do not wish to spare you. As their lord, I grant them the fair and just right to avenge themselves."

The men and women who had been suppressing their fury quickly picked up the bandits' weapons and vented their rage upon the three bound bandits.

Living on the frontier, they were by no means sheep who submitted without knowing how to resist, much less when facing only three unarmed bandits.

The screams gradually weakened until they fell silent.

The manservant was the first to approach Lothar, carrying a bloodstained arming sword, and knelt before him.

"Thank you. Thank you, my lord whom we now serve. You were willing to risk breaking your oath to grant us the right to avenge ourselves. I swear that I will serve you faithfully forever."

Lothar shook his head. "That right is not permanent. Once I acquire a domain, I will establish laws and no longer permit blood feuds. Everything will be handled according to the law."

Then he added, "And I did not break my oath. Do not mention it again."