Chivalrous Knight

The bandits' stronghold was indeed nearby, right at the border between Veneto and the Austrian March, only a few kilometers away.

But they had to lead pack animals and wagons over mountains and ridges, then travel a long stretch of road at night. For most people, who suffered from night blindness, this was undoubtedly an insurmountable problem.

That was why the bandits had not returned directly to their stronghold.

At first, Lothar had thought the bandits must have fierce wives at home, which was why they did not dare openly bring back a group of captured female slaves to amuse themselves with.

But after thinking it over, he understood.

Women of the lower classes held an extremely low status in this era.

Even among the nobility, there were a few Grand Duchesses, Empresses, and admired Duchesses.

As well as those feared Witches who hid behind the lords.

None of that changed this fact.

For one thing, women found it difficult to fulfill a vassal's obligation of military service to their feudal lord, meaning most of them could not rise through the ranks through war as men could.

For another, religion oppressed them. Women were regarded as evil temptresses burdened with "original sin," denied the right to education, and required to depend entirely on men.

The bandits did not dare travel at night.

Naturally, Lothar had no such intention either. He instructed Ryan and Moder to lead the newly recruited settlers and make camp in an open area among the mountains.

The blazing bonfires were soon lit again.

Lothar distributed the food the bandits had not had time to eat among his settlers, then took out the provisions carried by the packhorses and heated them over the fire.

Lothar ordered, "Moder, Ryan, stop standing around like fools. Go see what the settlers need. From today onward, they'll be under your command."

"Huh?"

"Don't be stupid. The two of you will be my sergeant commanders in the future. There may not be many people now, but they'll all be the backbone of our forces someday. You need to train them properly."

"I understand."

The two of them were both somewhat excited by his words.

They revered Lothar and believed he could accomplish great things. That only made them more grateful for the importance he placed on them.

The two left one after the other.

A thought neither had previously dared to entertain began to take root in their hearts.

"If my lord becomes a lord one day, could he really grant us knighthoods?"

The bonfire crackled.

Lothar sipped his meat broth, his expression calm.

Once upon a time, he had been a complete novice. Now, after a great battle and killing more than ten people in succession, he could still drink meat broth without changing expression. He had become a seasoned warrior.

He had changed quickly.

Sometimes, he wondered whether he had been born a murderous, deranged lunatic who enjoyed killing.

"What? You want to pour me a cup of water?"

Lothar pretended to listen, then nodded. "Then thank you, Prajna."

Prajna: "..."

Expressionless, she took out a wooden cup, filled it with hot water, and handed it to him.

Lothar accepted the cup, gently blew away the steam rising from its surface, and took small sips.

Prajna opened her mouth, sounding somewhat helpless. "If you have a request, you can say it directly. There is no need to beat around the bush. As your subordinate, I will obey your orders."

Lothar raised his brows, stared at her warm orange face illuminated by the firelight, and smiled. "All right, then. I want to borrow your lap for a while."

The atmosphere became somewhat stifling in an instant.

Lothar could clearly feel a chill emanating from across from him.

Facing Prajna's icy gaze, he swallowed a mouthful of warm water, but his eyes showed no fear.

After a long while.

Prajna finally said, "Sorry. That is not among a subordinate's duties."

Only after sensing that the atmosphere had become less rigid did Lothar say awkwardly, "I was just saying."

"My lord, I can do it..."

Hans patted his thigh with a foolish grin. "If you are tired, this subordinate is willing to serve as your pillow, so you can get a good night's sleep."

This poor kid's quality was probably too low—only one star—so his favorability rose incredibly fast.

Lothar opened the system and took a look.

Whoa!

It had already risen from "Friendly" to "Worshipful."

"Forget it."

Lothar hurriedly shook his head. "I was only joking with Prajna. I'm not that delicate."

Hans secretly thought, My lord is truly my lord. He actually dares joke with General Prajna.

This honest boy had not noticed at all that Lothar was flirting with Prajna.

Because in his eyes, he had never regarded Prajna as a woman. More precisely, he had not even regarded her as human.

She was the gatekeeper of Hell!

Before dawn the next day.

The group set off while the sky was still dark.

Lothar, Hans, Prajna, and Moder traveled light as they struggled along the mountain path.

This time, Ryan was left behind near the stronghold to guard the pack animals and wagons alongside the settlers.

After such a brief period together, Lothar could not possibly trust these settlers completely. Before leaving, he had specifically told Ryan to stay alert and prevent them from secretly conspiring.

One must always guard against others.

No matter how small the possibility, precautions had to be taken.

With Ryan on guard, crossbow in hand and armor on his body, even if those settlers were truly blinded by greed, they would have a hard time succeeding.

As for why he did not bring the settlers to attack the bandit stronghold, it was because although the able-bodied among them would be qualified "levies" once they picked up the weapons left behind by the bandits—

He had no intention of using these newly recruited settlers as cannon fodder.

Instead, he intended to have Moder and Hans train them into regular soldiers.

Even if he lacked the wealth to train them all into "sergeants," he would not force a group of ragged, untrained peasants onto the battlefield.

Besides, most settlers near the Holy Land were foreigners of different cultures, largely followers of the Orthodox faith, with a minority following Zoroastrianism.

These dozen or so settlers were, at least, Germanic people of the same culture and ancestry. In the future, they would be a key force more worthy of trust and importance.

He remained wary of them while also placing high hopes in them.

The two were not contradictory.

When they were halfway there, Hans suddenly asked, "My lord, what if we encounter women and children?"

After a brief thought, Lothar replied, "Kill them if they pose a threat. If they don't, leave them to live or die on their own. In any case, prioritize your own lives."

Lothar knew that even the old, weak, women, and children could not truly be called innocent if they enjoyed the wealth and food the bandits had gained through murder and plunder.

But when it came to wiping them out completely, he still could not bring himself to do it.

Hans nodded. "I understand."

He was still a green recruit, but influenced by the Teutonic Knight veterans who often invaded Slavs lands, burning, killing, and plundering, he was not a softhearted man.

After crossing a small hill.

Their destination finally came into view.

"This is the so-called bandit stronghold?"

Standing on the slope, Hans frowned deeply. "This is clearly a village!"

They had even cultivated a small patch of farmland.

Not far away, they could see a large orchard covered in pale yellow blossoms, its fragrance filling the air. It was practically a paradise secluded from the world.

Lothar was also somewhat puzzled. "Could that bandit have deliberately pointed us in the wrong direction?"

"I'll scout it out!"

Moder took the lead and headed toward the stronghold.

Before long, he hurried back with a regretful expression. "There's no mistake. The trap locations and layout the bandit described were correct. This is the bandit stronghold he mentioned. He wouldn't dare deceive us."

Lothar let out a heavy sigh.

This was likely a settlement formed by runaway serfs. They could escape their lord's oppression and heavy taxes here, and occasionally band together to descend the mountain and plunder.

Perhaps they had once been pitiable people too.

But once they took up the butcher's blade, they were no longer pitiable.

"Hans, Moder, the two of you circle around from the flank. Prajna and I will break through from the front. Remember my instructions: protecting your own lives comes first."

His current forces were limited. There were only a handful of people he could rely on.

Before truly obtaining a territory and activating the system, he had very few opportunities to draw retainers through milestones.