Determining the Location

The two farmers grew uneasy under the black-armored knight's gaze, a sheen of sweat appearing on their foreheads. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation and fear.

At last, one of them gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak. "M-My lord, we don't want to cause trouble either! Though we are subjects directly under the Grand Duke, Lord Dede is no one to be trifled with!

"I heard he has powerful backing. Even tax officials from the county have to show him some respect!

"So, in our village, his word is law. Everyone fears him greatly. He even pushes his grain taxes onto us..."

Just as he was about to utter the last sentence, he suddenly felt his mouth being tightly covered. His companion beside him had swiftly stopped him.

Seeing this, the other farmer immediately plastered a smile across his face and bowed repeatedly to the man before him. "My lord, please don't take it to heart. My brother here is timid. Whenever something happens, he gets so scared that he loses his wits, so he speaks without thinking.

"But rest assured, he absolutely meant nothing else!"

Then the farmer changed the subject and continued fawningly, "Look at our esteemed Lord Dede. He is known far and wide as a truly good man! He takes especially good care of poor folk like us, hiring us to do odd jobs for him from time to time so everyone can have something to eat.

"If not for his generous help, everyone in our village would probably have been forced to flee in all directions!"

Meanwhile, the other man, whose head was being held down, nodded frantically in agreement, indicating that he fully agreed with every word the farmer had said.

The black-armored knight's eyes were sharp as torches, and