Keeping the Enemy Beyond the Border

At Morland Castle, Reiner watched the goose-feather snowflakes drift down outside the castle window, unable to keep from feeling worried. He had never seen a snowstorm of this scale in his life.

Even in the memories of this body's original owner, there had never been snow this heavy.

There was a saying in his old homeland: a timely snowfall promised a good harvest. Heavy snow was a good thing, but too much of anything was as bad as too little. If the snow became excessive, it would turn into a terrifying Snow Disaster.

With the heavy snow blocking the roads, Reiner's sources of information were trapped inside the castle. For safety's sake, they would have to wait until the snow stopped before sending troops out to inspect the territory.

Judging by the collapsed stable in the castle, however, the residents of the territory were probably not faring well either. Their houses were of even poorer quality than the castle stables and likely could not withstand such heavy snow.

"Baron! Three days ago, Sir Melan's fief was raided by Krad People. There were not many of them, but he wishes to report the matter to you in person!"

Recently, all the knights under Reiner's command had gathered to live in the castle. Thus, after receiving the messenger's report, he immediately came to Reiner's room to deliver it.

"The Krad People raided your village?" Reiner asked the knight before him.

"Yes, my dear master. Three Krad People suddenly appeared in our village. They stole the food from one farmer's household and fled!"

"I believe this is an omen. The Krad People may soon begin their southern raids. He hopes that you will remain vigilant, Baron, and guard against enemy plundering!" Sir Melan said to Reiner.

Ding! Mission issued: Resist the barbarian invasion. As the lord of Morland Castle, you are obligated to protect your people from barbarian harm.

Mission Reward: 300 mu of high-quality farmland, one Hero Draw

Failure Penalty: Lifespan reduced by ten years

Reiner stared at the mission issued by the system, at a loss for words. Damn, this mission was practically mandatory. Ten years of lifespan—no one would give that up so easily.

At first, Reiner had fully intended to play it safe by moving all the residents and property of the territory into the castle to weather the winter.

But once this mission with its failure penalty appeared, all his plans went down the drain. He could only accept it helplessly.

"Mm... I see." Reiner thought for a moment, frowned, and rubbed his lips with one hand before saying, "All right, I understand. I will remain vigilant. Once the snow ends, we will establish a defensive line along the northern border of the territory and hold out for the entire winter!"

"Your plan is excellent, my master, but we do not seem to have enough troops to carry it out. Our northern border stretches for at least a dozen kilometers, yet we only have several dozen soldiers. Even if your retainers each lead some troops, we still cannot defend the entire border!"

I know that! Reiner shouted inwardly. If the system weren't forcing me, I wouldn't want to do this either!

Yet Reiner could sense Sir Melan's distrust of him from the knight's expression and tone.

Reiner had not controlled the territory for very long, so his father's old retainers had not truly submitted to him. Though they had all sworn loyalty to Reiner, they could not help looking down on him because of his youth.

Even though Reiner had won a splendid battle soon after returning, it had not greatly changed his vassals' opinions of him.

"Do not worry, Sir Melan. I have a way to solve this problem. Please trust your Liege Lord—me, Reiner Morland, the lawful ruler of Morland Castle, Baron Reiner!"

Reiner felt a little anger rising in his heart. Even if he did not want to do this, it was still unpleasant to be met with contempt and distrust after issuing an order. At first, he had believed that time would make these people truly submit to him, but three months had passed. While they did not dare openly defy him, they often questioned his orders or mocked him in private.

That was why he had declared all his titles—to tell Sir Melan exactly who was the true master of this land.

Sir Melan was actually one of the better ones. His family had served the Moreland Family for three generations. The knights who had only begun serving the Moreland Family during Reiner's father's time were even more arrogant. Though they did not dare openly oppose, mock, or belittle Reiner, they did not truly respect him in private.

"Uh... very well, my master. Please, for the sake of my family's three generations of service to the Moreland Family, do not let us lose too much in this disaster!"

Sir Melan pleaded. The nobles of the Northern Frontier faced Krad raids every year. Hunger could make their not particularly strong bodies erupt with astonishing strength.

During one raid three years ago, a Baron had even died under the enemy's assault. Naturally, his territory had been thoroughly plundered by the Krad People, leaving only a few hundred survivors in what had once been a vast domain.

This was the plight Northern Frontier lords faced every year. Resisting the enemy's attacks had always been extremely difficult, and with the snow falling so heavily this year, even more Krad People would surely head south to raid.

Sir Melan preferred to gather all the food and residents together, hide them in the castle or other concealed locations, and have the troops defend the castle.

Morland Castle was not some impregnable fortress, but to the Krad People, a stone castle was an unassailable stronghold. How could Krad People still living in a primitive tribal state possibly have any means of breaching it?

Their only option—and the only thing they could do—was rush into the Northern Frontier lords' territories, either raiding in scattered groups or crushing the nobles' armies, then stealing the food of farmers and freemen to survive the winter.

Relatively speaking, hiding the residents and food was indeed the best approach. But Reiner had not gained Merit Points for a long time. How could he possibly let such an opportunity pass him by?

It was not that Reiner was cold-blooded. From another perspective, driving the Krad People back beyond the territory was the better choice.

Reiner's prestige was currently insufficient to intimidate others. Moreover, resisting the enemy would increase the territory's residents' trust and support for him. Other lords would also learn that a Baron had led his troops to hold back the enemy, greatly enhancing his reputation.

For nobles, although territory and armies were equally important, the finest thing a noble could leave to his descendants was still a reputation.

Some families were renowned for their valor, a reputation bought with the blood of generations of ancestors. Others were known for their loyalty, earned through their family's absolute devotion. Every kind of reputation was a family's greatest wealth.

A good reputation made family members proud and willing to risk their lives to defend the family's honor. But a bad family reputation would make everyone keep their distance. No distinguished family would be willing to marry into them, and their own family members would be disliked and distrusted.

Besides, apart from tribal warriors, the individual combat strength of the Krad Barbarians was not even comparable to Reiner's ordinary soldiers, who had received only a little training.

They became a disaster the Northern Frontier had to guard against every year only because of their numbers. In fact, even in previous years, the largest invasion had never exceeded three thousand people.

But compared to the cultural level of a world roughly equivalent to the Middle Ages of Reiner's previous life, that was already an enormous number. Morland Castle had only a little over two thousand one hundred people in total, and far fewer soldiers.

With enemies so easy to deal with and capable of providing Merit Points, Reiner naturally would not let them go. Thus, he chose to establish a defensive line at the edge of the territory.

Once news of Reiner's plan spread, the entire territory erupted in discussion. Though it was not quite panic-stricken, the people were deeply unsettled. Even Reiner's own knights expressed doubts about it.