The journey of more than twenty kilometers was not far, but the snow on the ground was too thick, leaving the soldiers exhausted. Seeing Goer Castle just ahead, Reiner ordered the soldiers to set up camp and rest where they were.
Reiner stood in front of Goer Castle, examining it closely. Its walls were roughly three meters high, about the same height as Morland Castle before its upgrade. However, the walls were made of wood and earth, placing them far behind Morland Castle's stone construction.
There were only two or three people on each of the arrow towers. Unlike the Moreland Family, which had to face the Krad People's attacks and raids directly, the Gwen Family did not place much importance on archers. A family like the Moreland Family, which needed to use bows to kill Krad People on the walls every year, would arm properly trained archers.
The Gwen Family, however, had no such need. Most of the Krad People would remain around Morland Castle to forage, or even attack the castle. Some of those who gathered food at Morland Castle would not continue south toward Goer Castle. Every year, no more than five hundred Krad People raided Goer Castle.
That number was nowhere near enough to threaten the castle, so they did not care much about archers. All the archers currently stationed on the towers were lawful hunters temporarily conscripted into service.
Looking at the Morland Army beneath the walls, the guards could not help trembling. They knew that Baron had led the army to attack Morland Castle. The people who had arrived were not Baron, but this unfamiliar army. Clearly, Baron had failed, and Baron Moreland had come with his troops.
"Madam, Baron Moreland has appeared beneath the castle. It seems that Baron's plan has failed. He may even have been captured by the enemy. Should we send an envoy to negotiate with them and see what ransom we must pay to bring Baron back?" Baron Lobean's clerk said to Baron Lobean's wife inside the castle.
Baron Lobean's wife was a young noblewoman. Baron Lobean himself was barely over twenty, and his wife had also taken excellent care of herself. Though she could not be called beautiful, she still possessed a rare and pleasing appearance.
She was wearing an elegant green dress. Her brown hair hung limply, just like her mood. Only after a moment did she say, "No matter how much ransom they demand, we must pay any price to bring my husband back!"
Without her husband's protection, she and her barely four-year-old son would become completely defenseless prey. The Gwen Family had many relatives. Baron Lobean's younger brother, like her son, possessed the right to inherit the title of Baron of Goer Castle. Once she was left alone with her child, there was no guarantee they would not make some other move.
"Yes, Madam. I'll go negotiate with them right away and do everything I can to ensure Baron is ransomed back!"
After the clerk left, Lady Gwen collapsed helplessly onto the bed. "If I had known, I never should have let him help Count Zebo. And now look what happened—he dragged himself into it as well!"
"Baron, they wish to negotiate with us! They want to discuss the ransom!" Sir Valas said.
"All right. Although Baron Lobean was unfortunately killed by mistake on the battlefield, we still want ransom for the other knights!"
Though many knights had been killed in the earlier battle, some who fled had been captured by Reiner's men. Several unconscious knights had also awakened. Reiner still had four or five knights in his hands.
An old man wearing a black robe, with graying hair and a face covered in dense wrinkles, shakily walked up to Reiner. After bowing, he said, "Respected Baron Reiner Moreland, greetings. I am Baron Lobean's clerk. I hope to ransom my master, Baron Lobean, from your hands. For this, we are willing to pay ten gold coins!"
Reiner could not help clicking his tongue when he heard this. Nobles really were valuable. Ten gold coins—that was Morland Castle's income for an entire year. Capturing a baron earned that much. Wouldn't nobles like counts and viscounts be worth even more? No wonder the nobles of this era were so eager for war. Even after the empire issued an edict banning private duels, nobles in remote regions still often went to war. As long as they won, they could make a huge fortune.
However, Reiner was not tempted by those ten gold coins. He intended to bring all of Goer Castle under his rule. What did a mere ten gold coins matter?
"I'm sorry, Clerk, but I do not wish to tell you this unfortunate news. Nevertheless, I must inform you that Baron Lobean was unfortunately killed in battle with us. He died by mistake!"
"Wh—what!" The elderly clerk's eyes widened. He raised a finger covered in wrinkles like the bark of a dead tree and pointed at Reiner. "You! How dare you murder a noble! You accursed devil! You killed my master—a man of noble birth!"
His voice was as shrill and hoarse as a crow being strangled.
"Watch your words, Clerk! Otherwise, I won't hesitate to cut off the right hand you're using to point at my lord!" Sir Valas suddenly drew the pale-red sword at his waist and pointed it at the other man. The principle that a subject would die for an insult to his lord did not exist only in China. The same belief prevailed in this world. To him, having his master insulted was a tremendous humiliation.
"That's enough, Sir Valas! Lower your sword." Reiner then turned coldly to the clerk. "Your master ambushed my castle while I was fighting the Heretics! He was the one who committed such a despicable act first. I accidentally killed him while retaliating. There is nothing shameful about that!"
"Now! I am issuing you a final ultimatum. Goer Castle will become my territory, and everything here will belong to me. This is the price Baron Lobean must pay for what he did!" Reiner stared at the other man expressionlessly.
"You... After murdering my master, you still intend to seize his territory!" The clerk's wrinkled face flushed red, and his breathing quickened. He glared at Reiner with hatred, looking utterly indignant.
"Return at once and relay my words. Otherwise, your head will be cut off and fed to the dogs!" Reiner was growing impatient. Their army had already been defeated, and their master was dead. He intended to annex this territory—what could they possibly do about it?
"Oh! You accursed man! You'll go to hell!" The clerk shakily walked toward the door, still muttering curses under his breath.
"What!" Lady Gwen's eyes widened when she heard the news, her face filled with disbelief. Immediately afterward, tears rolled from her eyes like beans tumbling endlessly down a slope.
"How dare he! How dare he do this!" she screamed hysterically. To a noblewoman, her husband's death was like the sky collapsing.
"Impossible! I will never surrender! My son will be the only ruler of Goer Castle! I absolutely will not surrender!" she shrieked, shouting like a shrew, completely stripped of her usual dignified and graceful bearing.
There was no doubt that if Reiner appeared before her at that moment, she would throw herself at him without hesitation and fight him tooth and nail.
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