Introspection

Over a dozen knights followed closely behind Reiner, trotting towards Goer Castle's great hall and Lady Gwen's chambers.

CRASH! Reiner kicked open the great hall door, revealing a dozen or so maids, stablehands, and cooks huddled there, trembling.

"Tell me, where is Lady Gwen's room?" Reiner demanded, roughly grabbing a stablehand who was crouched in a corner, curled into a ball, clearly terrified of being discovered.

"It's... over there..." The stablehand didn't hesitate, immediately revealing the location of his mistress's room. When faced with life and loyalty, he clearly chose life without a second thought, tossing loyalty aside.

"Take me to her chambers. Don't even think about tricking me, because if you do, your guts will be pulled out! Two of you stay here, the rest follow me!" Reiner said in a low voice, turning back. He needed to get Lady Gwen and her child into his hands quickly, or something unexpected might happen.

Goer Castle, being a baron's castle, wasn't very large. In just two or three minutes, Reiner led the knights, guided by the stablehand, to Lady Gwen's room.

Reiner's chest heaved slightly under his armor, breathing a little heavily. After all, his body was only sixteen years old this year, not yet at its peak, so he was inevitably a bit weaker compared to the knights.

Reiner looked at the tightly closed door in front of him, tilted his head, stretched his muscles, then mustered all his strength and kicked it with a CRASH!

However, to his embarrassment, although the door made a huge sound when he kicked it, it only wobbled slightly and didn't open. Clearly, this door was also latched.

Reiner's face felt a little hot. Losing face like that in front of his subordinates was truly mortifying. Fortunately, for safety, he hadn't removed his helmet even after entering the castle, so others couldn't see his facial expression, which was somewhat helpful.

"Lady Gwen! I am Reiner Morland, Baron of Morland Castle! Please open your door. I swear on my noble name that I will do nothing out of line to you, and I will protect you and your son's safety, granting you the treatment befitting your status!" Reiner called out from outside the door, hoping Lady Gwen would open it after hearing his words.

Even more embarrassingly, after he finished speaking, the room fell silent. No one inside responded to his words.

After a moment of silence, Reiner finally lost his temper. In his previous life, as an orphan, he had been looked down upon. Now that he was here and had become a noble, did someone still dare to disrespect him?

The silence inside stimulated Reiner's fragile self-esteem. Although he usually appeared approachable, deep down he harbored an almost twisted sense of self-esteem. Previously, life had almost worn away his self-esteem, but after arriving here and becoming a noble, his inner pride and dignity gradually re-emerged.

"Valas! Open the door for me!" Reiner said to Sir Valas beside him, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Yes, my Lord Baron!" He sheathed his longsword, drew back his right leg to gather momentum, and then a sound even louder than Reiner's previous kick rang out.

Sir Valas's strength was immense. Reiner could barely make out his movements due to their speed. The recoil from the kick pushed Reiner back two steps, and at this point, the door was only slightly warped; it hadn't opened under his powerful kick.

Sir Valas took a few steps back, then charged at the door with incredible speed and kicked it.

The two halves of the door collapsed tragically onto the ground, like rotten old wood, with only a small piece still hanging from the doorframe, declaring their former loyalty in keeping enemies out.

The moment the door opened, the knights streamed in, and Reiner also quickly entered the room.

"Oh! May the Holy Father bless us!"

Before he could even glance at the room's furnishings or search for Lady Gwen, Sir Cord's voice reached Reiner's ears.

Reiner frowned and looked in the direction of the voice, and he couldn't help but freeze on the spot.

A woman's body lay lifelessly on the ground. There were two gruesome wounds on her neck, still continuously bleeding, like a small, gurgling stream.

Reiner slowly walked over, removed his heavy helmet, and crouched down to examine the body. He then said to the stablehand beside him, "Is this Lady Gwen? I warn you, do not try to lie!"

"Yes, my lord, I swear this is Lady Gwen!" The stablehand stammered, trembling at Reiner's threat, looking at the lifeless Lady Gwen on the ground with sorrowful eyes.

Reiner nodded, looking at the body on the ground with a complicated expression. He had been in this world for three months and hadn't killed anyone yet. This was also the first time he had been so close to a corpse.

Looking at the wounds on her body, Reiner felt very uncomfortable. His own neck felt itchy. He didn't know why, but seeing the wounds on her body inexplicably filled him with a sense of dread.

Suddenly, Reiner reacted and shouted, "Where's her child? Where's her child?"

Only Lady Gwen's body was here, but her son, Sura, was nowhere to be found. Reiner didn't want any loose ends. If someone were to use him for political maneuvering, it could be very troublesome.

Reiner grabbed the stablehand by the collar and demanded, "Where did her child go? Tell me, or you'll wish you were dead!"

"I don't know, my lord, I swear I truly don't know!" The stablehand looked terrified at Reiner's appearance. Although Reiner was only sixteen years old, his ample nutrition and frequent exercise meant he was already nearly six feet tall. His height and expression put immense pressure on the stablehand.

Reiner, frowning, was about to say more, but Sir Cord interjected, "Alright, Reiner, a lord should be merciful. Don't treat an innocent person like this. He hasn't done anything to harm us! I don't want you to become a tyrant, and I'm sure your father wouldn't either!"

"Besides, that's just a child. He can't cause us any trouble. We've already achieved our goal, haven't we?" Sir Cord said calmly, taking off his helmet.

He didn't want his liege, his brother's son, his nephew, to become a cruel and tyrannical lord in the future.

After hearing this, Reiner looked at the terrified stablehand, his heart softened, and he released his collar.

He glanced around at the knights surrounding him. When their eyes met Reiner's, they quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze.

Their reactions didn't escape Reiner's notice. He didn't understand why this was happening. He was usually so approachable, yet they seemed to fear him so much.

Looking at the stablehand who was profusely thanking him, Reiner felt a bit lost. He wasn't like this before; he wouldn't treat even a small cat or dog this way.

What's wrong with me? This question popped into Reiner's mind. He prided himself on being kind and benevolent, but today he was called a tyrant, which made him doubt if his actions were truly right.