Rescuing Count Rademacher

Reiner lowered himself over his horse's back, his lance pointed straight ahead. A strange state came over him. Though he had not been in this world for long, the lance in his hand felt like an extension of his own body.

The Warhorse beneath him also felt as obedient as his own arm, as though it had merged with him along with his breathing.

"Thank you," Reiner whispered in his heart. He knew that a few days of practice could not possibly have given him such a feeling. It was all muscle memory left behind by the body's former owner.

Sixteen knights followed behind Reiner in a charge that seemed capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas. Their hooves churned up clouds of dust, making them look like demons hidden within monstrous storm clouds.

Like wolves among sheep, they casually drove their lances into the bodies of their enemies before beginning a wanton slaughter. Blood sprayed everywhere, crimson blossoms blooming across the ground like exquisitely beautiful flowers planted in the earth. Yet beneath that beauty lay savage butchery and the passing of countless lives.

The bandits who usually looked as fierce as wolves and tigers were now like helpless little rabbits, chased down and slaughtered at will by the knights. Their movements were weak, but their blood sprayed with tremendous force, bursting forth like countless tiny fountains.

The Crimson Gryphon Knights had not even fully displayed their formidable combat strength. Against such frail enemies, neither the Moreland Family's knights nor the Crimson Gryphon Knights felt any difficulty.

Still, their dazzling performance did not escape the notice of the other knights. Their clean, decisive strikes and brutal movements made it clear that they were anything but ordinary.

The infantry also began moving. Seeing that the knights had already shattered the enemy's morale, they raised their spears and began hunting down the bandits like hunters pursuing the weakest prey.

Little Wend wanted to pick up a Longsword and fight the enemy too, but the two attendants beside him stopped him. Reiner had previously ordered them to keep Wendell from joining the battle.

Reiner also spotted the bandit who appeared to be their leader. He immediately turned his horse and charged toward him.

The facts proved that this matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.

When the bandit leader saw more than a dozen knights charging toward him, he froze. Even as the leader of the bandits, he had never faced such a terrifying assault.

Before becoming a bandit leader, he had merely been an ordinary serf. Such a horrifying attack was not something they could withstand.

The battle ended quickly. Under the knights' overwhelming charge, the bandits—little more than a rabble—immediately collapsed. The infantry took the opportunity to massacre them, and nearly all of them were killed, save for a small number who escaped.

The ground was covered with corpses, all bandits slain by the knights and infantry. Of course, some had died from killing one another as well.

Reiner did not kill the bandit leader. There was more to this matter. The knight who had led them here had disappeared without explanation, and they had been ambushed. The enemy had clearly prepared in advance.

Not one of the dozen or so knights had been wounded. They surrounded the bandit leader tightly.

Reiner sat atop his horse, his fully enclosed helmet revealing only his eyes. He coldly asked the bandit leader, "Tell me, where is Count Rademacher?"

"M-My lord, Count Rademacher is... he's in our mountain stronghold!" the bandit leader said, looking at Reiner timidly.

"Are you sure you are not lying to me?" Reiner demanded, raising his voice.

"I swear, my lord! I swear in the name of the Holy Father that I would never dare deceive you!"

"Good. If you lie to me, I'll tear out your guts and feed them to the dogs!" He removed his helmet and fixed the man with a sharp gaze.

At that moment, the system's notification finally sounded. "Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission. Reward obtained: Exquisite Recurve Bow ×15, Junior Blacksmith ×2."

"Ding! Hidden mission triggered: Investigate the Black Hand behind the scenes!"

"Mission reward: Junior Cavalry War Soul. Increases the combat strength and attributes of cavalry under your command by 5%."

Reiner knew this matter could not possibly be so simple. How could ordinary bandits have so many men and the audacity to ambush a noble's regular army?

Someone was clearly directing them from behind the scenes. What pleased Reiner even more was that the reward for this mission was quite generous. War Souls were a function specially provided by the system for the Host. The Junior Cavalry War Soul could grant the cavalry under his command a five-percent bonus.

That five percent applied across every aspect: morale, skill, attributes, endurance, even the impact force of Warhorses and the like would all receive a five-percent increase.

The War Souls of infantry and Archers had their own areas of enhancement. The highest-level War Souls could even increase an army's strength by thirty percent.

Thus, Reiner left the wounded behind, along with some soldiers to guard them, while he led the main force onward to the mountain stronghold to search for the kidnapped Count Rademacher. In truth, Reiner had never heard the title Count Rademacher before.

That meant Count Rademacher was clearly not a lord of this part of the Northern Frontier. Still, for the Moreland Family's reputation, rescuing a noble was necessary.

"That's so impressive!" Protected by the attendants, Wendell looked at his brother with admiration, deeply envious of everything he had seen.

After cleaning up the battlefield and gathering the spoils, the group escorted the bandit leader toward the bandits' hiding place.

"This is your hiding place?" Reiner asked, turning his head toward the bandit leader walking beside his Warhorse with his hands tied.

"Yes, my lord. We have hidden here for two years!" the bandit leader answered shakily.

It was a very concealed location, hidden in the forest southwest of the Moreland Family's territory. The dense woods concealed its position.

Moreover, they were familiar with the terrain. Whenever the Moreland Family came to suppress them, they only needed to hide to evade the army's sweeps and encirclement.

"You had better not try any tricks. You are completely in my hands!" Reiner said threateningly. The knights beside him also watched the man like tigers stalking prey, terrifying the bandit leader.

"Please rest assured, my lord. I would never dare conceal anything! Viscount Rademacher is inside!"

Because the forest was so dense, the knights had no choice but to dismount and proceed on foot. Yet even without their Warhorses, their lifelong training, combat ability, and equipment ensured Reiner's absolute safety here.

Besides, Reiner had fully inherited the former owner's body, and his combat skills were gradually being assimilated. He believed that he would soon regain his formidable fighting strength.

"You stay here and stand guard. Knights, come inside with me and take a look!" Reiner said as he turned around.

They entered the cave mouth. It was an extremely narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, and in some places the knights even had to bend over.

The torches in their hands flickered in the cave. After walking for roughly three or four minutes, the passage suddenly widened. A nobleman dressed in fine clothes yet looking utterly bedraggled sat on the ground with his hands bound behind his back.

The moment he saw people arrive, he began struggling, muffled sounds coming from behind the gag in his mouth.

His eyes were full of yearning. He truly did not want to remain in this hellish place any longer. As a high-ranking Count, when had he ever been in such a miserable state?