Raiders

Night fell. Marcus arranged for everyone to rest, then summoned Harrot with a grave expression.

"You and Cleon, take a few capable men and scout ahead. Remember to return before dawn. Your intelligence will determine our next move!"

Harrot suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow much heavier. He answered solemnly, "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Ding. Mission accepted: "Scout the Situation Ahead." Investigate the changes occurring on the outskirts of the Eastern Province and their cause, then report to Marcus before dawn!

Mission Reward: 2,000 experience points, one random item.

Harrot and The Bald Man set out with several elite gladiators and Harrot's five Knight Squires.

The Bald Man and Harrot discussed what could possibly have happened.

The Bald Man said, "Could some powerful monster or magical beast have invaded and claimed the territory around here? Is that why there are no traces of humans?"

"What kind of powerful creature would it take to occupy such a vast territory? We traveled all day without seeing a single person!"

"Besides, Prague is a Legendary Level powerhouse. What monster or magical beast could even defeat him?"

Harrot had also asked what the Legendary Level meant. Marcus had told him that it referred to powerhouses who had surpassed the limits of ordinary lifeforms and undergone a qualitative transformation in their very nature.

Even Marcus did not know the specifics. When he had fought alongside Marquis Prague on the battlefield, Marquis Prague had not yet reached the Legendary Level.

The Bald Man excitedly answered Harrot's question. "Dragons! Any adult dragon is a Legendary Creature! Marquis Prague may be strong, but it would still be difficult for him to defeat a dragon that can fly!"

Harrot was speechless. Couldn't he broaden his thinking and consider other possibilities? Did it have to be a monster invasion?

A fucking dragon, too. He knew The Bald Man wanted to slay dragons, but did he have to connect everything they encountered to dragons?

As they spoke, firelight suddenly appeared in the distance, especially conspicuous in the dead of night. Harrot and The Bald Man exchanged a glance and hurried over on horseback.

As they drew closer, Harrot discovered a village engulfed in flames. The fire was intense, but both he and The Bald Man possessed the Transcendent ability of Fire Resistance.

They left several squires and elite gladiators behind to stand guard while the two of them entered the blazing village.

Raging flames, fresh corpses, clear hoofprints—Harrot and The Bald Man both understood. This had been a village massacre!

Both The Bald Man and Harrot were furious. There was not a single living person left in the village. Hundreds of corpses had simply been thrown here to burn with the village.

The killers were neither magical beasts nor monsters. The villagers' wounds had clearly been inflicted by weapons, and with the hoofprints added in, this had definitely been done by humans!

"After them! The fire hasn't been burning for long. They can't be far away!"

Harrot and The Bald Man had brought only ten subordinates, twelve people in total, to pursue a force of unknown size ahead of them. It was not because anger had made them lose their reason.

Rather, they believed that those beasts who had raised their blades against unarmed villagers could not possibly be very strong. Otherwise, why would they not dare attack the nobles who ruled the village, instead only daring to prey on villagers?

It could not be that they held grudges against the villagers, could it?

The Bald Man had excellent powers of observation and accurately identified the enemy's direction of travel. Though they were few in number, they were all elites, and they quickly caught up with the enemy.

The enemy spotted them from afar as well. There were more than fifty of them in total, all cavalrymen. They had also captured a villager and seized several carts of supplies.

"Kill them! Leave only one or two alive!" The Bald Man's booming voice rang through the night sky as he raised his hand and hurled several javelins.

The Bald Man's skill was truly terrifying. With nothing but moonlight to guide him, he casually killed three enemies with a single throw.

Harrot also displayed tremendous might. He leaped from his horse, first using a Small Fireball to disrupt the enemy formation, then charging into the crowd and swinging his greatsword in a frenzied slaughter.

Harrot's five squires were cavalry units from the game. They easily pierced their enemies through with their lances.

The elite gladiators were also highly skilled, each showing their own abilities as they easily dealt with their opponents.

Soon, more than half of the nearly fifty-man cavalry unit had been killed. More than a dozen fled, while Harrot and his men captured two, one of whom was a Transcendent Knight!

That man had also received a noble's Bloodline Power, but he was not particularly strong. The Bald Man subdued him in only a few moves.

The power-sharing effect gained by Knights was not remotely overpowered. It was far inferior to the power possessed by nobles themselves.

Even with Harrot's astonishing compatibility, he had only gained two points each in Strength and Agility. Ordinary people gained even less. The enemy's Strength and Agility were probably only around fifteen or sixteen.

The primary strength of a Transcendent Knight still lay in his Transcendent ability. That man's ability was regeneration. Though it could not compare to a troll's, his recovery speed was still astonishing.

Unfortunately, The Bald Man's raw strength surpassed his by several tiers. No matter how well the Knight could regenerate, he was nothing more than a punching bag. After The Bald Man cut off his arm, he no longer had any ability to resist.

"Who are you people? Why did you attack the village, murder, burn, and plunder?" The Bald Man began interrogating them for information.

Harrot, meanwhile, went to comfort the villager. She was a beautiful young girl with fair skin. Such beauty was a rare sight among Commoners.

She was far prettier and fuller-bodied than even the loveliest maid Harrot had selected. No wonder those men had captured her instead of killing her.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. I am Harrot, chief Knight of Viscount Marcus. I will protect you, my lady. What is your name?"

The girl trembled in fear. Her hometown had been burned, her family slaughtered. At that moment, her heart was at its most fragile.

"I... I'm Sihrulu. Th-thank you for saving me, my lord. Sob... sob, waaaah!" The girl threw herself into Harrot's arms and burst into tears.

Ten points of Charm definitely qualified him as handsome. He could not compare to a beautiful man like Marcus, but Harrot was fairly presentable himself!

The Bald Man had nearly finished interrogating the prisoners. He looked up at the beautiful girl in Harrot's arms, then lowered his gaze to the ferocious-looking prisoner before him.

The Bald Man sighed. Damn it, why was he the one interrogating prisoners while Harrot got to comfort a beautiful girl?

Harrot had no idea what The Bald Man was grumbling about inwardly. Otherwise, he would definitely have complained that the girl was only sixteen at most, while he had just turned eighteen. They were perfectly matched.

The Bald Man was nearly forty, yet he still craved young girls? Mature women were more his type. He should stop dreaming!

The Bald Man relayed the information the Knight had confessed.

The Eastern Province was now in chaos. Most Eastern nobles were willing to join Prague in opening up new lands, but the nobles from the other provinces were deeply unwilling.

They did not dare obstruct Marquis Prague openly, so they secretly sent troops disguised as bandits to repeatedly raid villages and seize supplies.

Opening up new lands required enormous amounts of supplies. Marquis Prague had to gather the strength of the entire Eastern Province to collect enough.

The nobles' plan was to prevent Prague from gathering sufficient supplies. Without them, opening up new lands would become nothing more than empty talk.

That Knight had been ordered by his noble master to raid the village. When he saw how beautiful Sihrulu was, he simply took her as well. Who would have thought the villagers would object, fight back, and injure several of his men?

In a fit of rage, the Knight ordered the village massacred. There were no important figures in the village anyway, so burning it down did not matter. The Eastern Province had already become a complete mess, and no one could manage it.

This intelligence shocked Harrot. He hurriedly returned to the camp with the prisoners and the girl they had rescued to discuss the matter with Marcus.

After they returned, they immediately informed Marcus. Marcus had stayed awake all night, waiting for Harrot's group to bring back news.

Once Marcus understood the full situation, he cursed, "Fuck! Robbing villages in their own country! Which bastard came up with this?"

Marcus briefly explained the seriousness of the situation. Although the nobles only intended to seize supplies and did not truly wish to invade the Eastern Province,

not every noble was capable of considering the bigger picture. Many cared only about their own interests. When they led troops to villages and towns, could they really restrain themselves and only seize cheap supplies meant for opening up new lands?

And would the people willingly accept having their supplies taken? If things were not handled carefully, bloodshed would break out. It could even escalate into full-scale looting.

Just like what Harrot and the others had seen today. Originally, it should have ended after taking the supplies and intimidating the villagers, but who would have expected a beautiful girl to awaken that Knight's greed?

"Anyway, the nobles of the Eastern Province are busy with opening up new lands. I'm not the only one who came here to raid them. Massacring a village is no big deal!"

That was what those blinded by greed thought. The situation deteriorated severely. In only a few months, countless villages and towns on the outskirts of the Eastern Province had been destroyed, and their subjects slaughtered.

Harrot sighed when he heard this. This was the flaw of the feudal system. The country lacked overall cohesion, and military discipline was even more corrupt. It was perfectly normal for soldiers to pillage everywhere under the banners of nobles.

In troubled times, soldiers were like bandits. This world was even worse. Once the noble of a territory could no longer protect his subjects, their fate could only be tragic.

Marcus grabbed the captive Knight by the collar and asked, "Which family are you from? Besides your family, which other nobles have sent men to raid?"

Seeing Marcus grow enraged, his hair even bursting into flames, the captive did not dare conceal anything. He honestly revealed every piece of information he knew.

"I am a Knight of the Eustace Family. Besides our family, the Lyon Family and the Crenno Family have also sent troops across the border."

"The other families only intercept merchant caravans outside the Eastern Province. Even after entering the province, they rarely harass villages. They go to major cities and forcibly purchase supplies at high prices instead!"

Marcus was somewhat relieved. "Only three families? It seems there aren't too many idiots. Hey, do you know where the other forces are?"

The Knight looked troubled, unwilling to betray his master. Marcus's eyes ignited as he dragged the Knight close and said viciously,

"Answer me! Don't test my patience!"

Marcus's pupils had completely transformed into two balls of flame, making him look like a demon from hell. The Knight was so frightened that loyalty no longer mattered. He obediently confessed everything.

It was quite a coincidence. The raiding forces happened to be traveling along routes somewhat close to Harrot's group.

After thinking for a moment, Marcus said, "We can't let them continue ruining things like this! Both population and supplies are indispensable for opening up new lands."

"Harrot, you and The Bald Man will take your legions, along with the other infantry and crossbowmen. Protect my supplies and the safety of my subjects as you continue toward Marquis Prague's territory."

"I'll lead the remaining Knights and cavalry to intercept these bandits! Let it be our greeting gift to Marquis Prague!"

"Don't worry, we won't be too far apart. I'll send someone every day to deliver letters so we can exchange information."

Once Marcus made his decision, he immediately put it into action. The infantry and crossbowmen had no horses, making them perfectly suited to escort supplies and subjects.

Leading the highly mobile cavalry, Marcus could scout and intercept small raiding forces within several dozen miles of Harrot's group.

Marcus did not need to eliminate too many enemies. As long as he killed several groups and made those three noble families and their Knights wary, the harm facing the Eastern Province would be greatly reduced.

The kingdom's original intention had been to prevent the nation's strength from weakening. This situation had only developed because several restless nobles had been blinded by greed.

Even if no one intervened, most levelheaded nobles would eventually stop or even punish those who had gone too far. Marcus merely wanted to bring that day forward.

After Marcus departed with two hundred cavalrymen, Harrot had effectively become the leader and highest commander of more than a thousand people.

Sihrulu felt that Harrot, who had saved her, held an extraordinary position and possessed immense strength. Like a hero from novels and biographies, he instantly earned her admiration.

Holding a noble position beneath only one man and above a thousand others, while receiving the admiration and affection of a beautiful girl, Harrot felt incomparably satisfied. Yet when he thought of the destroyed villages and slaughtered Commoners, he was filled with grief.

Those two emotions intertwined, making Harrot's heart even firmer! He became more convinced than ever that his choice to follow Marcus had been correct!

He wanted to pursue his dream. He wanted to struggle and strive. In this world where the strong devoured the weak, he wanted to rise above the rest!