The Marauders

Night fell, and Marcus arranged for everyone to rest before gravely calling Harrot over.

"You and Cleon take a few of our best men to scout ahead. Remember to be back before dawn. Your intel will determine our next move!"

Harrot felt the weight on his shoulders instantly grow heavier and replied solemnly, "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

[Ding, you have accepted the quest "Scout the Situation Ahead." Investigate the changes occurring on the outskirts of the Eastern Province and their causes. Report back to Marcus before dawn!]

[Quest Reward: 2000 experience, one random item.]

Harrot and The Bald Man set off with a few elite gladiators and Harrot's five knight attendants.

The Bald Man and Harrot discussed what might have happened.

The Bald Man said, "Could it be that powerful monsters or magical beasts invaded and took over this nearby territory, which is why there are no humans here?"

"How powerful would a creature have to be to occupy such a large territory? We've been walking all day and haven't seen a single person!"

"Besides, Marquis Prague is a legendary-level expert. What kind of monster or magical beast could even he not handle?"

Harrot had also asked what "legendary-level" meant, and Marcus had told him it referred to experts who had surpassed the limits of ordinary beings, whose life essence had undergone a qualitative change.

Marcus wasn't entirely sure about the specifics; Marquis Prague hadn't been legendary-level when he and Marcus had fought together on the battlefield.

The Bald Man excitedly answered Harrot's question: "Dragons! Any adult dragon is a legendary creature! Although Marquis Prague is strong, it would be difficult for him to defeat a flying dragon!"

Harrot was speechless. Couldn't he just think of other possibilities? Did it have to be a monster invasion?

And dragons, really? I know you want to slay a dragon, but don't just attribute everything to them!

As they spoke, a fire suddenly appeared in the distance. It was particularly striking in the dark of night. Harrot and The Bald Man exchanged a look and quickly galloped towards it.

Upon closer inspection, Harrot discovered it was a burning village, and the fire was considerable. Both The Bald Man and Harrot possessed the extraordinary ability of [Fire Resistance].

Leaving a few attendants and elite gladiators to stand guard, the two of them entered the raging inferno of the village.

The burning fire, fresh corpses, and clear hoof prints—Harrot and The Bald Man both understood. This was a massacre!

Both The Bald Man and Harrot were enraged. There were no survivors in the village; hundreds of bodies were left there to be cremated along with the village.

The culprits were not magical beasts or monsters. The villagers' wounds were clearly caused by weapons, and combined with the hoof prints, this was definitely the work of humans!

"Pursue them! The fire hasn't been burning long, they can't be far!"

Harrot and The Bald Man had only brought ten subordinates with them, totaling twelve people. Pursuing a force of unknown size ahead wasn't because they were blindly enraged.

Rather, they believed that those brutes who would wield a butcher's knife against unarmed villagers couldn't possibly be very strong. Otherwise, why wouldn't they dare attack the nobles who ruled the village and only target the villagers?

It couldn't possibly be that they had a grudge against the villagers, could it?

The Bald Man's observational skills were excellent, and he quickly discerned the enemy's direction of travel. Being fewer in number but elite, they soon caught up to the enemy.

The enemy also spotted them from afar. There were over 50 of them in total, all cavalry, and they had captured a villager and several carts of supplies.

"Kill them! Leave one or two alive, that's all!" The Bald Man's booming voice echoed through the night sky. As he spoke, he raised his hand and threw several javelins.

The Bald Man's skill was truly terrifying. With a casual throw under the moonlight, he killed three enemies.

Harrot also displayed his power, leaping from his horse in a single bound. First, a "Small Fireball" disrupted the enemy's formation, then he charged into the crowd, swinging his greatsword and beginning a frenzied slaughter.

Harrot's five attendants were all cavalry units from the game; they easily pierced through enemies with their lances.

The elite gladiators also displayed their exceptional skills, each using their unique abilities to easily deal with their opponents.

Soon, more than half of the nearly 50-strong cavalry team had been killed, a dozen or so fled, and Harrot and his group captured two, one of whom was an extraordinary knight!

Although that fellow had also received the bloodline power of a noble, his strength wasn't great; The Bald Man subdued him in just a few moves.

The power-sharing effect obtained by knights was not overpowered, far inferior to the noble's own strength.

Even with Harrot's astonishing adaptability, he only gained 2 points in Strength and Agility each. For ordinary people, it was even less. The opponent's Strength and Agility attributes were probably only around 15 or 16 points.

The extraordinary knight's strength primarily lay in his extraordinary ability. That fellow's ability was regeneration. Although it couldn't compare to a troll, his recovery speed was still astonishing.

Unfortunately, The Bald Man's raw strength was several tiers above his. No matter how much the knight could regenerate, he was just a punching bag. After The Bald Man chopped off his arm, he had no power to resist.

"Who are you people? Why did you attack the village, burning, killing, and looting?" The Bald Man began to interrogate for information.

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

She was even more beautiful and fuller-figured than Harrot's prettiest chosen maid. No wonder these people captured her instead of killing her.

"Don't worry, you're safe. I am Harrot, Viscount Marcus's chief knight. I will protect your safety, madam. What is your name?"

The girl trembled in fear. Her hometown burned, her family slaughtered—her heart was fragile to the extreme.

"I… I'm Sihrulu. Th-thank you for saving me, sir. Waaah, waaaah, ahhh!" The girl burst into tears, throwing herself into Harrot's arms.

Hmm, 10 points of charisma definitely makes him handsome. Although he can't compare to a pretty boy like Marcus, Harrot isn't bad-looking either!

The Bald Man was almost done interrogating the captives. He looked up at the beautiful girl in Harrot's arms, then lowered his head to look at the grim-faced captive.

The Bald Man sighed. Damn it, why am I the one interrogating the captive while he gets to comfort the beautiful girl?

Harrot didn't know The Bald Man's thoughts, otherwise, he definitely would have retorted, This girl is at most 16, and I just turned 18. We're a perfect match.

You're almost 40, an old man, and you're still lusting after young girls? Thirsty mature women are your type, don't even dream about it!

The Bald Man relayed the information the knight had confessed.

The Eastern Province was in chaos. Most of the Eastern nobles were willing to join Marquis Prague in developing the new lands, but nobles from other provinces were very reluctant.

They didn't dare to openly obstruct Marquis Prague, so they secretly sent troops disguised as bandits to repeatedly attack villages and seize supplies.

The development of new lands required a massive amount of supplies, and Marquis Prague had to gather the strength of the entire Eastern Province to accumulate enough.

The nobles' intention was to prevent Marquis Prague from gathering sufficient supplies, thus making the development project impossible.

That knight was precisely under orders from his noble lord to plunder the village. When he saw how beautiful Sihrulu was, he simply decided to abduct her. Who knew the villagers wouldn't agree and fought back, injuring a few of his men?

Enraged, the knight ordered the village to be massacred. There were no important people in this village anyway, so burning it down was no big deal. The Eastern Province was already in a mess, and no one could manage everything.

This intelligence shocked Harrot. He quickly took the captive and the rescued girl back to camp to discuss with Marcus.

After they returned, they immediately informed Marcus. Marcus had been waiting for Harrot and his group to return with news, staying up all night.

Marcus understood the situation and cursed, "Damn it, robbing villages in our own country! Which idiot came up with this idea?"

Marcus briefly explained the seriousness of the matter. Although the nobles' original intention was just to seize supplies, they didn't really want to invade the Eastern Province.

However, not all nobles could consider the bigger picture. Many only cared about their own interests. When they led troops to villages and towns, could they resist only taking the less valuable development supplies?

And would the common people be happy about their supplies being plundered? If not controlled properly, it could lead to bloodshed, or even escalate into full-blown looting.

Just like what Harrot and his group witnessed today: originally, the plan was to seize supplies and intimidate, then leave. But who knew a beautiful girl would tempt that knight's greed?

"Anyway, the nobles in the Eastern Province are busy with the development. I'm not the only one looting, and wiping out a village is no big deal!"

This was what those whose eyes were blinded by greed thought. The situation severely deteriorated. In just a few months, a large number of outer villages and towns in the Eastern Province were destroyed, and many subjects were killed.

Harrot sighed upon hearing this. This was a drawback of the feudal system: the nation lacked overall cohesion, and the army's morale was corrupt. It was perfectly normal for them to loot under the guise of noble banners.

In chaotic times, soldiers were like bandits, and this was even truer in this world. Once a territory's noble was unable to protect their subjects, the outcome could only be tragic.

Marcus grabbed the captive knight and asked, "Which family are you from? Besides your family, which other nobles sent people to loot?"

Seeing Marcus's fury, with flames burning in his eyes, the captive dared not conceal anything and confessed all the information in detail.

"I am a knight of the Eustace Family. Besides our family, the Lyon Family and the Crenno Family have also sent troops into the territory."

"The other families only intercept merchant caravans outside the Eastern Province. After entering, they rarely bother villages; they all go to large cities to buy supplies at high prices!"

Marcus felt a little relieved. "Only three families? It seems there aren't too many idiots. Hey, do you know the locations of the other troops?"

The knight looked troubled, not wanting to betray his master. Marcus's eyes blazed, and he pulled the knight closer, growling, "Answer me! Don't test my patience!"

Marcus's pupils had completely transformed into two balls of fire, like a demon from hell. The knight was so terrified that he no longer cared about loyalty and honestly confessed all the information.

It was quite a coincidence; the looting forces' route was somewhat similar to Harrot's group's.

Marcus thought for a moment, then said, "We can't let them continue this destruction! Both population and supplies are indispensable for developing new lands."

"Harrot, you and The Bald Man take your legion, along with the other infantry and archers. You will protect my supplies and the safety of the common people as you continue towards Marquis Prague's territory."

"I will lead the other knights and cavalry to intercept these bandits! Consider it a welcoming gift for Marquis Prague!"

"Don't worry, we won't be too far. Every day, I'll send someone to exchange messages with you."

Once Marcus made his decision, he immediately put it into action. The infantry and archers, not being mounted, were perfect for escorting the supplies and common people.

Marcus, leading the highly mobile cavalry, could thoroughly scout and intercept small groups of looting troops within dozens of miles of Harrot's group.

Marcus didn't need to defeat too many enemies. Just killing a few teams would make those three noble families and knights wary, significantly reducing the danger faced by the Eastern Province.

The kingdom's original intention was to prevent the weakening of national power. The current situation had only come about because a few restless nobles had been blinded by greed.

Even if left unchecked, most rational nobles would eventually stop or even punish those who went too far. Marcus simply wanted to accelerate that process.

After Marcus left with two hundred cavalry, Harrot had effectively become the leader, the highest commander, of over a thousand people.

Sihrulu felt that Harrot, who had saved her, held an extraordinary status and possessed immense strength, just like the heroes in novels and biographies. She instantly began to admire him.

The noble status of being second only to one and above a thousand, coupled with the admiration and good impression of a beautiful woman, made Harrot feel incredibly refreshed. However, when he thought of the destroyed villages and murdered commoners, he also felt immense sorrow.

These two emotions intertwined, making Harrot's resolve even stronger! He became even more convinced that his choice to follow Marcus was correct!

He wanted to pursue his dreams, to strive and work hard, to rise above others in this dog-eat-dog world!