Chapter 82 : The Bandit Knights

Gavin was not in a good mood right now.

As if to prove it, he slammed his fist hard down on the table in front of him.

Thang!

“Bolt… Sir! What the hell are those Vanguard bastards doing? Still no word from them, huh?”

“…Should we just send the men out to look for them?”

“Cut it out. What kind of knight bastard talks like that? Don’t you want to get your head straight?”

And what about you?

Bolt barely swallowed the words welling up in his throat. This ugly bastard in front of him, Sir Gavin… was, after all, his superior.

Bolt was a deserter from the Northern Region Empire. Somehow, he had ended up serving as a knight in the Riverton Domain. More precisely, he belonged to the Bandit Knights.

The second-in-command of the Bandit Knights, Raufen Fritter, was a well-known outlaw in the area. Big and muscular, with monstrous strength, he was also called “Ogre Fritter.” Anyway, by some stroke of luck, he had ambushed some knights and stolen their equipment. From that point on, for reasons unknown even to himself, he called himself a Bandit Knight.

With that reputation, more and more enemies showed up, and some powerful men even swore allegiance to him. He had somehow picked up some tricks from somewhere, but he wasn’t exactly sure how.

What would someone like him, a conscripted soldier, know about knightly appointments?

In any case, with his growing forces and the equipment he had stolen, the Bandit Knights were born.

Why hadn’t the Vanguard shown up? The two commanders claimed it was because they were afraid of the Bandit Knights’ reputation, but no one really knew for sure.

For their part, it was a very fortunate situation. Thanks to this, they could enjoy drinking and gambling to their hearts’ content. Compared to the battlefield, where human lives hung by a thread, this was nothing short of paradise.

“Not answering, huh, you bastard?”

“…I’ll answer, Sir Gavin.”

Of course, Bolt hated the fact that this idiot was his superior.

…Someday, I’ll cut his throat from behind, no matter what.

“Phew—Anyway, we’ll wait until tomorrow evening. If those Vanguard bastards still don’t show, we’ll just handle it ourselves.”

“Understood.”

The task given to Gavin and Bolt, the two commanders, was to pursue. Recently, several villagers under the control of the Bandit Knights had escaped in large numbers.

“Damn it, what kind of bullshit is this? Isn’t this because of those damned Bronze Shield bastards or something?”

“In a way, yes.”

The mercenary group they had hired cheaply to monitor the villagers had betrayed them. They called themselves the Bronze Shield Mercenaries, and apparently, they had been inciting the villagers to escape.

Naturally, the two commanders were furious.

They couldn’t forgive the mercenaries who had betrayed them after being paid, nor the villagers who dared to flee from them. They had to be punished harshly, if only as an example.

That was the commanders’ final conclusion. For this reason, a pursuit force of over eighty men was formed.

“And that bastard who went out as Vanguard—what was his name again?”

“Sir Demos, sir?”

“Yeah, that sharp-eyed bastard. I heard he’s a bit of a womanizer, huh? Probably off messing around with some girls somewhere. Can’t be anything else.”

Gavin and Demos.

Each senior knight led a group, and the pursuit began.

When Demos’s Vanguard found the refugee group, Gavin’s main force would ambush together. That was the plan… but the relationship between the two senior knights was not good.

“Demos, someday I’m going to kill you. I just don’t like the bastard.”

Bolt felt a bitter chill inside.

He, too, planned to kill Gavin someday.

“Ah, but the villagers should pay taxes too, right?”

“Well, yeah. Should we get ready?”

“Right, haha. I was disappointed there wasn’t a decent gambling den, but we gotta enjoy what we can, right?”

The corners of ugly Gavin’s mouth curled up thinly. Disgusting as it was, Bolt agreed with the sentiment.

Bullying the weak is always an entertaining pastime.

“That’s right, hehe.”

Bolt also lifted the corners of his mouth in anticipation.

***

“Alright, I called you all here—Now, have you paid your taxes to us?”

Gavin asked awkwardly.

It wasn’t easy to speak in knightly manner when he had never used it before.

“N-no, that’s impossible! Our village has already paid all taxes to the Marquis during the summer.”

The villagers, suddenly summoned, responded in a flustered manner. Their faces were etched with deep fear.

These were the bandits who had come yesterday. They had forcibly taken over several houses, killing all the homeowners in the process. They were said to be the infamous Bandit Knights recently.

The villagers answered cautiously, afraid they might get caught or punished.

“No, I don’t care about paying the damn Marquis, but did you pay us?”

“W-what nonsense is that—”

“What? You dare say Sir Gavin’s words are unreasonable?”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

One of the village men stammered and quickly bowed his hands when Gavin narrowed his eyes.

Couldn’t argue with the powerful in this world.

“Our knight order works for peasants like you. Of course, you have to pay up, don’t you? You mean…”

“You mean protection tax, Sir Gavin.”

“Exactly! You have to pay protection tax! Hey you! Why haven’t you paid us taxes?”

When Gavin singled out one man, his face turned pale in an instant.

“I—I had no idea! If I’d known, I would have paid no matter what.”

“No idea? Hmmm—That might be true. So should I let it slide?”

“Y-yes! Really! I honestly didn’t know…”

“But what if you’re lying? How do I know you really didn’t?”

That was the real point.

A vile smile appeared on Gavin’s face as he pressed further.

“Pr-proof?”

“Yeah, there’s a way to prove it. The traditional knightly method. Have you heard of the ‘Trial by Combat’?”

Bolt and the bandits around him chuckled. They sensed some entertaining fun was about to begin.

Trial by Combat.

The name sounded plausible, but in reality, it was a completely ignorant procedure. To prove innocence or legitimacy, one fights physically.

If you survive the fight, you’re innocent.

If you die, you’re guilty.

It’s just a trial in name only, a sham where the stronger party always comes out innocent.

Of course, even real knights often used this ridiculous trial. That’s because there were very few decent human beings among knights to begin with.

“Ugh, ughhh! Spare me, please—cough…”

Another villager collapsed, blood spurting from his throat.

“Ah, this one’s guilty. Poke.”

“Next!”

Gavin’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he had already killed three with the Trial by Combat.

He felt a thrilling pleasure with every weak scream.

“Hey, chief! When’s our turn?”

“Honorable Sir Gavin! Give me a chance too, hehe!”

The other bandits were equally excited. Killing was an entertaining pastime for them as well.

“Alright, you bastards. Just one more, and then… hehe.”

Gavin’s fingers flicked through the remaining villagers, small cries escaping. Some were already so scared they’d wet themselves in advance.

This wasn’t a legitimate duel.

Though Gavin was somewhat lightly armed, he imitated the knights’ equipment—crudely made leather armor, a rusty longsword, shabby arm and shin guards.

Compared to real knights, it was far from adequate, but more than enough to handle unarmed civilians.

“Come on, next one, crawl out already. You’re all—”

“I’ll do it.”

A low voice spoke as a burly man stood up. Dark brown eyes, a short beard, and a fierce gaze that showed scars on his chest.

“Oh, a volunteer, huh? This’ll be interesting. What’s your name?”

“Baenhardt.”

With an expressionless face and a heavy voice.

Gavin was sure this one would give them a proper fight.

“If I win, will you release the others?”

“What? Haha… let’s think about that after I win.”

The two men faced each other.

Baenhardt was physically more imposing.

But Gavin had the overwhelming advantage in arms—the other was unarmed. Still, no one objected. This wasn’t a real duel, just a way to kill time.

Baenhardt’s impassive bulk was just a toy to enjoy a little more. Gavin and the other bandits believed this without a doubt.

***

Unlike his earlier relaxed expression, Gavin was now furious. Baenhardt was putting up a good fight with his bare hands.

Bang!

“Damn it, you bastard!”

Thud—

As a punch landed in his side, Gavin swung his sword reflexively. But Baenhardt had already stepped back half a pace.

“You’ve never swung a longsword before, have you? That’s not how you use it.”

“Ugh—Shut your mouth, you arrogant bastard!”

The pattern that had appeared earlier repeated. Baenhardt dodged and kicked, and Gavin charged excitedly.

Then Baenhardt dodged again—

Bang!

“Guhk!”

A fist plunged in, this time hitting Gavin’s face directly. But that didn’t mean Gavin was just taking hits.

Swish.

He swung his sword reflexively, slicing part of Baenhardt’s flesh. Baenhardt dodged, but only avoided a fatal wound.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The difference in arms was clear. Even rusted, a longsword was threatening. Baenhardt’s body was covered with numerous cuts and stab wounds.

“Chief, are you okay?”

“Damn it! That bastard fights like a beast! What? You just gonna stand there?”

Who really was the coward here?

Gavin’s subordinates knew the answer but reluctantly nodded. If he really lost here, it would be a huge problem.

“Damn it! Damn it! I’m going to kill that bastard!”

Gavin violently threw off his agitation and stood up. Hatred filled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Baenhardt was feeling bewildered as more opponents approached.

“What the hell is this…?”

“Shut up, bastard!”

A woman charged from behind. Baenhardt dodged and swung his fists, but then another came at him.

No matter how well he fought, he couldn’t handle such overwhelming numbers.

Thud.

Brutal lynching rained down on the man fallen to the ground. Trial by Combat or not, no one cared anymore.

“Move aside, move aside, you bastards! I’m the prey here!”

Gavin advanced with a murderous glare. He kicked Baenhardt a few times, then grabbed his longsword again.

“You bastard, you thought I’d let you die nicely? I’ll cut off your limbs one by one—”

“Pathetic beyond words. You’ve got some nerve too. Is it because you’re a bandit?”

A strange voice spoke up suddenly.

Clearly mocking words.

“What? Who the hell dared to—!”

Glaring wildly, Gavin looked around. Then a strange man was staring right at him.

Bright red hair, gem-like green eyes.

He was a stranger.

…Had this guy been hiding in the village all along?

“…What? Who the hell are you?”

The sudden appearance of the man made Glenn speak in a bored tone.

“Judgement.”