Glenn hates bandits.
No, more precisely, he despises most criminals.
It’s not some reaction to what he did in his past life. It’s because he instinctively loathes their nature—being strong to the weak and weak to the strong.
This was the same back in the Ricklan days.
Because of that, he was constantly told by worthless scum that he was just playing the role of a righteous avenger. Of course, all those who said such things ended up with a broken nose.
Strong against the weak, weak against the strong.
That is how most bandits in this era operate.
Is it just human nature, then, that can’t be helped?
Is the survival of the fittest really a virtue in this ugly era?
“What a ridiculous notion.”
What can he do? It doesn’t sit right with him.
He doesn’t want to spout pathetic nonsense about justice or righteousness.
He simply cannot accept it. He dislikes it.
Therefore, bandits are simply to be crushed.
No grand reason is necessary.
Thus, Glenn generally shudders at the mere mention of bandits.
“Thank you, thank you! You are truly a noble man!”
“Cough… thanks to you, we survived!”
One by one, they liberated villages previously under the domination of the Grand Bandit Knights. The villagers, gaunt and on the brink of death, wept tears of gratitude.
Yet they clung to Glenn’s pants leg, begging him. Their complaints about the bandits never ceased.
Please, punish those scoundrels.
Please drive out those wicked fiends.
“Th-they’re headed for the nearby ruins. Sob… they took my daughter, saying something about Choya Right!”
“The boss demanded we bow to him every time he passed, or else we’d be killed. My brother died that way.”
“If anyone caused trouble in their territory, they’d be captured, tied up as targets, and shot at with arrows or stabbed with short swords for fun. Sob! They’re just demons!”
Bandit atrocities are common, but the Grand Bandit Knights took it to another level. They killed people for mere amusement, ruled entire districts, and continuously terrorized the villagers.
Especially their leader, Raufen Fritter. He acted as if he were a lord himself. It might have been more respectable if he had gathered his forces and confronted the lords directly.
But he was consistent from start to finish.
He preyed on those weaker and powerless than himself.
“Such pathetic trash, those damned bandits.”
Glenn growled, his voice low and grating.
His mood was worse than ever.
That’s why Nedian cautiously approached him.
“My lord, we’ve found them. According to the villagers, they’re still gathered in the abandoned ruins. They must have only recently returned from a raid.”
“Details.”
“Villagers say the bandits are drinking and making loud noise inside the fortress. Seems like they’re celebrating.”
“… Those filthy scum—Raufen Fritter—is he there too?”
Glenn’s voice was still laced with killing intent. Nedian’s gaze was just as cold.
“Most likely. We have eyewitness reports. This is the best time for a raid.”
Glancing around at the other members, Glenn noticed their restrained expressions, as if they were holding back some deep emotion. Especially Baenhardt, who looked like he might burst out at any moment.
Glenn stood up.
“All right, Knights, prepare for battle.”
The greenish look in his eyes thirsted for blood.
The Lions who followed him did too.
***
The raid began in an instant.
The drunken bandits were no match for the Lions sharpening their blades.
“Ugh! S-save me—kuh!”
Like a pack of starving beasts, the Lion Knights swept through the fortress mercilessly. Most bandits were too busy fleeing to even put up a fight.
“Filthy vermin.”
Glenn’s hands were rougher and more ruthless than usual. The sight of the scattered corpses of villagers and women further provoked the knights.
Glenn had crushed countless bandits before, but these were undoubtedly the worst. A single bandit group had held power for an unusually long time without restraint.
“What is the meaning of this?! Everyone, get out!”
“Raid! Raid!”
Some bandit knights gathered their armor and weapons in a frenzy. Among them was the burly Raufen Fritter.
“Those damn bastards! How dare a so-called Knight Order launch a raid?! How did they know—”
It was impossible to dismiss it as coincidence. They had attacked exactly when the bandits’ raid returned.
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind—the suspicions he had from earlier.
“So… you were the ones who leaked the information about the transport convoy!”
It all made sense.
They had deliberately leaked information to provoke an attack on the convoy!
“Cowardly bastards. If you have any honor left as knights, fight me in single combat! I, Raufen Fritter, will face you!”
It was disadvantageous to fight as a group. Better to hold a captured knight hostage and flee.
The others exchanged bewildered looks at the furious outburst.
“That arrogant piece of trash…”
“Come here! I’ll deal with that ogre-like bastard right now—”
Before anyone else could volunteer, a man from the enemy ranks stepped forward.
“I’ll do it.”
It was Glenn.
His voice dripped with murderous intent, cold enough to freeze the air.
“Oh? So you’re the so-called Red Glenn, huh? Such a young brat with no manners—”
“Shut your mouth and come at me. I’m pretty angry right now.”
“Wait, before that, I’ll offer a prayer to the goddesses for an honorable duel.”
Raufen Fritter was feverishly thinking. Their numbers weren’t vastly different—if anything, the bandits outnumbered them.
But the bandits and their leader were in bad shape. And their opponents were the famous Lion Knights accompanied by Red Glenn.
“Oh, great goddesses of the continent, from this moment, with sacred—”
They had to buy time and find a way to win…
“Don’t play tricks. I’ll tear your head off while you’re still alive.”
“Such blasphemy! You insult the sacred duel between knights!”
“Knights my ass.”
Raufen Fritter’s fury grew with every word from the obviously younger opponent.
“What a damn brat—”
Glenn didn’t hesitate any longer and charged.
“Hyah!”
Sensing imminent danger from Glenn’s green eyes, Raufen Fritter swung his massive greatsword with nearly half his strength.
Planning to think later, his priority was keeping the big guy at a distance.
Whoosh!
A heavy roar split the air.
Glenn dodged by leaping up, but one corner of Raufen Fritter’s mouth twitched.
“Got you, you arrogant brat!”
There was no escaping midair. It was proven by countless others before.
If he charged any further, that guy would be split in two…
“Bloody Bat.”
“Pfft! What the—!”
Suddenly, something red fluttered, blocking his left vision.
Huh? Is that blood?
“Blood of the caster.”
A blood magic that converts a specific type of blood into acid.
Ssssk!
As the dry word left Glenn’s mouth, Raufen Fritter felt one side of his face melting.
“Argh, argh! That bastard is using sorcery! Cowardly—”
“You’ve been talking nonsense from the start. Does this look like a duel to you?”
“Damn brat!”
His narrowed vision barely able to react, Raufen Fritter swung his sword again wildly. But it was all futile resistance; Glenn dodged effortlessly and countered.
He aimed for Raufen’s right ankle.
A direct hit!
“Argh!”
It wasn’t severed, but the sword had gone halfway through.
Raufen Fritter wouldn’t be able to stand properly anymore.
Escape was impossible.
“Bandits usually give excuses like ‘I’m hungry, trying to survive, protecting my family.’”
“W-wait!”
Smack!
Glenn’s merciless kick struck Raufen’s cheek, naturally lowering his face.
“Khyah!”
The giant Raufen Fritter collapsed to the ground with a small thud.
“You bastards! Kill him at once!”
His subordinates shouted urgently, but Nedian and the knights glared down on them.
“Anyone who interferes dies. Without exception.”
“Ugh…”
“Damn it…”
Faced with Nedian’s fierce warning, the remaining bandits cowered.
“Yeah, honestly, given the situation, it’s understandable.”
Glenn looked coldly down at Raufen’s chest.
“I don’t approve of you, but it’s a likely scenario. This era’s just damn desperate, isn’t it?”
Raufen realized quickly after the brief confrontation.
This young man before him was stronger. Fighting was pointless. Moreover, his stupid subordinates froze and couldn’t move.
He hurriedly changed his attitude.
“Y-yes! Sob, I’m just trying to survive, I had no choice… Please believe me!”
If he could just get past this once… Judging from what he was saying, it didn’t seem hopeless.
Glenn decided to try to evoke some sympathy.
“I-I have a daughter I left back in my hometown—”
“But you went too far.”
“…What?”
Glenn’s green eyes pierced deeper than any soul. Raufen couldn’t help swallowing dryly.
“You took all the village women, talking about Choya Right. Then you killed the fathers who came begging for their daughters.”
“Th-that wasn’t me, it was those others…”
“Was it so much fun to torment people weaker than yourself? Hm?”
“W-what… agh!”
Too late!
A longsword pierced Raufen’s left bicep.
Glenn forcibly twisted the blade, shattering Raufen’s muscle completely.
“Argh! I-I’m defeated! Do you have no honor? Aren’t you afraid of the goddesses?”
Raufen started babbling whatever he could to survive. Glenn smirked.
“The innocent will survive.”
“Huh…?”
“The villagers say so too. You often said that honor and duels are what matter.”
It was this man who had spread the ridiculous rumor of dueling nearby.
“P-please spare me! I-I was wrong…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. You still have much to pay.”
With those words, Glenn’s cold gaze shifted to the other bandits.
“Don’t kill this one. Capture him alive. The rest—”
“I surrender!”
“D-don’t kill me!”
As soon as Glenn’s eyes moved, the rest began to surrender.
Strong to the weak and endlessly weak to the strong. Not only Glenn, but all these bandits were like that.
“Subdue them all and bind them. Break a bone if they resist.”
***
“W-wait! Where are you taking me? Why leave me here—”
Glenn grabbed Raufen Fritter and dragged him to a nearby village. Without hesitation, he climbed onto his horse’s saddle and gave a firm order.
“The innocent will survive.”
“W-what does that mean?”
Glenn scanned the crowd of villagers watching from here and there. Fear remained, but other emotions surfaced as well.
Hope, anger, sorrow…
And revenge.
“You can do whatever you want with him.”
Glenn chuckled dryly and disappeared.
Silence began.
One by one, the villagers approached the bound Raufen Fritter.
“W-what? Those bastards are back! Get your eyes off me!”
The villagers who had exchanged hateful glares with him before now spat curses. They loathed the very idea of knights.
“Y-you killed my daughter.”
“M-my parents were all killed by that bastard!”
Their eyes blazed with murderous intent. They wanted revenge.
“Wait! I was wrong! Let’s talk—agh!”
Smack!
Their faces were filled with grief and hatred.
Once one began kicking, their pent-up rage exploded like a storm.
“Die, die!”
“Damn you, bastard!”
They laughed in the heat of vengeance, but tears came for the families they could never get back. If anything, it was close to madness.
The massacre continued.
Until Raufen Fritter’s breath was extinguished.
***
Just as with Raufen, Glenn distributed captured bandits throughout the village. Naturally, the villagers called for bloody revenge wherever he went.
After everything was done, Glenn and the knights returned to the now quiet fortress.
“Is this really acceptable? Leaving judgment to the villagers…”
Nedian expressed concern, but Glenn remained firm.
“Sometimes, only by paying with blood can the resentment be released.”
The villagers had suffered under the Grand Bandit Knights for over a year. This much venting had to be allowed.
“Understood. Should we contact Sir Kyle now?”
“—Yes, please.”
All preparations were complete.
The rest was in Kyle’s hands.
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