Chapter 71:The Enemy Closer (8)

The captured boss bandit opened his eyes shortly afterward.

It was an encouraging accomplishment for Keldric to have captured a bandit of this caliber alive, even if his eyes were still unfocused and half-open.

After the mercenaries had managed to staunch the bleeding from his shoulder and hold him for dear life, Keldric confronted the now-awake bandit himself.

“What’s your name?”

“…….”

“For every time you refuse to answer, I’m going to rip off one of your fingers.”

Keldric took off his gauntlets, revealing his calloused hands. At the sight of it, the leader of the bandits shuddered in horror.

So did the Iron Claw mercenaries gathered around him, and many of them looked at Keldric with fear in their eyes.

“Crazy…………. You’re pulling his fingers off, not breaking them?”

“I thought I misheard you.”

“Shhh. Shut up. You sound like a knight.”

It’s not like Keldric didn’t hear the chatter, but he did. I think he realized that I had sounded a bit threatening.

“Now, answer me. What is your name?”

“Gu-Guntram.”

“Yes, Guntram. What were those men you led away a moment ago doing?”

“I’m warning you for the last time, but I don’t want you to start racking your brains for excuses.”

Keldric sat up and pulled out a heavy iron mace, silently placing it in his lap.

The slightly used mace was eerie to behold, and the sight of it sent a shiver down the Guntram’s spine.

He didn’t want to think about how many skeletons he could have crushed with that hunk of iron.

“We’re mercenaries, sir. We were with a mercenary organization called the Warriors of the Peaks.”

“Warriors of the Peaks?”

Keldric raised his gaze to Radomar. Radomar closed his eyes and seemed to think for a moment, then shook his head. The name was new to him.

“Where were they moving from?”

“They were moving toward Wagraum. The neighborhood has been unruly for some time now, and…………. We’ve been getting a lot of calls.”

Wagraum was a place name in the northeastern part of the county of Lassau.

It was also the land of other nobles before the Emperor divided up the nobles’ estates and lumped them together into the Count of Lassau.

In other words, it was still a highly contested area between the Counts of Lassau and the neighboring nobles. Keldric smelled a foul odor at this point.

“So, how did you end up here?”

“Well, it was…….”

Guntram hesitated. Watching him open and close his mouth was not what Keldric wanted.

“I see.”

Rising to his feet, Keldric slowly lifted the mace. At this rate, it was certain to crack the Guntram’s skull.

It let out a new scream and fell flat on its face in front of Keldric.

“I beg your pardon, Count Lassau, the Count of Lassau sent us here!”

“Count Lassau?”

“Y-yes! That’s right!”  

The Count of Lassau sending the Warriors of the Peak all the way here—Keldric found it hard to grasp the reasoning behind it.  

“Why were you sent here? Tell me everything you know!”  

“Alright! I’ll tell you! Just spare my life!”  

Guntram, as if the floodgates had opened, began spilling everything he knew.  

He might have been warned by the Count of Lassau to keep his mouth shut, but in the face of Keldric who could smash his skull like a watermelon those warnings held no weight.  

Frankly, even if Keldric ignored the whole matter and killed Guntram on the spot, the Count of Lassau would have no way of knowing the details.  

“So, you were hired to commit banditry?”  

“Yes! That’s correct!”  

Guntram’s explanation was as follows:  

One day, while Guntram and the Warriors of the Peak were working as mercenaries in Bagraum recently absorbed into the Count of Lassau’s territory—the Count secretly summoned a few mercenary groups from the area.  

Thinking they might finally earn some real money, they showed up, only to be offered payment by the Count to commit acts of banditry.  

For a noble to hire mercenaries to “go rob people” was a disgraceful act, devoid of any honor.  

It wasn’t merely a lack of decency; ordering them to raid travelers and merchants in someone else’s land crossed all boundaries of conduct.  

But the Count of Lassau had no reputation to tarnish in the first place, being a shepherd boy who had risen to nobility. Having the Emperor as his powerful backer, he seemed to care little for honor or reputation, running rampant without restraint.  

The motive for inciting banditry along the road connecting the domains of the Count of Bogenberg and the Baron of Spitzenberg wasn’t hard to deduce.  

“He’s trying to sow discord.”  

With the Baron of Spitzenberg caught between the Count of Lassau and the Count of Bogenberg, the Count of Lassau likely intended to drive a wedge further into their strained relationship.  

It was a shallow ploy.  

Even if the Count of Bogenberg captured just one of the mercenaries and interrogated them as was happening now the truth would come to light.  

This suggested the Count of Lassau had no intention of keeping it a secret in the first place.  

But it didn’t seem to matter to the Count of Lassau.  

If the Baron of Spitzenberg’s trust in the Count of Bogenberg was momentarily shaken, the Count of Lassau could exploit the rift and persuade the Baron to his side.  

Whatever happened after Count Bogenberg uncovered the truth wouldn’t matter. As long as the objective was achieved, the rest was irrelevant.  

“Sir Keldric, this could be a major issue for the Count of Bogenberg.” 

Keldric nodded silently.  

As Alyssa had pointed out, if the Count of Lassau was willing to resort to such petty schemes, it was likely similar incidents were happening elsewhere.  

More bandits might be lying in wait along the road to Spitzenberg.  

“Such vile acts, without hesitation.”  

It was utterly despicable. One might call it ambition if being generous, but it was doubtful anyone would see it in a positive light.  

Guntram, in the end, was merely being used as a disposable pawn.  

However, that didn’t excuse his willing participation in banditry.  

“By the authority entrusted to me under the name of Johann von Bogenberg, rightful lord of Bogenberg, and by the sacred contract I uphold as a knight of House Bellaf, I shall determine your fate.”  

“S-Sir Knight! Please spare me! I beg you!”  

“For the crime of banditry and the theft of innocent lives, and for the sin of greed, you shall repay with your death.”  

As Alyssa shielded the eyes of Arno and Helga, Keldric raised his mace high.  

Guntram’s face twisted with despair, and the heavy weapon paused for just a moment in the air before crashing down with thunderous force.  

Thwack!  

“Ugh, Mr……”

“Ugh…..”

His head crushed by the blow, Guntram screamed in agony.

Its mangled body rolled across the floor. Keldric clicked his tongue and brushed the flesh off the mace with a small flick of his tongue.

They say, show no mercy to bandit bastards.

Keldric had no intention of showing mercy to such men.

☩    ☩    ☩    ☩    ☩    ☩    ☩

Continuing a forced march in the middle of the night was impractical. However, returning to their bedding after having blood on their hands just moments ago felt unthinkable to everyone. 

“Feel free to collect spoils.”  

“Yes, Sir Keldric.”  

Keldric granted the mercenaries permission to claim the loot. In response, Radomar bowed, unable to suppress a smile.  

Even though it was only a day or two’s journey to Spitzenberg, boosting morale for the return trip wasn’t a bad idea.  

“Sir Keldric, what should we do with the bodies?”  

“It would be best to gather them in one place.”  

“Indeed. Leaving them scattered might lead to trouble.”  

Keldric also issued orders to handle the bodies. While burying them was impractical, at least burning or otherwise disposing of them seemed like the right course of action.  

Gathering the bandits’ bodies took hours. Not only were there many to collect, but searching the still-dim fields with nothing but torches was fraught with challenges.  

Yet the mercenaries weren’t complaining. In fact, their faces were lit up with smiles. These bandits weren’t the usual poorly armed riffraff. Every item they picked up seemed to have considerable value.  

While the heavier armor and excessive weapons had to be left behind, the silver coins in their pockets and their relatively intact boots were profitable enough.  

Keldric lent a hand as well. He had personally taken down more than ten bandits, and all the loot from them was his by right. While he had already earned a fortune at the Bogenberg tournament, wealth was always better in abundance.  

Still, collecting money so aggressively might be seen as greedy. For a knight, displaying wealth and honor through luxury was one thing, but an obsession with hoarding wealth was something to be wary of. Even Keldric himself struggled to distinguish the two.  

He set aside a few silver coins for himself.  

As the group continued to gather bodies and loot, the eastern horizon gradually began to brighten. The sun started to rise, and the fields, bathed in soft morning light, revealed a grim sight.  

The campsite where Keldric and his group had rested was relatively untouched, but nearby areas bore clear traces of violence bloodstains scattered here and there and patches scorched by fire. It was a stark reminder of the battle that had taken place.  

“Sir Keldric, the bodies have been gathered.”  

“Alyssa.”  

“Yes, Sir Keldric.”  

Alyssa began muttering incantations to prepare her magic. Soon, embers from the campfire and torches floated gently in the air, drifting toward the pile of bodies.  

The flames quickly consumed the corpse. Amidst the thick stench of burning flesh, Keldric sighed shakily.

“We’d better get the camp organized.”

“Aye, sir.”

Radomar and the mercenaries quickly organized the camp. Keldric turned away from the pile of corpses, a thick puff of smoke rising from them.

“Arno, Helga. Come closer.”

Arno and Helga, looking a little frightened, scrambled to their feet and stood in front of Keldric.

The blood had been wiped away, but the image of Keldric slaughtering bandits in a blazing fire was not one that would be easily forgotten.

Add to that the fact that the children had watched their entire village being looted, and Keldric’s mouth watered more than usual.

“Spread out your hands.”

“What, hands?”

“Come on.”

Two pairs of fern-like hands gingerly appeared in front of Keldric.

Keldric placed a handful of silver coins on them. A dozen Grasen silver coins each were placed in Arno and Helga’s hands.

“Lord Keldric, these.

“It is because of your care that Avelyn came to you immediately. So, this is what you deserve.”

“Go, thank you!”

“Thank you………….!”

Arno and Helga’s eyes sparkled with hope, though still tinged with fear, as they bowed their heads in gratitude.

Even as orphans, they must have felt a little nervous about following a knight they’d never met before.

But Keldric was more merciful than Arno and Helga had realized, and he was also surprisingly good at fighting.

His pockets were a little lighter, but Keldric didn’t feel it was a waste.

If twenty Grassen silver pieces could buy the trust and loyalty of a servant, it was a bargain.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes. Let’s go!”

With his back to the blood-spattered field, Keldric mounted Boreas and drove him slowly along the road again.

Spitzenberg was not far away. With a little diligence, they might be able to avoid camping.

Keldric hoped they wouldn’t run into any more bandits.