“Eri Rimaeri? I don’t know such a name. This is someone I’ve never seen before. But why is this person kneeling before me? I don’t understand. I can only stand there blankly.”
“Victor-nim. Please, follow me…”
“This is nonsense!!!”
The village chief’s scream interrupted Rimaeri’s words.
“Do you know what you’ve done, you fool? Those soldiers are elite soldiers sent by the Empire’s Defense Minister! In other words, you’ve turned the Empire into an enemy! Don’t even think about keeping your life!!”
“Oh.”
Eri Rimaeri stared at the village chief with eyes colder than ice.
“The Defense Minister was connected to you? That’s some surprising news. The Defense Minister ordered you to harm Victor-nim…? I must report this to Her Highness the Princess.”
“What…? The Princess?”
Kyle dumbly opened his mouth.
“That’s right. I’m a close aide to Her Highness the Princess. I obey only her orders. I don’t care about the Defense Minister or anyone else. Don’t try to bring up that rotten authority in front of me. It’s disgusting.”
“…E-even if you say that, you can’t just disrespect the Empire’s second-in-command, the Defense Minister.”
“I told you, don’t bring that authority up in front of me…”
“Wait.”
This time, I interrupted Rimaeri.
The village chief’s words were really getting on my nerves.
“The Defense Minister was connected to you? Now I’m starting to understand the situation. So, this whole thing was your scheme to take over Rudin village, wasn’t it?”
“Hmph! What of it? I’ve been ruling this village for over 50 years! I’m just changing my unofficial rule to official rule! I’m much more suited to be the ruler than that girl named Scarlett!”
“So you’ve been inciting and controlling the people?”
“I don’t care what happens to those pigs! Just the fact that I could move them around like puppets should be considered an honor. Am I wrong?”
“Was the cooking of potato leaves…?”
“Of course, it was to spread rumors that Scarlett gave out poisonous herbs to tarnish her reputation! The plan was going smoothly until… you showed up and ruined everything! Kyle!!”
“Yes, Father!!”
A big young man stepped forward at Kyle’s call. He was probably Kyle’s son.
Kyle shouted,
“Take down Victor and that knight! You can do it!”
“Yes. Understood, Father! Once we defeat these guys, we’ll be Count!!”
I was tired of looking at the man who was puffed up with his empty dreams.
I stopped Rimaeri from drawing his sword and stepped forward to face Kyle myself.
I wasn’t confident in fighting, but at least I had the body of a hero in my past life.
I wasn’t weak enough to be unable to take down a country bumpkin like him.
“I, Victor Evans, will face you, putting my honor on the line.”
“Heh… You’ll be begging for your life soon enough. I’ve never lost a fight. Hehehe… Want me to tell you what will happen from now on?”
Kyle pointed a finger at my knee.
“First, the legs. I’ll break your lower body with a low kick that even a tiger would fall from in one hit, leaving you unable to escape.”
His finger moved up.
“Then, the stomach. I’ll attack with a death punch that could send even a bear flying. At that point, your stomach will empty, and you’ll feel the pain of your internal organs twisting.”
The finger pointed at my head.
“Finally, the skull. I’ll hit your skull with a technique that can even kill a goblin. Your brain will split in half, and you’ll die. In other words, you’ll be dead. Now, do you understand? How foolish it is to face me? Let’s begin… It won’t be a fight, but a one-sided massacre!!!”
“You talk too much.”
Wham!
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”
Unable to bear listening anymore, I unconsciously threw a punch.
The effect was astounding.
Kyle was spun around in the air ten times before crashing headfirst to the ground.
Was my punch really that strong?
“This… This can’t be… Kyle was a legendary fighter who won the national martial arts competition…”
Kyle’s father, the village chief, gaped in shock.
Of course, he had no combat ability.
Now, with his son defeated, all that was left for the village chief were pitiful words.
I spoke loudly for everyone to hear.
“First, you insulted Lady Scarlett, spreading false rumors. Second, you conspired with foreign officials to incite rebellion. Third, you directly attacked the noble house. What punishment should be given in this case, Lady Scarlett?”
“That’s obvious, Victor.”
Scarlett covered her face with a fan and spoke.
“Execution, an execution.”
This is a medieval fantasy world.
There was no room for mercy.
Even in modern-day South Korea, a crime of treason is punishable by death.
In medieval times, there was no question about it.
In the end, the execution of the village chief and his son took place.
The method of execution was burning at the stake.
They would be nailed to crosses and burned in front of everyone.
As night approached, all the villagers gathered at the execution site.
Piles of firewood were placed under two crosses, each with the village chief Kyle and his son Kai nailed to them.
Village Chief Kyle wept and pleaded.
“Everyone!!! Please spare me!! I am your village chief, Kyle! Do I really have to die like this? I won’t deny that I’ve done wrong! But everything is the fault of the Minister of Defense! That man threatened me! I committed this crime because I was coerced! Don’t you think I deserve some leniency? Villagers! Please spare me!”
But no one reacted to his tearful plea.
Kyle’s dark intentions had already been exposed.
Only the village maiden, Rose, spoke coldly and truthfully.
“No one will believe your lies now, Chief. What’s the point of begging us? Why don’t you ask the Lord for mercy?”
“The Lord…? Scarlett…?”
Kyle looked at Scarlett with tearful eyes. She handed the torch to me and spoke.
“Victor, light the fire.”
“Understood, my lady.”
I followed her orders.
It was a simple task of just throwing the torch into the firewood.
In an instant, the fire caught, and the crosses began to burn.
Screams of agony echoed through the air.
“Ugh! Aaaagh!!”
“Father! Please, save me!!!”
“What do you want me to do now? You should be the one using some strength!!”
“I’m tied up with ropes! I’m just doing what you told me to do!! Father, please!!!”
“Gahhh!! This… this wasn’t supposed to happen! Everything was going so well, why… why… this is all Victor’s fault… That guy…!”
Village Chief Kyle glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Ever since that guy arrived, everything started to fall apart! I can’t forgive you, Victor!! VICTOOOR!!!”
“Well… even if you can’t forgive me… you don’t have 5 minutes left to live.”
The flames climbed up the crosses, engulfing the lower bodies of the father and son.
The screams grew louder.
“Aaaagh!! Help me! Someone put out this fire!!!”
“Waaagh!!!”
The fire on Kai was much fiercer.
Kai was already consumed by the flames and died with a final scream.
Meanwhile, the fire on Village Chief Kyle was spreading slowly, prolonging his suffering.
“Save me!! Please, save me!! I understand now! I was wrong, Victor! No, Victor-nim!! I was wrong! Please put out this fire! I… I was wrong! I’ll do whatever you ask, just… please… please spare my life!”
“Is that sincere, Chief? You’ll do anything?”
“Yes! Yes! Of course! I’ll do whatever Victor-nim asks! Just save me!”
“Alright, then I’ll give you an order.”
I smiled brightly as I spoke.
“Die quietly. That is my order.”
“Y-you bastard!!!”
That was the miserable final scream of Village Chief Kyle.
The two flames lighting the night seemed to signal the end of the turmoil that had shaken Rudin Village.
When the flames died down and only ashes remained, dawn arrived like a symbol of hope, and the sunlight began to shine brightly.
The rebel elements of Rudin Village were no more.
And then… Lord Scarlett stood proudly before all the villagers and declared.
“I hope that everyone will bury the unpleasant events of the past in their hearts, along with these ashes. Any bad rumors about me, Scarlett, I will erase through my own efforts. Before that, I will reward the person who solved this incident. Victor!”
She called my name.
“You solved the famine by distributing potatoes and made a great contribution in stopping the coup.”
For some reason, my heart raced.
For the first time since coming here, I felt recognized.
“Therefore, I, Scarlett Bollandchepor, will appoint you as a Baron and assign you the role of a retainer to assist me, the Lord!”
“What…? Me, a Baron…? I’m a noble?”
It was an unexpected title… but yes.
I had become a noble.