How a Second Life Knight Lives

41. The operation was successful. But.

“We need workers.”

“I wondered what it was when you said you wanted a special interview, but you’re looking for workers? If that’s the case, go see the treasurer or the administrator.”

Baron Patson, offended by the request of a merchant he had never seen before, tried to get up from his seat.

If it weren’t for the connection of the tax collector who had served as an important vassal of the territory since his father’s time, he wouldn’t have even met this person.

But the proposal he made was something that should be discussed with a clerk under the treasurer.

As he was thinking that he should have a word with the tax collector, the moment he stood up, the person standing behind the merchant placed a small box in front of the baron.

It felt heavy.

Even though it was a small box,

Even though he hadn’t lifted it himself,

The feeling it gave off was something extraordinary.

“What is this?”

“It’s an advance payment.”

The merchant unlocked the box and revealed its contents.

It was gold.

The sight of gold bars, the size of fingers, neatly stacked was simply beautiful.

“I heard that you might need gold, Baron. When the vassals of the territory discuss the compensation to be sent to the Count of Kalmar, they will surely mention your responsibility. Without considering their own faults. They are disloyal people who think it benefits them if your power weakens. At that time, if you throw this gold at them and say you’ll take care of the compensation, wouldn’t their loyalty to you be rekindled?”

The merchant gently pushed the box of gold towards Baron Patson.

“This is just an advance payment. Depending on the progress of the work, you could receive several times this amount.”

It was the temptation offered by the minion of an evil god.

At that moment, he shouldn’t have accepted it.

Baron Patson knew.

Even though they said they were looking for workers, it wasn’t just about hiring laborers for hard work.

It was a request to turn a blind eye and look the other way when something dangerous and illegal happened in the territory.

But he really didn’t know it would mean war.

*

Baron Patson vehemently protested to his visitor.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful when reports came in that the villagers were going missing?”

“So we were careful too. Not in one place, but in several. Not many people, but one or two at a time. That’s how we avoided suspicion. We also wanted a steady supply of workers.”

“Then why did you cause such a commotion in Count Kalmar’s territory? Everyone thinks the territorial army attacked!”

Baron Patson genuinely wanted to kill the liar in front of him.

At first, he appeared as a normal merchant, but then he started coming and going in openly suspicious attire.

Although they met at night to avoid people’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel worse every time they met.

If it weren’t for the gold, he wouldn’t have met him at all.

Such attire.

It’s practically saying, “I’m part of a secret society and half-crazy.”

What kind of lunatic is this guy?

Religion? Belief? Or power?

“There was an unfortunate accident. Our brothers mistook the boundary between the barony and the county. So there was a bit of a clash, but it just escalated. The resistance was too strong. We will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“From now on? From now on!? In Count Kalmar’s territory, the mercenary captains have already started recruiting. They say a draft order has been issued to the territorial army with remaining service periods. Compensation is no longer an option. We’re on the brink of a real war!”

“Isn’t the reason compensation is no longer an option because the compensation is too small?”

Baron Patson was speechless.

Because he understood what he meant.

More gold.

More villagers.

If he nodded, more gold would come in.

Just nod.

With that gold, could he avoid a war with Count Kalmar?

If he desperately clung to Duke Maximilian, could the amount of compensation be reduced?

But Baron Patson’s thoughts were interrupted.

Almost simultaneously with the sound of metal clashing outside the bedroom, the bedroom door opened.

A man dressed entirely in black stood there.

Behind him, the knights who were supposed to protect the baron were sprawled out.

The moment he thought the eyes between the hood looked dangerous, something shot out from both of his hands like lightning.

It seemed like something shining stretched out in a straight line.

And the moment that line touched the robed man, the robe spread wide and flew to the right.

And there stood a gaunt and rigid man.

He felt like a withered tree twisted and standing.

*

The two throwing knives I had thrown fell to the side, wrapped in his robe.

And in the place where the knives should have struck, a lanky man with an expressionless face was staring at me.

Baron Patson, who was a bit away from him, retreated hesitantly, as if frightened.

He hadn’t made a loud noise yet, but it was clear that if the baron started shouting, things would get troublesome.

I had to quickly deal with this lanky man and take the baron hostage to escape.

My actions were faster than my thoughts.

In just two steps, I got close enough to grab the lanky man with my hand and stabbed his chest with the dagger in my right hand.

The lanky man’s reaction was just that of a well-trained soldier, at that level.

He tried to narrowly deflect the dagger with his empty hand.

But that was a fake.

The real attack was with the dagger in my left hand.

I stabbed his knee with the dagger

and slashed consecutively.

Before the lanky man could react,

I slashed both his thighs again

and cut his hamstrings,

then pulled him down by hugging his knees.

As the lanky man was about to fall backward,

I stuck close to him

and repeatedly stabbed the carotid artery on the side of his neck with the dagger in my right hand.

Blood spurted from every hole.

In an instant,

without even a scream,

the suspicious lanky man lay on the floor, spewing dark red blood.

He wasn’t dead yet,

but with the arteries in his neck and thighs severed, I could guarantee there was no chance of survival.

But what is this unsettling feeling?

The hardness I felt when I touched the skinny figure.

It felt like touching dry, thick jerky.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

Those hard fingers that would flip open mouths and press muscles as if appraising livestock.

The person those fingers pointed to could no longer be seen in the salt mine.

It felt like PTSD was coming.

The memories I thought I had forgotten suddenly resurfaced.

I felt sweat running down my face.

“Intruder! Intruder!”

Baron Patson picked up a small box and threw it at the window.

Crash!

In the quiet night, Baron Patson’s shout and the sound of the breaking window spread quite far.

Only then did I suddenly recall that Baron Patson was nearby.

I had come to kidnap Baron Patson.

“Annoying!”

I muttered irritably as I lightly lifted Baron Patson’s chin.

Baron Patson fainted immediately.

Now, I just had to carry Baron Patson and run.

However, I approached the dying skinny figure instead of Baron Patson.

I quickly searched his robe and belongings.

Nothing particularly noteworthy came out.

Except for the necklace hanging around his neck.

After taking his necklace, my attention returned to Baron Patson.

Was I a bit late?

It would be troublesome if I were any later.

I set fire to the bedroom curtains and slung Baron Patson over my shoulder.

He was a bit heavy, perhaps because he was slightly obese, but not to the point of being difficult to move.

I ran straight out into the hallway.

The place I had just entered,

I ran towards the place where I had prepared the escape route with a rope.

“There it is!”

“Baron!”

“Block him!”

But the path was blocked.

The knights and soldiers who had just come up the stairs from the second floor spotted me.

I had to cut through them.

I did not slow down my running speed.

As I ran towards them, I threw daggers in succession.

Each time I threw a dagger, soldiers fell.

Although the lanterns lit up the corridor, it was night.

With just enough brightness to barely drive away the darkness, it was impossible to see and block something flying as fast as a dagger.

The soldiers were helpless.

One knight leading them stepped forward, but thanks to his armor, he unknowingly deflected two of them.

He fell with a dagger stuck in his neck.

The two soldiers behind him, holding spears, tried to flee as their superior and comrades fell in an instant.

However, the moment they turned their backs, daggers were embedded in the back of their heads.

I had used up an entire set of daggers in an instant.

There was no one left standing in front of me.

I kept running.

The room I first entered was just as I had left it.

I immediately opened the window and grabbed the rope to descend.

By letting go and grabbing the rope twice, I could descend at a speed similar to just jumping down.

The outside was still clear.

Considering the brief moment I had lost my focus, it wasn’t too far off from the original plan.

In fact, it was obvious that even the soldiers who had been standing guard outside had rushed into the castle, leaving gaps everywhere.

It had only been a very short time from when I left the baron’s bedroom to when I got outside, but flames and smoke were already rising from the baron’s bedroom.

I had heard that if a fire breaks out in a room, it spreads quickly along the curtains, making it difficult to escape, and it was exactly as I had heard.

I had sent the signal properly.

I started running, leaving the burning building behind.

Now it was time to escape.

The knights who came with me did their part well.

When the building caught fire and the guards rushed inside, the ones who were on watch fell into confusion, and the remaining ones were quietly dealt with.

By the time I reached the outskirts of the lord’s castle, they had already taken control of a corner of the castle wall and were waiting for me.

As soon as the knights saw the man I was carrying, they hurriedly tried to send me down first.

There was no pursuit yet.

However, hearing the urgent sound of trumpets in the distance and seeing soldiers pouring out of the lord’s castle again, it seemed they had noticed the baron had been captured.

We had to hurry.

“This way.”

The peddler guide, who had been waiting, led us towards the mountain again.

There, we securely tied Baron Patson to the carrier and tied him up once more.

Then I started running again with the carrier on my back.

If there had been a pursuit, the knights would have stayed behind to hold them off, but fortunately, there was no pursuit, so we all just followed the hunter guide and ran hard.

The way back was not much different from the way we came.

The carrier was much more comfortable than I had thought, so it didn’t even feel like I was carrying a load.

The person tied up and rattling on the carrier might have felt differently, though.

When we reached the border between the barony and the county, part of the territorial army and a mercenary group had been dispatched to set up a position and were waiting for us.

We entrusted our rear to them and got on the carriage heading straight for Count Kalmar.

The operation was a great success.

*

“Sir William single-handedly faced and defeated the forces of Baron Patson. As Count of Kalmar, I cannot help but commend Sir William’s achievements. It is the way of the world to reward those who have achieved merit and to punish those who have committed crimes. Therefore, I, Count Linea of Kalmar, hereby bestow the title of baron upon Sir William.”

It was a shocking announcement to the people who had gathered to celebrate the success of the operation and hear the detailed explanation.

They didn’t even remember the elaborate rhetoric.

The only thing that stuck in their minds was the last sentence.

Bestow the title of baron upon Sir William.