Did they realize that there was a commotion?
People from the center of the village began to gather in small groups towards their direction. Some of them had what looked like weapons, but compared to what the soldiers had, they were nothing more than toys.
Taylor sensed that this was the perfect moment to make a point. A moment to demonstrate his authority.
He grabbed the old man by the collar and swiftly slammed him to the ground.
“Ack!”
The man’s frail body fell to the ground, but no one came forward to help him. It wouldn’t have been possible anyway as Taylor had raised his blade high.
At the same time, Taylor decided to give the villagers something to be afraid of.
With a powerful thrust into the heart, terrified screams echoed in all directions.
It was over.
A frightened crowd was powerless. With a smirk, he raised one arm high.
“Capture them!”
At his booming command, the soldiers hesitantly stepped forward.
“What are you doing?!”
Taylor shouted in disbelief at their bewildered looks. He kicked the soldiers with his foot, urging them on.
It would be bothersome to drag things out, especially if someone started resisting for no reason.
“Don’t— Don’t do it!”
…It always went like this.
Especially when the speaker was a child, it was even more annoying. The child’s bravery would inevitably influence the atmosphere and encourage others to resist.
“It’s so troublesome…”
Muttering under his breath, Taylor pointed his chin at a nearby soldier, then gestured at the child.
“Deal with the noise.”
“… What?”
He repeated his orders.
“I said, kill that thing. It’s bothersome.”
“Bu, but…”
The soldier looked down at the small boy who barely reached his waist. He was glaring at the soldiers, standing in front of his grandfather’s body. Behind him, a woman who seemed to be the boy’s mother was seen running toward them in tears.
Taylor grew even more impatient and urged again.
“Just kill him quickly! Are you defying my orders?”
Taylor’s blade grazed the soldier’s neck.
There was a nauseating smell of blood.
Suddenly, it felt like screams were echoing in his head. Whose screams were they?
It could have been the cries of the old soldier who had taken care of him throughout the march. Or perhaps they belonged to some of the subjects who had protested, refusing to engage in selling the people as slaves.
Regardless, they were all dead, and he was simply a cowardly soldier who feared death.
“I, I will do it. I will do it.”
The soldier replied hastily, gripping his sword.
Despite being trained in swordsmanship, he couldn’t remember a single thing he had learned at this critical moment.
He swung the sword with almost no strength in his hands. He couldn’t properly see where the tip was aimed at. Finally, it made contact with something, making a clanging sound.
The soldier found himself releasing his grip and falling down, the sword dropping with a thud beside him.
“…?”
The place where the child had just been occupied by a man on horseback, drawing his sword as he stared back at him with piercing blue eyes. Behind him, a child was huddling with his mother, escaping into the crowd.
The soldier couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
He was afraid. Afraid that he might actually harm the little boy with his own hands.
“What, what is this? You all—!”
On the other hand, Taylor shouted, alarmed by the suddenly appearing armed men.
The mercenaries pressured the soldiers with even more ferocious expressions. The weary knights quietly retreated behind Taylor.
“What are you doing? Seize those guys immediately!”
As Taylor shouted, a woman came into view.
She had golden hair…
He looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“Princess Rieta?”
He scanned the armed men around her. They were all the hired mercenaries. It was strange that they were here protecting the villagers.
“Princess, I haven’t heard any news about issues with my orders.”
Taylor looked straight at her, not backing down.
“I also haven’t heard any news of Sir Taylor’s troops reaching this far.”
Rieta responded, not backing down either.
“You don’t need to worry. They are criminals who have abandoned their obligations. We will take them to the capital and hold them accountable for their crimes,” He declared cruelly, prompting a murmur from the gathered villagers.
Taylor raised his hand, urging the soldiers who paused.
“Quickly tie them up! Kill those who resist! Hurry!”
“No!”
However, Rieta immediately reversed his orders.
When all the soldiers stopped at once, he shouted in frustration.
“Princess, do you know who these people are?! Do you know what you are doing?!”
“Yes.”
Rieta didn’t give up.
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