As summer was coming to an end, I had somehow managed to ride a horse on my own. Thanks to my busy days, time passed quickly. Sword training, horseback riding practice, dealing with alcohol, leveling up in dungeons—it’s seriously hectic.
Today, I set out for my monthly visit to my grandmother.
My grandmother has been doing rehab every day, and her health is gradually improving. I’m looking forward to seeing her even stronger this time.
Until now, I had been taking the carriage to the Axel territory, but today, I’m traveling on horseback.
Around me, there are five soldiers from the territorial army my father assigned, five temple knights, including Susanna, and two scouts. Including myself, we are a total of thirteen people on this journey. Since everyone is riding horses today, we are moving faster than usual with the carriage.
Let’s not talk about the modified carriage…
“Master Toma, are you not tired?”
“I’m fine, Albert.”
Albert (33 years old) is the vice-captain of the territorial army, with a rank of C, but his level is a terrifying 300!
He holds the third position in the army, after my father and Captain Daniel (45 years old), but his personal combat strength is second only to my father’s.
Captain Daniel is no slouch either, with a level of 280, but my father and Albert are exceptional.
By the way, Susanna from the temple knights has a rank of B and a level of 170.
Even our youngest in the territorial army, 19-year-old Simon in his second year, has a level of 150, so it’s clear how much real combat experience the Roxfall army has.
One of the scouts returned.
“There are about thirty thieves lying in wait ahead.”
“Thieves?” Albert tilted his head.
“There haven’t been thieves in this area before, so they must have come from somewhere else.”
I’ve traveled this road several times before, but this is the first time I’ve encountered thieves.
“Master Toma’s safety is the priority. Let’s detour.”
Susanna’s suggestion was appreciated, but we are still in Ashwood territory. If we leave thieves unchecked here, they could cause trouble in our territory.
“No, let’s eliminate them.”
“But…”
“I’m fine. And with you, Albert, I’m sure you can handle some thieves, right?”
“Since Master Toma expects it, I can’t back down. Lady Kollraush (Susanna), I leave the protection of Master Toma to you.”
“But there are thirty of them.”
“Our Roxfall army has always defeated enemies who outnumber us. Thieves are no match for us.”
Albert’s handsome smile is devastating. If I were a woman, I might have fallen for him. Even Susanna is blushing.
“Follow me!”
“Yes, sir!” they all shouted.
Albert and the others urged their horses into a run. The heavy low rumble of hooves hitting the ground echoed in my stomach.
After a while, we heard the screams of the thieves.
From the stories my father had told me, I got the impression that Albert is a warrior by nature. He’s said to be like a bloodthirsty beast, showing no mercy whether his opponents are human or monsters. I’m sure none of the other soldiers have any soft thoughts either. So, there’s no need to worry.
When the scout announced the end of the battle, we rode to the scene.
The smell of blood was strong. Three heads rolled across the ground. It was clearly a massacre. Over twenty bodies lay there.
“Master Toma, we have captured some of them.”
“Thanks, Albert. Did they say anything?”
“No, they haven’t spoken. But they were all trained soldiers.”
“Weren’t they thieves?”
The dead bodies and the five captured men were dressed in ragged, filthy clothes. They looked like thieves, but they didn’t seem like regular soldiers.
“We’ll make them talk, so may I have a little time?”
It would take time, but we couldn’t leave them. I nodded to Albert.
Ah, but I should be able to confirm it through information conversion.
Ah, I see… Yeah, that makes sense. These guys are soldiers from the Lightstar family. They were probably ordered by Lightstar to kill me.
After five minutes, the prisoners confessed. The one who saw his comrades getting their fingers chopped off, ears and noses sliced away, was terrified and broke down.
I watched that scene too, but I didn’t feel anything in particular. I guess it’s because I’ve been through worse in my past life, and I wasn’t mentally weak enough to be affected by something like this. I wasn’t even fazed by the sight of intestines scattered among the corpses.
“So, they were sent by Marquis Lightstar…”
Susanna was stunned. Albert, however, seemed to have expected this possibility and wasn’t surprised.
Since the Roxfall family broke away from the Lightstar family, it makes sense that this could be an act of revenge. They probably thought that killing me, the one who made that “horse king” liquor, would deal a blow to the Roxfall family.
I understand why Lightstar is angry after we sent a letter of disownment and switched our allegiance to the Bayerlein Duke’s family. But I couldn’t believe they would send such low-quality soldiers who would spill everything so easily.
“I will report this to Lord Dardale. I’d like to send two of my subordinates to transport these prisoners to the Roxfall mansion. Is that alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Susanna ordered two of the temple knights to deliver the prisoners to the mansion and then quickly rejoin us.
There’s no need to hurry. Even the elite soldiers of the Roxfall army, like Albert and the others, can’t be defeated by just any enemy.
