89. Shatran’s Shame (3)
“Who dares throw a copper at a knight of the Modric County!”
The copper he himself had thrown.
And the silver coin that had flown back and hit him in the head.
The knight jumped up in a rage at the word ‘gambling money.’
But as soon as he got up, he found a sword pointed at his neck.
He should’ve figured out who his opponent was first.
However, he couldn’t see the man’s face well since the sun was behind him.
“Who are you? A knight of another house?!”
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“A knight of another house… Well. Yes, you could say that.”
Well, then.
There was no way a person carrying a sword could be from Lusmayer.
“Ha. Then be on your way. Why are you acting like this? Huh?”
“Didn’t you start this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I clearly saw you throwing a copper coin at the Lusmayer territory people as if they were playthings.”
What a weirdo. Tuspel, a knight of the Modric County, frowned deeply.
“Look. That’s none of your business. It’s an issue within this territory, so what do you know about it?”
“That’s right! We have to stop those bastards from crossing this road recklessly!”
“We’re knights of the Modric County. Is it a crime to stop those Lusmayer bastards who might do anything?”
His colleagues, who were right next to him, also defended him.
Tuspel also refuted him confidently.
“Furthermore. If you point your sword like this, it will cause friction between the families. Are you, a mere knight, trying to embarrass your lord?!”
“…”
“Apologize now. I’ll let this go if you show some respect.”
He couldn’t be satisfied with just the money he had thrown at the Lusmayer bastards as if to get back at them.
He kicked him without warning and drew his sword and pointed it at him.
And then what? Gambling money?
Wasn’t it obvious that his pride was scratched?
He was going to make him apologize. If he couldn’t, he would bow his head, or else he would threaten to inform the family unilaterally.
Of course, he planned to tell the Count to go to hell in his heart.
“Are you done talking?”
“…What?”
-Bam!
“Keugh…?!”
“H, hey! Are you out of your mind?”
“What do you think you’re doing to us!”
Upon hearing this, the man pinned Tusfel’s body down with his foot.
He pressed the sword to Tusfel’s neck once more, still without releasing his strength.
“Three things. Give me three valid reasons why I should spare you.”
Three fingers unfurled.
“Firstly, in any situation where you cross over into another’s territory, you are obligated to pay a toll. In your time of need, you simply stood by and watched with a smirk.”
The first finger folded down.
“Secondly, you unilaterally attacked the people of my territory. I have every reason to punish you for this.”
The second finger folded down.
“Lastly, as of today, the Rusmayer territory has received the royal family’s certificate and has been placed under my control. Therefore, I am well within my rights to punish you.”
The final third finger.
After stating his three reasons, he calmly held the sword without drawing the blade.
“What kind of lord are you? Huh. You only know how to talk nonsense…! Fine. If that’s what you want, then I’ll make sure to let your family know exactly what happened!”
Unable to endure the repeated humiliation, Tusfel drew his sword, raised his body, and swung the sword in a diagonal line.
However, Tusfel’s sword flew through the air and landed far away on the ground.
“You…! Do you think you can get away with this! How dare you, a mere knight, cause direct friction between families and even threaten to punish me with a sword?!”
“That’s a clear crime! Do you want to be dismissed as a knight?!”
“It’s not a crime. Didn’t I just say it? I have the right to punish you.”
“Wha… what?”
It was absurd.
If he had the right to punish someone by holding a sword to the neck of a knight from another family, then that would mean he had the right to swing that sword.
There was no way that wasn’t a crime.
But this man was acting so confidently.
He was acting as if there was nothing wrong with this.
Suddenly, a question arose.
‘Could it be… for real?’
‘This man, who I’ve never seen before, is the backer of Rusmayer?’
‘Is he in a position to punish me for provoking the people of the territory?’
The three knights’ questions were quickly answered.
Because a single piece of paper that he handed over proved it all.
“I, Karsein Vagrant, as the lord of Rusmayer, have the right to punish you. This authorization document, which was directly approved by the Psellosian royal family, proves it.”
As soon as they heard this, the complexions of the three knights, including Tusfel, turned pale.
***
‘K, Karsein Vagrant…!’
‘Are you saying that those guys really had Duke Vagrant as their backer?!’
‘And if it’s a royal certificate… there’s no way to avoid it…’
The moment they heard the name Karsein, they were so shocked that they thought it must be someone else, but looking at the dark blue hair and faded green eyes, it was hard to see him as anyone else.
The man in front of them was Karsein.
And that certificate was not a fake.
It was the truth.
In that case, what would happen now?
Truly, this was a precarious situation.
A mere knight had dared to block the passage of Lord Lusmaire’s retainers.
Not only that, but he had barred their path, kicked them, and even insulted them with money right before the very noble who governed them.
And then, the bastard had even dared to snicker as he offered to help them, the adopted sons of Duke Vagrant, whom they had been tormenting.
This was truly a disaster.
Punishment from Karsein was a foregone conclusion.
However, there was still a glimmer of hope.
‘The news hasn’t reached Count Modric yet!’
This fact gave Tuspel some relief.
If the news had reached the Count, then they would have truly been doomed, but Karsein had said that he would not report their actions to the Count but would instead punish the three knights himself.
Some might find it humiliating to be punished by a former commoner, but this arrangement would allow them to end the matter themselves.
Furthermore, it even provided them with a faint glimmer of an escape route.
The estate management permit that the Imperial Family had issued and presented to them was not in the name of Duke Vagrant but in the name of Karsein.
It belonged to the man standing right before them.
So, wasn’t the solution simple?
All they had to do was deceive that man.
If they could just trick that man who was completely oblivious to the ways of the world,
They could get out of this without any problems.
‘That’s right. After all, he has no idea what we’ve done.’
Tuspel wiped away a bead of cold sweat and changed his attitude.
“We are well aware that Lord Karsein has become the new lord who governs Lusmaire. However, the severity of our punishment should not escalate to the point of causing serious injury.”
The two knights, who had initially been suspicious, quickly understood Tuspel’s intentions and chimed in.
“That’s right! We also have something we would like you to consider!”
“Even if we were trying to collect tolls, Lusmaire has always been an impoverished territory. Do you think those three people, no, those four people have any money?”
“They have never paid before, even when they have used this road in secret. It’s not for nothing that people say they might resort to thievery.”
Another comforting fact.
Not only had they never asked for tolls, but the people of Lusmaire had also never paid tolls when they passed through.
“The people of Lusmaire are known for their poverty. Do you really think we could collect tolls from them?”
The people of Lusmaire were so poor that they could not even afford to pay tolls.
This was the reason why they had not asked them to pay tolls.
And then,
“However, there is also this other rumor. Did you know that because they are so poor, they are suspected of being the criminals who have been committing thefts in other villages?”
“Some thieves were recently discovered in a village in Count Modric’s Collar. They were so cunning that they couldn’t be caught.”
“Those criminals are now strongly suspected to be the people of Lusmaire. That’s why there are quite a few people who openly accuse them and harbor deep suspicions.”
The poverty of the people of Lusmaire had led to suspicion from other territories.
Naturally, they were the prime suspects compared to the nearby villages that had no problems.
If they steered the conversation in this direction, things could change significantly.
“That’s absurd…!”
Upon hearing this, Kiyan could not help but interject.
The reason for Lusmaire’s poverty was that they were regularly attacked and plundered by the demons that descended from Mount Waglu.
Those who are in a position to be plundered, knowing the bitterness of it, would never commit theft or plundering.
At the very least, he had to explain so that Carsein, who had come to take over their village, would not misunderstand.
However, before Kiyan could step forward.
Someone’s sword swung.
Someone’s hair was scattered in the air.
“Hmm. Now it looks a bit more fitting.”
Carsein, who had cut off Tospel’s hair with a sword, muttered.
Just by looking at his appearance, it was a hairstyle that would be believable even if he was called a bandit, not a knight.
“Wh, what are you doing…!”
“What am I doing? That’s how you look like a bandit.”
“Wha, what are you saying?!”
“Are you saying that we are bandits!”
Carsein calmly replied to the three knights’ protests.
“I don’t know why you’re evading when it’s true. You guys must have been the ones plundering the Rusmire territory.”
“Wha… what?”
“Those knights… our village?”
“Yeah. You may not have noticed, but those guys are the ones who plundered your village.”
The eyes of the three boys grew round.
They, who periodically disrupted their lives, quickly left their seats whenever they asked for support.
They couldn’t be caught even if they tried to catch them.
The people of Rusmire territory, who had no power, had no choice but to call the three knights of Count Modric, who could call the knights the fastest among the nearby territories.
But if they were the criminals, wouldn’t their eyes roll?
At this, the knights exclaimed, furious.
“Th, that’s nonsense! That’s sophistry!”
“You must know how dangerous Rusmire is! It takes time to get there!”
Despite their excuses, suspicion was already rife.
“You were late every time. You never showed up on time. Wasn’t it strangely out of sync with the timing of the bandits’ appearance?”
“How did you…”
“After looking through the dispatch reports for about two years, there was always the same content. When the bandits appeared, they went to find the three knights, but they arrived very late. Otherwise, there were records of times when they were absent.”
Carsein said.
If you think about it carefully, the bandits and the knights have never met at the same time.
And Kiyan and the two boys knew that was true.
“Surely, those people… those people really…!”
To their anger, Carsein drives the wedge.
“Crucially, Rusmire does not receive the protection of the surrounding families. So even if those guys hide as bandits and come, you guys will have to rely on those knights. So, there was no need to show you even the wound you made on your back.”
-Swish!
Carsein swung his two swords twice.
As he sharply cut only the clothes, the wound from the broken stake that Kiyan had stabbed into Tospel’s back in the past remained.
“Now, what are you going to say? Bandit lady.”
As Carsein laughed at him, the two knights behind him immediately drew their swords.
-Clang!
“You brought this upon yourself.”
“Consider it punishment for not valuing your life!”
Two swords flew.
Blood spurted out rapidly.
Before long, they were no longer fit to be knights, or even bandits.
***
Despite the disadvantage of having to face three people at once, Carsein showed no sign of backing down.
The thought crossed his mind that it might be dangerous, but only for a moment.
The three knights—no, the three bandits—were unable to exert any strength against Carsein and collapsed on the spot.
Carsein shook the blood off his sword and spoke, looking in their direction.
“They’ll still be breathing. However, I’ve cut off both their arms so that they can’t wield weapons anymore, so I leave it to you to punish them.”
“Y-yes…”
The three boys watched their master sheathing his sword in a daze.
“Cough, cough!”
In the meantime, a rough cough escaped from the mouth of the girl who had been carried on their backs.
Not only a cough, but a red liquid flowed out of her mouth.
“D-Diena!”
“Kian. Let’s go. We have to leave now!”
“Y-yeah!”
The atrocities of those bandits will be revealed to the world, but this side still has work to do.
They were in a situation where they had to somehow take Daina to a doctor in another village.
“Thank you. However, we regret to inform you that we do not have time to express our gratitude properly right now!”
“We are truly sorry, Lord. Please…!”
“Follow me.”
Just then.
Carsein cut off Melik’s words.
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“It will be difficult to arrive on time at the speed you’re running. The doctor might not be there, so take the carriage.”
“C-carriage?!”
“My Lord. We don’t have the money for that…!”
“I said that I will have you ride in the carriage of the Viscount of Bagran.”
It was a shocking statement.
He wasn’t just lending them money for the carriage, but he was offering to let them ride in the Viscount of Bagran’s carriage.
It was unheard of for a mere villager, who wasn’t even a servant, to ride in a noble’s carriage.
However.
“What are you doing? Get in quickly.”
“…”
He was trying to have the villagers get in the carriage he was riding in as if it were nothing.
At Carsein’s urging, the boys boarded the carriage without a word.
Carsein didn’t say anything after they got in the carriage.
After handing her a handkerchief as if to wipe the corner of her lips, he gazed out the window at the distant sky.
‘That kind of person… is supposed to take care of our village, our territory?’
Keyan had a gut feeling.
That Rusmayer would no longer suffer.