The bandits simultaneously threw nets toward Nell.
"…Ugh!"
Nell had no choice but to get caught in the nets. There were too many nets to dodge or cut through with her sword.
She swung her sword at the nets in a desperate attempt to free herself. However, the nets were covered with small, sharp thorns and sticky slime, making it difficult to cut through even with her sword.
"It's over."
Ferek crossed his arms and spoke. If she had been wearing armor, it might have been different, but the woman in front of him was dressed in a simple tunic, the kind commonly worn by commoners.
The bandits shot arrows and threw stones at Nell, whose movements were restricted. Nell swung her sword wildly in desperation, but the tangled nets refused to let her go easily.
Even if her body had been in good condition, it would have been difficult. Her emaciated body, weakened from lack of proper meals, couldn't exert its full strength.
Eventually, Nell collapsed to the ground.
"Ooh! We got her!"
"Even a knight can't handle this. Numbers really do make the difference."
"Hehe. Now it's time to have some fun!"
The bandits laughed as they approached the woman. They planned to finish her off first and then have their fun. Cutting off her limbs would have been more enjoyable, but… since the boss had ordered her death, they had no choice.
"I'll! I'll kill her first!"
A bandit holding a dagger stumbled forward. In Ferek's bandit group, there was an unwritten rule that the one who killed the woman got to have fun with her first.
"You idiot! That woman is an Aura Expert…!"
Before the bandit next to him could finish his sentence, the new recruit's head flew into the air.
The bandits reacted swiftly. They all drew their daggers and rushed at her from all directions. Dozens of daggers pierced her body. One even struck her neck, ensuring her death.
"…Ugh! Damn it. This ruins the fun."
The bandits clicked their tongues.
Her body was now a bloodied mess, riddled with dagger wounds. Her intestines were spilling out from her abdomen. Even the most depraved bandits wouldn't consider defiling such a gruesome corpse.
"What? You guys aren't going to do it?"
One bandit asked.
"Damn it. Look at that. Would you feel like doing it? There are other women alive, you know."
"Her face is better than the others. Plus, she's an Aura Expert. When else would we get a chance like this? Hehe."
A man who looked like a bear approached the corpse. He was covered in hair, even on his face. He began to lower his pants in front of the gruesome corpse.
"This crazy bastard. He's really going to do it."
The nearby bandits all shook their heads in disbelief.
Clop! Clop!
The sound of galloping horses echoed. But that wasn't all. The sound of clashing metal could also be heard, mixed with the galloping.
The bandits stopped and turned their attention to the source of the noise. Their faces instantly turned pale.
"What the hell!"
Ferek cursed as he saw the knights charging toward them.
"What are you doing, idiots! Scatter and run!"
Ferek shouted at the bandits again. The bandits screamed and began to flee in all directions.
'Damn it! How did the knights get here so fast? With that many men and warhorses, this isn't just any ordinary knight order!'
Ferek himself was an Aura Expert. He had the strength to become a knight, but he had never received proper swordsmanship training, and his equipment was inferior compared to the fully armored knights. Moreover, there were at least 20 knights.
"Don't kill them! Capture them alive!"
From behind the knights, Eugene gave the order.
"Easy enough."
"As you command!"
The knights responded. And thus, the knights' rampage began.
The bandits had no chance of escaping. The knights were mounted on warhorses, making any comparison in mobility pointless.
"Aaaah! My arm!"
The bandits fell one by one. The knights perfectly executed Eugene's order not to kill. They were true specialists in combat.
"Throw the nets! Let's do it like before!"
It was ineffective. Unless they surrounded and threw the nets from all directions, the knights could simply cut through or dodge them. Even if someone got caught, the trained warhorses easily tore through the nets.
"Arrows! Shoot arrows from a distance!"
It was a futile struggle. The knights' reflexes allowed them to effortlessly deflect arrows shot directly at them. Even if an arrow hit, their armor rendered it useless.
"We surrender! We surrender! Don't kill us!"
"Drop your weapons and kneel."
The knights coldly addressed the bandits. The situation was quickly being resolved.
'Damn it.'
Ferek clenched his fist as he saw three knights approaching him. The situation was already beyond saving. Escape was impossible.
'The only reason they're not killing us is that they plan to torture us.'
Torturing criminals was a common practice.
Fighting was pointless, and escape was impossible. There was only one option left.
'Rather than prolonging my life through torture, it's better to just die!'
Ferek raised his dagger to stab his own throat. But a sword flying from the front knocked his dagger away.
"I know the habits of scum like you all too well."
It was Hent. He dismounted and rushed to Ferek in an instant, driving his fist into Ferek's stomach.
"Ugh!"
"Give up. It's over. Let's not make this more exhausting than it needs to be."
Ferek raised his dagger. A bluish aura formed on the blade.
"What's that? A candle? A quick blow, and it'll go out."
Hent chuckled and blew mockingly.
"You old bastard! Die!"
Hent grabbed Ferek's arm with both hands. He twisted it 360 degrees and then struck his shoulder, dislocating it. He then kicked Ferek's knee, shattering the joint.
"Ouch!"
Hent grabbed Ferek's face as he collapsed to the ground. With one hand, he tore Ferek's clothes and gagged him to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.
"You dared to commit banditry in the Pruckus territory? You underestimated the Pruckus family. You're under special custody now, you bastard."
Hent struck the back of Ferek's head, knocking him out, and then went to find Eugene. He wasn't hard to find. Eugene was being guarded by Head Butler Hassent.
Hent kept a close eye on the head butler.
'I always thought he wasn't an ordinary butler… Seeing him here, there's no opening at all.'
Could he win if they fought? He wasn't sure. That meant the butler had at least a similar level of skill.
"Anyway. The world is full of monsters."
***
When the Flune Knights began to clean up Ferek's bandit group, I dismounted and looked around.
'The house is described as being in the most secluded part of the village, with a forest behind it.'
I found it easily. I headed toward the house but stopped abruptly.
In front of it was the corpse of a woman entangled in numerous nets. Black hair. A sword lying not far away. An emaciated body. Her face was beautiful.
'…Nell Rins. I was too late.'
My plan had gone slightly awry. Originally, I had intended to recruit both Nell Rins and Yuria Grace by showing them kindness. According to the original story, Nell Rins was also an exceptional knight.
'At least it seems I didn't lose as much time as in the original story.'
I walked toward the house where Yuria was hiding. Since the sun hadn't completely set yet, she would still be hiding behind the house.
I stopped in front of the house without entering.
I had no intention of threatening Yuria Grace. Forcing her to follow me through coercion would only lead to betrayal.
I also had no intention of deceiving her with sweet words. I wasn't that skilled in persuasion, and Yuria, being a fugitive, wouldn't easily fall for such tricks.
"I am Eugene Pruckus. The third son of Count Pruckus."
I introduced myself first.
At the same time, I glanced behind me. Hassent was watching over me from a short distance away. I couldn't tell him to leave when he had volunteered to guard me.
Hassent must have already noticed something unusual about me.
'…Whatever. I'll figure it out later.'
Hassent was a man of few words. He might pretend not to notice even if he heard something.
"Yuria Grace."
I called her name directly, intending to convey that I knew her well. But there was no response.
Perhaps she had already fled into the forest and wasn't behind the house… I hoped that wasn't the case.
"I have a proposal."
All I could offer was a deal.
It wasn't unusual. In fact, it was the standard approach. The relationship between lord and vassal was originally a transactional one. The vassal offered loyalty, and the lord granted land in return.
And fortunately, I knew what Yuria wanted from the original story.
"I'll help you get your revenge. Not just against the bandits we've captured, but also against those behind them."
"...."
There was no response.
Had I failed? Or was she never there to begin with?
What should I do? It would be such a waste to lose Yuria now. Maybe I should capture her and slowly brainwash her… As all sorts of absurd thoughts raced through my mind, the voice I had been waiting for finally came.
"...Do you know who my target for revenge is?"
Her voice was calmer and more pleasant than I had imagined.
"I do. I'm quite confident in my information-gathering skills."
As I said this, I subtly mouthed the words. Hassent, behind me, couldn't see.
The Helbrit Duchy.
Yuria Grace was the illegitimate child of the Helbrit Duchy.
She was the daughter of Duke Helbrit, who also served as the kingdom's prime minister, and the knight Nell Rins.
The Helbrit Duchy pursued cleanliness to a pathological degree, eliminating anything that could cause controversy. This was why Nell Rins and Yuria Grace were being pursued by the duchy.
And fortunately, while the Helbrit Duchy knew about Nell Rins, they had no information about Yuria—not even her name or appearance.
"How do you… know so much about me?"
"I investigated various things. About your bloodline. The knight Nell Rins, who fled from a noble family over a decade ago… It wasn't hard to piece things together."
I lied, saying I had stumbled upon the information while investigating Nell Rins. A moment of silence passed.
"I want to achieve my revenge… with my own hands."
"Of course, it has to be your hands. That's what revenge is."
Yuria would succeed in her revenge even without my help. That's how it happened in the original story. But Yuria didn't know the future.
Her target was the Helbrit Duchy, the kingdom's prime minister. Logically, it was an impossible foe for a woman with nothing.
If Yuria truly desired revenge, she would need my help.
"What is the price…? What must I pay you?"
"Yuria Grace. You. If you pledge everything to me… I'll help you achieve your revenge within 20 years. If I fail to help you succeed within 20 years… you can take my life."
I spoke confidently. In the original story, Yuria achieved her revenge within 10 years from this point. Twenty years was more than enough time.
'…Hmm. Maybe asking for everything was too much. Should I have just asked for her loyalty?'
I had momentarily overlooked something.
"Is that all you ask for?"
This wasn't the modern world but a medieval fantasy world.
Human rights? They didn't exist. Slavery was legal. Even commoners could own slaves if they had the money.
A healthy young male slave sold for an average of 100 million nerl. Females were about half that, depending on their looks and background.
Yuria was a commoner, but she was also a fugitive. Ignoring her future potential and considering her current value, she wouldn't even be worth 30 million nerl.
Objectively speaking, I was the one at a disadvantage—unless you considered Yuria's potential to become an Aura Master.
"Is that all? I'm asking for not just your body but your heart and soul as my price."
"If giving this wretched existence to you… will allow me to achieve my revenge, then I gladly offer myself."
"Then is the deal settled?"
"Yes. From this moment on, everything about me, except for one thing, belongs to you. Master."
"Good. Your revenge is yours alone. Now, I'd like to see you. May I come over?"
"Yes, Master."
Perfect timing.
I planned to hide her presence for now. While I didn't think she would do anything, it was better to be cautious, given the Helbrit situation.
Fortunately, the knights were busy cleaning up and hadn't noticed this side. They didn't know about Yuria's existence, except for one person.
"Head Butler Hassent."
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹