Free Web NovelChapter 61: Chapter 57: Hunter and Prey
On the dirt road leading to Newly Town, two newly formed wheel ruts ran deep and heavy.
To the discerning eye, this was a blatant display of ostentation, a testament to the wealth they had carried.
Glenn, a Knight captain under Baron Ola Stonebeard of Shiyan Town, was squinting as he examined the tracks.
His warhorse snorted impatiently beneath him, but his gaze was sharper than the winds of the North Sea.
"Boss, I asked the traveling merchants," a young Knight said, riding closer and lowering his voice, his eyes glinting with a mixture of greed and confusion.
"They said that guy Velin from Newly Town brought back an entire Alchemy Workshop from Tarry Port, along with countless materials. Where do you think he got all that money? Could it really be a gift from some female ship captain?"
"Just a soft-boiled egg who got his start thanks to a woman," another Knight sneered.
His comment provoked a wave of lewd laughter, and filthy jokes spread shamelessly through the squad.
Just then, a soldier with a grim expression approached and said in a low voice, "Boss, it’s not just about the money. My nephew ran off the day before yesterday. Someone saw him yesterday clearing land in Newly Town for points! I heard one day’s work can get you a small bag of refined salt! A few lazybones from our own town have been heading over there recently, and we can’t even stop them!"
The laughter around them died abruptly.
Although they couldn’t care less where those mud-legs went, this was clearly an attempt to undermine Shiyan Town!
Glenn withdrew his gaze, lightly tapping his leather boot with the end of his riding crop. The rhythmic TAP... TAP... silenced the last of the laughter.
"The Baron is waiting. Waiting for this Velin Klein to come to him and pledge his loyalty."
Glenn’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a chill. "But what about him? Not only has he failed to pay his respects to the Baron, but he has the audacity to parade the Golden Sail Commerce Association’s convoy through our territory."
"He’s making a show of force against us!" He scanned his men with a cold smile.
"Today, we’ll give this fat sheep a little rap on the knuckles on behalf of the Baron and see just how fat his guts really are."
"And we’ll see if that captain backing him is willing to clash with the battle-axes of Shiyan Town for the sake of her new little pet!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a rustling came from the woods ahead, and a patrol team emerged.
They wore standard-issue leather armor, but it was so crudely made it looked more like a hunter’s outfit.
Their leader was a burly man with a full, bushy beard. A freshly scabbed scar ran across his face—a medal of honor from a fight with a beast.
It was the patrol from Newly Town.
The two groups faced off across the unseen border, the air instantly growing tense.
The patrol captain from Newly Town had clearly overheard the conversation. His face was ashen, and the veins on the back of the hand gripping his sword hilt bulged.
But he didn’t lash out immediately. He only said in a deep voice, "This is the land of Newly Town. Please turn back."
"Turn back?" Glenn dismounted deliberately, tossing his riding crop to a subordinate.
Flexing his wrists, he sauntered forward, his gaze as contemptuous as if he were looking at a herd of pigs ready for slaughter. "It seems your pretty-boy lord only taught you how to farm, not how to speak to real Warriors."
"What did you say?!" A young guard from Newly Town, his blood rushing to his head, couldn’t help but curse.
"Get them."
Glenn didn’t even bother to say another word.
His figure blurred, and he pounced like a cheetah into a flock of sheep.
The young guard who had spoken first saw only a flash before a sickening THUD echoed from his chest, a sound of bone and leather armor colliding. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, curling up on the ground and vomiting uncontrollably.
This wasn’t a battle. It was a brutal "lesson."
The Knights of Shiyan Town wore mocking sneers as they fought. Every punch, every elbow strike, landed precisely on the most painful but non-lethal joints and soft spots.
The guards of Newly Town roared and fought back, but they were like a group of clumsy children. Their punches were feeble, and their formation collapsed instantly.
The bearded captain let out a furious roar. Ignoring a fist flying at him, he shoved a Knight aside, trying to protect a fallen comrade behind him. freewebnøvel.com
But what met him was Glenn’s merciless knee strike.
CRACK!
The sickening crunch of a breaking rib set teeth on edge.
In just a few moments, all the guards from Newly Town were on the ground, groaning in pain. freewebnσvel.cøm
Glenn planted a foot on the captain’s chest, grinding down slowly and forcefully with the sole of his boot. He looked down from his superior position into a pair of defiant eyes.
"Go back and tell your pretty-boy lord," Glenn’s voice dripped with arrogance, "to have his Golden Suns and grain ready, wash his neck, and wait for the Baron’s summons."
"Otherwise, the next thing stepping on your face will be a warhorse’s iron hoof."
He spat, then sauntered off with his men, leaving behind a scene of indelible humiliation.
...
「Lord’s Mansion—Office」
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps and suppressed gasps came from outside the door.
"My lord!" The door was thrown open. Before the guard could finish speaking, a wretched figure had already staggered inside.
It was Rego, the patrol captain.
His face was black and blue, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. The healing salve applied to his ribs was faintly visible through his clothes.
"My lord!" Rego dropped to one knee. "We... We have brought you shame!"
Velin was calm, showing neither anger nor alarm.
"The men from Shiyan Town?"
"Yes. It was Glenn Steel Bone, the Baron’s Knight captain."
Rego gritted his teeth and repeated Glenn’s humiliating threats, word for word.
After hearing him out, Velin simply nodded.
’An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth. When your riches grow faster than your strength, trouble comes knocking.’
He called over a guard and gave a few instructions.
Soon, old Walker strode in, his face etched with suppressed worry.
Velin had appointed him the territory’s "Agricultural Specialist," which had not only eased Velin’s own burdens but also given the once-ignorant villagers a newfound courage.
"My lord, we must gather our men!" old Walker urged. "The young lads in town are still tough. We can fight them!"
"No." Velin shook his head and walked to the window.
He looked out at the flourishing land. New fields had been planned out on the saline soil, and in the distance, at the foot of the mountain, artisans were moving supplies into a cave.
"I called you here to have you tell them," Velin’s voice was placid, "to keep doing their jobs. They are to think about nothing, do nothing. Life goes on as usual."
Old Walker was stunned. "But... my lord, those bastards from Shiyan Town..."
"Let them come." Velin cut him off, turning slowly. His gaze fell on a document on his desk.
"Walker, sending our farmers and hunters to fight a squadron of battle-hardened Knights is like throwing an egg against a rock. Go back and do as I say."
Old Walker’s lips moved, but he was unable to form a rebuttal.
’What else could be done? Could they really expect their lord to fight the entire barony by himself?’
Filled with confusion and resentment, he turned and left.
Velin’s mood, however, was as good as ever. He had a new project to work on.
’This provocation, delivered right to my doorstep, is the perfect opportunity to test the latest research from the Origin Association. This land can’t just grow Stone Skin Soft Vines and sea-salt potatoes forever. It’s time for it to grow its first claws.’
’But before that...’
’Valerius’s introduction can’t wait any longer.’
’A lord with no class level in this world is far too easy a target.’
