46 Castle Rachard (2)

Mark stood there with a stalwart face as the expressions of the nobles become ugly realizing that someone has taken out every guard without their knowledge while not even alerting them. As greedy as they were as nobles, they still have their prior experience as a knight.

They knew that for someone to do this silently without alert experienced knights like them then who they are facing is not someone easy to mess with. Even the Baron got silent as he heard Mark's announcement, he knew how shrewd the Duke was and to give the fief he owned to this man without hesitation then he must have confidence in him.

The only way out for them is maybe to take this guy hostage after a duel so he subtly looked at the most experienced knight within the group which was the knight who noticed the weird situation first. Mark noticed this subtle action of the Baron which made him look at the knight's profile and from what Mark could see this guy has a title [Knight of the Realm].

This means that he already has experienced many battles and could be deemed stronger than that adventurer with the spear. But he could see he was not strong enough to defeat him so he looked around the other nobles instead to see if something is wrong with them. Mark relaxed as the nobles here does not have any thing abnormal like being a worshipper of the chaos gods.

So it was just some manipulated nobles as Mark could see a trait from the Baron which was [Ambitious] so maybe he was not content being a Baron. Mark did see the neglect of the state of the hamlets and people of this fief so it was just the cliché greedy noble clique. As he pondered in just a few seconds, the knight also realized their predicament and understood the look given to him by the Baron.

"You ask us to surrender and speak like that but how can we trust your words when you bring no proof of your validity and our supposed to be transgression. So why should we surrender to a liar! You are just a coward who hides behind arrows and don't even have honor to fight us in melee!" The knight pointed his sword forward but did not move much as the bows were still pointed at them.

"So you want to play it that way huh?" Mark murmured as he smiled looking at the knight. He knew how Brettonian knights disdain using bows and other ranged weapons as it was frown upon saying it was dishonorable. He wanted Mark to engage in a duel and they might think they can beat him and use him hostage or something.

"So you want me to fight you in close combat?" Mark smiled evilly as he looked at the knight and the other nobles. Well their nobility will be stripped from them anyways but Mark cannot kill them all as the Duke might want to execute them himself. If that time comes then they might speak of him not fighting them honorably or some shit like that.

"Why? Are you afraid that your dishonorable self will be known by all?" the knight tried to rile Mark up with his words but Mark just smiled and replied.

"Why should I? Your all traitors marked by the Duke himself, I will get no honor fighting criminals of the Duchy. So don't talk to me about honor when you all tried to betray the Duchy who you have sworn you oaths to." Mark did not even move as he stood there smiling while the faces of the nobles in front of him turn ugly as Mark just branded them as oath breakers.

Even if they are greedy nobles they are still brettonians who was raised in a country that puts importance in chivalry and honor. Saying things like there is no honor in fighting them insults their very being as Brettonians and labeled as Oath Breakers even more worse.

"You coward!! You only twist words with your sophistry and lies." The Baron was angry but they did not move as they could feel the stares of the bowmen boring through their skin.

"You are idiots, I can see that some of you might have been persuaded through intimidation and I can spare your lives. And all you need to do is point out who is responsible for planning this all." Mark smiled as he looked through the group, he could tell from the documents that not all noble here are rebellious.

Some were intimidated through various means like the Baron using his rank and some children were used as political hostages. Some of the people his men have captured in the castle were squires and maids who were children of some low rank nobles. Mark could see the hesitation of some like the noble woman as she was but a widowed woman whose son is held hostage.

"You!! You hono-" the knight was about to lash out at Mark's refusal but an Arrow lodge itself behind him in an instant and it made him pause as he could feel the breeze passing through between his legs. He paled as he felt how close that Arrow was to his family jewels that it made the other male nobles present shiver at the sudden shot.

"I know you might be afraid but I can plead for mercy to the Duke for your life to be spared. I already have gathered documents and evidences before I came here so if you know you are innocent then step out of the group. If others try to stop them then you will be shot regardless of who you are." Mark lied a bit as the intelligence was gathered by the vampires in those documents.

Mark knew that as from the documents he had gathered also included who were guilty and not. Having this fief means he needed some administrators in case he is not around and these low rank nobles would be of help to him. Soon the noble woman broke off from the group alongside four other low rank nobles.

"You!! You believe this man's words?! You know how the Duke is and he will have you all hanged like us once he arrives here." Said one of the nobles but the Baron and the others were not able to say anything before this man blabbered his words out.

"So you admit that you have planned a rebellion then?" Mark smiled as he picked up his sword, too bad the baronet the vampire was married to was the blurted it out so he could not spare him. Welp their relation was false anyways.

But before Mark could say anything else the Baron instantly ran back towards the Great Hall which made the other ones run back too as there were weapons inside. But the bowmen were alert and released their shot. Most were hit in their legs but the Baron was able to escape using one noble as a shield which hit the poor guy in his shoulders and it was the baronet who got shot.

"Argh! My leg!" said an old noble

"You bastard!! My shoulder is bleeding arghh!!" said the baronet

"OUCH!! My butt!!" a young noble woman screamed, Mark looked at it in pity as he felt that it was wrong to hit such a fine ass like that.

"It hurts! It hurts!!" another noble

"ARGHH!! Spare me please"

Mark was about to chase after the ones going to the Great hall but he was stopped by three knights who decided to defeat Mark. Soon they were clashing swords as Mark chose to be lenient and observe how the knights fight as they battled. Mark easily weaved through their swings as he parried them and redirected their attacks.

This made the knights take the fight more seriously as they thought that they would be safe from the arrows once they are in close combat with Mark. Yet it seems that their foe is better than them in swordsmanship in many ways.

Mark blocked and parried as he found their way of fighting is quite different from the way middle aged knights on earth fight. It seemed that their stances and forms were made so knights here could battle larger opponents which Mark understood as they mostly fight bigger orcs and beastmen around here.

As they fought Mark could see his swordsmanship is getting refined by the second, as skillful as he is he still lacks proper experience in battles so Mark did not worry much as he whittled his skills to become sharper and fluid as time goes by.

The knights soon had an angry expression as they could tell that Mark was toying with then as they battled. They felt their pride and honor is being tarnished as they swung their swords only for it to end blocked or redirected away towards their ally.

Mark felt that they were not skilled enough other than the middle aged knight who was now sweating buckets. Mark finished the battle by making two swords winging at him collide by parrying and using the flat side of his sword with a little bit of strength on their arms to disarm them.

Mark was then left facing the middle aged knight who was now pale realizing how outclassed he was in terms of skill and speed. Mark did not bother anymore as he quickly disarmed the guy too and went to knock them all down.

"Tie these men up and gather these injured nobles and place them on the battlements." Mark looked towards the servant's quarters as he knew Melissa was watching.

Mark then walked past the injured nobles and made his way towards the Great hall and felt the doors were barricaded. He smiled as he raised his sword and slashed directly in the middle of the door which cut the iron bar that held it together. His strike was quite string that it made a large noise, Mark was not sure if the guards outside notice but it won't matter anyways as he would have captured the nobles already before they could gather.

As soon as he opened the door he was greeted by three arrows which he blocked one with a sword and caught one with one hand, the other just passed by his side which he ignored but it hit a injured noblewoman behind him.

"Aaahh!" shouted the noble woman as her other butt cheek got hit.

"Oh shit, my bad!" Mark said as he walked forward the great hall and saw five noblemen with swords. The Baron and two others put their bows down as they could see how fast Mark was able to catch an arrow. Some of the noble women was huddling behind them as they felt fear.

"You monster!!" One noble with a bow said as he tried to knock another arrow but got hit with another arrow as Mark threw the one he caught. He got hit in his right shoulder as Mark saw it was his dominant hand.

"Aarrghh!! My arm!!!!" the guy rolled in the floor in pain.

"Surrender all of you, I know some of you are just children of other nobles or their wives but I'll only present the ones that followed the Traitors willingly while those that did not partake may be given mercy." Mark did not want all of them to die or else how could he get all of their properties if every member of their family dies. Who will sign the forms of transfer, so he relied on the best trait of traitors, betraying.

"I did not have hand on this my lord!! It was my father who made the decision!!!" A young man who was holding a sword said as he dropped it and ran to the side.

"You!! You ungrateful brat!!" The Baron was fuming as the young man who ran was his own son.

"I have no hand in this my lord, it was my husband who was traitorous!!" a noblewoman said as she ran along with some young ladies who were probably wives and daughters of the men who were left. There were no women as not much were given authority to handle family matters unless widowed.