Chapter 103 - Watchman in the barley field (2)

Joseph always said that one must repay what they receive.

Regardless of whether it's grace or resentment.

"Please save me… please save me, sir."

If you've received something, you must repay it.

Vlad hadn't lived an easy life to the point of dismissing the person who intended harm.

"Did you also save others when they asked?"

The moonlight shining at the right moment illuminated the bandit, begging for his life.

The fingers of someone hanging from his neck seemed pitiful.

"Yes! I saved his life! It's true!"

"Is that so?"

There are too many unqualified people in this world.

Even if you're unqualified, you take more than others and rise higher.

And they crush the world weaker than themselves too easily.

"Don't fuck with me."

And one thing unqualified people have in common.

They're all liars.

"Get rid of the finger bones stuck in your neck and tell me. Bastards."

Goethe was staring.

The moonlight begins from Vlad's closed left eye and flows to the tip of the sword.

The boy who admired Moonlight sung by someone else is no longer here.

The person here now was someone with their own world.

The soft moonlight summoned by Vlad began to capture bright red blood.

Under the sword wielded by a qualified person, they began to scream lies.

The price for daring to insult a legitimate knight.

It wasn't enough to pay it with their life.

***

Dobrechi, a rural and secluded territory.

It was a quiet village where even the passing merchants were familiar faces, but the guards standing in front of the wooden fence seemed rigid.

This was because recent rumors circulating through the territory had put them on edge.

"What's that over there?"

"Hmm?"

There was a suspicious gathering in their sight.

Two men on horseback coming from a snow-covered hill in the distance.

"What is that?"

And even the men who were being dragged behind them.

Despite it being a cold winter, they were clearly not a common group as they were being dragged by a rope without even wearing boots.

"Stop! Everyone ahead must stop!"

The guards pointed their spears at unfamiliar men they had never seen before.

However, the man at the front was not at all intimidated by the guards' strong restrictions and simply approached slowly.

"Who are you…"

"I am the Knight of Bayezid. Vlad."

A young blonde man mounted on a jet-black horse.

The young man, not only with his beautiful hair color but also with the clothes he wore, looked luxurious and exuded an elegance that made anyone seem to belong to a certain nobility.

"We've caught the bandits who were causing trouble around here."

"Bandits, you mean bandits?"

Although his correct identification had not yet been confirmed, the guard addressed Vlad with a respectful tone without realizing it.

It wasn't just because the aura he exuded seemed noble.

The men followed the young man, bound with a rope.

This was because they all held the frozen head of someone.

"I want to meet the person in charge of security in this city."

With those words, Vlad lifted the sheath of his sword and showed it to the guard.

In the center of Vlad's sword handle was engraved the flag that waved on the huge wall of the castle.

It was a phrase referring to Bayezid, a noble family from the north.

***

"Welcome! Welcome to Dobrechi!"

The guard, who had entered angrily, let out a deep sigh and courteously allowed Vlad entry into the village.

This was because Vlad was an armed knight, not a common trader or traveler, so they couldn't allow entry easily on their own decisions.

"The lord wants to meet you in person!"

"…The lord?"

Vlad was slightly surprised to hear that the lord suddenly wanted to see him.

Originally, the plan was to meet with the authority, hand over the bandits, and receive a reasonable reward.

I also thought it would be better if there was a reward for it.

"Okay. Lead the way."

"All right!"

The guard quickly attempted to grab Noir's reins in response to Vlad's answer, but the surly horse only snorted, baring its white teeth like a wolf.

"…Don't grab the reins."

"Yes, yes!"

Thanks to living in Soara, Noir no longer disliked people, but that didn't mean its damned personality had disappeared.

Except for Vlad, at least Goethe, who was familiar to it, could take Noir's reins and saddle it.

"I'll guide you to the residence."

Vlad and Goethe rode their horses following the leading guard who said he would guide them.

And even the bandits walking behind them.

Although they were a group with a unique combination, the mood of the villagers who saw them was a little different from what they expected.

"Captain. Isn't the atmosphere here in the village a bit strange?"

"…I know."

If this were Soara, people would have flocked to see something unique they hadn't seen in a long time.

However, the people of Dobrechi quickly shut their doors and hid the children behind them, as if they were watching people suffering from a plague.

Former pickpocket and swindler.

Two people who knew how to read the atmosphere could tell that there was something odd about the atmosphere in Dobrechi.

"We're here."

"Hmm?"

Vlad looked around and tried to guess the situation, but it wasn't easy either.

Dobrechi was a small place that didn't give Vlad much time to think.

"Right in front is the residence where Lord Dalmatia resides."

"…"

Vlad raised his head and looked at the building the guard was pointing to.

A three-story wooden building.

It didn't look bad, but it was a building too dilapidated to say it housed a lord.

'Is it too small?'

Although he lived in alleys, Vlad was clearly a city dweller.

Vlad, who had seen the tall gates, churches, and magnificent mansions where lords lived, even from afar, couldn't help feeling a little puzzled upon hearing that a noble lived in the small building in front of him.

"The lord is waiting. Sir."

"Very well. Please lead the way."

The authority of a noble is not guaranteed by family history or a high title.

In that sense, it would be safe to say that Baron Dalmatia failed to establish authority.

The first impression Vlad had of the Dalmatia family was just concern over whether he could receive adequate compensation for the bandits.

"Oh, oh. A knight who has proven his worth comes to our territory!"

Baron Dalmatia, who recognized the knight carrying his own banner, personally stepped out of the manor to greet Vlad.

It was excessive hospitality for a wandering knight.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

"No, no. You even caught the people causing trouble nearby, so, as the owner, is there any reason not to welcome you?"

Baron Dalmatia nodded with satisfaction as he watched Vlad greet him with respectful demeanor.

Although he hadn't mastered it completely, Vlad's courtesy, which Countess Oksana had knocked down, still shone through.

"Let's go in!"

"Yes."

Vlad followed Baron Dalmatia into the hall and convinced himself that his thoughts were correct.

"…"

"…"

The village landscape he saw as he walked to the lord's residence.

And even the hall, which must be the most extravagant in Dobrechi.

Vlad and Goethe made eye contact and realized that things had gone wrong.

This territory was in dire straits.

"All right. I heard a total of 9 bandits were caught?"

"If you include the ones who just popped up, that would be it."

Vlad received a fair price from the bandits who threatened and insulted him.

And it would be right for the lord in front of them to pay the remaining price they didn't receive from them.

Since I caught the bandits who were threatening the area's security, I, as the owner, should pay some compensation.

"Mmm. The road from Soara to here must have been rugged, so you must be tired. I'll have my lunch prepared in advance."

However, Baron Dalmatia stopped talking about compensation and just watched Vlad.

Because he wanted to keep Vlad around for as long as possible.

'15 people alone!'

Five bandits were caught and four killed.

And since he was alone, there were about six people he couldn't catch.

Since I presented the evidence myself, there is no room for doubt.

None of the knights he had with him could achieve this level of accomplishment.

"If you're a knight who carries the banner, you must be looking for something to prove your worth."

"That's right. Baron."

Vlad wanted to be honest and say no, but he couldn't openly tell the lord who came out to greet him in person.

The mistakes he had made with nobles over the years gave Vlad the judgment he has today.

"There's something I'd like to ask you. I say this because you're a true knight seeking fame."

At first, I thought of refusing.

Vlad's goal was to find traces of his voice rather than prove his honor.

"Lately, strange things have been happening in our territory."

"Is there any problem?"

However, Baron Dalmatia began to tell Vlad, who he thought was about to take on an onerous task, a rather interesting story.

"Now is the time to sow barley. So, in our territory, we're also sowing the seeds we have stored in the fields."

Baron Dalmatia wet his mouth with a pure tea that didn't suit his chubby cheeks and then opened his mouth.

"Simply plant the seeds in the field, and they vanish."

"…Are you saying the seeds disappear?"

"Indeed. Even if you station soldiers and watch them all night, it's the same."

At first glance, it was an incomprehensible claim.

Even if animals or rat-like monsters were to blame, there was no way the soldiers on guard duty wouldn't have noticed.

"Some elders in the village say it's the work of spirits that live in the forest…"

"Are you talking about spirits?"

One word from Baron Dalmatia's words caught Vlad's attention.

"Well. There are many stories about spirits in this forest. Of course, I don't believe in such things according to the teachings of the Church."

The new orders created with the empire and its establishment didn't give way to old things like spirits.

In particular, in the case of the church, anything not in the name of God was denied, so people who remember the existence of spirits these days are probably older people who have lived for a long time.

'Spirit, spirit…'

However, Vlad knew very well that there were beings called spirits in this world.

Because he was the one who saw it, felt it, and even received its blessings.

Vlad couldn't help but worry when the word "spirit" was mentioned in a strange and inexplicable event.

"So, could you watch over the barley fields in our territory for once? If it's the eyes of a great knight like you, you might see something different."

It was an insignificant task, but the eyes of Lord Dalmatia who asked for the task were full of seriousness.

For him, if this sowing failed, he might not survive until the next autumn when the wheat was harvested, and if that happened, the existence of the family might be in danger.

"…Very well. Baron. I'll do my best."

"Oh, oh. Thank you very much! I never thought there would still be true knights following chivalry in these times!"

It may have been only meaningless words spoken by old people, but Vlad decided to agree.

For Vlad, who sought clues about the spirit, this lead was good.

Moreover, since it was a simple task of just protecting the barley fields, it was also considered that it wouldn't be a big issue.

"Make yourself comfortable while you're here! I'll do my best to compensate for the bandits!"

"Thank you. Baron."

If it's related to your work and the mission is simple, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a good impression on Baron Dalmatia.

For a knight, the more value of honor he has, the better.

"By the way, Captain. What happened to our compensation?"

After finishing the story, Vlad left the baron's hall and heard Goethe's small but urgent voice shouting.

"Don't you need to get paid? Money! Noir, that guy only eats boiled fodder these days. It's the price of the fodder and the price of firewood…"

"That depends on you."

"What?"

You must be able to distinguish between big and small things.

That was why Joseph always carried Bordan, a half-hearted knight who didn't even know how to use a sword.

"You can handle that now. That's why I brought you here."

"Really…"

Bordan and Goethe.

A chatterbox and a swindler.

Goethe, who took charge of negotiating with the bandits, looked at Vlad with shining eyes.

***

"Raspberries, where are the raspberries?"

Has she just turned ten?

A rosy-cheeked girl with a basket was walking towards the edge of the forest.

The child's clothes were tattered, as if they displayed her difficult circumstances, but her carefully braided hair showed that this child was receiving attention and love from her parents.

"They're over there."

Further ahead, on the snow-covered white vines, I saw small fruits showing their true colors.

Winter raspberries.

It was one of the few fruits that could provide comfort to people in this time of need.

The girl approached the vines, drawn by the vibrant colors of the raspberries.

It would have been enough to take one in her mouth, but the girl was hurriedly putting the raspberries in the basket, thinking of her family at home, when suddenly she heard a strange sound.

Kiee!

"…?"

A strange sound that seemed to echo from afar.

Before the sound that echoed like an echo, the girl stopped picking raspberries and looked into the depths of the forest.

The darkness of the forest is alive.

As the Forest of Dobrechi is ancient, it is also a place that contains many legends and stories.

And at the moment the girl looked into the forest.

"Aaaah!"

The forest also looked at the girl.

The place where the girl was.

There were baskets rolling and raspberries scattered everywhere.

And the well that had swallowed the girl was nothing more than a dark, gaping mouth.

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