Chapter 4: The Bandit’s Toll and a Lord’s Madness

“My lads, once we finish this grand score, we’ll wash our hands clean and retire!”

The bandit leader brandished his battle-axe, a fierce glint in his gaunt, sallow face. He yelled at the occupants of the carriage, “Noble sirs, we are but poor folk, driven to this by taxes we couldn’t pay. Hand over the toll, and we’ll spare your lives!”

“Bah, bandits are like lice, they infest every corner.”

Norria, a guard utterly unremarkable in both appearance and standing, now found himself facing a grave crisis.

He gripped his sword tightly, his eyes wide as he surveyed his surroundings. Though the bandits’ equipment was crude, their numbers were overwhelming—dozens of them. On Norria’s side, even counting himself, there were only six guards. Even if each could fight five, it would be difficult to overcome such a disadvantage.

‘Damn it, why are so many mountain bandits gathered here?’

Young Xiao Nuoqi’s hand trembled slightly on his spear. A fresh recruit, he had never witnessed an enemy assault of this magnitude. His keen green eyes darted about, wary of any surprise attacks.

“May I ask, how much is required?”

Lady Xina, pushing aside the carriage’s curtain, strove to maintain her composure, though a tremor of fear laced her voice.

She was a beautiful maiden, so much so that Norria had fallen in love at first sight upon meeting her.

Yet now, seeing Lady Xina, Norria could only draw a sharp breath.

Lady Xina was merely a young girl, unversed in the ways of the world. Having inherited her family’s estate not long ago, she had already lost her territory to a rival lord, and her current wealth barely sufficed for basic sustenance. Where would she find the money for a toll?

“Please step back, my Lady. We swore an oath to your late father to protect you!”

Norria stood before the horse’s head, taking a deep breath.

“Oh?”

The bandit leader gestured for his men to cease their advance. Dressed in a patched, coarse brown tunic, his calloused right hand gripped his battle-axe as he slowly approached them.

He appeared as though he had just stepped out of a farmer’s field. Norria focused intently, wary of any aggressive move from the man.

“You are Lady Xina, aren’t you? I recognized you the moment I saw your violet eyes and aquiline nose. You truly resemble Lord Norlin.”

The bandit leader scrutinized the beautiful young lady, then licked his lips. He raised his left hand high—a left hand missing all but its little finger.

“This left hand was a gift from your father, simply because I was one day late on my taxes.”

The bandit leader cackled at Lady Xina, then spread his arms wide and bellowed, “And what did Lord Norlin do with the blood tax I paid? Why was he driven away? Why were my family’s lands burned to ashes?”

“Just days ago, my men were ordinary farmers. It was your family’s greed and tyrannical rule that drove them to this state!”

The bandit leader pointed at Lady Xina, unleashing a torrent of curses. “Your life is the toll! Let Norlin’s tainted bloodline end here and now! Lads, plunder everything in this carriage! And sever Norlin’s daughter’s head!”

Before the bandits could react, Norria plunged his sword into one of their chests. He then hoisted the bandit’s corpse with his blade and flung it aside.

Scarlet blood streamed down the blade. Seeing this, some bandits were terrified, scattering in all directions, while others gritted their teeth and charged towards the carriage.

Lady Xina’s face was etched with undisguised shock, and it was hardly surprising. Having grown up in her mother’s household, it was natural she would be unaware of her father’s “illustrious deeds.”

Norria had lived his entire life under the shadow of Lord Norlin, and thus felt profound sympathy for the bandit leader’s plight. Lord Norlin was a volatile and capricious man, having slain many times more servants over trivial matters than enemies on the battlefield.

In the end, he was nothing but a coward, otherwise Count Cliff would not have seized his territory and his life with such ease.

And now, Norria found himself still protecting Norlin’s daughter, a fact he himself could barely believe.

“Everyone, spread out! Spearmen, advance! The rest, protect the carriage!” Norria commanded, raising his sword.

Though he commanded only six guards, it would be enough to break through for the carriage, provided they could open a single gap.

Among the six guards were two swordsmen, two spearmen, and an archer. However, the archer had just been struck down by a stone, and another guard had suddenly vanished.

“Understood!”

Young Xiao Nuoqi and his comrade leveled their spears and charged into the enemy ranks. Intimidated by the spears’ might, the bandits scattered.

After all, they were essentially just a ragged band of farmers, whereas Norria and his men were, at the very least, the lord’s guards, superior in both equipment and training by several folds.

‘We can do this,’ Norria thought to himself. He seized a bandit by the collar and hurled him towards two approaching foes; all three tumbled to the ground.

The three of them were incredibly thin, looking as though they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in ages. Norria found himself unsure what emotions to feel towards them.

He could only raise his sword and stab at every person who dared to rush the carriage.

The area around the carriage was, for the moment, secured. It seemed Norria had overestimated the bandits’ courage and discipline. However, the front line remained perilous; the bandits had used a makeshift sling to shatter a spearman’s head.

Currently, only young Xiao Nuoqi was holding on, struggling. The front line suddenly receded, and the bandits pressed forward relentlessly.

Sweat streamed from Norria, soaking his shirt. Though the bandits’ crude weapons couldn’t pierce his breastplate, his head defense was utterly insufficient to withstand a single thrown stone.

He now needed to simultaneously watch the charging bandits and keep an eye on the stone-throwers lurking beyond the main crowd.

“Aha, so you’re Lord Norlin’s daughter’s dog, are you?”

The bandit leader, the most well-equipped among them, stood before Norria. While other bandits wielded farm implements, only his weapon gleamed with a sharp, cold light. He wasn’t clad in a coarse brown tunic, but in simple leather armor. “Your life is mine to take, by Tulu!”

The swordsman beside him lunged, thrusting his blade at the bandit leader. Norria didn’t even have time to intervene.

In an instant, the bandit leader tripped the swordsman with his foot, then casually hacked through his breastplate with his battle-axe. The swordsman fell with a thud. The bandit leader, a cruel grin on his face, advanced towards Norria.

‘This fellow is certainly trouble. He must have been a soldier before. And judging by his fighting stance, he’s likely a mercenary,’ Norria thought, his full attention fixed on the bandit leader.

If it were just the two of them, Norria would have an eighty percent chance of victory; as a systematically trained noble’s attendant, defeating a mercenary would be a foregone conclusion.

But factoring in the watchful stone-throwers and the other rabble, his chances plummeted.

“Ah… ah…”

Suddenly, the bandit leader let out a pained shriek that seized everyone’s attention.

A cloaked figure stood behind him, withdrawing a black-gold dagger that had been plunged into his throat. The cloaked figure flicked the blood from the blade, returned it to his waist, then looked up, staring at Norria.

Norria looked at the cloaked figure with a mix of joy and astonishment. This was the sixth guard—a direct appointee of the King, responsible for overseeing the lord. He hadn’t expected his strength to be so formidable.

With their leader slain, the other bandits wavered, many dropping their weapons and fleeing into the forest. Norria climbed into the carriage and pulled back the curtain.

Lady Xina was huddled in a corner, her hands clasped over her head, her long black hair disheveled.

Norria gently shook Lady Xina. She looked up, her dull, lifeless eyes meeting his. The sudden proximity made Norria’s cheeks flush crimson.

Lady Xina had inherited her father’s violet eyes and aquiline nose, combined with her mother’s beautiful black hair and striking beauty. The amalgamation made Xina truly a peerless beauty.

‘Norria, what are you doing! You are merely a guard; fulfill your duties at once,’ Norria admonished himself, shaking his head to banish his inappropriate thoughts.

He stepped back a few paces, knelt on one knee, placed a hand over his chest, and lowered his head. “My Lady, the bandits have dispersed. As the rightful Lord of Aflos Territory, you have the authority to pardon these unruly commoners. This way, they will not take up arms against you again!”

This was the most prudent course of action, especially since only three guards remained.

“No.”

“What?” Norria’s eyes widened.

“I want them all dead.”

Lady Xina raised a hand, which trembled incessantly. “All of them… dead… This is the fate of those who defy me…” She began to foam at the mouth, appearing utterly unlike a normal person.

‘Just like her father, Lord Norlin. Priests had claimed he was possessed by a demon, and his madness was a significant cause of his erratic behavior. Now, the same fate seemed to have befallen his daughter.’

“Lady Xina, please calm yourself!”

Norria disregarded all notions of propriety between lord and subordinate, firmly gripping Xina’s arms.

“Your territory has been usurped by villains. You must hasten to the Royal Capital to present your legal claim before His Majesty, Prince Saint Fros, so that Count Cliff may return the Aflos Territory to you. If you show mercy and pardon these commoners, it will greatly benefit your rule.”

“Oh dear, it seems I’m late.”

An exceptionally beautiful silver-haired maiden poked her head out from behind the carriage, her blood-red eyes observing the two with keen interest.

Norria looked up, staring blankly at the beautiful maiden before him. She was clad in an ill-fitting, oversized robe.

“No, perhaps I’m just in time, as I have no combat ability myself,” she mused to herself. “However, I believe I just heard ‘Aflos Territory’ from you? It seems we’re interested in the same place.”

The silver-haired maiden used both hands to support herself, climbing into the carriage right before Norria’s eyes.

Then, from within her robe, she produced a blood-stained letter, pointed to a line of text, and read aloud.

“I, Alena, Pontiff of the Holy Church, hereby appoint Chloe Raina as the new Lord of Aflos Territory.”

“Chloe Raina, that would be me,” she stated, pointing to herself with an innocent expression.