Outside the farmhouse,a blonde-haired soldier was yanking the arm of a girl no older than seven or eight—she'd likely been discovered hiding in the cellar.
Her eyes were red and teary, her frail little body trembling uncontrollably, yet not a single tear escaped.
"You villains! When Brother Siegfried gets back, none of you will get away!
"Perhaps it was that very "
Brother Siegfried"
who gave her the courage—Outside the farmhouse,a blond soldier was dragging a little girl of about seven or eight by the arm.
She had probably been discovered hiding in the cellar.The girl's eyes were red, her frail frame trembling uncontrollably, yet not a single tear fell.
"You bad guys, when Big Brother Siegfried comes back, none of you will get away!"
Perhaps it was the courage given to her by this "Big Brother Siegfried" that made the girl suddenly bite down on the soldier's arm.
"Ah! You little brat dare bite me?!"
The blond soldier winced in pain and raised his hand to strike the girl across the face.
"Ah, Sir Knight, children don't know any better. Please don't take it to heart."
Siegfried had just stepped out of the dilapidated farmhouse when he saw this scene. He quickly stepped forward to block the soldier's slap, his face full of fawning flattery.
"Sir, why bother with a child? You're here for food, right? I can show you where the granary is. We peasants farm just to serve noble knights like you."
As he spoke, he subtly pulled the girl behind him. He acted like a true country bumpkin, unable to tell the difference between a common soldier and a knight.
The blond soldier, seeing this rural fool dare to stand in his way, grew even angrier.He reversed his spear and slammed the butt of it hard into Siegfried's stomach.
Siegfried immediately felt his insides churn, the pain bending him double.
"Cough, cough..."
His face twisted in agony, yet he still wore that ingratiating smile. Only his pitch-black eyes grew colder.
Still unsatisfied, the soldier jabbed the spear's butt into Siegfried's body a few more times before reluctantly stopping.
"Come with me. Tell the captain what you know."
"Yes, yes."
Siegfried, enduring the pain all over his body, turned and leaned close to the little girl's ear, his voice gentle:
"Little Tova, be good. Don't cry or make a fuss. Listen—go to the square and find your parents, and then... remember what I said?"
Little Tova's eyes were already red. Clever as she was, she knew Big Brother Siegfried was taking the punishment meant for her.
"But you—"
"I'll be fine. Go, quick!"
"Mhm..."
Only after watching the little girl leave, glancing back every few steps, did Siegfried put on his obsequious smile again and bow forward.
"Sir Knight, let's go."
"Hmph."
The blond soldier shot Siegfried a disdainful glance, utterly contemptuous of this useless fool who still tried to play the hero.
[Wanderer, he is no match for you.]
"I know."
Siegfried's mind was highly focused, unwilling to waste a single word.
Inside, he wasn't as calm as he appeared. The principle of "capture the leader to capture the followers" was something even a monkey could understand. The problem was... this "leader" might not be so easy to capture.
The female knight, Catalina, was riding through the village on horseback. As a knight, she genuinely didn't want to be involved in something as low as robbery, but circumstances left her no choice.
"If His Highness knew about this, he'd be furious..."
Catalina shook her head bitterly.
Just as she was drowning in guilt, she saw one of her soldiers approaching with a young man in a headscarf, his features delicate.
"What's going on?"
The female knight's voice was crisp and cold, devoid of the hesitation from moments ago.
"Milady, this peasant says he can take us to the village granary."
Catalina frowned. "You'll take us to the granary?"
"Yes, Sir Knight. Our village stored a lot of food last year. As long as you spare the villagers—no, even if you just spare me—all the food is yours. I won't breathe a word about today. I know the rules."
The man before her hunched slightly, his face plastered with a groveling smile.
It reminded Catalina of the fat, useless ministers in the royal court.
She despised people who would abandon all conscience and dignity just to survive—even though she herself was about to become one of them.
Her voice grew even colder.
"We'll only take some of the food. Cooperate, and no one gets hurt."
"Oh~ Thank you for your mercy and generosity! Your virtue is truly admirable!"
For some reason, Catalina found the tone of this sentence oddly grating.
"Lead the way."
Siegfried pointed toward the village center.
"It's not hard to find—just the big storehouse in the middle of town. Follow the path straight ahead. But there's a lot of stuff. One or two people might not be enough to move it. Should I call some villagers to—"
"No need."
Catalina cut him off coldly, turning to the blond soldier to arrange the food transport.
Siegfried, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity slip.
"Shannon, give me this woman's profile."
[Searching...]
[Search complete.]
Name: CatalinaGender: FemaleAge: 20Race: HumanAlignment: OrderClass: High Knight
A guardian knight of the Monan royal family. During a coup half a year ago, she escorted the crown prince she served out of the royal city. After the civil war broke out, she fled all the way here.
Specializations: Spear Technique 63% (Proficient), Horsemanship 61% (Proficient)Skills: [Knight's Charge], [Shield Stance: Impenetrable], [Provoking Shout]...
Stats:Strength: B+Agility: B+Magic: CIntelligence: DLuck: DLeadership: COverall Rating: B+
Huh?
A knight of the crown prince?
Siegfried raised an eyebrow, surprised yet not surprised.
Shannon had probably known this female knight's identity all along, hence the mission.
This knight's master was most likely Princess Krimhilde, who had been driven out of the royal city.
If he could capture her and make her talk, he could complete both phase tasks and return to reality.
But... it wouldn't be that easy.
Siegfried reviewed Catalina's stats.
Overall Rating: B+, a full tier above him.
From observing the villagers these past few days, he'd realized that humans in this world were generally far stronger than those on Earth.
Ordinary children and elders were rated E, equivalent to Earth's healthy adults.
Villagers with some swordsmanship training or robust physiques could reach D, on par with elite special forces.
In the entire village, only one person had a rating above C: Siegfried himself.
His physical abilities surpassed even Earth's top athletes—with this body, he could sprint 100 meters in under 7 seconds.
And this female knight was rated B+...
That was far beyond his understanding of human limits.
"Hey, are you sure this is an enemy meant for the tutorial stage?"
[We do not assign missions you cannot complete. Use all available resources to defeat your enemy.]
[Additionally, treat this as a real world. You may do whatever you please to your captives.]
"Tch, that last part didn't need to be said."
Siegfried spat. Not far away, the two had finished their discussion.
The blond soldier gathered six other soldiers and set off for the granary.
Catalina turned her horse, no longer looking at Siegfried, and casually ordered:
"Thank you for the information. You may go. We'll leave once we've taken what we need."
"Of course, of course. Um... Sir Knight, our village granary is quite large. The seven officers just now might not be enough to handle it all."
Siegfried's tone was cautious, like a subordinate hinting that their boss's zipper was down.
Catalina didn't turn back. This despicable man was grating on her nerves more by the second.
"Not your concern! The seven I brought are all seasoned warriors. Don't measure them by your petty standards!"
"Oh, I see..."
"So... you're the only one left here?"
A whisper so soft it was almost inaudible, yet dripping with icy malice, floated to Catalina's ears.
In that instant, a chill crawled up her spine, spreading through her entire body.
She whirled around—
The groveling man now stood tall as a winter pine.
In his left hand, he held a black book. His right brushed over its pages, and a gleaming longsword materialized in his grip.
The moment he grasped the sword, Siegfried's aura exploded. The grass at his feet was blasted outward.
He hurled the book at Catalina and launched himself forward like a cannonball.
The Wanderer's Handbook flipped open midair, displaying its owner's current stats:
Name: SiegfriedRace: WandererAlignment: NeutralClass: Hero Candidate
Stats:Strength: AAgility: AMagic: CIntelligence: ALuck: BLeadership: BOverall Rating: A
[High Knight] Catalina's sharp instincts screamed danger!
Almost simultaneously, her knight's spear swatted away the flying black book.
Behind it—a face of chilling ferocity rushed toward her!
The earlier fawning and flattery vanished like mist, replaced by a killing intent that froze the blood.
In this moment, Catalina suddenly remembered the first lesson her teacher had given her as a child, when she'd just begun knight training...
"Catalina, remember this: the world's greatest hunters often appear as prey."first… as prey."