Bandits simultaneously hurled nets at Nell.
"...Ugh!"
Nell had no choice but to get caught. There were simply too many nets to dodge or slash through with her sword.
Desperate to escape, she swung her sword at the nets. However, the nets were covered in small, sharp thorns and a sticky slime-like substance, making it nearly impossible to break free even with her blade.
"It's over," Pfrek said, crossing his arms.
If she had been wearing armor, things might have been different, but the woman before him was dressed in a simple tunic common among commoners.
The bandits began shooting arrows and throwing stones at the immobilized Nell. She swung her sword wildly in a desperate attempt to break free, but the tangled nets refused to release her.
If only her body had been in better condition...
But after starving for so long, her emaciated frame couldn't muster its full strength.
In the end, Nell collapsed to the ground.
"Ooh! We got her!"
"Even a knight couldn't withstand this. Numbers really are the answer."
"Heh heh. Time to have some fun!"
The bandits chuckled as they closed in on the woman. They planned to finish her off before indulging themselves.
Cutting off her limbs first would have been more satisfying, but the boss had ordered her killed outright.
"I'll! I'll kill her first!"
A bandit clutching a dagger rushed forward, panting. The Pfrek Bandit Gang had an unspoken rule: whoever silenced the woman got to enjoy her first.
"You crazy bastard! That woman is an Aura Expert "
Before the bandit beside him could finish speaking, the newcomer's head flew into the air.
The bandits reacted swiftly, drawing their daggers and swarming from all directions. Dozens of blades pierced her body, including one through her neck, ensuring her death.
"...Agh. Damn it. This ruins the fun."
The bandits clicked their tongues.
Her bloodied body was riddled with dagger holes, and her intestines spilled from her abdomen.
Even the most depraved bandits wouldn't dare defile such a mangled corpse.
"What's wrong? You guys not going to do it?" one bandit asked.
"Fucking hell. Look at that mess. How could anyone be in the mood? There are plenty of other living women around."
"Her face is better than the others. Plus, she's an Aura Expert. When else will we get a chance to fuck someone like her? Heh heh."
The bear-like man lumbered toward the corpse, his entire body, including his face, covered in thick fur. He began to lower his pants in front of the gruesome remains.
"You fucking lunatic. He's actually going to do it."
The nearby bandits shook their heads in disbelief.
Clatter! Clatter!
The sound of galloping horses echoed through the air. But that wasn't all. Buried beneath the thunder of hooves was the clang of clashing metal.
The bandits froze, their gazes snapping toward the source of the noise. Their faces drained of color in an instant.
"Fucking hell!" Pfrek cursed as he saw the Knight Order charging toward them.
"What are you idiots doing?! Scatter and run now!" he roared at the bandits again. Screaming, the bandits scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.
Damn it! How did the Knight Order get here so fast? With that many men and warhorses, they're no ordinary unit!
Pfrek himself was an Aura Expert, possessing the martial prowess to become a knight.
However, he had never received proper swordsmanship training and was poorly equipped compared to the knights in their full plate armor. Worse still, there were at least twenty knights.
"Don't kill them! Capture them alive!" Sung Yujin ordered from the rear of the knight formation.
"An easy task," the knights replied.
"As you command!"
And so, the knights' onslaught began.
Escape was impossible for the bandits. Mounted on warhorses, the knights possessed overwhelming mobility.
"Aaaaaah! My arm!"
Bandits fell one after another. The knights flawlessly executed Sung Yujin's order not to kill, displaying their expertise in combat.
"Throw the nets! Let's do it like before!"
It was futile. Unless they completely surrounded the knights and threw the nets simultaneously, the knights could easily slash them away with their swords or simply evade them.
Even if a net managed to ensnare a knight, the trained warhorses effortlessly tore through the netting with their strength.
"Arrows! Fire arrows from a distance!"
It was a futile struggle. The knights' reflexes allowed them to casually deflect the incoming arrows.
Even if an arrow slipped through, their armor rendered it completely ineffective.
"Surrender! We surrender! Please don't kill us!"
"Drop your weapons and kneel," the knights coldly commanded the bandits. The situation was rapidly coming to an end.
Damn it.
Pfrek clenched his fist as he watched three knights approach him. The situation had already deteriorated beyond recovery. Escape was impossible.
There's only one reason they wouldn't kill us. They plan to torture us.
Torturing criminals was a common practice.
Fighting was pointless, and escape was impossible. Only one option remained.
Better to die than endure torture to prolong my life!
Pfrek raised his dagger to stab himself in the neck, but a sword flew from the front and knocked the dagger aside.
"I know your kind all too well," Hent said, dismounting his horse and swiftly closing the distance to Pfrek.
He drove his fist into Pfrek's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
"Give up. It's over. Let's not make this any harder on each other."
Pfrek raised his dagger again, a faint blue aura coalescing along the blade.
"What's that? A candle? One puff and it'll go out." Hent chuckled mockingly, blowing playfully at the blade.
"You old bastard! Die!"
Hent seized Pfrek's arm with both hands, twisted it 360 degrees, and then struck his shoulder, dislocating it.
With a kick, he shattered Pfrek's knee joint.
"Oops."
Hent grabbed Pfrek's face as he collapsed to the ground. Tearing a strip from Pfrek's clothes, he gagged him to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.
"You dare to brazenly rob within the Prucus Territory Edict? You've underestimated the Prucus Family, you bastard. You're under special management now."
After knocking Pfrek unconscious with a blow to the back of his head, Hent searched for Sung Yujin. He found him easily enough, under the protection of Butler Hasent.
Hent kept a close eye on the butler.
"I always suspected you were more than just an ordinary butler... But seeing you in action here, you're completely flawless."
Could I win if we fought? I couldn't be sure. That meant he was at least as skilled as I was.
"Anyway, the world is full of monsters."
When the Plum Knights began clearing out the Pfrek Bandit Gang, I dismounted and surveyed the area.
The house was described as being in the most secluded corner of the village, with its back against the forest.
It wasn't hard to find. As I approached, I stopped abruptly.
A woman's corpse hung entangled in countless nets before the house.
Black hair. A sword lay discarded nearby.
A gaunt, emaciated body. Her face was that of a beauty.
"...Nell Lins. I'm too late after all."
My plan had gone slightly awry. I had originally intended to win the favor of both Nell Lins and Yuria Grace, then gather everyone under my banner.
The story described Nell Lins as an exceptional female knight.
At least, unlike the original story, she doesn't seem to have suffered the same fate.
I walked toward the house where Yuria was hiding. Since the sun hadn't fully set yet, she would likely be hiding behind the house.
I stopped in front of the house without entering.
I had no intention of threatening Yuria Grace. Forcing her to follow me through coercion would only lead to inevitable betrayal.
Nor did I plan to deceive her with sweet words. I lacked the silver tongue for such manipulation, and a fugitive like Yuria would never fall for such tricks.
"I'm Sung Yujin Prucus, the third son of Count Prucus," I introduced myself.
As I spoke, I glanced back.
Hasent was watching me from a short distance away, voluntarily acting as my guard. I couldn't tell him to leave when he had volunteered to protect me.
Hasent had undoubtedly noticed something strange about me.
...Oh well. I'll just make up an excuse later.
Hasent was a man of few words. He might even pretend not to have heard anything.
"Yuria Grace," I called out her name directly, trying to convey that I knew her well. But there was still no response.
She might have already fled into the forest and be nowhere near the house.
I hope it's not as bad as that.
"I propose a deal."
A deal was all I could offer.
It wasn't unusual; in fact, it was the standard arrangement. The relationship between lord and vassal was inherently transactional.
A vassal pledged loyalty, and the lord granted them fiefs commensurate with that loyalty.
Fortunately, I knew from the original work what Yuria desired.
"I'll help you get your revenge. Not just the rights of these captured bandits, but also vengeance against those behind them."
"..."
There was no response.
Had I failed? Or had there never been a chance to begin with?
What should I do? Letting Yuria slip away now would be a waste of her talent.
Should I capture her and slowly, meticulously brainwash her...?
As these absurd idea swirled through my mind, the voice I'd been waiting for finally spoke.
"Do you know who my target for revenge is?"
The woman's voice was calmer and more pleasant than I had expected.
"I do. Despite appearances, I'm quite confident in my information gathering."
As I said this, I mouthed the words exaggeratedly, knowing Hasent behind me couldn't see.
House of Helbrit.
Yuria Grace is the illegitimate daughter of the House of Helbrit.
Born between Duke Helbrit, the kingdom's prime minister, and the knight Nell Lins, she is a child of scandal.
The House of Helbrit pursues reputation to a fanatical degree, eliminating any potential sources of controversy in advance. This is why Nell Lins and Yuria Grace are being hunted by the House.
Fortunately, while the House of Helbrit knows about Nell Lins, they have no knowledge of Yuria neither her name nor her appearance.
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I've done my research. About your lineage, specifically. Nell Lins, the knight who fled a noble house over a decade ago...
With that clue, it wasn't hard to deduce the rest."
I glossed over the truth, claiming I'd stumbled upon the information while investigating Nell Lins.
A silence hung in the air.
"I want to carry out my revenge... entirely with my own hands."
"Of course you should. That's what revenge is."
Yuria would likely succeed in her revenge even without my help. That's how it played out in the original story. But Yuria doesn't know the future.
Her target is the House of Helbrit, whose duke serves as the kingdom's chancellor.
Logically, a woman with nothing should have no chance against such a powerful adversary.
If Yuria truly desires revenge, she will need my help.
"The price... what price must I pay you?"
"Yuria Grace. You. If you devote your entire being to me...
I will help you achieve your revenge within twenty years. If you fail to succeed within that time... you may take my life."
I spoke with unwavering confidence.
In the original story, Yuria completes her revenge within ten years from now. Twenty years is more than enough time.
Hmm. Still, demanding her entire being seems a bit excessive. Should I have asked for her loyalty instead?
I had momentarily overlooked something crucial.
"Is that all the price you require?"
This wasn't modern times; it was a medieval fantasy world.
Human rights? Nonexistent. Slavery was legal. Even commoners could own slaves if they had the money.
A healthy young male slave sold for an average of 100 million Ners. Females fetched about half that, with prices varying based on beauty and lineage.
Yuria, though technically a commoner, was a fugitive. Ignoring her potential future value and focusing solely on her current worth, she might fetch less than 30 million Ners.
Objectively speaking, I was the one taking a loss, not Yuria except for the fact that she had the potential to become an Aura Master.
"Merely?" I said. "I'm demanding your heart and soul as payment."
"If sacrificing this wretched existence can bring about revenge, I will gladly offer myself."
"Then the deal is sealed?"
"Yes. From this moment forward, everything of mine except one thing belongs to you, Master."
"Good. Revenge is yours alone. Now, I wish to see your true form. May I come to you?"
"Yes, Master."
Perfect timing.
I plan to conceal her true form for now.
Though I doubt it will be necessary, considering Helbrit, it's best to take every precaution.
Fortunately, the knights are too busy managing the aftermath to notice us. They're unaware of Yuria's presence all except one.
"Butler Hasent."