He whitewashed the blatant extortion and demand for compensation into a loan between nobles.
This was not only to preserve his last shred of dignity, but also to avoid greater future trouble targeting his reputation.
Next, he wrote down the terms stating that the debt must be paid off within ten years, and that if he defaulted, Karl Your Excellency would have the right to seize any assets under his name, excluding his fief, as collateral.
A ten-year term was long, but for such a massive sum, he knew it was nearly the limit; any longer, and the other party would likely be displeased.
Having finished writing, he took a deep breath, as if all his strength had been spent, and signed his name at the end: Bacari de Vanshi.
Then, he extended his thumb, pressed it hard into the bright red sealing wax, and stamped it heavily above his signature.
A clear fingerprint, like a brand of shame, was left upon the parchment.
Dalton stepped forward, expressionlessly picked up the parchment, inspected it, and, after confirming its validity, turned and respectfully handed it to Karl, who sat upright on his horse.
Karl took the IOU, valued at six thousand five hundred oren, and quickly scanned its contents.
When he saw that Bacari had written "compensation" as "loan," the corner of his mouth under the helmet couldn't help but curve into a slight smile.
This fellow was quite sensible, knowing to leave himself a fig leaf, and the ten-year term was also within his acceptable range.
His original intention was to give the other party an unforgettable lesson, not to immediately drive him to ruin.
After all, in this era, the nobles who could produce six thousand five hundred oren in cash all at once were few and far between.
Ninety-nine percent of nobles could not earn money as easily as he did.
Unfortunately, Bacari's cleverness had been misplaced, and he certainly shouldn't have directed his greedy intentions toward him and his people.
Karl carefully folded the IOU and placed it into an inner pocket of his coat.
Only then did he turn his gaze back to the anxious, almost exhausted Bacari, saying in a calm tone, "Very well, Bacari Your Excellency, you may continue your journey to the border."
"I look forward to your brave performance on the battlefield, bringing glory to Temeria."
He paused, mentioning it casually but with a hint of menace: "Next, I also need to make a trip to Dorndale to have a chat with the lord there."
""
"I believe we will meet again at the border soon."
Hearing that he could finally leave safely, Bacari felt as if he had been granted amnesty, letting out a long sigh of relief, his clothes already soaked through with cold sweat.
He hurriedly forced out a smile mixed with gratitude and tears, even though the expression was uglier than crying.
"Th—Thank you for your mercy, Karl Your Excellency. I—I will certainly fight bravely against the enemy at the border!"
At this, Dalton waved his hand again, and the Blood Angels knights surrounding Bacari and his four men neatly dispersed to both sides, clearing a path leading north.
Seeing this, Bacari dared not delay, and quickly summoned the four knight attendants behind him, who were equally pale.
They practically fled in panic, galloping out of the encirclement and sprinting toward the northern border without looking back, terrified that Karl might change his mind.
Karl and his Knight Order silently watched the few wretched figures disappear at the end of the road.
"Form ranks. Destination: Dorndale." Karl's voice broke the silence.
Everyone answered in unison, turning their horses around, and the dark red torrent set off again, heading toward the Dorndale territory, which was located above Terra.
Meanwhile, Bacari and his party continued their mad gallop for several miles.
Only when the terrifying red Knight Order was completely out of sight behind them did they dare to slowly decrease their speed.
Every person was soaked in cold sweat, as if they had just been pulled out of the water, their faces still etched with lingering terror.
The knight who had been holding the banner now wore an expression full of humiliation and indignation.
He rode his horse closer to Bacari, lowering his voice and speaking indignantly, "My Lord! The Lord of Terra is going too far; this is blatant robbery!"
"Are we just going to let this go? Should we write to His Majesty the King at the border and request His Majesty's ruling?"
The panic on Bacari's face gradually faded, replaced by gloom and suppressed fury.
He sighed deeply and shook his head, his tone full of helplessness and a hint of lingering fear: "It's useless. You saw it just now."
"That Lord Karl of Terra, he came out this time accompanied by dozens of knights in full plate armor!"
"That's only the force he brought with him—who knows how many more such elites are hidden within his territory, Terra?"
"He possesses such a knight corps. Once he has more ordinary soldiers under his command, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become a Duchy, just like Erlend!"
He glanced at his attendant and retorted, "Do you think, facing such a powerful great lord—one with abundant armed forces, who just performed a great service by lifting the princess's curse, and is highly valued..."
"...will His Majesty the King choose to help us, this minor baron, or help him?"
The flag-bearing knight opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter a word, which only turned into a helpless sigh before he fell completely silent.
Bacari's expression was incredibly grim. The thought of having to live frugally for the next ten years, dedicating most of his income to repaying this astronomical "debt,"
gave him an uncontrollable pang in his chest; this was practically killing him.
But immediately, the words Karl spoke upon leaving flashed through his mind: "Next, I need to make a trip to Dorndale."
Thinking of the Lord of Dorndale, who was equally greedy, closer to Terra, and had probably raised prices even more ruthlessly...
...who would soon suffer the same, or perhaps even worse, fate as him.
Some of the worry and anger on Bacari's face suddenly dispersed, replaced by a complex expression mixed with schadenfreude.
"Hmph, just wait, you fool of Dorndale. Let's see how long you can remain smug!"
He cursed under his breath, as if seeing someone else suffer the same misfortune could alleviate his own inner pain somewhat.
Events unfolded exactly as Bacari had expected, perhaps even more spectacularly.
Karl, leading the Blood Angels Knight Order, was halfway to Dorndale.
He also successfully intercepted the Lord of Dorndale and his entourage, who were preparing to answer the summons and head to the border.
However, the Lord of Dorndale was clearly not as sensible as Bacari.
----
Perhaps he was overly confident in his own military strength, or perhaps his personality was simply more arrogant and stubborn.
When faced with Karl's demand for compensation, similar to the one given to Bacari,
he not only flatly refused, but even spoke wildly, attempting to use his noble status and the righteousness of serving the King to intimidate Karl.
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