114 - 118

Chapter 114

Chapter 114 News of the Mountain Barbarians Prev ChapterNext Chapter

The base that Lorist had intended to build for the mercenaries basically comprised two firing turrets each with 4 floors extending up to a height of 13 meters. The two turrets would be built 5 meters apart with a gate house in between and a wall branching off from each to surround an area with facilities such as the horse stable, warehouses, and other necessary infrastructure to allow for long term stay. If the wall was somehow breached by the enemy, the mercenaries can still retreat to the turrets and guard it until reinforcements arrive.

The construction of the base proceeded rather quickly. First, huge logs that were used to construct the framework of the turrets and wall before three moats were dug at the foot of the mound which was in turn connected to the small stream nearby. Lorist tasked his men to use the mud that was dug out to make mud bricks using the technique he had seen back at Firmrock Castle. The finished bricks were then lined up around the wooden framework before a thick layer of green clay was slabbed onto the surface to further strengthen and solidify the structures. Even though the wall was only 5 meters in height, Lorist had made the angle of the small mound around the wall to be slanted at a 45 degree angle, causing the total height of the mound and wall to be around 9 meters, further adding to the difficulty of besieging the place.

The busy days passed quickly and one month elapsed within the blink of an eye. The primary sections of the base including the main wall, the three moats, the two layers of wooden barricades, the drawbridge, and the turrets had already been constructed. What remained was fine-tuning the smaller details. Lorist even ordered his men to transport 4 ballistas over from Firmrock Castle for them to be installed at the top floor of the turrets.

Back when he was at Firmrock Castle, Lorist went to visit the father and son arbalists once. After listening to the father, Grandmaster Fellin's explanation, Lorist came to understand that the tens of ballistas used at the castle were merely simplified versions and not proper defense ballistas. Proper defense ballistas had a firing range of 150 to 200 meters whereas the simplified ones at Firmrock Castle could only shoot 80 to 100 meters away, which is easily half of what proper ballistas could achieve. The accuracy of the simplified ones is also vastly inferior and it would already be considered good if it could hit a target 3 out of 10 times.

According to Grandmaster Fellin, it takes a lot of time to make a proper ballista. Choosing materials for the ballista frame and setting its shape will take two years at least. The ballistas the grandmaster were currently making were merely simplified ones which would break or malfunction after firing more than ten times and their frames had to be replaced frequently to keep performance up to par. Thankfully, wood was abundant in the Northlands, which allowed the grandmaster to construct a few extra frames for each ballista he made.

Apart from the construction, the simplified ballista bowstring was usually made of cow sinew and horsehair and would loosen after approximately 8 shots. However, that disadvantage is compensated by its swift construction and easily-obtainable materials which also cost far less to procure. And while the shooting range is far less than that of proper ballistas, the momentum and force of the simplified ballistas were still enough to threaten Gold ranked fighters who were within range.

That was already more than enough for Lorist. During that visit, he also made a suggestion to Grandmaster Fellin to add a wheel-like component to the back of each ballista for it to act as a pulley so that it would take much less force to load them. It would also decrease the number of people required to operate it by two, prompting the grandmaster to gasp in admiration at that innovative upgrade.

Actually, the ideal ballistas within Lorist's mind were the ones he saw in the movie titled 'Rise of the Werewolves'[1] in his past life that were used at the vampires' castle. Each ballista could fire up to three arrows and was also equipped with a pulley system, a base rotator as well as some sights, which increased its overall flexibility, ease of loading and accuracy. The werewolves seen in the movie that were the size of bulls were easily nailed to the ground with the bolts fired from those ballistas and they only required one person to operate.

He recalled that he once tried to replicate a ballista like that in his workshop and sell it to collectors to earn some extra cash, only to have it confiscated by the local authorities and fined 5000 bucks for possessing what was basically a lethal weapon. He still remembered the warning given to him by the officer of the police: without a proper order request and permit, he wasn't allowed to manufacture ballistas like that. Had he broken those regulations regularly, he definitely wouldn't have been let off with a simple fine.

Even though that plan to make some quick cash from back then had failed before he even started, Lorist could distinctly remember the parts he used as well as their relative sizes. The only problem now was that he did not have any materials to make those parts nor did he know where to procure any and could only make a mental note to do more research into that matter when he had more time.

...

What made Lorist wonder was that during the past month of the construction of the base, the border of the intersection point was relatively peaceful and there wasn't even a single instance of barbarian assault. So, the mercenaries gradually widened their patrolling area over time and finally managed to catch a barbarian old man and a child who were collecting herbs not far away. Even though they were obviously non-combatants, they were still living barbarian captives, so Lorist still had to pay the mercenaries a bonus of 2 imperial gold coins.

After seeing the restless barbarian child calming down from being given a maple candy, the old man showed a relaxed expression. He used a variant dialect of the Grindian common language to tell Lorist that the current year was the year of the Kubawesson Festival and all of the tribe chiefs of the mountain barbarians had brought their Wolers to Smormilgen Mountain to participate in the ceremony and attend the Bywessi Conference.

I see, so that was the case. It was a fortunate coincidence for him to have picked that time frame for the construction of the military base. Lorist understood that the Kubawesson Festival was a year-long celebration which was celebrated once every 12 years that commemorated the birth of the barbarian's most worshipped mountain deity, Kubawesson. During the festivities, the barbarians would sacrifice livestock to the god once every month.

'Woler' and its related terms were titles created in the barbarians' own dialect to honor the warriors of their society. Smormilgen Mountain was considered to be a holy mountain by the savages and was also the birthplace of the deity Kubawesson according to their legends and myths. The ceremonies that were conducted during the Kubawesson Festival involved blood sacrifices at the peak of the mountain as an offering to the mountain deity. And the Bywessi Conference was a meeting between the tribe chiefs to pick the next overlord, otherwise known as the Themussen in the dialect of the barbarians. The selected Themussen would then proceed to allocate domains for the various tribes to prevent large scale conflict among themselves and determine the general goals of the united tribes such as focusing their efforts on invading the other Grindian people, or flatlanders as they called them. The other tribes must also make their fair contribution to the current Themussen.

There was a famous book in Grindian literature titled 'Adventures of the Knight' that documented much about the culture and practices of the mountain barbarians. The book was written by a knight who had accidentally ventured into the territory of the mountain barbarians when he traveled to the Magical Dragon Mountains approximately 100 years ago and was held captive for more than 30 years. He had experienced two Kubowesson Festivals during his captivity and managed to escape from the Magical Dragon Mountains in the end with his barbarian wife and children and made his way back to his hometown. The book was later written by him which also served as his debut thesis as one of the most reputable mountain barbarian scholars.

During his years studying at Dawn Academy, Lorist had read quite a number of books written by that knight and 'Adventures of the Knight' was one of his most coveted books. The description of the culture of the mountain barbarians was detailed and thorough: according to it, during the Bywessi Conference, other activities such as fighting competitions, unarmed combat and hunting events would be carried out.

From the map of the whole Grindia Continent, one could see that the Magical Dragon Mountains stretched more than 50000 meters across the center of the continent and covered a huge amount of area. Two of the three greatest rivers on the continent which were the cradles of life of Grindian life have their headwaters located on the mountain range itself. According to the legends, that mountain range was also the home to the ancient dragon race.

In present time, however, dragons were no longer anywhere to be found and the Magical Dragon Mountains was mainly inhabited by mountain barbarians. Other than the Norton Family dominion, other dominions near the mountain range also suffered from the same fate of being pestered by the mountain barbarians.

The old barbarian told Lorist that the tribe that was in power near the dominion of the Nortons was called the Habibaba. That tribe had a strong force of more than 1000 Wolers and had an iron rule over the seven smaller tribes in the area as well.

The tribe the old man belonged to was one such small tribe which only had around 400 members. He mentioned that when the tribe chief of the Habibaba tribe returns after the festival, he might very well become the Jambassen, or the regional chief, of the nearby area, which means that the other minor tribes there would become subordinates to the Habibaba by force as in the case of the tribe of the old man and child.

Whether the Habibaba Tribe would consume the tribe of his two barbarian captives didn't matter to Lorist, nor did he intend to interfere with it. To him, he couldn't care less about whether the barbarians harm other nations or kingdoms at all as long as they didn't cause trouble in his dominion. However, he definitely wouldn't tolerate them should they ever dare to poke their hands into his lands and would definitely reciprocate in kind if that ever happens.

The intersection point between the two mountain ranges was the precise route that the mountain barbarians took to invade the Norton Family dominion. Hence, setting up a base here would allow the Nortons to have ample time to react and retaliate to any future attempts. Small scale barbarian expeditions would be handled by the mercenaries who will in turn depend on them for the extra income while the mercenaries only had to stay put and stall for time for the reinforcements of the Norton Family to arrive if a large scale invasion was imminent.

...

The construction of the military base went on mostly without a hitch, apart from a small issue that surfaced while building the well: even though the stream was only 80 meters away from the mound on which the military base was built, when the hole for the well that was dug to reach the groundwater beneath reached a depth of 14 meters, a huge spring burst all the way out with high pressure. The whole situation was rectified after a waterway was made to connect the spring site to the moat, saving the interior of the base from the fate of being turned into a swamp.

On that day, Lorist was discussing whether to build a hidden passage with Hausky, Jim and Supervisor Kedan. He proposed the idea to have a hidden passage dug underground to connect the two turrets. Even though the two turrets were connected by a wooden log bridge above the surface, there was a risk that the barbarians would burn it down using fire arrows and cause the two turrets to lose all connection if the wall is occupied as well. Being stuck in two separate towers would definitely be greatly disadvantageous to the mercenaries, so that was why having a hidden passage would allow them to continue aiding each other to hold their stations while waiting for the support of the Norton Family troops.

Hausky and Jim thanked Lorist for being considerate for their safety but believed that building another hidden passage would be too cumbersome for it to be worth the effort. Supervisor Kedan on the other hand thought that they must build it as he felt that the barbarians would come in numbers of thousands when they invade instead of the hundreds he had initially thought after he had heard what the barbarian captive had to say. Given that the Habibaba tribe alone had more than 1000 Wolers, it would definitely be able to easily overwhelm the 80 or so mercenaries stationed there.

Lorist also added that the hidden passage had to connect to the well as well so the mercenaries would not lose access to their water source if they really end up having to retreat into the turrets. Additionally, he also suggested that the secret passage be extended to where the nearby stream was so that the mercenaries would be able to escape during the most dire of circumstances. However, the passage had to be secretly dug by the mercenaries themselves lest its existence gets leaked by any of the laborers.

Lorist's insistence on the passage was due to the fact that the base only had one main entry. The mercenaries would be completely stuck at the base should the enemy ever breach the main wall. Even though Hausky and Jim said that they would definitely fight to the last man, Lorist said that he definitely wouldn't want them to do that and mentioned that he did not station them there to sacrifice them. According to Lorist, it was more than enough for the mercenaries to be able to signal the Norton Family about any attacks so that they would have enough time to react to the situation and also said that he wouldn't blame the mercenaries for abandoning the base if they ended up being overwhelmed by their foes.

Just as the discussion was getting more heated, a mercenary standing guard outside reported that Squad Leader Mollin of the Wildnorth Town garrison had come to meet the dominion lord.

[1] The author is actually referring to 'Underworld: Rise of the Lycans' but I didn't want any direct reference to any franchise in recent years if possible to avoid complications. Here's a video that showcases the ballistas in action. See Youtube.

Chapter 115 An Unwelcome Guest Prev ChapterNext Chapter

What does the squad leader of the Mollin Family want from visiting me? Lorist wondered that as he went to see the man who requested for him.

The reason for the squad leader's visit was to make his objection to Lorist heard. He had come with several other people from the smaller families of Wildnorth Town who had been chased out of the town by the four great families.

The reason for the objection was that during the time the base was being constructed, Supervisor Kedan had quietly recruited more than 150 laborers who have awakened their Battle Force to join the Norton Family's forces and also brought the family members of the new recruits back to the Maplewoods Bastide.

In actuality, Lorist had personally come out with a new set of benefits for soldiers of the Norton Family. Apart from receiving a generous salary, recruits would also receive many chances to be trained. As long as a soldier was hardworking enough to raise his Battle Force rank, he would be able to receive a status promotion and might one day even become a knight of the Norton Family.

The new conditions also instituted a new change in policy regarding the remuneration paid to the families of dead soldiers. Family members of soldiers who sacrifice themselves for the Norton Family would not only be able to receive tax cuts, their direct descendants would also be able to receive education and training from the Norton Family until they reach adulthood. As for soldiers handicapped from battle, they would also receive pension and training opportunities for administrative positions to help the Nortons govern the dominion, thus ensuring their future livelihoods.

Other than that, it was specified that the benefits would only apply to the direct family members of the soldiers, namely, their parents, spouse, and children. Any siblings of the soldiers who have yet to reach adulthood would be allowed to live together with the family, but they would not receive any of the benefits. The siblings of the dead or handicapped soldiers will also be required to move out of the house to establish their own families three years after they reach adulthood. As for the children of said soldiers, apart from their eldest son, the rest of the children will also have to move out of the household three years after they become adults.

These conditions had caused many of the people who were forced out of the town by the four great families to have a great argument. Many leaders of the minor families had either taken over their respective families by their own abilities or had inherited the position from the previous family leader. Ever since they were chased out of Wildnorth Town, they had hoped that they would be able to continue their previous way of life after the completion of the new town with some of them even dreaming of becoming among the ranks of the new 'great families' of the town. However, Lorist's new policies had effectively caused a huge number of their men to flock to the Norton Family instead.

Even though these commoner families have existed for more than 100 years like certain noble families, their foundations were not as firm and the youths within those families usually didn't have much of a choice but to obey the instructions of the family elders as they were the military cornerstone of those families and usually didn't have a chance to strive for their own success.

That was why the benefits offered by the Norton Family was so well-received among many of those youths from the minor families. Human nature is one of greed and self-interest after all. To the youths, the distant relatives within their family didn't matter as much as their direct family members and being in such a large family meant that they would share their gains with the rest of their relatives and also bear their burdens since they were part of the family. That policy left many of the youths deeply frustrated and caused them to jump at the chance for the better opportunity offered by the Nortons almost instantly.

As a result, the initial 2000 plus workers had decreased by about 600 people and many of the smaller families of WIldnorth Town had already broken apart to the point that there was no turning back. The protesters cited that their reason for objection was Lorist's breach of the agreement and violation of the traditional benefits and conditions set by the Norton Family's ancestor. Squad Leader Mollin represented the four great families of Wildnorth Town as well as the many minor families at Poplar Coast to demand Lorist to revoke the policies that he had set and restore it to the previous ones used throughout the rule of the Norton Family and promise them that he will form a similar garrison at Poplar Coast upon the town's completion.

Lorist made a cold smile and thought, you think I'd let you make another Wildnorth Town? Well, you can continue to dream on.

He refuted the protesters' arguments and said that the conditions he offered for potential recruits of the family soldiers had nothing to do with the benefits given to the WIldnorth Town garrison. And as the subjects of the Norton Family, the people of Wildnorth Town only had to obey the dominion lord and had no right whatsoever to question the lord's decision. Lorist also stressed that it was already very benevolent of him to let the Wildnorth Town keep their former traditions.

He also added that the reason the recruitment was launched was precisely due to the refusal of the Wildnorth Town garrison to obey the orders of the family. And during such a bleak time of conflict against a foe like the Kenmays Family, the garrison still hadn't agreed to Lorist's proposition for them to act as supply troops to support the family's forces from the sidelines against the barbarians to this date, prompting him to have no choice but to try to recruit more soldiers himself. Lorist angrily rebuked the Wildnorth Town garrison soldiers for being no more than cowardly rats that only knew how to cower in fear within Wildnorth Town and said that it was a waste for the family to continue funding such a useless force, indirectly threatening to disband them.

After hearing Lorist's enraged outburst, the squad leader and the rest of the minor family leaders no longer said anything else and walked away. Thinking that he had managed to put an end to the troubles caused by those people who didn't know what was good for them, Lorist felt rather delighted at himself. However, three days later, he received news that the garrison troops at Poplar Coast had brought a number of the minor families back to Wildnorth Town and didn't respond to any of the family's orders.

Just as he was getting madder the more he thought about the incident, another piece of news arrived stating that the Wildnorth Town representatives who were in charge of paying the taxes to the Norton Family merely left their crops at the entrance of the Maplewoods Bastide and departed without so much as a single notification. Accompanying the crops was a letter that stated that the reason they still paid the crop tax was because they did not want to rebel against the dominion lord and only merely wanted to protest the new policies that disrespected the age old traditions of the arrangement between the residents of Wildnorth Town and the former Norton Family lords and stated that they would not obey any of the family's orders until the previous policies are restored.

The more lenient I'm on them, the more they dare to oppose me, thought Lorist with much hate in his heart as he made an estimation of the family's forces and considered wiping Wildnorth Town out in one fell swoop to release his pent-up frustration. It was a relatively peaceful time at the Norton Family dominion at that point as the mountain barbarians were busy celebrating their festival while the Kenmays Family's forces still haven't attacked Firmrock Castle yet. It was indeed a pretty good opportunity for the family to strike at Wildnorth Town.

What was troubling was how careful and cunning the leaders of the four great families were, for them to have sensed that something was wrong not long after he changed the recruitment benefits of the family's forces. Their instant withdrawal back to their town had caused many of Lorist's plans to be unable to play out properly, further making it harder for him to solve the problem of the town.

So, you think you can protect yourself if you turtle up in your little town? Lorist grinned as he thought of the 500 new recruits that the family had just got from the laborers at Firmrock Castle recently which was almost enough to form a company of troops. Coupled with the existing three guard and defense squads which numbered around 600 plus troops with the company of guard troops at Maplewoods Bastide as well as the 150 plus laborers at Poplar Coast who had just joined the family's forces, he had around 1200 soldiers at his disposal. And that figure didn't even include the 80 plus mercenaries stationed at the coast as well as Lorist, Josk, Patt, Reidy and the rest. It should be more than enough for him to crush the Wildnorth Town garrison once and for all.

I didn't expect that I would have so many soldiers in such a short amount of time. The only other thing I have to consider is the amount of casualties we will incur since it's the first siege I will be conducting. Unlike Lorist's previous battles in which he relied on surprise attacks to render the moat of his enemies' forts useless, this time, he had no other choice but to attack head-on. The wall surrounding Wildnorth Town was at least 9 meters tall and there were up to 600 Battle Force-awakened troops defending the place. The garrison also had the upper hand in terms of terrain advantage. Sigh, this battle will be rather tough. I might lose at least half of my 1000 plus troops...

What Lorist was most worried about was that his attack would force the four great families into desperation and send their elderly and womenfolk to defend the place as well. Even if he was extremely skillful in combat, how many of those defenseless noncombatants could he kill? Josk himself had said that he only had enough stamina to shoot a couple of hundred of arrows before he would become totally wasted. And if the battle caused both sides to suffer huge losses, how would he proceed to face the impending threat of the 2000-strong Kenmays Family forces?

The only way to get out of that situation without losing too many men was to employ a long term besiegement tactic but what Lorist lacked most currently was time. And Wildnorth Town had also finished their crop harvests only recently. Coupled with the food they already have in their stores, how long would they be able to last without venturing out of their town? Three years? Or maybe five? It definitely wasn't practical to besiege them for that long. And there was no doubt that the mountain barbarians would begin their attack during the next year after their celebration ends. Sigh, thought Lorist as he felt that it would really be a waste to expend all of his forces on a small threat like Wildnorth Town even though he did have a reasonably large force at the moment.

As he pondered on, Lorist thought, darn it... Just give me a few more months... All of a sudden, a man on horseback sped into the military camp and the rider quickly dismounted and reported, "Milord, the ambassador of the Duke of the Northlands is at the Maplewoods Bastide. The old butler has requested for your immediate presence..."

...

Weird, doesn't that dipshit of a duke only come to collect his taxes during the 10th month? It's only the beginning of the 8th month. What business does he have so long before the tax collection date? While he was on the way back to the bastide, Lorist asked his messenger whether the duke's ambassador had stated a reason for the visit.

The messenger shook his head and said that he didn't hear anything about the reason and mentioned that he saw quite a substantial number of people arriving at Firmrock Castle not long ago and that Josk had led a fully-armed squad of guards to serve as an escort for the visitors before he was tasked to send the message to Lorist by the old butler.

That's odd. Why would Josk do the escorting with a fully-armed squad? Upon thinking back at the huge number of people the messenger had mentioned, Lorist believed that the duke must have heard rumors about the Norton Family's looting of the Redriver Valley Bastide and had sent his men to threaten his family for a cut of the profit. It seemed that Josk believed the family would have a hard time handling the issue and decided to bring his men to keep an eye on the people of the duke in the name of escorting them. Otherwise, he could have simply sent somebody else to handle it without having to lead a fully-armed squad personally.

After a whole day of speedy travel on horseback, Lorist arrived at the bastide by the evening and a small camp had already been set up outside the castle of the Maplewoods Bastide. The messenger mentioned that the camp was where approximately 200 of the soldiers of the Northland Army which accompanied the duke's ambassador resided. Since the family had refused to let them into the castle, they had no choice but to set up camp outside.

Seeing the castle being completely fortified, Lorist understood that the old butler also found the timing of the ambassador's visit to be weird and suspected that they didn't come with good intentions, and raised the alert level of the troops stationed at the castle.

Supervisor Spiel hurriedly came out to greet him and said, "Milord, they are all currently within the great dining hall and have feasted for the whole afternoon already. The duke sent a baron over and he brought along one Gold ranked knight and twenty other Silver ranked knights with him. Old Butler Gleis is accompanying them there along with Sir Pajik and Sir Josk."

Lorist stopped and asked, "Did they say why they made a visit during this time?"

Spiel shook his head and replied, "They didn't say anything about that. I only remember hearing them ask the old butler about the date of your return and they sounded rather impatient about it too. Lady Pesha was there originally, but she left after the men said some rather disrespectful things to her. That Gold ranked knight even asked her to accompany him for the night. Had it not been for Sir Josk's presence, they might've laid their hands on her already..."

Lorist sighed and said, "Does she even know what's good for herself? Why did she even go to a place like that? With her Silver rank power, she will only be taken advantage by others..."

Lorist took huge strides with Reidy and Patt into the grand dining hall and the chatter within it instantly quieted down upon their entry.

In the middle of the hall were two long tables at which 20 or so soldiers with flushed faces wearing grey leather armor could be seen. It was evident that these knights Spiel had mentioned have had quite a huge amount of alcohol. At the far corner of the wooden table was a light blonde-haired, skinny middle-aged man dressed in formal robes and beside him was a huge man equipped with chain mail. That should be the Gold ranked knight. On the other side of the table was Old Butler Gleis sitting on a wooden wheel chair with Pajik standing beside him and Josk sitting next to him.

Upon seeing Lorist enter the hall, Josk hastily stood up and bowed with Pajik before they both made a respectful salute.

Old Butler Gleis looked towards the skinny man and the burly knight and said, "This is our newly-appointed dominion lord, Baron Norton Lorist."

According to the tradition and customs of nobles, the skinny middle-aged man and the burly Gold ranked knight should stand up and announce their identities before returning a salute. However, both of them merely sat there quietly with the skinny man even sarcastically saying, "It seems that the dominion lord is so busy that he had to make us wait for so long. However, without the permission of our Lord Duke, your title as the baron will not be recognized by us simply because you say so..."

As if he didn't hear any of the vitriolic words the skinny man had just uttered, Lorist walked up to Gleis and said, "Grandpa Gleis, you must be tired. Why don't you go get some rest and let me handle this?"

The old butler waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I'm not tired at all. Just do your thing, I will just sit here and watch."

Having been ignored by Lorist, the skinny man lost his temper and banged the table before he roared angrily, "Hey! I was talking to you! You deaf?!"

Lorist turned around instantly and looked at him with a berating gaze before he said, "Which alley did you crawl out from? You dare behave so impudently in the presence of the family of the Roaring Raging Bear?"

Lorist's seething killing intent that radiated from his gaze caused the skinny man to feel a chill down his spine. He was stunned to the point of speechlessness before he was once again awoken by a tap on the shoulder from the Gold ranked knight that stood beside him. With a face flush with embarrassment, the skinny man stood up so quickly with a humph so forceful that it caused his wig to slant. As he adjusted the wig on his head, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm Baron Camorra. You better show me the respect nobles deserve..."

"Hehehe... You, a noble? You're nothing but an impostor. I've never met a noble that's so unrefined and ill-behaved like you. The way you dress even makes you look kind of like a clown..." Lorist ridiculed, causing Reidy, Patt and the rest to laugh out loud.

"Show me the certificate of your nobility to prove your authenticity. Otherwise, I'll have an impostor like you hanged at the gates of the bastide as a warning for anyone else who dares to pretend to be nobility!" Lorist suddenly raised his voice so loud and caused everyone within the hall to start in surprise and focus their attention on the situation.

Lorist's sudden change in tone and expression had frightened the man so much that his face instantly turned pale. He quickly stuck his hand into his robe and said, "It's... It's here... My certificate of nobility is here..." The panicking man quickly took out a bunch of documents and placed it onto the table.

At that moment, the burly knight said, "I can also testify to the authenticity of his nobility. Even though it has only been three months since he was entitled by the Lord Duke himself, he is indeed a noble..."

"Oh, so you were just recently entitled by the duke... No wonder you look so much like a clown. What an embarrassment to us nobles... Since you are sent here by the Lord Duke, tell me why you brought so many soldiers to the dominion of the Norton Family," said Lorist unconcernedly as he gave the skinny man a contemptuous gaze.

Chapter 116 Baron Camorra Prev ChapterNext Chapter

Baron Camorra quickly noticed that he had just made a grave mistake. He never should've treated the family of the Roaring Raging Bear of the Northlands as the common noble families that he had been dealing with. In terms of history and heritage, the Norton Family far exceeded even that of the duke's Loggins Family. Families that have 200 to 300 years of history like that had their own pride and stubbornness unlike most other dominion lords that would easily lower their heads and butter up the ambassador of the duke by giving him expensive gifts and women in fear that they would offend him for some reason.

Thinking that the Norton Family was completely different from what he had heard before, Baron Camorra thought that there was a high chance that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his mission this time around. Didn't Viscount Kenmays tell me that the Nortons had already become weak and incompetent? I heard that he had brought hundreds of farmer soldiers to attack the Norton Family bastide and even besieged them for three whole months and only had to stop because they ran out of food... I believed that if it were possible, he would've liked to continue the siege longer...

Even though Viscount Kenmays sounded rather casual when he said that at that time, within a short six months, the Norton Family managed to plunder the Redriver Valley Bastide all of a sudden and left it burning to ashes after everything was taken. Baron Camorra still recalled the scene when Viscount Kenmays went to see the duke about the issue: the usually elegant and refined viscount's face was purple with rage and he even fainted after spitting out mouthfuls of blood as he muttered, "My gold coins... my gold coins..."

Most people thought that the viscount was agonizing over the gold coins that he had used to purchase all the goods that were taken at the bastide. The massive amounts of shipment that the viscount brought into the Northlands some time ago had caused so many people to be green-eyed with jealousy. It was then when the people of the Northlands wondered whether the wealth of the Kenmays Family could actually rival that of a kingdom, as they could manage to bring in so much resources all at once.

Right after the incident of the bastide burning down, while others were secretly delighting in the viscount's loss, Baron Camorra had been spending money to bribe one of the personal attendants of Viscount Kenmays and got to know that the viscount had fainted on that day because of the loss of his secret stash of money that he had stored at the bastide. It had already become the loot of the Nortons.

According to that attendant, there were exactly 100000 gold Fordes stored at the bastide and he was certain of that figure because he had filled up those chests himself within the secret room at the bastide. He remembered clearly that there were 5 chests that each stored 20000 gold Fordes stacked neatly together.

That sum of money was actually the result of the efforts and methods the viscount had meticulously employed over the years ever since he first joined the family's trading group at the age of 16. Aside from the three of his personal attendants, nobody else including his own father knew about the money. Now that it had been taken by the Norton Family, the viscount could only despair: even if he could eradicate the Norton Family by the time his 2000 soldiers arrive, the existence of the money had already been revealed and it would no longer be his personal cash as it would have to be handed to the family itself. It would never make its way back into the viscount's hands.

Baron Camorra was shocked to hear the figure of the private savings of the viscount: that amount was easily six times the annual income of the duke's dominion. He was really familiar with the duke's income and expenses and the formation of the duke's Northland Army of at least 20000 people would add another 40000 imperial gold coins to the duke's upkeep. The duke's annual income was just around 60000 imperial gold coins which was roughly equivalent to around 16000 gold Fordes. That was the main factor that limited the duke's ability to further expand that army.

To most other people, Baron Camorra was merely someone who had lucked out to gain his position today. Looking like a monkey-faced clown, most people felt that he had managed to gain the duke's favor by mere coincidence. What they didn't take into account was that while the duke had many weaknesses and shortcomings, he wasn't a ruler that could easily be swayed around like that. The reason he trusted Camorra and even granted him the title of a baron was because of the achievements he had gained by his own ability.

Baron Camorra was originally a commoner born in Gildusk City and he had spent most of his life in the slums among the lowest dredges of society. He did everything he could to survive including being a liar, a thief and a gangster. However, he was finally caught for stealing at the age of 16 and just as he was about to have his hand amputated as punishment, the local dominion lord intervened out of nowhere and forgave Camorra of his crimes and even gave him a small fortune and some clothes.

That benevolent dominion lord said to him, "I can't have a young boy like you dying from having your hands cut off on the day my son is born. That will forever taint this auspicious day of mine. That's why I forgave you and even graced you with this little gift. You don't have to thank me, this is the fortune that my little angel has brought to you. I can only advise you to change your way of life and find a proper job so that you can secure your own happiness and livelihood with your own efforts. If you don't listen to what I have to say, you will definitely be captured again and die a dog's death from having your hands amputated. However, at that moment, your death will no longer have anything to do with my precious son."

As if he had gained a sudden revelation, Camorra went to the Shrine of Singwa and carried out all sorts of chores there during the day to earn his share of two pieces of black bread. During his free time, he also spent his time learning as much as he could from the priests of the shrine and after three years, he had gained the trust and admiration of the priests of the shrine and one of the senior priests promoted him to become a warden. From a position at the jail, Camorra spent 10 short years to be promoted to the level of a security captain and spent another 10 years to become the chief tax officer of Gildusk City and caught Duke Loggins's eye.

If one were to pick the poorest duke out within those of the Krissen Empire, the Duke of the Northlands would definitely fit the bill. One of the duke's ancestors had once took the post as the prime minister during the time of Krissen III and had a reputation in the history books as the virtuous prime minister. Back then, the Krissen Empire was fraught with natural disasters as well as internal and external conflict and it was the leader of the Loggins family at that time that had used every method at his disposal to unify the empire and grant it peace and stability. In the end, he died from overwork at his work desk and that prompted the emperor of that time to elevate the title of the Loggins Family from a viscount to a duke and grant the southern part of the Northlands to their family as a hereditary dominion.

However, the Loggins Family could not have hated Krissen III more. Even though their dukedom was 10 times larger than their previous viscounty, the profit the family made had decreased more than 10 times. Krissen III had actually claimed the profitable viscounty for himself and ceded the desolate northern lands to their family as their dominion instead. To the Loggins Family, that was a stab in the back that they didn't deserve considering the contributions the family had made to the empire. Perhaps it was the emperor's way of punishing the family for hogging so much power within the empire for so long and making the emperor feel like he's nothing more than a figurehead.

During the reign of the former Krissen Empire, the revenue of the Duke of the Northlands was merely around 100000 imperial gold coins. That amount was akin to the profit that a common baron earned in the most prosperous areas of the empire. The previous leaders of the Loggins Family had tried to develop their lands before, but none of the leaders were as talented as the former viscount and they were mostly plagued by their limited funds and the natural hazards of the Northlands. Surprisingly, the Loggins Family had produced a number of family leaders that excelled in the military, causing them to be known by some as the family that had relinquished their scholarly brilliance to become military brutes.

When compared to many of his predecessors, the current Duke Loggins was not accomplished in both academic and martial prowess and was only average at whatever he did. He also had lots of shortcomings like lust, greed, indecisiveness and a fond liking for spending on unnecessary luxuries. However, one redeeming factor that he had was his ability to judge people. He had picked Camorra to manage the taxes of his dukedom and organize the formation of the Northland Army as well as manage the logistics and supply of the army.

Camorra, not letting the duke's expectations down, had spent three whole years revamping the taxation system of the dukedom and helped the chaotic dominion recover its revenue by up to six times like it used to be in the old days, thus allowing the duke to no longer have to save up just to make ends meet as well as allowing for the original 3000-strong garrison of the dukedom to be expanded into a staggering 20000-strong Northland Army. The income of the dukedom also ensured that the army would be able to sustain itself in terms of equipment and supplies.

After merely three years, the duke was extremely satisfied with Camorra's performance and fulfilled his promise to make him a baron. Naturally, it was merely an honorary title that didn't come with a dominion. That meant that Baron Camorra was only an honorary noble.

The night he was given the title, Camorra locked himself in his room and cried himself to sleep. He knew that most of the people around him treated him like a joke and didn't know how much effort he had put in to get to where he was. Even though he wasn't even 45 years old, he had lost half of the original volume of his hair over the years of stressful toiling. He was extremely thankful for the duke's favor towards him and he continued to believe that as long as he served the duke well, he would one day gain a dominion for himself and become a proper landed noble.

After receiving the report from Viscount Kenmays's attendant, Baron Camorra secretly told the duke about it. The duke was absolutely staggered by the sum of 100000 gold Fordes and was even considering sending out the entire Northland Army to get the whole amount for himself. However, Baron Camorra said that he shouldn't make such large movements lest he attracts the attention of others. Duke Loggins understood that Camorra was referring to the Second Prince and that man was even greedier than the infamous duke himself.

On the other hand, it would be easy to come out with an excuse to pester the Norton Family: ever since the Second Prince's Iblia Kingdom had decreed for all landed nobles of the Northlands to be under the jurisdiction of the Duke of the Northlands, the Norton Family had not made a visit to the duke himself for a single time even though they paid their taxes regularly. They could also argue that the Norton Family's lack of notification to the duke when they selected a new family leader was a disrespectful act to the duke as he was their senior noble and not reporting the fact meant that they were treating him as if he didn't exist. It could also be said that among the old noble families of the Northlands, the Norton Family had become a rogue family that did not have any associations to a senior noble.

After deciding on the excuse with his trusted subordinate, the duke decided to send none other than Baron Camorra himself to the Norton Family as his ambassador. To pressure the Nortons to submit, the duke had also sent one of the five Gold ranked knights he had to accompany the baron on his journey as well as an escort of 20 Silver ranked knights and two small squads of elite soldiers of the Northland Army.

The duke also instructed Baron Camorra that if the Norton Family knew what was good for them, not only did they have to hand over the 100000 gold Fordes, they also had to give two thirds of the resources they had plundered to the duke to gain his forgiveness for the Norton Family leader's disregard. And if the Norton Family refuses to abide to those conditions, the escort that the baron brought with him would be more than enough to wipe the family out.

Ever since the First Young Master and the previous family leader of the Norton Family died, the Nortons no longer had any Gold ranked fighters. One Gold ranked knight, twenty Silver ranked knights and another two squads of Iron ranked elite troops should be more than enough to frighten the wits out of the Nortons already. What other choice did they have but to obey the will of the duke? At the time, that was what Duke Loggins and Baron Camorra believed. The duke even joked that the real reason the escort of that might was sent was to ensure that the 100000 gold Fordes would be transferred back to the duke's dominion safely.

Not knowing the true situation of the Norton Family, the duke and the baron even laughed about the conflict between the Kenmays Family and the Nortons because there wasn't even much of a point to fight for lands as desolate as their dominions' as most of the more developed places of the Northlands was at the south where the duke's dominion was located.

If the duke knew about the decimation of the Feathersoar Mercenary Crew, then he definitely wouldn't have underestimated the might of the Nortons. Had he known that Lorist managed to single-handedly defeat the twin Gold ranked shield-bearers, the duke might have considered sending all five of his Gold ranked knights along with the baron as well as another 6000 of his troops. However, if he truly did that, then everyone would know that he was going to rob the Nortons of their gold.

During all his time in service to Duke Loggins, Baron Camorra had seen many nobles who would endure any and every kind of insult he threw at them and try their best to please him. As the duke's ambassador, Baron Camorra had been to many dominions of other noble families to provoke, to mediate, to threaten, to extort, and most often to collect taxes. Before he was even given the title of an honorary baron, the landed nobles were already extremely respectful to him. Camorra had even met some nobles who were willing to send their wives and daughters to accompany him in bed for some extra perks like a small tax cuts.

Before he arrived at the Maplewoods Bastide, Baron Camorra had assumed that the Nortons were just like the usual noble families he dealt with. But nobody would've expected for him to run into trouble the moment he arrived at Firmrock Castle. At the foot of the newly-constructed defensive wall, the Gold ranked Knight Tabik who had accompanied him shouted for everyone within the Norton Family to show up and receive them. But a young knight merely peeked over the wall and bluntly asked the arrogant Tabik to shut up.

The Nortons' construction of a castle at Morgan Hills was news to the baron and he didn't expect that they would have a Gold ranked marksman among their ranks as well. When he was making his way through Firmrock Castle, the baron had also noticed the ballistas which were set up on the wall as well as the metal-armored soldiers who were manning them and felt that he had neglected to investigate the true military prowess of the Norton Family and started to worry whether he would be able to successfully complete his mission,

By the time he arrived at Maplewoods Bastide, he noticed something different about the place when compared to Firmrock Castle. The people of Firmrock Castle, no matter whether they were soldiers or workers, weren't remotely bothered by the presence of the men sent by the duke: apart from a few curious looks, most of the people didn't even show the slightest interest in the duke's men. However, at Maplewoods Bastide, the moment the duke's name was uttered, everyone there either panicked or showed their deepest respects. Even though the entry of the 200 or so soldiers into the bastide's castle was denied, Baron Camorra noticed that they were being served the best food the bastide had during the reception feast.

The one who was present at the feast was the old and cunning Butler Gleis, whom Baron Camorra didn't manage to glean the slightest information about the family from despite his incessant questioning. The baron decided to test them out by secretly asking Knight Tabik to flirt with the female knight of the family and noticed that even though the other members of the Norton Family were mad at that act, they did not dare to take any action. At least, that was the case until the Gold ranked marksman who escorted them humphed in annoyance, causing Tabik to cease whatever he was doing.

The baron was also keenly observing the situation when the Norton Family's new leader entered the hall and he saw that the Gold ranked marksman and the Silver ranked knight that was beside him were extremely respectful to that young family leader from the very bottom of their hearts. Thus, Baron Camorra decided to test the young leader's reaction with his usual arrogant and rude act: most other nobles usually attended to him more respectfully after the commotion he caused and the baron expected the family leader of the Nortons to react the same as well.

But he was extremely taken aback by the huge reaction the young man exhibited which involved his questioning of the baron's legitimacy as a noble. The baron could also feel the seething killing intent which radiated from the eyes of the young man when he turned his gaze to him. What deep, black eyes... They seem like an unending abyss of darkness... After he was gazed at, the baron felt like he was being eyed by a high-ranked magical beast as if he were its prey and found himself frozen and unable to move before his train of thought got disrupted entirely as he awaited his impending doom.

That kind of desolation and helplessness had caused the baron to lose his usual cool and rationality to the point that he even hurriedly took out his nobility certificates when Lorist demanded him to prove his legitimacy. Having one's legitimacy as a noble questioned was the paramount insult one could experience no matter whether one was a landed or honorary noble.

By the time Tabik was calmly attesting to the baron's identity, Baron Camorra only felt a pang of humiliation. He understood that he would definitely become a laughing-stock among the noble circles and that would only serve to reinforce his reputation as the clown who merely got lucky.

Baron Camorra silently kept the certificates and documents he had placed on the table and readjusted his robes and removed the light blonde wig from his head to reveal his bald, shiny scalp. With a pale face, he performed a standard noble greeting towards Lorist and said with a serious tone, "With utmost respect, Lord Norton, I represent my liege, Duke Loggins, to ask the Norton Family a question and to discuss two other matters..."

A look of surprise flashed through Lorist's eyes as he didn't expect that clown-like skinny man to recover his calm so quickly and even managed to carry out his job as an ambassador properly despite having just been humiliated. It seems that this guy is rather strong-willed and is definitely more than meets the eye...

Once again wearing a solemn expression, Lorist stood up straight and said in a strict fashion, "I welcome your arrival. As the head of the Norton Family, I, Norton Lorist, represent the family to receive the greetings of the duke."

Baron Camorra observed Lorist carefully and no longer dared to look down on that young man. Lorist was different from the other nobles he had encountered in a way that even though he sounded rather polite, there was not a shred of respect towards the duke that could be picked out from what he had just said. In fact, the tone of speech Lorist used seemed to suggest that he considered the duke to be on the same level as he was. Instead of the much detested arrogant pride nobles usually had, it was self-confidence that was oozing out of Lorist's being.

"Lord Norton, as the overlord and Duke of the Northlands, Duke Loggins would like to know why the Norton Family haven't paid a single visit to him even though it has already been three years since the Second Prince designated all the nobles of the Northlands to be under his rule. Isn't that against the common conventions of nobility? And after the passing of the previous baron, why didn't the new family head pay a visit to the duke to gain his permission to succeed the title? The Lord Duke has already waited patiently for three years and could no longer withstand an insult like that. That's why he would like to know if the Norton Family considers him as an enemy." Since Baron Camorra didn't recognize Lorist's claim to the title of a baron, he addressed him as Lord Norton instead.

Lorist laughed slightly and said, "The Norton Family has never once considered Duke Loggins and his family as an enemy, and also acknowledges his rule over the Northlands. Otherwise, the we wouldn't have bothered to pay the taxes on time in the first place. However, we do not acknowledge the duke to be our senior noble as it is publicly known that the Norton Family has been entitled by the Krissen Royal Family themselves. Let me ask you, Lord Baron, since when has Duke Loggins been a member of the royal family?"

"Didn't the Second Prince already order all the nobles of the Northlands to take the duke as their senior noble?" Baron Camorra asked.

"Lord Baron, can the Second Prince be considered a representative of the royal family? I think not, as all the nobles know that the only one who can do so is the Third Prince of the Andinaq Kingdom who has been nominated as a successor by the emperor himself. So since when did the Second Prince have any authority to will the Nortons to become a subordinate noble family of the Loggins Family? What he did was just as laughable as a neighbor selling your house without gaining your permission. Naturally, if Duke Loggins is able to gain the agreement from the Third Prince, then we will immediately pay our due respects to the duke. But right now, just as you have mentioned, I have many things to settle as the new dominion lord and I can only hope that I will have some free time to visit the duke in the future," Lorist said.

"Ugh..." Baron Camorra didn't expect Lorist's answer to be that reasonable. "That means that the Norton Family is intent on going against the Lord Duke?"

"Whether I am going against him will depend on his own judgment. If he thinks that my reasoning is fair, he should go see the Third Prince and gain his approval to govern our family. If he thinks that the Norton Family is antagonizing him, he can simply send his Northland Army to force us to submit. Even though the Norton Family's might is pretty small in comparison to the duke's Northland Army, we are still the Roaring Raging Bear of the North and we will still have the ability to cause the duke a substantial loss," said Lorist as he casually threatened the baron.

It seems that the issue with the Norton Family's allegiance will be a troublesome one. The Nortons are really different from other nobles, they are not even bothered by the threat of the duke's army. Having no other choice, Baron Camorra decided to skip the issue and move on to something else. His true goal that day was not to force the Nortons to submit to the duke but rather to get the 100000 gold Fordes from them.

"Lord Norton, I think it's best if we solve that issue at a later date. I will definitely tell the duke your words exactly. We will just have to wait and see what he decides," said Baron Camorra. "Can we move on to talk about the other two issues?"

"Naturally. Sit down, I'm all ears." Since it was a negotiation, there was no need to be so formal. Lorist heartily asked the baron to take a seat before talking about the issue.

Lorist's impression of the baron had took a huge turn after the short conversation they had. He observed that the baron had quickly changed the subject upon noticing he was at a disadvantage since he wasn't able to force the Norton Family to submit.

"I need to first ask you to not spread this issue out. The duke wishes that the Second Prince doesn't find out about it as the Second Prince has been secretly suppressing his plans to build the Northland Army by setting up a huge number of obstacles. That was why the duke had secretly gathered a huge amount of gold and gave it to the Kenmays Family so that they may help him to secretly purchase a bunch of military supplies. However, he didn't expect that the Kenmays Family would store the gold at the Redriver Valley Bastide. Following the result of the conflict between your family and the Kenmayses, which ended with the bastide being set on fire, the gold must have come into your possession. The duke hopes that you would return the gold to him and also offers his heartfelt thanks for your cooperation.

"The sum of gold coins that were taken is 100000 gold Fordes exactly and they were stored within five huge iron chests," said Baron Camorra as he instilled some truth to his lie to make it more palatable. The might of the Norton Family had far exceeded his expectations, so he dropped his approach to threaten them and tried to test the waters first.

Lorist really wanted to applaud at what the baron had just said. What a talent he is! He could actually spin such a convincing lie that would definitely sound perfect to those who don't know better. He even knows about the sum of the gold, and that fact reinforces that the money could have belonged to the duke. Too bad the duke doesn't know that Butler Boris had already joined the Nortons and he knew almost everyone at the Redriver Valley Bastide, allowing him to easily pinpoint Viscount Kenmays's personal attendant who was in charge of watching the money as well as his family members. After only 50 canes, the attendant had obediently revealed the location where the gold was stored.

I don't know where the duke got the information and sum of the gold... But for him to stretch out his claws of greed so quickly and even send such a powerful escort along with his ambassador... He definitely doesn't have any good intentions. It's too bad that he had underestimated us. Right now, he's stuck in a difficult position.

Lorist looked at Baron Camorra with a weird look on his face that basically said, 'come on, keep on spinning more stories for me to hear'.

Baron Camorra's face flushed slightly from being stared at so intensely and he asked gingerly, "Lord Norton... What do you think about the matter..."

Lorist hummed a few times before he said, "Let's put that aside first and talk about the other issue. What does the duke want to negotiate with us about?"

"Oh, due to the years of internal conflict within the former territories of the empire, the duke's manor is in a really bad state and the Gildusk City's fortifications have not been maintained for quite a while: the walls have even started to crack up. As the duke is a little short on funds, there is no way for him to commission for any repairs to be done. I heard that the your family had won a huge victory against the Kenmays Family and got all the construction materials they have stored at the bastide. That's why the duke hopes that you will be able to provide half of the loot to him so that he may renovate his manor as well as begin the repair works..." said Baron Camorra as he decided on his own accord to reduce the original amount of two thirds to only a half.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that was all," the baron said as he nodded.

"Hehe, only those two requests?" Lorist asked as he laughed.

Baron Camorra once again nodded and said, "Yes, only two requests."

"I haven't mentioned it yet, but I have a request as well..." said Tabik, who was angered that Lorist had completely neglected his presence before he decided to interject between Lorist and Camorra's conversation.

Lorist looked at the Gold ranked knight with surprise and said, "Then, oh-so-admirable and respectable knight, please tell me about your request..."

"I see that your family has a rather abundant supply of metal armor. Even the most common soldiers you have are equipped with those. However, our Northland Army has 20000 soldiers but we have less than 100 sets of armor for ourselves. That's why I want your soldiers to remove their sets of armor and let us bring them back..."

Tabik had always looked down on Baron Camorra and he didn't understand why the duke was so fond of a mere baron who did not even have a dominion like him. This time, Tabik only reluctantly joined the expedition to the Norton Family dominion as he felt that it was very embarrassing for him to be seen together with that clown of a baron and the baron's earlier flustered reaction only served to prove his point. It was fortunate the baron managed to pretend that nothing had happened before and conversed with Lorist normally. Secondly, Tabik felt that he didn't need to be there as he doubted that the Norton Family would resist the orders of the duke given the looming threat of the Northland Army.

However, after seeing the lightning bolt-like green arrow nail his mount to the ground back at Firmrock Castle, he understood that there was a Gold ranked marksman that he couldn't afford to offend, causing him to stop his overbearing behavior and do his best to not cause any trouble. When he was teasing the female Silver ranked knight earlier, he stopped immediately after hearing the marksman grunt with dissatisfaction.

Given that Tabik managed to make it to the Gold rank, he was definitely no idiot. However, the moment he saw the Norton Family's young leader enter the room, he thought that an opportunity had showed up before him. Firstly, the Gold ranked marksman within the room had let down his guard by laying back in his chair and staring towards the roof. Secondly, the Norton Family leader was sitting right in front of him and it was almost too easy for him to lash out if he needed to. From Tabik's observation, he could tell that the Norton Family head was not even a Silver rank. Otherwise, the Battle Force flowing within his bloodstream would definitely be detected by a Gold ranked fighter like Tabik. At most, the youth could only be an Iron rank.

As Baron Camorra carefully negotiated with the Norton youth, Tabik grew even more impatient and thought, why does the duke's ambassador have to talk so respectfully to a mere commoner? Shouldn't he be spouting orders instead? Even if the Nortons have a Gold ranked marksman, what could they do against the Northland Army? If everyone in the army spat out a mouthful of saliva, the Nortons would easily be drowned alive already...

The reason Tabik was being in his best behavior was because he feared that the Gold ranked marksman would intervene and challenge him to a duel. While he wouldn't necessarily die from a conflict with the marksman, it would still be rather embarrassing to be pummeled for no good reason. The last thing Tabik wanted was to become a huge joke after his return to the duke's dominion with the clown.

However, due to some kind of luck, the young Norton Family leader who didn't know what was good for him was seated right in front of him. As long as he held him hostage, the Norton Family would have no other choice but to yield. Even the Gold ranked marksman would have no choice but to submit unless he wanted his lord to die, and that was hardly possible. Taking into account of the 20 other Silver ranked knights he brought along with him, Tabik planned to force the people in charge to open the castle gates to allow his 200 or so soldiers enter the castle to set the situation in his favor.

As long as I can hold that Norton kid hostage, then the duke's demands will definitely be satisfied and I would take most of the credit while that clown over there will remain nothing but a joke. Maybe the duke might even strip him of his title and let him return to being a dirty commoner and I might stand a chance to receive a title and dominion myself and my status will ascend to that of landed nobility...

Even though Tabik was busy fantasizing, he was also very wary of his surroundings. However, his worries quickly evaporated as the Gold ranked marksman had actually fallen asleep within the room. I really don't get how he's able to sleep so calmly in a situation like this. The guards of the Norton kid are also not paying attention and are whispering about something among themselves. I just need an excuse to act right now.

Even though Tabik had considered lashing out to catch them off-guard, that would be far too unrefined and undignified of him given his status as a Gold ranked knight. He would definitely not be able to feel proud for his own success if he had to rely on ambushing to deal with a puny Iron rank and that act would forever taint his reputation for the rest of his life. The best solution was for Tabik to cause the Norton Family head to argue with him so that he would have a perfectly reasonable excuse to take him down.

Having thought through his plan, Tabik told Lorist of his unreasonable request.

As expected, Lorist started laughing, but his laughter got softer as time went on.

"What are you laughing at?" Tabik asked, dissatisfied.

"Do you see the door over there?" Loirst asked as he pointed at the door of the grand hall.

"What about it?"

"You will find the gates of the castle after exiting the hall and taking a right turn..."

"Why would I do that?"

"Are you an idiot? Don't you understand that I'm asking you to fuck off? I really don't get how a bird-brain like you managed to become a Gold ranked knight. I guess idiots have their own kind of luck too..." Lorist said.

Even though Tabik expected a backlash from his suggestion, he really didn't expect the young master of the Nortons to manage to enrage him to the core of his being. Lorist's brutally honest insults were something a Gold ranked knight like Tabik had never needed to endure ever in his life.

"You will pay for your words today..." said Tabik with a hoarse voice before he thumped on the long table and broke it into half. As the bowls, wine glasses and wine barrels flew all over the place, Tabik leaped over to Lorist with both his hands outstretched...

Chapter 118 The Issue of Compensation Prev ChapterNext Chapter

Tabik took one last look at his surroundings just before he leaped forward. It seems that the Gold ranked marksman is awake... But he's just looking over here and haven't manage to react yet. The Josk was still actually seated as if he didn't care about protecting his lord and unexpectedly laughed out loud when he noticed what was going on...

The two guards behind the Norton Family leader was also laughing out and weren't inclined on protecting their dominion lord either. What if this guy isn't the real family leader of the Nortons? No matter what Tabik suspected, he felt that since he had taken action, he might as well hold that person hostage first and see what would happen next. Since the youth had insulted him, Tabik was intent on making him pay and teaching him a lesson that a Gold ranked knight should not be so easily provoked.

One more step, and I'll be able to get hold of that kid's shoulder. There's nothing much an Iron rank like him can do once I restrain him. Let's see if he dares to insult another Gold ranked knight like me in the future once this matter is settled... However, Tabik noticed that the Norton Family leader didn't even make any moves and merely stood there like a log. Shouldn't he be trying his best to flee now? Wait, he's actually smiling. Has he turned silly from the fear?

Tabik lashed his hands out to grab at the man, only to notice that he had grasped nothing but air. That kid's shoulder was previously right in front of him! Thinking that he probably saw mistakenly, Tabik reassured himself that the youth would no longer be able to escape his grasp the next time.

Right after Tabik swung his hands forward once more, somebody was caught. But Tabik's expression was that of surprise and terror: he had not actually caught Lorist by the shoulder. Instead, his right arm was clasped tightly in Lorist's hand. A sudden pain burst forth from Tabik's arm, causing him to scream out loud in pain. He could clearly hear the crisp sound of the bone within his arm cracking. After the jolt of pain, Tabik could no longer feel his right arm.

Having discarded the notion of taking Lorist hostage, Tabik pushed his left hand outwards and tried his best to get away from him, only to have his left arm held again...

"Aaagh!" Another cry of pain louder than the former rang out as Tabik witnessed Lorist somersault a few times in the air before his left hand lost all feeling as well.

At that moment, the Gold ranked knight's mind was completely blank and he couldn't feel either of his arms and was only barely standing. However, Lorist didn't spare him just yet and rammed his knee against Tabik's stomach and all of the stuff he had eaten just before were expelled with a loud barf, staining one side of Lorist's pants in the process.

Within the next few moments, Tabik's chin, left cheek and right cheek turned numb all of a sudden before he spat out a mouthful of teeth. As Lorist continued kicking, he roared, "Gosh, why did an idiot like you have to ruin my pants..."

Tabik currently felt like he had become a piece of metal on an anvil that was being hammered nonstop. Right before he lost all consciousness, he finally understood why the Gold ranked marksman and the two other guards were laughing. They were mocking him for jumping straight into boiling water without knowing any better.

Baron Camorra witnessed with fear the scene of the Gold ranked knight Tabik being pummeled by Lorist like a sandbag looking as helpless as a damsel who had run into a group of ruffians whose cries were unheard by anyone else. That was something the baron had not dared to conjecture even within his wildest dreams. While he knew that Tabik hand a fond distaste for him and frequently called him a clown, there was nothing the baron himself could do about it as he was merely an honorary noble while Tabik was one of the five Gold ranked knights working for the duke. He had no other choice but to endure Tabik's harsh treatment.

But currently, Knight Tabik was completely powerless against Lorist. Back when Tabik launched himself towards Lorist, the baron secretly praised that act as once the family head was captured, the Norton Family would definitely cooperate with whatever demands they had. But the scene following that had quickly extinguished the baron's previous excitement, causing him to see Lorist as a being that was even more fearsome than the fiercest high-ranked magical beasts.

Even though the baron felt some sort of pleasure from seeing the knight who had so often berated him being beaten so badly, as the ambassador of the duke, he still had to do something to stop the current commotion lest all negotiations break down into full-blown conflict. But by the time he finally decided to take action, Tabik had already turned into a lump of mud beneath Lorist's feet and was blissfully out cold, no longer having to feel the pain Lorist was causing him.

Baron Camorra then watched Lorist bend down to his knees and search the fainted knight in a practiced manner. Taking out a heavy beastskin coin pouch, Lorist opened it before he tossed it to one of the guards behind him and said, "Take it and give it to Supervisor Spiel for him to log it into the accounts later. Let's consider it compensation for the table and the cutlery he broke."

Feeling a chill run down his whole body, Baron Camorra noticed that his knees were shaking uncontrollably. This... What kind of upbringing did this family leader have? He robbed Tabik like it was the most natural thing to do in the world and even seemed to be able to justify his banditry with perfect conscience! The baron knew well about Tabik's beastskin pouch as he had heard the knight brag about it once before that it stored the 60 plus gold Fordes that he had managed to earn over the years. He took all that as compensation? With that kind of money, he could fill the whole castle full of tables like the one Tabik broke!

Loud clanging sounds suddenly filled the hall as the 20 Silver ranked knights who had accompanied the baron and Tabik flipped their tables and kicked away the benches before they drew their swords and prepared to engage...

The battle before had happened too quickly for the Silver ranked knights to react in time. By the time they turned their heads over, the scene of their boss, a Gold ranked knight, being pummeled like that had shocked them completely as they had never seen a Gold ranked knight looking that pathetic all their lives. By the time all of them snapped out of their trance, Tabik was already slumped at Lorist's feet completely out cold. The 20 Silver ranked knights all had a joint thought that if word of their boss's defeat and their inability to do anything about it got out, they would definitely turn into laughing-stocks when they return. So they decided to avenge their boss in front of everyone present within the hall so that someone would witness them correcting the wrong.

"No, you guys,,, Stop..." said Baron Camorra hastily. But nobody paid him any heed. The knights had all heard their boss Tabik call the baron a clown too often and naturally didn't even bother to listen or even consider what the baron had to say.

"Reidy," Lorist called out.

Reidy removed the quiver of javelins that was slung on his back and put it in front of Lorist.

Following that, six javelins were launched flying through the air in a mere moment before they landed in a neat row all spaced out evenly in front of the 20 knights to form a barricade.

"Anyone who walks past the javelins will be killed without a doubt. I have with me 18 javelins and your lot has 20 people. Let's see which two of you will be fortunate enough to survive and return to report this incident to your duke..."

While Lorist wasn't the least bit loud when he said that, his voice resounded clearly through the ears of everyone that was within the dining hall.

Everybody present within the hall all quieted down and only Baron Camorra's ragged breaths could be heard. Even he couldn't do anything about this indifferent subordinates of his.

The few knights who were standing behind the javelins had a change in their expressions as the blade glows on their blades flickered unstably while they hesitated on whether to cross that barricade of javelins. After that, a hoarse voice sounded from behind them and broke the silence of the hall. "Why should we be afraid?! Come on, all of you! Let's cut that twerp into pieces!"

"Kill!" The Silver ranked knights at the forefront raised their longswords and no longer hesitated to cross the barricade of javelins.

The javelins shot out like lightning bolts and struck the knights who had just went beyond the barricades. Within moments, agonized cries filled the whole hall...

One Silver ranked knight quickly retreated two steps back and went behind the barricade once again. 7 of his comrades had already fallen in front of him with all of them having a huge javelin pierced through their chests and nailing them to the ground. 4 of those men were still alive and spitting out mouthfuls of blood as they struggled in pain.

The knight who stepped back suddenly noticed that his teeth were chattering uncontrollably as his whole body shivered from immense fear. It had all happened too quickly: the knights who went beyond the javelin barricade were less than ten steps away from Lorist, and yet that small distance was the difference between life and death. The fastest of his comrades just now had only taken four steps before he was nailed to the ground and the shivering knight would have become the 8th person to share the same fate had he not hurriedly stepped backwards after witnessing the death of one of his comrades directly in front of him.

It was extremely fortunate for him to have dodged backwards without a moment's hesitation the moment he saw his comrade dying. The knight who had barely escaped the clutches of death felt all the energy seep out from his body before he noticed a distinct stench wafting through the air and heard a sound of trickling water. Taking a slight glance to his side, he noticed that the knight beside him had been so terrified that his bladder let loose involuntarily.

"Who was the one who shouted just now? Step out this instant." Even though Lorist said that in a casual tone, the javelin he held in his hand seemed to indicate his intention on taking care of the guy who instigated the knights' charge.

The Silver ranked knights were all very clear on the identity of the one who shouted out loud in the beginning as they were all quite acquainted with the voices of their own comrades. A few of the Silver ranked knights standing at the front backed away and revealed a large, man with a goatee and moustache who was holding a longsword in his hand.

That burly man didn't expect that his own comrades would back away to reveal him like that. Faced with Lorist and the javelin in his hand, the burly man screamed before he dropped his longsword and dashed in the other direction.

Just before Lorist threw the javelin, a green arrow whooshed past him and sent the burly man flying through the air and nailed him to the wall, causing him to struggle and expel his last breath within moments.

Josk said, "You want to escape? I'm afraid you'll need the permission of my bow..."

It was at that moment when the knights remembered the presence of the Gold ranked marksman. Now that their own Gold ranked ally, Tabik, had been utterly defeated, the remaining 12 Silver ranked knights didn't dare to make a single sound lest they drew the attention of the two fearsome beings within the room.

"Joe you bastard, taking my spotlight again..." Lorist complained before he looked at the remaining 12 knights who instantly lowered their heads the moment Lorist's gaze fell on them.

"Alright, I can spare you guys and forgive you for your rude transgressions. However, you must compensate for the trouble you have caused. I want you to cast your weapons down on the floor and line up over there. Reidy, Patt, collect their weapons as well as their money pouches..." Lorist said.

"You! This is pure banditry! I'm going to complain about the shameless acts of the Norton Family in front of all the nobles if you do this!" Baron Camorra could no longer stand it and accused Lorist in a fit of rage.

"Banditry? Shameless acts? Lord Baron, don't compare us Nortons to your Lord Duke. I'm ashamed to be praised so highly by an ambassador of the duke, the incarnate of banditry and shamelessness himself. Did you come here with the holiest of intentions in mind? Even though I treated you as guests with the finest food I had, you didn't give the host, me, any amount of due respect at all. Not only did your men attack first, the guy just now even shouted his intentions to chop me into pieces! Don't tell me that we have to let ourselves be killed just because you're our guests?" Lorist said.

The pitiful Baron Camorra instantly got 12 glares of hate from the surviving knights.

Reidy came over and said, "Milord, here are the 12 money pouches."

"Have you turned into an idiot too?" said Lorist as he slapped on the back on Reidy's head. "There are 7 more on the ground and another nailed onto the wall! Go clean those up. Since they're all dead, they won't be needing their stuff anymore, so strip them clean..."

"You! Lord Norton! They are already dead, show them some respect! They are after all courageous warriors..." Baron Camorra could no longer hold back. If the flames of anger in his eyes were real, Lorist would have been burned to ashes already.

"So you're implying that the ones who died are heroes while those who survived are cowards?" Lorist asked as he pointed at the 12 surviving knights.

The baron once again got hated stares from the knights.

"I... did not... mean it like that..." stammered Baron Camorra.

"I understand what you're trying to say. They are courageous alright, but more than that, they are idiotic. Their deaths are one thing, but they also broke so many things and dirtied the floors of my hall. I need to pay somebody to clean it all up you know; manpower is pretty expensive after all. If I don't clean it up properly, I'll be reminded of their corpses every time I smell the stench of blood and that would definitely affect my appetite when I eat. Should that happen, then I would fall sick and need to spend even more money to get medicine. And you know that medicine isn't cheap in the Northlands. That's why I have decided to take all their belongings as compensation for my loss..." Lorist reasoned.

As Baron Camorra reached into his robes, Lorist stared at him curiously and thought, if you manage to take out an AK47, I'll kneel down in front of you and surrender immediately...

However, the item the baron had retrieved was his own money pouch which he tossed forcefully to Lorist, who caught it with relative ease.

"I'll pay you back with my own money! Now everyone of us who are still alive have given you our money pouches! So, as a noble, can you show the dead the least bit of respect they deserve?" pleaded the baron as he bowed deeply.

"Alright, sheesh. Why am I such a soft person?" Lorist said before he turned to face Reidy who was searching the bodies of the dead knights. "Alright, just take their weapons and money pouches. Why would we need their smelly socks anyway... It's better to just buy new ones than to let our workers wash them clean. Put it back onto their feet. Same goes for the shoes, we don't need it."

Baron Camorra sat back down on his chair powerlessly and thought, Lord Duke... You've finally met your match...