Chapter 413: The Gate Opened (1)

"Pl-please spare us!"

On the road to the West, a group of small merchants knelt down, begging for their lives before a group of bandits.

The merchant guild leader, who had risked this journey despite hearing about the unrest in the area, now bowed his head with a pale, deathly expression.

This region had once been under the influence of the great western lord, Marquis Rodrick, and was now ruled by Count Fenris, the strongest in the North.

Given its importance for trade, neighboring lords never allowed bandits to roam freely here. Bandits only dared to operate in small territories.

The merchant guild leader had thought the risk was manageable. Never had he imagined his guards would all be killed, leaving him at the mercy of bandits.

One of the bandits approached the leader, bowing his head.

"There's no one else nearby. It seems the troops haven't moved yet."

"Good, finish up here and let's move. We need to keep running around this area to keep them chasing us."

"Understood."

The merchant guild leader trembled as he looked at the bandits, puzzled.

'What kind of bandits are these…?'

He had encountered many bandits in his life, but these ones were different.

Their attire was typical for bandits, but their speech and behavior lacked the usual crudeness and cowardice of criminals. Instead, they exuded an air of discipline, like soldiers.

They didn't waste words, their actions were precise, and they naturally moved in formation.

'Are they deserters?'

Recently, there had been rumors of western deserters turning into bandit gangs.

'But I thought all of them surrendered after Fenris took over Rodrick's territory.'

Moreover, these men didn't look like fugitives at all.

The leader of the bandits spoke.

"Kill them all, leave the bodies behind. Take the goods and dispose of them carelessly."

"Understood."

The bandits drew their weapons and approached. The merchant guild leader, pale as a ghost, begged again.

"Please spare us! Take everything, just let us live!"

No matter how much he pleaded, the bandits didn't respond. They didn't even bother negotiating. From what he had overheard, it didn't seem like they were after the goods either.

He had never seen bandits like this before. It was as if they weren't criminals, but madmen.

One of the bandits raised his sword. The merchant guild leader and his group screamed and shut their eyes.

Thud!

"Ahhhh!"

The merchant guild leader, kneeling at the front, screamed at the sound of something piercing through.

But he felt no pain.

"Huh?"

He opened his eyes in shock. The bandit about to strike him had been impaled through the chest by a spear and was thrown backward.

The remaining bandits, now tense, raised their weapons and formed ranks.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Following the bandits' gaze, the merchant guild leader turned slowly. A man on a black horse was galloping toward them.

There were thirty bandits in total. It was hard to understand why they seemed scared of just one man.

The merchant guild leader stared at the approaching figure, his eyes widening.

"What kind of speed is that…?"

With every blink, the man closed the gap unnervingly fast. As the merchant leader looked closer, he noticed a strange dark-red light emanating from the man's body, enveloping his horse.

Then came the bandits' shout.

"It's Count Fenris!"

"Count Fenris?"

The approaching man was Ghislain.

Seeing the bandits ahead, Ghislain grinned.

"So, you're not ordinary bandits after all."

The bandits near the western border had recognized him instantly, even though he was alone.

It wasn't surprising, considering Ghislain's fame. But their disciplined movements weren't something ordinary bandits could replicate. Even deserters from Rodrick's army couldn't have been this organized.

Wham!

In an instant, his black horse leapt over the fallen men, landing right in front of the bandits.

Thud.

Dismounting, Ghislain drew his sword and said, "None of you are leaving here alive."

"Attack!"

At the bandit leader's command, the bandits charged at Ghislain, eyes full of resolve to die.

Swish, swish, swish!

Every time Ghislain swung his sword, heads flew.

Despite this, the bandits didn't back down, and Ghislain laughed as they continued their attack.

"Knights, playing at being bandits?"

Their level wasn't high, but every single one of them was using mana. At minimum, they were beginner knights.

What reason would knights have to stoop to banditry? It was clear they were sent by the Duchy. Only the Duchy would throw away knights, even beginners, as disposable pawns.

Of course, the bandits themselves didn't think they were being sacrificed. Their mission was simply to keep running and divert attention. It seemed like an easy enough task.

But the bandit leader, disguised as their commander, realized how wrong they had been when he came face-to-face with Ghislain.

'Seeing him in person, he's even worse than the rumors!'

Their assumption that they could easily operate in Count Fenris's territory had been a mistake.

Despite their vigilance and patrols, they hadn't noticed Count Fenris's approach until it was too late.

That meant he either had the means to monitor a far larger area than they could, or he moved so quickly that even beginner knights couldn't detect him.

Boom!

The bandits attacking Ghislain were all slaughtered in an instant. Realizing they couldn't handle him, the leader drew his own sword and slit his own throat.

Thud.

With the leader's fall, no bandits remained standing.

Ghislain, wiping the blood from his sword, looked down at the fallen leader.

"Hmph."

They were weak, but their discipline was impressive. The way they decisively took their own lives to avoid capture spoke volumes.

'If anything, that makes it more obvious.'

Who else would use such skilled and loyal knights as disposable pawns?

It was clear that the Duchy was up to something in this region.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!"

Lost in thought, Ghislain was interrupted by the merchant guild leader, who ran up and prostrated himself. The others followed suit.

Believing they were certain to die, their survival filled them with overwhelming gratitude.

Ghislain looked at the merchant leader and asked,

"I am Count Fenris. Did those men say anything unusual?"

"So it really was Count Fenris! They didn't seem like ordinary bandits at all."

"What do you mean?"

"They seemed to have a purpose. They wouldn't negotiate or take an interest in loot. And… they mentioned something about running around this area to draw attention. I thought they might be deserters, but…"

The merchant leader spoke at length. Whether out of gratitude or simply being talkative by nature, he was eager to help.

Listening, Ghislain nodded.

"As I thought, it's a diversion."

If knights of that level decided to run around intentionally, no ordinary punitive force would catch them easily.

And it wasn't just one group.

Not all of them were knights, but it was obvious the bandits were composed of skilled individuals.

The Duchy and the Salvation Church had created these fake bandit gangs to divert the attention and forces of the lords.

'They're competent. Not fools, that's for sure.'

The Royalist faction knew that the rift information Ghislain provided wasn't comprehensive. Other kingdoms had found rifts that weren't in the reports.

This had led to a kingdom-wide search. But now, with bandits running rampant everywhere, the forces were scattered, delaying the search.

If the search weren't happening, the Duchy wouldn't bother with these distractions. It's clear—there are still many rifts left.

As he reached this unpleasant conclusion, Ghislain frowned.

In the distance, he heard the shouts of knights.

"My lord!"

The knights arrived only after Ghislain had single-handedly taken care of the bandits. Clicking his tongue, Ghislain looked at them.

"Still too slow."

'No, my lord, it's because you're too fast.' 

The knights thought, pouting. How could they possibly keep up with a mad horse like Black King, bolstered by mana? It was an impossible task, and frankly, they felt it was unfair.

Ghislain turned to the merchants and spoke.

"The bandits will be completely eradicated once we deploy troops. You needn't worry anymore."

"Thank you! But what about you, Count? If you're heading to a nearby town, I would be honored to accompany you."

The implication was clear—they wanted to stick close to him, fearing another encounter with bandits.

"I have other matters to attend to. I'll assign a few knights to escort you, so don't worry."

"Thank you so much!"

The merchant guild leader bowed repeatedly in gratitude, having lost all his guards and now relying on Ghislain's kindness.

Judging the bandits' skill, Ghislain assigned ten knights to escort them.

"Escort the merchants, then wait in Linderstein. Also, inform Count Selverk to prepare a punitive force."

Although Count Selverk was nominally in charge of the western territories, most of the actual administration was handled by Fenris's officials.

The vassals who had once served Marquis Rodrick had all pledged new loyalty to Ghislain. Even the independent lords were wary of him, making the governance of the West relatively smooth.

"Understood!"

With the knights as their guards, the merchants departed with newfound confidence.

Ghislain watched them leave and let out a light sigh.

'Whatever they were up to, it's likely progressed quite a bit by now.'

It had already been days since rumors of the bandits began circulating. Considering the time it took for the rumors to spread and for intelligence to be gathered, it was clear that much time had passed.

"No helping it."

Even with the knowledge of his past life, Ghislain was not omniscient. He had always adjusted his plans to fit the situation.

The Duchy and the Salvation Church were also thinking and acting strategically. There was no way for him to predict and prevent every move they made in advance.

All he could do was prepare as much as possible and ensure that, no matter what his enemies tried, he had the strength to crush them.

"For now, let's head to Baron Finros's territory."

It was the region most suspected of harboring a rift. Searching there was the best course of action at the moment.

When Ghislain arrived at the border checkpoint of Baron Finros's territory, the soldiers stationed there were startled to see him.

"C-Count Fenris, what brings you here?"

Even the knight in charge was trembling.

Having witnessed Marquis Rodrick's defeat at Fenris's hands, they couldn't help but be terrified.

Baron Finros himself had once been aligned with the Duchy before defecting. Recently, the Duchy's greatest enemy wasn't the Royalist faction but Fenris.

Now, seeing Count Fenris arrive with nearly 200 knights, they were understandably panicked.

Seeing the trembling soldiers, Ghislain smirked.

"I'm just here to take a look around the territory."

"..."

The knight couldn't think of anything to say and clamped his mouth shut.

In the past, he might have protested, asking what kind of nonsense this was. Back when the Baron was part of the Duchy's faction, such protests had been common, backed by the power of the Duchy.

But now, the Baron's territory was insignificant, no longer part of the Royalist faction, and with no one left to protect them.

With the most powerful noble in the Royalist faction declaring he was just "looking around," the knight didn't dare stop him.

"I-I'll quickly report to the Baron and—"

"No need to bother with that. Just think of me as a traveler. Got it?"

"A-a traveler? But surely, my lord…"

How could they treat a lord who arrived with 200 knights as a mere traveler? What kind of chaos might he cause?

"Just think of it as a sightseeing trip. I'm busy, you see."

The knight felt an ominous pressure and closed his eyes tightly before responding.

"Welcome to Finros's territory, Lord Count. Have a pleasant journey."

Ghislain passed through the checkpoint, leading his knights down the fastest route to their destination—a small city.

Not all rifts discovered by the Royalist faction had been in small villages like the one where they captured Ravier. Some had been found in cities.

Finding rifts in densely populated cities, full of people and buildings, was much harder and required more manpower for the search.

The Duchy was deliberately deploying bandits to scatter these forces.

When Ghislain arrived in the city, a scene similar to the checkpoint unfolded.

"W-we must contact the mayor immediately…"

"No, leave that for later. I'm busy."

"Then may I ask the purpose of your visit…"

"I have some personal matters to attend to. I'll be quick."

Upon entering the city, Ghislain addressed his knights.

"Everyone, release as much mana as you can and start searching the area. You remember the aura we felt last time, don't you?"

The knights nodded. In the village where they had captured Ravier, they had all felt that subtle, repugnant aura.

It was something one could only detect by concentrating and tuning out all other distractions. By releasing mana, they could reduce interference from other energies and focus on detecting the rift's presence.

"Good. I'll take responsibility, so don't leave any area unchecked."

"Understood!"

The knights moved swiftly, their forceful presence unsettling the city guards, who could only watch in silence.

Ghislain patted one of the guards on the shoulder and said, "Relax. Nothing will happen."

Of course, none of the guards believed him.

The sudden arrival of knights scouring the city without warning seemed like a recipe for disaster.

Ignoring their reactions, Ghislain unleashed his mana as well, moving with purpose.

As he meticulously searched the surroundings, Lucas came rushing over, shouting loudly.

"I found it! I found it!"

"You found it?"

"Yes! Remember how I broke my arm fighting in that village? This is exactly the same aura as back then! But something's strange about the people nearby!"

"Strange, how?"

"You need to see for yourself!"

"Alright, lead the way."

Ghislain smiled.

As he had suspected, a rift had been prepared here.

[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]