Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: 086. Reborn as the Plum Blossom Sword Master in a Count's Family
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The bandits hurled their nets at Nell from all directions at once.
"...Ugh!"
Nell had no choice but to get ensnared. There were simply too many nets to dodge or slice through with her sword.
She swung her sword at the nets in a desperate attempt to break free. But the nets were covered in small, sharp barbs and sticky slime, making it impossible to cut through easily even with her blade.
"It's over."
Pfreck said, arms crossed. If she had been wearing armor, it might have been different, but the woman before them was dressed in a simple tunic common among commoners.
The bandits fired arrows and hurled stones at Nell, whose movements were now restricted. She flailed her sword wildly in resistance. But the tangled nets held her fast.
If her body had been in good shape, it might have been another story. But after going so long without proper meals, her emaciated frame couldn't muster its full strength.
In the end, Nell collapsed to the ground.
"Ooh! Got her!"
"Even a knight couldn't survive that. Numbers win every time."
"Heh heh. Time to have some fun!"
The bandits chuckled as they approached the woman. They planned to choke the life out of her first before enjoying themselves. Chopping off limbs first was preferable, but... the boss had ordered them to make sure she was dead.
"I'll! I'll kill her first!"
One bandit gripped his dagger and rushed forward eagerly. In the Pfreck Bandit Gang, the one who snuffed out a woman's life got first dibs—that was the unwritten rule.
"You idiot! That woman's an Aura Ex..."
Before the bandit beside him could finish, the rookie's head flew through the air.
The bandits reacted swiftly. They all drew daggers and charged from every direction. Dozens of blades pierced her body. With a dagger in his throat too, he was surely dead.
"...Ah, damn it. Now it's no fun to fuck."
The bandits clicked their tongues.
A bloodied corpse riddled with dagger holes, entrails spilling from her gut. Even the most depraved bandits had no desire to violate such a gruesome sight.
"What? You guys aren't gonna do it?"
One bandit asked.
"Fuck that. Look at her. Who'd want to? There are other live ones."
"This bitch has the prettier face. And she's an Aura Expert. When else do you get to fuck one like that? Heh heh."
A bearish man approached the corpse. His body and even his face were covered in thick hair. He began lowering his pants right there before the mangled body.
"This crazy bastard. He's actually gonna do it."
The nearby bandits shook their heads in disbelief when—
Clop clop! Clop clop!
The sound of galloping horses rang out. Not just that—the metallic clash of armor buried beneath the hoofbeats.
The bandits froze and turned toward the source. Their faces drained of color in an instant.
"What the fuck!"
Pfreck cursed as he spotted the knight order charging toward them.
"What are you waiting for, you morons! Scatter and run!"
Pfreck bellowed again. The bandits screamed and fled in all directions.
'Damn it! How the hell did a knight order get here so fast? With that many men and warhorses, it's no ordinary group!'
Pfreck himself was an Aura Expert. He had the strength to become a knight, but he'd never learned proper swordsmanship, and his gear was meager compared to their full plate armor. Above all, there were at least twenty knights.
"Don't kill them—capture them alive!"
Sung Yu-jin commanded from behind the knights.
"Easy enough."
"As you command!"
The knights replied. And so began the knights' one-sided massacre—no, rout.
Escape was impossible for the bandits. These were knights mounted on warhorses. Their mobility was incomparable.
"Aaaagh! My arm!"
Bandits fell one by one. The knights perfectly obeyed Sung Yu-jin's no-kill order, true to their specialist training.
"Throw the nets! Like before!"
It had no effect. Unless they surrounded them completely, the knights simply brushed aside or dodged the nets. Even if one got caught, the trained warhorses tore through them effortlessly.
"Arrows! Shoot from afar!"
Futile struggling. The knights' reflexes deflected the blatantly incoming arrows with ease. And even if one slipped through, their armor rendered them harmless.
"Surrender! We surrender! Please don't kill us!"
"Drop your weapons and kneel."
The knights said coldly to the bandits. The situation resolved swiftly.
'Damn.'
Pfreck gripped his weapon tightly as three knights approached him. The situation was beyond hopeless. Escape was impossible.
'The only reason they're not killing us is for one thing. They plan to torture us.'
Torturing criminals was commonplace.
Fighting was pointless, flight impossible. Only one choice remained.
'Better to die than drag out a tortured existence!'
Pfreck raised his dagger to slit his throat. A flying sword knocked it away first.
"I know your type's habits all too well."
It was Hent. He dismounted and closed in on Pfreck in a flash, driving a fist into his gut.
"Gahk!"
"Give it up. It's over. Let's not make this tiring for everyone."
Pfreck raised his dagger again. A bluish aura coated the blade.
"What the hell is that? A candle flame? One puff and it'd go out."
Hent smirked and blew mockingly.
"You old fart! Die!"
Hent seized Pfreck's arm with both hands, twisted it 360 degrees, then smashed the shoulder to dislocate it. A kick shattered the knee joint.
"Oopsie."
Hent caught Pfreck's falling face. He tore off a strip of the bandit's clothing and gagged him to prevent biting his tongue.
"Robbing openly in Prucker territory? You underestimated the Prucker family. You're getting special treatment, punk."
Hent knocked Pfreck out with a blow to the back of the head and sought out Sung Yu-jin. He found him easily—the young master was under Head Butler Hasent's protection.
Hent eyed the butler warily.
"I always thought he was no ordinary butler... but seeing him here, not a single gap."
Could he win in a fight? No certainty. That meant at least equal skill.
"Anyway, the world's full of monster-like freaks."
???
As the Plun Knight Order began mopping up the Pfreck Bandits, I dismounted and surveyed the surroundings.
'The house described as the most secluded in the village, backed by forest.'
I spotted it easily. Heading there, I paused.
A woman's corpse lay ensnared in countless nets before it.
Black hair. A sword discarded nearby. Gaunt, skeletal body. Her face was beautiful.
'...Nell Rinse. Too late after all.'
It deviated from my plan. I had intended to earn favors from both Nell Rinse and Yuria Grace, taking them both in. The story described Nell as an exceptional knight.
'At least she didn't suffer like in the original.'
I walked toward the house where Yuria was hiding. The sun hadn't fully set, so she'd be in the back.
I stopped before entering.
I had no intention of threatening Yuria Grace. Forcing her with blackmail would only lead to betrayal.
Nor did I plan to deceive her with sweet words. I lacked that level of eloquence. A fugitive like Yuria wouldn't fall for it easily anyway.
"I'm Yujin Prucker, third son of Count Prucker."
I introduced myself first.
Glancing back, Hasent watched from a distance. I couldn't tell my self-appointed guard to leave.
Hasent must have noticed something off about me.
'...Whatever. I'll make excuses later.'
Hasent was taciturn. He might pretend not to hear.
"Yuria Grace."
I called her name directly, projecting that I knew her well. Still no response.
She might have fled into the forest already.
...I hoped not.
"Let me propose a deal."
A deal was all I could offer.
Nothing unusual—quite orthodox, in fact. Liege-vassal bonds were transactional. Vassals offered loyalty; lords granted lands in return.
Fortunately, I knew what Yuria wanted from the original story.
"I'll help with your revenge. Rights over these captured bandits, of course, and those behind them too."
"......"
No reply.
Failure? Or never there to begin with?
What now? Losing Yuria's talent at this point would be a waste. Capture and brainwash her slowly...? Ridiculous thoughts swirled when her awaited voice came.
"...Do you know who my revenge targets are?"
Calmer and more pleasant than expected.
"I do. I'm confident in my intel, appearances notwithstanding."
I mouthed silently, invisible to Hasent behind me.
-House Helbritt.
Yuria Grace was House Helbritt's illegitimate child.
Born between the kingdom's prime minister, Duke Helbritt, and the knight Nell Rinse.
House Helbritt obsessively pursued purity, eliminating scandals preemptively. That's why Nell and Yuria were hunted.
Fortunately, they knew of Nell but nothing of Yuria—not even her name or appearance.
"How... do you know so much about me?"
"I investigated thoroughly. Your bloodline, specifically. A female knight who fled a noble house over a decade ago... With clues, it's not hard to piece together."
I framed it as stumbling upon her while probing Nell.
Silence stretched.
"Revenge... I want to achieve it with my own hands."
"Of course you will. That's what makes it revenge."
Yuria would succeed in revenge without me, as in the original. But she didn't know the future.
Her target was House Helbritt, the prime minister's family. An ordinary woman stood no chance.
If she truly craved revenge, she'd need my help.
"The price... What must I pay you?"
"Yuria Grace. You. Offer me everything you have, and I'll ensure you get revenge within twenty years. Fail, and you can take my life."
I said confidently. In the original, she finished it in ten. Twenty was ample.
'...Hmm. Demanding 'everything' might be too much. Should've said loyalty?'
I overlooked something.
"That's the whole price?"
This was a medieval fantasy world, not modern.
Human rights? Nonexistent. Slavery was legal. Even commoners could own slaves with money.
A healthy young male slave averaged 100 million ner. Females half that, varying by beauty and origin.
Yuria was a commoner fugitive. Ignoring future potential, her current value was under 30 million ner.
Objectively, I was losing out—except for her becoming an Aura Master.
"'Just'? I'm demanding your body, heart, and soul."
"If offering this wretched being grants revenge... I gladly offer myself."
"Deal established?"
"Yes. From this moment, everything but one is yours. Master."
"Good. Revenge is yours alone. Now, I'd like to see you. May I come in?"
"Yes, Master."
Perfect.
I planned to hide her for now. Unlikely, but Helbritt warranted caution.
Fortunately, the knights were busy elsewhere, unaware of her. Except one.
"Head Butler Hasent."