Chapter 20
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Dumfries (3)
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A few hours after leaving the pub, the group finally reached a ridge overlooking Dumfries as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"Whoa! That's a pretty sizable village. But the fields... Have they already finished the harvest?"
Lindelmann tilted his head, gazing out at the vast wheat fields stretching almost to the horizon. More than half of them lay barren.
"They never planted in the first place. To be precise, they couldn't even sow the seeds."
Brick replied with a bitter expression.
"Pardon? I don't know much about farming, but is it really okay to leave all this prime land fallow? Nearly half of it's empty!"
"Of course it's not okay. But with no one to work the fields, what choice do we have?"
"What? A village this size must have at least eight or nine thousand people. You're saying there's no one to tenant the land? Ah! Don't tell me the Lancaster Family—"
Brick nodded gravely.
"Exactly. They bought up land or used threats to stop not just Dumfries villagers but folks from nearby villages from tenanting our family's lands. Even the places that managed to scrape by with a harvest are sweating over this one."
"You just let them get away with that?!"
"We had no power to stop it. In the early years, they used proxies to quietly buy up land and businesses bit by bit without raising suspicion. And it all happened right after our lady of the house—the one overseeing the family's enterprises—passed away, followed by a massive fire at the manor. We were in chaos."
"Such misfortunes... What happened next?"
"We had to sell off labor-intensive businesses and lands outside Dumfries. By the time we got our act together and noticed something fishy, thirty percent of our assets had already fallen into their hands."
Lindelmann's face fell at Brick's explanation.
"That's awful!"
"We scrambled to rebuild the Swordsmen Corps and recruit skilled knights, but groups like the Credo Swordsmen Corps, backed by Lancaster, kept sabotaging us. No one wanted to do business with us out of fear of Lancaster and their allies. Sigh..."
Brick let out a light sigh before continuing.
"In the end, we had to shutter our businesses in villages outside Dumfries one by one. By last year, only Dumfries was left. Then the family head passed away at year's end... And the rest is what I told Sir Zaroph yesterday."
"Good lord..."
Lindelmann's expression grew even more sympathetic.
Now he understood why the White Family had staked everything on an honor duel. At this rate, they'd lose Dumfries—the root of their house—and be driven out.
So rather than sit idly by and take it, they'd chosen a slim chance at victory, one that would at least preserve some dignity even in defeat.
"Hmph...!"
Though he'd half-accepted the proxy honor duel out of obligation, Lindelmann now felt a surge of real responsibility.
Last night, it'd been half-drunk bravado promising to help the Whites. But now? It was different.
As an imperial knight candidate born to nobility, who else should he aid if not these wronged victims?
"Don't worry, Sir Carlson! We'll stake our lives on reviving the White Family's glory. Right, Blake?"
"I'm not staking my life."
"...!"
Lindelmann and Brick's eyes widened slightly at the cold voice.
Blake, unperturbed, rode on silently before adding one more line.
"A soldier's life is for the battlefield. Not this."
"..."
An odd silence fell.
It might have sounded like he was belittling the White Family's honor duel, but coming from a long-serving imperial soldier like Blake, it clearly meant something else.
Besides, his rare words always carried a strange weight.
The day was nearly gone.
In that time, the group passed the village outskirts and approached the White manor on the hillside.
That was when it happened.
"Hey! You there, hold up!"
Seven or eight men with torches poured out from in front of the manor.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Brick immediately reined in the carriage.
"Who are those guys?"
Lindelmann narrowed his eyes.
"Thugs from the Baston Sword Hall in the village. Lancaster's backing them, and looks like they were told to hold this place until we showed. I'll handle it, so you two just—"
As the young men approached, armed with crude swords and short spears in their off-hands, Brick lowered his voice.
"Well, well? If it isn't Sir Carlson. Out and about?"
A burly youth in his mid-twenties—the apparent leader—sneered. Brick shot back with a frosty look.
"Obviously coming back. What, you think I'm leaving? You've gotten even dumber since last time, Duff."
"W-what'd you say?!"
Duff scowled.
But he didn't charge recklessly, suggesting either fear of Brick or some other reason.
"If you're not gonna stand there forever, get out of the way."
"Hmph! Can't do that. Those in the carriage are the White sisters, right? And who's the mounted pair behind? You scrape together some brainless wandering knights?"
"Why, you—"
Brick subtly raised a hand to stop Lindelmann from stepping forward.
Staring Duff down, Brick said,
"Just as you said—knights here to aid our house. And come Clear Brightness Festival, we'll face the Lancaster Family in an honor duel with them. Satisfied?"
"W-what?!"
Duff jumped in shock.
"Hey, Duff, if we take 'em out right here—"
Another youth sidled up and whispered.
"Hm."
Duff narrowed his eyes, recovering from his surprise.
True—if they offed the two knights Brick had brought, the duel would collapse, and they'd score big.
"Hey, let's waste these bastards right—"
"Attack us here, and most of you won't walk away on your own two legs. Plus, you'll bring massive shame on the Lancaster barony."
Brick cut him off coldly.
"Huh?"
Duff froze mid-command.
Brick eyed him pityingly.
"You think we came unprepared? By now, word of the White Family's honor duel with Lancaster has spread across all of Northway. You lot attack us here? Come tomorrow, rumors will fly that cowardly Lancaster struck first before the duel."
"Urk..."
As the youths' faces crumpled, Brick sneered.
"Heh. Lancaster, already touchy about their bought title and reputation—think they'll let idiots tarnishing their name slide? Use your heads. Now, we're going. Hya!"
Ignoring whether they moved or not, Brick urged his horse on.
"Wha—!"
The youths hurriedly parted, and the carriage rolled through slowly.
"H-hey, wait— Gah!"
Dumbfounded, Duff lunged to stop the carriage again—then spotted the horse trailing behind and clamped his mouth shut.
More precisely, the rider.
"What kinda monster build is that..."
As the carriage and horses vanished, Duff muttered with a paling face.
It was dark, and he'd been behind the carriage so he hadn't seen clearly before. But the guy who'd just brushed past had a physique that dwarfed even Duff, Dumfries' own bulk king.
And the massive sword dangling from his saddle? It made all the youths flinch.
It was leagues beyond their shabby weapons.
"Duff, we should head back and report that freak..."
"I know, damn it! Who you calling stupid?"
Duff, who'd spaced out briefly, exploded. The others shrank back.
"Ptoo!"
Glare fixed on the White manor, face twisted, Duff spat on the ground.
"Cocky now, huh? Just wait! You'll be the ones booted from Dumfries. Hey! Let's go!"
"So I tried to hold 'em off, but these idiots blocked me..."
"Not 'cause you got scared?"
A man with one cheek's rough skin blackened and dead, face scarred head to toe, cut off Duff's explanation.
Duff's face slackened.
"N-no, that's not—"
"Shut it, moron. Though even if you'd charged, you wouldn't have scratched a bone."
Duff could only rub his sweaty palms and grin obsequiously at the blatant mockery.
"Keh-heh! B-but we had eight, they had three. We could've taken a couple at least..."
"Taken how, exactly?"
The fierce-faced man twisted his lips grotesquely and sat up from his half-reclined position.
"Wanna learn what happens when you rush someone who actually knows swordplay?"
Under the man's terrifying glare, Duff and the youths froze like frogs before a snake.
No Dumfries youth dared stand tall before "Mad Axe" Steven, who'd turned five wandering knights into minced meat in a single year.
Steven bared yellowed teeth.
"In ten seconds, I could split five skulls clean. Cripple an arm or leg on two more so they never use it again. Dodge quick in between, and the last one might survive. Sound fun? Wanna test it?"
"..."
The youths alternated glances between Steven and the pair of forearm-thick axes beside him, swallowing dryly.
"N-no way! Heh!"
Duff forced a smile.
"Uahaha! Damn right, idiots! Or you'd be dead. Kra ha ha ha!"
Steven roared madly, slapping Duff's back hard enough to stagger him, then slung an arm around his shoulders.
Duff sat meekly as led.
"Keh! Anyway, one of the two didn't look ordinary?"
Steven chugged from a bottle and asked. Duff nodded frantically.
"Y-yes! Head and a half taller than me, looked like. And that sword—huge."
"How huge?"
"Almost man-sized, I reckon."
"Hm!"
Suddenly, Steven's bloodshot eyes darted wildly at Duff's answer.
"Bigger build than you, wielding a man-sized blade? He wasn't carrying some black iron club or anything?"
"T-too dark to see details, but... didn't look like it."
"Yeah? Well, that mad demon wouldn't show up here anyway. Kek!"
S Steven's eerie chuckle turned to the youths.
"Curious?"
"Pardon?"
"You're dying to know about that mad demon, right?"
"Y-yes! Super curious!"
Duff spat inner curses but answered quick.
"You lot too?"
"Yes! Dying to know!"
The awkwardly standing youths chorused as Steven turned.
Steven grinned, pleased.
"Kek! Fine, special treat. Back when I was at Northernrocks Fortress... There was this devil of a man. The barbarians called him Black Giant. Which means..."
One of the few heavy criminals to serve a full ten years at Northernrocks and get discharged last year, now "Mad Axe" Steven under Lancaster service, spun his tale of the worst—and strongest—man he knew.
(To be continued next time)