Chapter 1 – Uninvited Guests

1.1

The autumn rain that had been falling lightly since the morning showed no sign of stopping and turned into a downpour by sunset. To avoid the rain, the group turned their horses toward a quiet rural village in Lindhorn.

When four heavily armed men barged into the tavern, the owner nearly fainted. The villagers, hearing the sharp scream of a woman, guessed what was happening.

The bandit knights have finally arrived here!

About a dozen village men, each holding blunt axes and sharp pitchforks, gathered in front of the tavern as if they had agreed to do so.

“Listen, bandits! If you leave our village right now, we’ll spare your filthy lives!”

At the shout of a brave young villager, Julian kicked open the tavern door as if to break it down.

“Who are you calling a bandit?”

His growling voice pierced through the heavy rain and echoed on the ground. The villagers looked up at the giant grizzly bear, no, Julian. Julian, who was massive and muscular, was taller than all of them by at least a head, making it seem as if he was surrounded by a group of whining children.

Though the villagers’ spirits were somewhat dampened by Julian’s intimidating presence, they couldn’t back down. They had the numbers.

“W-we won’t tolerate banditry in our village! You heinous….”

At the stammering shout of the young villager, Julian grasped the hilt of his sword with a nonchalant face. The hands of those holding farm tools trembled slightly.

Unlike the simple farmers who had never held anything sharper than farming tools, Julian was a seasoned swordsman who had been on the battlefield for nearly ten years. If Julian drew his sword, their heads would fall like crops harvested in the autumn.

However, Earl Hendrick had ordered Julian to eliminate the bandit knights, not to massacre ignorant farmers.

Julian sighed and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his bosom. The white was paper, and the black was letters. The illiterate farmers could only blink and stare at the paper.

“Is there no one in this village who can read?”

A monk who could read on behalf of the illiterate villagers hurriedly arrived at the tavern through the pouring rain.

“Ahem, I, Hendrick Arenshen, the lawful King of Kremlenberg and the great protector, faithful servant of King Arno van Kapel, command Julian through this document. The remnants of the wicked traitor Nicholas van Kapel, who has fallen into hellfire, are disturbing the peace of my newly granted territory, Lindhorn, by the King’s grace. Quickly eliminate them and restore justice to this land. In return, an advance payment of fifteen ducats will be given immediately….”

“That’s enough. This should be enough to prove my identity.”

They were not bandit knights but mercenaries hired to deal with the bandit knights!

Although the identity of the uninvited guests was revealed, the villagers’ expressions did not brighten. It was because this man’s identity was none other than the infamous tyrant mercenary Julian.

Julian had set out on a Holy War as a squire to the late Earl Arenshen at the mere age of nineteen. He seemed to be on a path to success, leading the massacre of heretics, but everything went wrong when Julian was disgracefully expelled from the Earl’s household after the death of the late Earl Arenshen.

A few years later, during the war of succession, the greedy and cunning Julian decided to follow a different king than the one chosen by his long-served Arenshen family. He sided with Nicholas, who offered more money than loyalty or honor.

It soon became evident that it was a wrong choice.

In the Battle of Dautruppel, Nicholas was utterly defeated by Arno’s storm-like offensive. As the tide of war turned, Julian quickly left Nicholas’s camp and rejoined the Earl Arenshen’s forces.

People pointed fingers at Julian, calling him a vile man without a shred of chivalry, for easily changing his lord like flipping a hand. What he had seen and learned while staying with the esteemed Arenshen family was questioned.

In the subsequent Battle of Boldren, Nicholas died, and the glorious throne returned to Arno.

And now, after the war, Julian’s reputation had plummeted to a point where it couldn’t get any worse.

Due to his previous betrayal, none of his battlefield achievements were recognized, and he was expelled from the Earl’s standing army, reduced to the status of a mere mercenary.

Yet, with no proper place to stay, he wandered around the Earl’s territory. If he had any shame for tarnishing the Earl’s name with his disgraceful actions, he should have hidden himself, but Julian was not that kind of person.

He was the type to repay insults as much as he received. If someone pointed a finger at him, he would break that finger; if insulted or mocked, he would strike their jaw so they could never speak carelessly again. His specialty and hobby were to challenge those skilled with swords to duels, so violence, screams, and lamentations followed wherever he went.

Unable to watch the increasingly disturbing public sentiment, Earl Hendrick Arenshen assigned him the task of eliminating the bandit knights to keep Julian away from the territory. That was why Julian ended up in the distant rural village of Lindhorn.

The villagers reasonably suspected that if they provoked Julian, he might turn into a bandit knight at any moment and ravage the village. Fearing harm, they begged for Julian’s forgiveness and brought food as a bribe. Then, they each returned home and securely locked their doors in preparation for any possible events.

“Look at this. It seems they’ve even brought wine from the monastery? It seems the hospitality is quite good since we came to eliminate the bandit knights.”

Julian said, placing the basket of food on the table.

“They’re offering it, begging us not to kill them. Do you think they gave it to us willingly?”

“What? There’s wine? Give it here right now!”

Donnie said, examining the longbow he had hugged anxiously, fearing it might get wet in the rain. Max, twitching his wet black beard, shouted.

“Finally, we get to eat some decent food. I like meat pies.”

Pierre, with an elegant gesture, rummaged through the basket of food and said.

“Damn, rolling around on the roadside is only tolerable for a day or two. Doing this kind of outdated work is a shame.”

Julian cursed, wiping his wet face with a towel.

“Let’s leave this country while we have the chance. Earl Hendrick doesn’t seem likely to grant you a title or any land. And there’s no more war in this country, right?”

“Pierre has a point. Rumors say there will be a war in a neighboring country soon. Joining an expeditionary force might be a good way to make money.”

Donnie said, checking the tension of his bow. Fortunately, it seemed that a night’s drying would prevent the bow from being damaged.

“That’s a good idea, but we need to complete the mission first. Orders are orders.”

Julian said, throwing the damp towel on the table.

“By the way, were there any women among the people who came earlier?”

“You blockhead Max, do you think there would be? They must have hidden them away, fearing their daughters might not remain virgins.”

Pierre said, wiping the pie crumbs from his mouth.

“As soon as the day breaks, I need to go to the barn. I’ll grab the br*asts of the maiden who comes to milk!”

Max laughed, making an exaggerated gesture of grabbing something.

“You crazy fool, the priest didn’t give us that kind of absolution.”

“Yeah, we won’t write a petition for you if you get prosecuted, so keep that in mind.”

“Donnie, Pierre, you cowards. Especially you, Pierre, you don’t know the sorrow of an ugly man because women spread their legs for you.”

“It’s true that I’m handsome, but Max, if you just kept yourself clean, you’d have more women than you do now.”

“What did you say?”

Max and Pierre grabbed each other’s collars as if they were about to start a fistfight. However, they weren’t serious about fighting.

Julian, who was watching the scene, added.

“I don’t understand why Pierre only likes virgins. What fun can you have with a woman who knows nothing?”

“That bastard almost got stabbed sleeping with a married woman, so now he only messes with those who are unattached.”

Max chuckled as he answered Julian’s question. Pierre, whose painful past was touched upon, frowned and pushed Max’s chest. Julian also laughed with Max and criticized Pierre.

“Because of guys like you, there are so many kids growing up without fathers.”

“And what makes you so noble, Julian? You just chase after married women.”

“At least my children will grow up under the shadow of their father. Believing firmly that the man who isn’t their blood father is indeed their real father.”

Pierre let out a hollow laugh at Julian’s shameless response.

“Oh, Julian. Please keep away from my future wife. I don’t want to strangle an old friend to death.”

Max brushed off his chest where he was pushed and teased.

“Committing adultery as if it’s having a meal! Julian, you’ll need a lot of indulgences.”

Donnie said as he poured beer into Julian’s glass.