Shortly past noon, the sun hung high in the sky, and a gentle spring breeze blew by. Baron Barend sat on an open field in Barend Castle, drinking sweet water.

The spring sun wasn’t particularly harsh, and taking a leisurely sip beneath its warm rays should have been a pleasant experience. However, Baron Barend’s mood was far from carefree.

Refugees fleeing from the war had once again arrived at Barend Castle requesting asylum, and from their lips, he learned of another one of his villages that had fallen into the hands of the cannibals.

Baron Barend had already noticed that these cannibals were not merely interested in a simple plunder and retreat but instead wanted to drive them away and permanently occupy the region.

To ease his anxiety, Baron Barend inspected the castle’s defenses, then brewed a pot of strong sweet water for himself to sip on as he pondered potential solutions.

The Lancelot Family might have been powerful, but they had suffered a recent defeat and were the primary target of the cannibal invasion; they likely could not spare any troops for reinforcements.

The other war zones’ situations were similar to the Fifth War Zone’s, with each region struggling to protect itself, so sending reinforcements was out of the question. Baron Barend only sent a few messengers as a formality, not expecting any aid to arrive.

The only hope lay in the envoy sent to plead for assistance from the Sixth War Zone’s Hunter family.

The Hunter family had previously lived in obscurity until their decisive victory over the House of Wil at the Battle of the Little Ling River, after which they annexed Wilshire. This feat had attracted the attention of many observers.

The fact that the Hunter family’s annexation of the House of Wil had gone unchallenged by the Lancelot Family, and even tacitly approved, had shocked Baron Bandel to the core.

From then on, he began paying closer attention to the Hunter family, and the more he paid attention, the more he realized how powerful they were.

Some things simply could not withstand the scrutiny of a determined investigator, and Richard had no intention of hiding either. When he openly displayed his possession of over a dozen knight-ranked fighters, which allowed him to seize command of the Sixth War Zone, Baron Bandel’s estimation of the Hunter family’s capabilities climbed another rung on the ladder.

In his eyes, the Hunter family possessed at least the power and resources of a count, and perhaps even more.

May they prove willing to provide reinforcements. Even Baron Bandel didn’t dare assume the Hunters would intervene.

The Bander family and a few others in the area could easily afford a few knights’ assistance, but this was a time of great tension, and the value of knight-ranked military power naturally rose along with the stakes; it was unlikely any would be willing to lend aid so easily.

“Sir, reinforcements have arrived at the castle,” one of Baron Bandel’s personal guards reported hastily while he was deep in thought.

“Ahem, could you repeat that?”

Baron Bandel, who had just taken a sip of his sweetened water, nearly choked on his drink.

“Reinforcements have arrived at the castle.”

“Are you certain?”

He knew that his personal guard would never joke about something so serious, but the speed at which the reinforcements had arrived was entirely unexpected. He had thought that it would take at least a week for the reinforcements to arrive, given that the envoy had only departed the day before. The fact that the reinforcements were at the gates right now left him deeply skeptical.

“Sir, reinforcements from the Hunter family are at the gates.”

“Pato?”

Baron Bandel finally confirmed the authenticity of the report upon seeing Pato. He had entrusted his hopes for a peaceful resolution to this envoy, and Pato was also an important member of the Bander family, so he was naturally more trustworthy.

Upon nearing Barend Castle, Pato had parted ways with the reinforcements and returned to Barend Castle ahead of schedule to greet the baron and help with preparations, in case any unpleasantness should occur.

After confirming the report, Baron Bandel practically jumped up from his chair and turned to Pato, ready to head out.

“Sir?”

“What is it?”

Baron Bandel’s expression turned puzzled as he saw Pato standing behind him, looking hesitant.

“The situation is not as we expected. The Hunter family has not a dozen or so knights, but nearly thirty. Although their vanguard is small, they are all elite troops, and there are twenty-five knights among them. There should be another half flag’s worth of soldiers following.”

Pato then summarized his observations from the military expedition, without exaggerations, so that Baron Bandel could understand the true strength of Richard’s small army.

“That means the man-eating demons in Horned Village have been eradicated?”

“Indeed.”

Sometimes, things just worked out magically. The very thing he had been worried about earlier had been resolved without any fanfare.

“What does the Hunter family require?”

Baron Bandel was no naïve fool; there was no such thing as a free lunch. He feared that the terms for deploying such a powerful contingent of reinforcements would be beyond the scope of what he had promised before.

“All other terms remain the same, but the price must be raised to ten thousand gold pieces.”

Baron Bandel frowned at this steep increase. Even if the cost was split among the several families, it would still deplete the Bander family coffers of several years’ worth of savings.

“Have you agreed?”

“I await my lord’s decision.”

Pato didn’t answer immediately, but his meaning was clear. Of course he would agree to the new terms, but whether or not they would be carried out depended entirely on Baron Bandel.

“Very well, we’ll pay the Hunter family 10,000 gold pieces. Inform the other families at once, and we will cover the cost for those who cannot afford it.”

Baron Bandel knew where his priorities lay. It would sting to part with so much coin, but life and fortune were naturally more important than money.

“Come, let us go welcome our guests.” Following behind, Pato bowed in agreement.

Baron Bandel strode forward, Pato at his heels.

“Open the gates.”

With Baron Bandel’s command, the soldiers on either side of the gate pulled on the ropes, slowly lifting the heavy iron gate.

“Enter the city,” Richard ordered, and the army, which had been waiting outside Barend Fort, streamed into the city through the gate.

“Master Richard.”

Baron Bandel stood at the gate with his men, greeting Richard personally.

Richard was merely the eldest son of the Hunter family and held no noble title, yet Baron Bandel still chose to greet him with such deference. The baron was a practical man; a title could not represent one’s true worth, and one’s worth lay solely in their capabilities.

“There’s no need for such courtesy, Baron Bandel,” Richard responded courteously, swiftly dismounting from his horse. After all, no one slaps a smiling face.

After exchanging pleasantries, Baron Bandel’s gaze shifted toward the crusaders. Having already heard from Pato about their strength, there was no way he could not pay them attention.

Richard noticed Baron Bandel’s wandering gaze but didn’t mind; his focus lay elsewhere.

“Your Excellency, the Hunter’s Dominion is a harsh and unforgiving place, and our men have rushed all this way and fought a battle against the cannibals. They don’t even have a single silver piece to their names. Yet you have ten thousand gold pieces?”

Ron had already lowered his visor, unable to resist saving some face.

It was true that the Hunter family’s territory was a harsh place, but it was shameless to suggest they lacked for money. Thanks to Richard’s careful management over the years, the annual income of the Hunter family had surpassed that of some counties.

“Uh…” Baron Bandel hadn’t expected Richard to speak so frankly and found himself momentarily flustered. “Bring the chests in.”

“Clunk-clunk-clunk.”

Several chests were hauled up the stairs, inside which were neatly stacked gold pieces.

“Master Richard, would you like to count them?”

“No need.” Richard ordered his men to carry the chests away. Of course, he didn’t need to count them himself; he would simply deposit them into the system later, ensuring every coin was accounted for.

“Very well. When do you plan to send out your troops?”

Seeing that Richard’s men had already carried away the gold pieces, Baron Bandel finally couldn’t resist asking.

This was the main event…