Chapter 34 - 33: Nerves on Edge

Ronin had considered many scenarios on the road to Mountain Forest Town, but no plan is ever perfect.

Without sufficient intelligence, there were some things Ronin simply couldn’t have anticipated.

Now that he thought about it, since Baron Reisen had decided to take such a risk to eliminate him, he would naturally want to ensure it was foolproof.

Perhaps in Baron Reisen’s eyes, Princest and his men were enough to deal with Ronin and his Guards.

But to prevent any accidents, Baron Reisen had sent Knight Philton and his men to attack from the rear, forming a pincer that would ensure Ronin had no escape.

Just imagine: if Ronin had been no match for Princest and had chosen to flee, he would have run straight into a pincer attack. He’d have been trapped, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

This, then, was Baron Reisen’s entire plan to kill Ronin.

Ronin’s mind was in turmoil. Mountain Forest Town was just ahead, yet he didn’t know whether to advance or retreat.

If he advanced, he would be walking into an unknown situation in town, and he wouldn’t be able to rally any men to fight Baron Reisen.

If he retreated, his path was blocked. There was no safe way back.

’What should I do?’

He had to think of a solution quickly. If he delayed and the enemy forces from the rear caught up, his situation would become even more perilous.

Ronin looked up at the sprawling forests flanking the road. ’Perhaps if I took Macken and the others and escaped into the forest, I could survive.’

But if he chose that path, he certainly couldn’t take all twenty-nine of his Guards with him.

These men were commoners, but Ronin had invested a great deal in them. He hoped that a few more promising youths like David, who had the potential to awaken a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed, would emerge from their ranks.

He was loath to abandon them just like that.

Besides, even if he survived in the forest, his only option would be to return to Wushan Castle. Would he be able to convince Wushan Castle to dispatch troops on the grounds that Sain Territory had tried to kill him?

’Highly unlikely.’

It wasn’t that Wushan Castle wouldn’t care if he lived or died. Rather, even if he made an accusation, the process would be lengthy, and there was no guarantee he could bring down Baron Reisen.

After all, he would still be just the Baron of Mountain Forest Town in name only—penniless and stripped of his inheritance rights. His opponent, on the other hand, was a baron with real power who controlled a Knight Squad, had been established for decades, and possessed a network of connections.

’What would I have to rely on?’

’Could I accuse a fellow noble just by virtue of my Wushan Family blood, and expect Wushan Castle to just go and kill him?’

’That’s clearly impossible.’

In the end, the most likely outcome would be Sain Territory being ordered to pay back the taxes it had embezzled from Mountain Forest Town over the years.

But if Ronin still wanted to come to Mountain Forest Town and assume his role as Master of the Mountains and Forests, he would face a situation nearly identical to his current one.

His enemies would never relinquish a territory they already considered their own.

’I need to establish a firm foothold in Mountain Forest Town as soon as possible!’

Ronin’s expression was tense, his brows knitted together as he sank into deep thought.

Ideally, he would find a way to avoid fleeing into the forest while also delaying a direct conflict with Sain Territory.

But just then, Elron approached Ronin and whispered a warning, "Lord, I hear the sound of distant hoofbeats."

As he spoke, Elron pointed back down the road they had come from.

Ronin’s heart lurched, his expression growing grimmer. "They’re here so soon?"

"Heh. From Sain Territory to Mountain Forest Town, it’s just over a four-hour ride at full gallop!"

Princest’s voice dripped with gloating. "You’ve been so composed ever since I first saw you, but now I finally see fear on your face! Hahaha!"

He grew brazen, as if he were no longer a prisoner.

"Now, your only option is to hand us over to Knight Philton. It’s your only chance of survival."

"Is that so?"

Ronin’s voice was glacial. He glanced at Macken. "Ruin his mouth. Knock out his teeth. I don’t want to hear him speak another complete sentence!"

"Understood, Lord!"

Macken strode forward and delivered a swift kick, followed by two punches to Princest’s mouth. The blows knocked all of his teeth loose, and a mixture of bloody foam and saliva dribbled from the corners of his lips.

Ronin looked back down the road. Now, even he could hear the approaching hoofbeats.

’What do I do!’

The more tense and critical the moment, the calmer Ronin strangely became.

When facing Philton, he had to remain perfectly composed—so composed that his opponent wouldn’t dare make a rash move.

’Fear is an emotion everyone feels. If I can feel fear, then so can Baron Reisen!’

Ronin’s mind raced. ’What is Baron Reisen afraid of?’

’It comes down to two things.’

’First, he’s afraid of Wushan Castle finding out he’s been embezzling taxes from Mountain Forest Town.’

’Second, he’s terrified of Wushan Castle discovering he murdered me.’

Embezzling resources could perhaps be covered up with an excuse and rectified with compensation.

But for a Vassal of Wushan Castle to murder someone of the Wushan bloodline... that couldn’t be fixed with a simple fine.

Wushan Castle’s power might be waning, but it hasn’t vanished. The Old Marquis is gravely ill, not dead.

’To uphold the honor of Wushan Castle, both Lurans and Wiggin would dispatch troops to Sain Territory. They would use avenging me as a pretext to intimidate anyone else with seditious ideas.’

’I’m sure the Hyde Clan wouldn’t stand in the way, either.’

Therefore, Baron Reisen feared the second possibility far more.

’So, as long as there is even the slightest chance he can’t eliminate me completely, he will retract his killing intent.’

’I just need to intimidate him. I need to make him miscalculate our relative strengths and believe that even if he attacks, he can’t wipe us all out.’

’As long as there was the slightest risk of the news getting out, he would have to be cautious.’

’To achieve this "intimidation," I have to put on a show and make him underestimate my true strength.’

’And the most crucial part of this performance is to silence Princest and his men completely. That way, the enemy will have no way of knowing our true situation.’

"All men, on my command!"

His mind made up, Ronin bellowed, "Execute all prisoners!"

The Guards froze for a second. They had assumed the few surviving Infantry would be spared by their Lord, but they never expected them to face a death sentence after all.

After only a moment’s hesitation, the Guards raised their swords and ended the prisoners’ lives.

Ronin turned to Princest, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. He clearly hadn’t expected Ronin to make such a choice.

"I see fear on your face."

Ronin repeated the words Princest had just spoken, then gave Macken a meaningful look.

Macken gave Princest no time to react, beheading him with a single stroke of his sword.

"You... you people!"

Disen, standing nearby, was stunned. His companion, Kate, who had just regained consciousness, saw the scene and fainted again.

In that moment of shock, Macken and David ended both of their lives.

And with that, nearly every man Princest had brought with him was dead. Only one remained.

Ronin’s gaze fell upon Malt.

Malt met Ronin’s cold, emotionless gaze. Cold sweat poured down his back, and he fell to his knees in terror.

"Lord, please believe in my loyalty! I wouldn’t hesitate even if you ordered me to challenge Knight Philton myself!"

Malt was truly terrified. He’d never expected such a young baron to execute prisoners without a second thought.

Ronin narrowed his eyes but ultimately spared him. "You should be grateful you have value. It’s what’s keeping you alive."

"Malt is grateful for your mercy, Lord!!"

The hoofbeats were growing clearer. Ronin took a deep breath.

In truth, by the time Elron had warned him, it was already too late to run.

From that moment, Ronin had been left with no choice. He had to go all-in.

"Now, lie on the ground and play dead."

"Make it look convincing," Ronin ordered. "If it doesn’t, I’ll make it real."

"Yes, yes..."

Malt nervously lay down. Perhaps thinking it wasn’t convincing enough, he scrambled back up, smeared some blood from the ground onto his neck and body, then lay facedown again.

Still not convinced, Malt steeled himself, took a sword, and slashed his own left arm twice. His sleeve tore, and fresh blood began to flow.

After doing all this, he lay facedown and didn’t move another muscle.

Ronin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’The man’s a surprisingly good actor.’ It was a good thing the wounds on his arm weren’t deep, or he might actually bleed to death.

Still, better safe than sorry. "David, stand by Malt. If he so much as twitches, you know what to do."

"I understand!"

Ronin raised his Longsword and bellowed, "Everyone, look sharp! Form ranks! Prepare to meet the enemy!"