Chapter 296 - 295: One Sword

The outside world, especially those who held a grudge against Ronin, knew he was a Silver Knight, even if they didn’t know he had already ascended to the rank of Golden Knight.

Under such circumstances, any assassination attempt on him would require at least a few Silver Knights, if not a Golden Knight.

This Mercenary Corps clearly looked local; they couldn’t be that powerful.

So Ronin concluded that he was definitely not the person they believed the caravan shouldn’t have taken in.

"You don’t need to look at me with such hatred. I’m not the one they’re here to kill."

Ronin stepped out nonchalantly.

Tom and David flanked Ronin. Although they knew their lord had no fear of such a force, the pressure on them was still immense.

Bauer could tell at a glance that Ronin was no ordinary man. The two Knights beside him also wore Armor and carried Shields that were clearly not of inferior quality.

"Who are you?"

Ronin ignored him, his gaze falling instead on a young-looking woman and a small child being protected in the center by White, Phil, and the others.

He raised a finger, pointing at the pair. "If I’m not mistaken, your target is this mother and son, isn’t it?"

Bauer didn’t respond, but his expression darkened.

But everyone else was stunned by Ronin’s words.

Everyone in the caravan knew that Pick was Baron Hamet’s only son, and Rice was the Baroness who would soon become his official wife.

For someone to actually be targeting them... wasn’t this a direct challenge to the Baron’s authority?

In the crowd, Lady Rice’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She had known things wouldn’t go as smoothly as she’d hoped.

Her son, Pick, began to cry fearfully, gripping her hand tightly.

"Bauer, that’s Baron Hamet’s woman and son! Do you dare kill them?"

Phil tried to pressure him by invoking Hammett’s name. "Lord Hammett is at the Bronze level! You may be an Advanced Level Knight who has slaughtered wolf packs, but if you offend the Baron, you and your Mercenary Corps will not be able to withstand his wrath!"

"Shut up!"

Bauer bellowed, his resonant voice, infused with Fighting Qi, making Phil tremble. Phil was merely a Basic Level Knight, only slightly stronger than an ordinary person; before Bauer, he was no different from a child.

Bauer’s gaze remained fixed on Ronin. He couldn’t gauge the man’s true strength.

Ronin decided to give him an option. "I don’t wish to interfere in your affairs. I will take my retainers and leave now. We can act as if I never saw what happened here tonight. How does that sound?"

His offer to back down, however, only made Bauer see him as weak.

"Heh heh..."

He laughed coldly as he drew his Longsword, his killing intent palpable. "I told you, no one is leaving here alive tonight!"

Ronin sighed and took the Longsword from Tom. "I was planning to mind my own business, but you just had to keep pushing. Since it has come to this, I suppose I’ll have to settle the score with you for destroying my property."

This "score," of course, referred to the ruined Magical Beast Hide, but to Bauer, it just sounded like nonsense.

"Die!"

Fighting Qi flared around Bauer’s Longsword as he charged forward with incredible speed. ’How strong could one young man possibly be? Using my Fighting Qi is already giving him too much credit.’

"Be careful! He’s an Advanced Level Knight!"

Phil yelled out a warning. Now that he knew the ambush wasn’t for Ronin, their only hope was this young man who seemed anything but ordinary.

"Too weak!"

Ronin pressed forward with a single sword strike. The instant he raised his blade, an astonishing aura erupted from him, a stark contrast to his earlier, mild-mannered demeanor.

In that instant, Bauer felt as if he were being targeted by a ferocious Magical Beast. An intense feeling of dread washed over him. The Fighting Qi on Ronin’s descending sword was as heavy as a mountain, pressing down so hard he couldn’t breathe.

He wanted to dodge, to beg for mercy, but it was already too late.

BOOM!

As the two swords clashed, Fighting Qi exploded outward. Ronin shattered his opponent’s blade, and his own sword, carrying the residual force of the blow, cleaved through the man’s Armor and shoulder. The Fighting Qi surged into Bauer’s body, destroying his heart.

WHOOSH~

The gust of wind from the impact blew back Ronin’s hood, revealing his Silver-White hair, which looked exceptionally striking under the combined light of the moon and the campfire.

"You..."

Bauer’s pupils contracted. An image of a certain person flashed through his mind, but in the next second, his vision faded to black, and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

The others—whether it was White, Phil, or the men of the Wolf Slaying Mercenary Corps—hadn’t noticed Ronin’s hair color. They were all too stunned by that single sword strike.

’An Advanced Level Knight, a man ruthless enough to slaughter a pack of wolves, was killed in a single blow?’

Ronin handed the Longsword back to Tom. "The rest are yours to deal with. Consider this a training exercise."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Tom took the Longsword and, together with David, charged toward the men of the Mercenary Corps.

The mercenaries had already lost their nerve, terrified by Ronin. They had no will to continue fighting. Facing the charging Tom and David, they could only fight as they fled.

Just then, Phil and White also snapped out of it. "Brothers, charge! Kill these sons of bitches!"

In an instant, the forest was filled with the sounds of battle cries.

The eyes of the non-combatants in the caravan were all fixed on Ronin.

’He killed an Advanced Level Knight so easily... Just how strong is this young man?’

"Hey, look at his hair."

Someone had noticed Ronin’s hair color. Silver-white hair wasn’t unique to the Wushan Clan, but within Wushan Territory, it was strongly associated with them.

"Are you Lord Ronin of Wushan Castle?"

"The Viscount of Wubei Territory?"

Even as they asked, some people were already kneeling on one knee, calling out Ronin’s name and expressing their gratitude.

But clearly, their information was out of date; they didn’t know that Ronin was now a Count.

"Everyone, please rise. Look after the horses and supplies, and tend to the bodies of your companions."

Ronin gave the simple instructions, intending to return to his tent to rest.

"My Lord!"

Rice, looking flustered and a little timid, still called out to stop Ronin.

"Is something wrong?" Ronin asked.

Rice pulled her son along as she bowed to Ronin. "Thank you for saving our lives, My Lord. My name is Rice Norton. I am Hammett’s wife."

’Rice Norton. It sounds like she’s also descended from nobility.’

"I thought I heard you were Hammett’s..."

He glanced at Pick standing beside her and didn’t say the word "mistress."

But in this world, "mistress" wasn’t considered a vulgar word.

"Yes, I was Hammett’s mistress before. Many people know that."

Rice said, "However, a while ago, Hammett’s wife and son died in an accident at sea. He’s preparing to marry me now, which is why he arranged for us to be brought from Willie Manor."

"Something like that happened?"

Ronin asked in surprise, "An accidental death at sea? Did they encounter pirates?"

He would soon have to cross the Screaming Sea himself, so he naturally wanted to get a clear picture.

Rice shook her head. "I’m not clear on the specifics. In his letter, Hammett only mentioned briefly that it seemed to be caused by the ship catching fire and sinking."

Ronin had never been on one of this world’s ships, but he imagined they were still primarily made of wood. A fire at sea would indeed be a fatal disaster.

"It seems you came to me for another reason?"

’She suddenly ran up, introduced herself, and told me all this. She must have another request.’

Seeing that her intentions had been seen through, Rice quickly pulled Pick to his knees beside her, kneeling before Ronin. "My Lord, I don’t know if there will be another attack tomorrow. So, I wanted to ask if you would escort us to Thorn Valley."

She kept her head lowered. "I know this is very presumptuous, but I have no other choice. Hammett has only just taken over his territory and has many affairs to manage. He doesn’t have the time or the men to escort me himself."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "I don’t want my son to die in this turmoil before he’s had a single day of comfort."

Ronin looked at the mother and son kneeling on the ground, his eyes meeting the little boy’s clear, pleading gaze.

’My status is quite high. If I accompany Rice and her son to Thorn Territory, it would certainly help legitimize Pick’s position.’

But faced with a mother’s plea and the boy’s innocent eyes, Ronin decided to agree.

’Besides, Thorn Valley is on my way, so it’s not a detour.’

’And it’s not like Rice and Pick are going there to fight for the inheritance. Escorting them is no trouble.’

"As it happens, I have something I’d like to ask Baron Hamet for help with myself. I’ll accompany you to Thorn Valley tomorrow."

Receiving a firm "yes," Rice’s face lit up with joy. She thanked Ronin profusely. To be honest, she hadn’t expected him to agree.

’Caravans operate on profit, and nobles even more so. I have nothing I can offer him.’

"My Lord!"

Just then, White ran back. "Your two retainers are fighting an Intermediate Knight! I was worried something might happen to them, so I came to inform you."

"There’s an Intermediate Knight?"

Ronin’s brow furrowed, and he immediately strode over.

’Tom and David are only Basic Level Knights. Facing an Intermediate Knight might be too much for them.’

’I have no intention of letting them die by accident during a training exercise.’