Chapter 169: asking for trouble

The black raven flew for a long time before finally finding a mountain village.

"Why is there no one here?"

There wasn’t even a trace of cooking smoke. Only an elderly man sat at the village entrance, looking utterly helpless.

Phield frowned and guided the raven to circle twice more. Aside from the missing villagers, there were no other unusual signs.

"My lord, your venison."

The maid Meg brought the food over, even carefully wiping away the sauce stains along the edge of the plate.

Just as Phield was about to eat, he suddenly heard distant commotion, faintly mixed with the barking of dogs. After becoming a Tier Two knight, his perception had greatly sharpened.

"Someone’s approaching. Step back."

Phield signaled the maid to retreat and picked up his sword.

Sure enough, within a dozen seconds, the whistle of patrolling soldiers sounded from the forest.

The soldiers reluctantly set aside their food and began forming ranks, while Phield walked toward the source of the noise.

A young boy, around twelve or thirteen, rode a mountain pony into the camp. He had a clean, fair appearance, slightly curled hair, and was accompanied by seventeen guards. They were followed by a pack of hunting dogs, and a deer was strapped across the saddle—clearly passing by after a hunt.

Judging by his noble attire, Phield already had a rough idea.

He adjusted his collar, signaled his soldiers to make way, and stepped forward with a proper, courteous smile. "Hello. I am the Baron of Nightfall Domain. You must be the son of Baron Mountain Ape."

"Heh."

The boy sneered and jerked his chin toward his guards.

The guards looked confused.

Phield was equally puzzled. Was he... offering to share his game?

"What are you waiting for? Release the dogs—let them tear him apart!" The boy’s words were shocking.

The guards’ teeth chattered. "Ah? Young Master Peer, but... he’s a baron, not some commoner we can deal with freely."

"I said release them. Do it, or I’ll kill you myself." Peer barked in a still-youthful voice. "Are you defying my orders? You must not be disloyal to your master."

"Yes, my lord."

The guard’s face turned pale, but he gritted his teeth and obeyed. A lord’s command had to be followed. Muttering under his breath, he said, "If the dogs kill him directly, no one should be held responsible..."

"...I admire your courage."

Phield looked amused. His army was clearly in plain sight, yet the boy still dared to act so arrogantly. Reality really didn’t need logic.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

As the guards released them, the fierce mountain hounds bared their bloody maws, howling as they lunged at Phield.

"Kill the dogs."

Phield snapped his fingers casually.

"Kill!"

At a unified shout, the soldiers quickly formed a shield wall. Facing the charging hounds, their spears thrust forward in unison. The sharp tips pierced cleanly into the bodies of the onrushing beasts.

In an instant, most of the hounds were slaughtered. The ones behind couldn’t stop in time, crashing into the shields—only to be met with cold blades and spears.

In a single exchange, the pack was completely wiped out.

"You actually dared to kill my dogs?!"

Peer’s lips trembled before he burst into loud, furious crying. Since childhood, no one had ever dared to oppose him.

His father had always told him: kill whoever you want, do whatever you want—it doesn’t matter, because you are the son of a baron.

And he had always lived by those words—until today.

"What kind of idiot kid is this?"

Faced with such absurd accusations, Phield almost felt his brain short-circuit. It was his first time encountering someone like this in this world.

"My lord, Baron of Nightfall Domain, greetings... um, we sincerely apologize for this conflict. Young Master Peer is the son of Baron Mountain Ape. Perhaps you could come to Mountain Ape City to resolve this matter."

One of the guards, seeing that Phield’s soldiers were not to be trifled with, yet Phield himself seemed relatively mild, stepped forward to suggest a compromise.

Phield chuckled, irritation stirring within him.

Now they wanted to settle things peacefully? Where was that attitude earlier?

"Why do I still hear dogs barking?" Phield raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget my order? Kill all the dogs. Leave only the boy."

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, the soldiers leveled their spears, forming an encirclement as they charged forward.

"Please restrain yourselves!"

"Run!"

"We serve Baron Mountain Ape!"

The guards were horrified, completely unprepared for immediate retaliation—especially with their young master still present. Before they could plead or negotiate, the very guard who had urged restraint was the first to fall, a spear piercing straight through his throat.

Clutching his neck, making choking sounds, his strength drained instantly. His eyes widened in disbelief before he collapsed unwillingly.

These guards were used to bullying villagers within their territory. Against battle-hardened soldiers, they stood no chance. They swung their weapons a few times in vain before being swiftly cut down.

Screams echoed through the mountains.

"If you want to kill, you should be prepared to be killed."

Phield didn’t even take them seriously.

"K-Kill him!"

Grolova, witnessing everything, clenched her fists so tightly that veins bulged. Her eyes were filled with malice. "If my brother dies, the inheritance will all be mine."

But soon, she saw something she didn’t expect.

"My lord, we’ve subdued those who offended you."

The soldiers had only killed Peer’s guards. They dragged Peer off his horse, gave him a few secret kicks, and tossed him before Phield like a dead dog.

"Let go of me! I’m a noble!"

Phield stepped forward, grabbed him, and slapped him five or six times in a row, knocking him to the ground. "I have reason to suspect you’re an impostor. Also, your actions constitute an attack on a noble, which is an act of war. Therefore, you are now my prisoner."

Peer immediately caved. "My father will pay you! Don’t kill me!"

"Oh? Weren’t you quite arrogant just now?" Phield smirked. "Why did you attack me?"

"I... because... sister? Sister, save me!" Peer’s eyes darted around. When he saw Phield’s maid Meg, a strange hunger flickered in his gaze—like a predator spotting fresh meat. But he quickly put on an innocent expression, pouting as he cried, "No, I thought you were bandits! I just wanted to drive away the bad guys!"

Phield let out a disdainful snort. Both siblings were the same.

Grolova hurried over, clasping her hands tightly, tears welling in her eyes as she pleaded, "Peer is still a child. You are a noble knight—please don’t hold it against him."

"Of course not." Phield smiled faintly. "A noble’s offspring naturally won’t be killed. A ransom will suffice."

With that, Phield released Peer.

But neither of the siblings noticed that a strange red thread had slipped out from the Greatsword of Gluttony, silently burrowing into Peer’s neck.