Chapter 26: Beaten Until Even Parents Wouldn't Recognize Them!

In truth, Caroline could not quite explain why she had thrown herself at the gleaming long sword.

Perhaps it was the golden earrings from last time, or perhaps it was the instinctive reaction of a servant.

How foolish I am, and... will it hurt very much when the long sword pierces me?

Caroline had already closed her eyes, waiting fearfully for the pain to arrive.

Pfft!

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh and blood came, along with a few drops of warmth splashing onto her face.

Caroline's body trembled, but her suspended heart relaxed.

"Good! It doesn't hurt!"

However, just as Caroline stood there peacefully awaiting death, the voice of Knight Commander Lei Meng came.

"Young Lady Caroline, are you alright? The assassin has already been slain by me; he should not have been able to harm you!"

"Mm..." Caroline opened her eyes and indeed found that the fierce and ferocious assassin who had just been there lay in a pool of blood, the long sword having fallen to the ground, more than a meter away from her.

Caroline's pretty face instantly turned red. "I... I..."

"Young Lady Caroline, your actions today were extremely heroic; even I, a knight, feel admiration!" Lei Meng's voice came!

"R-Really?" Caroline's embarrassment finally eased.

"Caroline, well done." Gervas's words of praise also came through, and only then did Caroline feel at ease.

What followed was simple and relaxed.

With the presence of Lei Meng, a titled knight, three of the remaining six bandits of formal knight strength were killed, and three were captured.

Of course, the most important ones, Kodo and several other wealthy households, were also captured.

Speaking of it, these fellows sought their own deaths; if they had stayed at home to resist together, perhaps they would still have had a chance to escape.

But they insisted on running to the square, causing them to be scattered by the crowd; their guards simply could not serve any purpose.

Thus, without deploying a single soldier, these few fellows were brought under control.

And with their capture, their respective guards could only lay down their weapons and surrender.

"I am a commoner; you have no right to arrest me! I am protected by the Empire's laws, and furthermore, my uncle works in the Civil Affairs Office of Iron Wolf City; he will help me!" Of course, this fellow Kodo obviously still wanted to struggle in his dying moments.

Gervas sneered, came before him, and without any courtesy raised his palm.

Slap!

"You are a commoner, are you?"

Slap!

"You have no right to be arrested, do you?"

Slap!

"You are protected by the laws, are you?"

Slap slap slap!

"Your uncle works in the Civil Affairs Office of Iron Wolf City, does he?"

Slap slap slap!

"Your uncle will help you, will he?"

Slap slap slap!

For a time, the sound of slapping hands in the field did not cease.

For these short-lived ghosts, Gervas was not as gentle as he had been with the maid's bottom.

The maid's bottom belongs to his collection from now on.

But with these fellows, if he did not beat them until even their mothers could not recognize them, Gervas felt he would not be satisfied.

"Waaah! Stop hitting, I was wrong, I know I was wrong... waaah..." Finally, under the power of his Great Knight strength, Kodo was beaten until his nosebleed and teeth flew everywhere, nearly fainting to death.

At this moment, his cheeks were swollen like buns; even if his own father came, he would not recognize him.

And he finally became honest; being beaten to death like this, he would rather die quickly.

"Now you know to beg for mercy? Then obediently confess how you colluded with the bandits to assassinate me!" Gervas stopped, mainly because his own palm had been beaten bright red.

"I'll speak, I'll speak everything!" Kodo immediately began to recount how he had found Kuntuo of the Scorpion Bandit Gang and then asked him to help with the assassination.

The other wealthy households also looked ashen, knowing they could not escape death; now they only begged not to be brutally beaten by Gervas.

After bringing these fellows back to the castle and spending more than an hour writing down all testimonies and affixing seals, Gervas ordered the execution of all the wealthy households.

Previously, he had needed to consider the Empire's laws, but now with the evidence confirmed, killing them required no hesitation whatsoever.

After the several people were killed, Gervas arranged for ten guards to escort the bandit captives and corpses to Iron Wolf City.

Although it was somewhat troublesome, since Kodo's uncle worked in the Civil Affairs Office of Iron Wolf City, it was better to be cautious and solidify this matter himself first.

Anyway, Kodo was already dead, and his purpose had been achieved.

And with these fellows killed, their family assets and farmland naturally returned to Gervas's hands.

"My lord, the total population of Storm Territory is now one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four; there are no commoners left; everyone is your serf!"

"Very good!" Nobles dislike commoners, and Gervas felt the same.

From this point on, the entire Storm Territory truly became Gervas's domain.

Afterwards, Gervas returned to the small town and, in front of all the townspeople, announced that all the confiscated arable land would be distributed to the serfs for cultivation.

Of course, although it was said to be distributed to the serfs, in reality, the serfs would still have to pay taxes from now on.

It was just that previously, the serfs had to be exploited one more layer by Kodo and those other wealthy households; now they only needed to pay taxes to Gervas.

And his actions naturally drew a round of cheers from the serfs; cries such as "The Lord is benevolent" and "The Lord is mighty" echoed throughout the square.

After the assassination incident passed, the recruitment of guards continued.

Although the number of a hundred professional soldiers far exceeds what a baron needs.

But the Storm Domain is far too dangerous, and Gervas is no miser.

Moreover, I have my own intelligence network—so long as I can ensure the domain's safety without incident, why should I ever worry about lacking gold again?

Besides the soldiers, Gervas had Thomas also recruit the castle servants along the way.

After all, this directly affects the comfort of my own life as lord!

……

In the castle stables, Lei Meng and the five knights were summoned here.

And they clearly sensed why their lord had called them here.

Aside from Lei Meng, each of them looked eager, their gazes frequently darting toward the stables.

"Look at how eager you all are—learn a little from Knight-Leader Lei Meng, who hasn't changed expression even now!"

Mi Gen and the others immediately grimaced. "My lord, Knight-Leader Lei Meng is a Bronze Knight, and once served as knight-leader to a viscount—his experience is certainly beyond our reach!"

Gervas smiled but did not delay. "Then let's begin. I've given you the opportunity—don't come crying to me if you can't tame the Flame Horse!"

"My lord, we will give it our all!" Mi Gen and the other four knights swore earnestly.

But some things aren't just about having confidence.

The Flame Horse's wildness—even Lei Meng, a Bronze Knight, ultimately subdued it only after using aura assistance.

So when Mi Gen and the others tried to ride the Flame Horse, none could hold on for more than twenty seconds—all were thrown off, bruised and battered.

After all, the Flame Horse was originally intended for title knights among other nobles.

Who would be as extravagant as Gervas, giving it to ordinary knights?

"My lord, shall I help them tame it?" Lei Meng knew Gervas was in need of capable hands—if Mi Gen and the others couldn't ride, it would be extremely inconvenient.

"No, that would be too troublesome—I'll have Zhuī Yuè handle it."