Chapter 6

Facing the arrival of Gervas and his party, the hunter Karl was terrified.

This was naturally because he had guilt on his conscience.

He forced a calm expression and invited the noble young master into the wooden hut.

“Noble lord, here is rabbit stew—please enjoy!” Karl, gritting his teeth, served the freshly boiled stew before the noble, hoping he would finish quickly and leave.

Gervas nodded and immediately began to taste it.

Undeniably, the wild game in this world was truly savory—even with the simplest cooking and coarse salt.

Of course, Gervas did not know that Karl’s heart was already bleeding beside him.

He rarely dared to drink this rabbit stew himself—it was always sent to the castle to exchange for grain and pay taxes.

Today, luck had granted him a tricolor rabbit, so he had planned to treat himself.

Who knew that as soon as it was cooked, the noble still took it from him.

After a long wait, as the noble young master finished drinking the rabbit stew, Karl eagerly hoped he would depart soon.

But the noble young master had no intention of leaving; he idly asked, “Karl, are there any beasts in the forest nearby?”

Karl startled, sweat breaking out on his brow, “Noble lord, there are no beasts here—beasts are extremely dangerous!”

“Is that so? Then why did I hear someone say you just captured a tricolor rabbit?”

Thud! Karl collapsed to his knees in terror.

Around him, the knight retainers stared at Gervas in disbelief.

He had already eaten the rabbit meat—and still intended to extort this hunter? When had Master Gervas become so shameless? Why had no one noticed before?

But before their thoughts could settle, Karl began banging his head on the ground, “Noble lord, spare my life! I didn’t mean to deceive you! Noble lord, spare me! I know I’m wrong!”

“Stand up,” Gervas said expressionlessly. “Tell me—where is the tricolor rabbit? Show it to me.”

To the stunned gaze of the knight retainers, Karl moved a small wooden table from the corner of the room, lifted a wooden plank, and revealed a large wooden basin beneath.

Inside the basin lay a rabbit as large as a sheep.

The fur on its tail was colored black, white, and yellow.

“It’s truly a beast!”

They had assumed Master Gervas was merely extorting—but now they realized the hunter had truly hidden a beast.

Instantly, the knight retainers’ gazes toward Karl turned cold.

Within noble lands, all resources belonged to the nobility—especially high-value beasts.

Clearly, Karl had intended to hoard his catch. That was a capital offense.

“Noble lord, spare my life! I know I’m wrong! I was foolish!”

Gervas rose silently and slowly reached for his waist, where a brand-new longsword hung.

Karl felt his body freeze, awaiting death in despair.

Rustle!

“Here are five silver coins for you. I’m taking the tricolor rabbit. But remember—don’t make the same mistake again. Next time, you won’t be so lucky!”

Five silver coins rolled across the wooden table. Gervas gave orders to the knight retainers, then left with the tricolor rabbit.

Only Karl remained, collapsed on the ground, face filled with disbelief.

“Master Gervas, that hunter committed a capital crime—he didn’t need silver coins to buy his life!” Migen was confused. To spare him was mercy enough.

Why pay him at all? And five silver coins?

“Migen, do you think the serfs live hard lives?”

Migen paused, confirming Gervas’s expression was unchanged. “Master Gervas, serfs do indeed live hard lives.”

Migen himself was born a serf; only because of his strong build and luck was he chosen by the castle to become a knight retainer.

So he knew well how hard serf life was—even in a good harvest year, they ate only half-full meals.

Not only because wheat yields were pitifully low, but also because taxes consumed five to six tenths of their harvest.

“Yes, serfs live hard lives, and I know most of their suffering comes from paying taxes.”

“I pity the serfs, so I give him a chance—I believe he won’t dare repeat this.”

“As for the silver coins, consider them a reward. This tricolor rabbit is worth at least fifty silver coins—he would have received a small reward anyway if he delivered it to the castle.”

The knight retainers looked at Gervas with solemn respect, their gazes changed.

Gervas, seeing this, knew his goal had been achieved.

Yes—he was putting on a show, winning hearts.

His safety in the coming days depended on these knight retainers—he had to win their loyalty first.

Of course, as a transmigrator, he had his limits; he would do what he could to improve his people’s lives from now on.

…

“Old John, this is Lord Pat’s territory, right?”

“Yes, Master Gervas!”

Old John was nearly fifty—old by this world’s standards—and likely had only a decade or so left to live.

He was specifically brought along because he had once been the steward of the Gail family’s castle.

Two years ago, due to declining health, he retired and was assigned to manage a quiet manor outside a small town.

In a world where literacy itself was rare talent, Old John—who had served two generations of barons and held the castle stewardship for nearly thirty years—was unquestionably top-tier talent.

And he was fiercely loyal to the Gail family, utterly reliable.

In the past, when Gervas was bullied by Lady Mary and his cheap father ignored him, it was Old John who protected him.

“We’ll spend the night here! Old John, take these men and set up camp. Migen, you two come with me!”

“Yes, Master Gervas!”

Everyone moved. Gervas, with Migen and another knight retainer, pressed deeper into Lord Pat’s territory.

Soon, a dark pine forest appeared ahead.

Outside the forest stood horses and carriages.

Gervas’s eyes lit up—he had found it.

According to intelligence, Lord Pat’s knight captain would be secretly executed at dusk in this dark pine forest.

Such a titled knight—Gervas clearly couldn’t bear to let him die.

After all, his own party didn’t even have a true knight.

A noble without a knight protector wasn’t a noble—he was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!

More importantly, this knight had potential to rise to Gold Knight.

What did Gold Knight mean?

Gervas’s cheap father was still only a Silver Knight—and had zero chance of advancing to Gold Knight.

…

Gervas whispered instructions to the confused Migen and the other man, then led them into the dark pine forest.

“Who’s there?”

Their presence was immediately detected.

“It’s me, Borro—Gail family’s second son, Gervas!”

Hearing his name called, Borro frowned and stepped forward.

Under the dim light, he studied the boy—had never seen him before.

“Yes, Lord Borro. A year ago, my father was invited to Lord Pat’s banquet—I saw you then.”

“Is that so? Gail’s second son. Then why are you here? This place is dangerous—go to the town!” Borro no longer doubted; the boy’s attire and his knight retainers confirmed his identity.

The Gail and Pat families were only fifty miles apart—neighbors, after all—and Borro’s tone softened considerably.

“Lord Borro, what are you doing? Hey, isn’t that Knight Captain Lei Meng? Why is he tied up?!” Gervas, of course, had no intention of leaving—he cried out in shock.