Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Someone Who Doesn’t Know Their Place

The Cyan Bamboo Tribe’s population was less than four hundred, and its usual defensive force numbered twenty men at most.

Among them, aside from the three Professional Knights led by Willie, the rest were commoners—farmers who became guards when they took up arms. They had no formal training. They were no match for Professional Knights; even the Guards Ronin had brought from Wushan Castle were stronger than them.

In truth, the battle was over the moment Ronin and his men arrived unimpeded at the outskirts of the Cyan Bamboo Tribe.

Not only did they fail to mount any real resistance, but no one even managed to send word out for help. The two teams led by Juliet and Sim, which Ronin had cautiously positioned on the roads, proved entirely unnecessary.

He simply hadn’t expected it to go this smoothly.

Willie was genuinely tempted by Ronin’s offer. He had followed his elders into hiding in this mountain forest, branded as the descendant of a rebel. Even when he went out to procure supplies, he could only deal with small-time peddlers, and even then, he had to be extremely careful not to let his identity be discovered.

If outsiders discovered who he was, they would surely report him to the nobles of Wushan Territory, all for a bounty of just a few Gold Coins.

Once, influenced by his elders, Willie dreamed only of restoring his family’s former glory. But after years of hardship, especially with the recent rise of the Black-collar Tribe, he had grown desperate to escape this Forest Land.

Now, it seemed the young Baron before him could offer him everything he desired.

“Lord Ronin, I am very tempted by your offer!”

Willie’s tone softened. “But as you know, even when a man wants to tame a Magical Beast, he must first defeat it. If you wish for me to submit to you, you must first demonstrate your strength.”

Ronin paused, taken aback. ’How else does he expect me to demonstrate my strength?’

’I’ve surrounded the entire Cyan Bamboo Tribe. What more does he need?’

“Willie Knight, do you not understand your current situation? I have the Cyan Bamboo Tribe completely surrounded. You’ve fallen into my grasp without any power to resist. That alone proves my strength—and that I am, at the very least, stronger than you.”

“No, no, no.”

Willie shook his head quickly. “You’ve only trapped my people, not me. If I wanted to break free, I’m not so sure you could stop me.”

His tone was supremely confident. “If you want me to submit, you must defeat me yourself, in single combat!”

“I admire your courage, Willie Knight.”

The corner of Ronin’s mouth curled up. “But I also admire your ignorance.”

Hearing this, Willie’s expression turned cold. “Lord Ronin, mind your words! I have not offended you, yet you insult me. That is not a quality befitting a nobleman!”

’The qualities of a nobleman? Is that supposed to mean constantly maintaining humility and respect, politely praising everyone?’

“I have no interest in dueling you.”

Ronin shook his head. “You have one minute to consider. Submit to me, or be killed.”

’In a situation this one-sided, what right does he have to negotiate?’

A tense atmosphere spread. Willie glanced at the men surrounding him. Despite his confident words, he wasn’t at all certain he could actually break free if he tried.

Besides, he didn’t want to give up his position as tribal chief to serve under another, with no one left to wait on him.

He wanted what Ronin had: to have servants waiting on him the moment he opened his eyes, to do as he pleased, the freedom of answering to no one.

The two Knights beside Willie were extremely nervous. The presence of the group opposite them was too powerful. They were only Basic Level Knights; if talks broke down, escape would be impossible.

The minute passed quickly. After a fierce internal struggle, Willie finally yielded.

“My lord, I am willing to submit to you.”

Willie spoke again, “However, I hope that you will allow me to remain chief of the Cyan Bamboo Tribe and continue to manage my people.”

Ronin was taken aback by this demand for a moment, and then he actually started to laugh.

He slowly raised his hand. The well-practiced Magic Patterns of the Wind Blade Skill traced themselves across his palm. As the Wind Element surged, a faint, cyan Wind Blade quietly formed in his hand.

“Ronin, you—!”

Willie’s expression changed dramatically. He had thought that even if his condition was rejected, there would still be room to negotiate. He never expected Ronin to strike without another word.

Ronin couldn’t be bothered to say more. Guided by his Spiritual Power, the Wind Blade shot from his hand, whistling sharply as it flew toward the other man’s neck.

“Hah!”

As an Intermediate Knight, Willie’s Fighting Qi erupted from his entire body. He raised his Longsword, channeling his power into a Flame Slash to block the incoming attack.

But whether it was because his Longsword was of poor quality or his Flame Slash hadn’t fully formed, the Wind Blade sliced clean through the blade of his sword and left a thin, red line on his throat.

“You…”

Willie felt his body go cold, as if his soul were being slowly drawn away. Then, his body crumpled to the ground.

“The defeated have no right to make so many demands.”

Ronin sneered. ’If you can’t even read the situation, you’re no use to me as a subordinate.’

In truth, if the man had made some other request, like asking for a few Gold Coins, Ronin would have been more than willing to oblige.

After all, having an Intermediate Knight in his service would have been quite advantageous for Ronin.

Unfortunately, this Willie wanted far too much. He actually wanted to remain chief of the Cyan Bamboo Tribe. Wasn’t that equivalent to Ronin granting him a Knight’s Noble Title and assigning him a fief?

Neither Macken, his longest-serving subordinate, nor Ridder, who had performed great deeds, had been enfeoffed. What right did the leader of a defeated band of rebels have to ask for such a thing?

’Lord Willie… dead? Just like that?’

The two Knights who had been standing beside Willie were completely stunned by this turn of events. The strongest warrior in the Cyan Bamboo Tribe couldn’t even withstand a single one of the Baron’s attacks.

The whistle of the Wind Blade seemed to still echo in their ears, like the wail of a soul from Hell.

The farmers who had stood up, ready to fight alongside Willie, saw this and collapsed to the ground in despair, all courage to resist gone.

“Those who kneel and surrender will not be killed!” Ronin said calmly.

Ridder and Macken pointed their Longswords to the sky, shouting, “Those who kneel and surrender will not be killed!”

After that display, even Willie’s two Professional Knights were frightened into kneeling and begging for mercy. Who else would dare to resist?

One by one, they all knelt on the ground, trembling and praying for the nobleman’s mercy.

Fortunately, before the campaign, Ronin had Ridder and Macken do a great deal to prepare the Guards, drilling into them the strict rule against randomly killing prisoners.

Even when dealing with those who surrendered, the soldiers were rough at worst; not a single person was randomly killed or maimed.

’Training a disciplined force that obeys orders without question is indeed essential.’

“David, Tom, take some men and round up everyone in the Cyan Bamboo Tribe.”

Ronin stressed, “And remember, search thoroughly. Man, woman, or child—don’t miss a single one!”

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