Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Unexpected Intelligence

The last time he had triggered the King of Slaughter achievement was on his first trip to Mountain Forest Town, when he killed Pedro, the Mage from the Skull Society.

Today, Ronin had taken the opportunity of killing Sleirein to complete the requirement: [Kill a Third-level Extraordinary Unit].

He casually checked the achievement interface. The King of Slaughter achievement had already been updated.

[King of Slaughter]: Kill any Fourth-level Extraordinary Unit. Reward: Attribute Points +200, Energy Essence +400

The reward this time was much better than the previous three, but a Fourth-level Extraordinary Unit, if human, would be a Bronze Level Knight or a Great Mage.

Transcendent beings of this level generally had status and backing, so killing them would be no simple matter.

For instance, if a family had a Bronze Level Knight, and Ronin killed him over some grudge, he could face severe repercussions from that family unless the offense was grave enough to warrant death.

However, if it were a Magical Beast, that would be a different story.

’Anyway, landing the final blow also completes the achievement. He could just enter Wushan a few times. He was bound to run into a Fourth-level Magical Beast eventually, right?’

“My lord, what should we do with these people?”

Ridder walked over and asked, pointing to the members of the Grey Soil Tribe who were forced to kneel on the ground.

Ronin walked over and scanned the crowd. “Which of you are Professional Knights?”

“I, I am!”

“Me too!”

“Me too…”

A total of five Professional Knights, including Mam, scrambled to answer.

In this world, Professional Knights were more valuable than common people, even in defeat. If the victor didn’t require their fealty, they could be sold to the Slave Exchange. At least that way, they could survive.

Ronin nodded slightly and looked at the remaining five cavalrymen. “Are you willing to swear fealty to me? Or would you rather die unyielding, like Sleirein?”

All the captives scrambled to shout their willingness. At this moment, they had no other thought.

Even Mam, who had just tried to flee, was no different. Since he couldn’t escape, his only option was to kneel and beg for mercy. If Jenny decided to press charges, he would just play the victim and beg for forgiveness. Anything to survive.

“I accept your fealty. But I don’t like traitors.”

Ronin’s gaze finally settled on Mam. The man reminded him of a legendary figure, infamous for his constant betrayals.

’That legendary warrior at least had real skill. This Mam, however, was a far cry from that.’

Ronin’s subjugation of the Wilderness Tribes had been too easy. He had projected an image of mercy, a ruler willing to forgive others, and had not shown his more ruthless side.

’Mercy was certainly a fine quality, but blind mercy could backfire, making people think he was a pushover.’

Now, every surviving Transcendent from the three tribes was present. It was the perfect opportunity to show these newly submitted people what was permissible, and what was absolutely forbidden.

“Jenny, I heard you mention this Mam. He was originally from your Purple Fruit Tribe, right?”

Ronin glanced back at Jenny. He saw that with the battle over, many commoners from the Purple Fruit Tribe had gathered to watch the spectacle. The timid Erin was there too, standing beside her parents.

Faced with his question, Jenny was momentarily at a loss for words.

’If she said to kill him, it might seem petty.’

’If she said to spare Mam’s life, she had no idea what Ronin was truly thinking.’

However, considering he had just said he “didn’t like traitors,” she mulled it over for a moment before replying, “Mam betrayed the Purple Fruit Tribe, and then he betrayed Sleirein. The word betrayal is likely branded on his very soul.”

“My lord, since you dislike traitors, you should sell him to the Slave Exchange.” She gave her answer.

Kneeling on the ground, Mam immediately tried to defend himself. “Jenny, I had no choice but to join the Grey Soil Tribe! The Black-collar Tribe is powerful, and they have a backer! If the Grey Soil Tribe couldn’t stop them, our Tripartite Alliance would have been devoured!”

Mam’s tone was firm, as if he had done nothing wrong. “I was acting for the good of the Tripartite Alliance—for all three of our tribes! Joining the Grey Soil Tribe was meant to make our alliance stronger, to ensure we could all survive! It wasn’t betrayal!”

Jenny snorted. “Not betrayal? Then why did you come to persuade me time and again, even threatening that if I didn’t join the Grey Soil Tribe, my family would be destroyed?”

Ronin raised a hand, cutting off their bickering.

“You just said the Black-collar Tribe has a backer?”

Ronin seized on that detail. He was curious—what kind of backer could a Wilderness Tribe possibly have? ’Could there be an even larger tribe beyond these four?’

“Honorable Lord Baron, the Black-collar Tribe does indeed have a backer!”

Mam’s defiant tone toward Jenny instantly shifted to one of reverence for Ronin. “Baron Reisen of Sain Territory is their backer. Without support from the Sain Territory, the Black-collar Tribe couldn’t have grown strong enough to challenge our three tribes all by themselves.”

Ronin was surprised. He almost laughed.

’Well now. After all that, it turns out Sain Territory is involved.’

“Is that so?” Ronin asked again, a hint of doubt in his voice.

“It is, my lord!”

Thick beads of sweat broke out on Mam’s forehead. The pressure was immense, and he could only hope this useful piece of intelligence would change the Baron’s opinion of him.

“Sleirein told me. He said Joffrey, the leader of the Black-collar Tribe, tried to use that to recruit him. But Sleirein wanted to be the sole leader, so he refused.”

He pointed to Babulin next to him. “I hadn’t joined the Grey Soil Tribe at the time, but Babulin was present. He knows.”

Ronin looked at the middle-aged captive kneeling beside him. “Is that right?”

“Yes, my lord!”

Babulin kept his head down, not daring to meet Ronin’s eyes. “I was there, my lord. I heard it with my own ears.”

Ronin nodded slowly, now convinced the information was credible.

’It seems this Baron Reisen not only has designs on Mountain Forest Town but also wants to annex all the Wilderness Tribes in the Wubei Forest Land.’

’Perhaps his rival had the same idea as him: to completely absorb the northern part of Wushan Territory and become the most powerful ruler in the north.’

“You’ve spun a somewhat convincing tale for why you betrayed the Purple Fruit Tribe, but your betrayal of Sleirein—fleeing battle and abandoning your master—was plain for all to see.”

The conversation returned to Mam’s fate. “I don’t employ traitors, and I certainly don’t want to be betrayed by my own men one day. I won’t accept your pleas, nor will I sell you to the Slave Exchange.”

“No, you can’t!”

Mam trembled. “My lord, I may not be the strongest, but my administrative skills and my intellect are superior to theirs! If you spare my life, I swear I will follow you until death.”

’Administration? Intellect?’

Ronin really didn’t see any sign of it.

He waved a hand. “A traitor is better off dead.”

“You!”

Mam’s eyes widened. He tried to struggle, but a cold longsword had already slit his throat. He felt his strength drain away as he collapsed limply to the ground.

The metallic scent of blood drifted through the Purple Fruit Tribe’s stockade. Mam’s corpse on the ground served as a clear warning to those who had recently surrendered to Ronin, drawing a red line they knew not to cross.

“Macken, I’m leaving these captives in your hands. Use the ones you can. As for those who don’t behave, deal with them as you see fit.”

Ronin then gave his orders. “Ridder, you’ll head out tomorrow and take them to assume control of the Grey Soil Tribe. Oh, and if Wilson is done with the census for the Cyan Bamboo Tribe, bring him with you.”

He didn’t go to the Grey Soil Tribe himself this time, choosing instead to let Ridder handle the takeover. He still had matters to attend to here.

Once things had stabilized there, he would make an appearance and inspect the situation.

’Since Sain Territory was involved with the Black-collar Tribe, he couldn’t deal with them rashly.’

’If his rival reported his annexation of the Wilderness Tribes, the higher-ups might assign a Pioneer Knight or create a new domain for a Little Baron to govern this land. That would cause unnecessary trouble.’

’It would be better to maintain the status quo for a while. Then, when the time was right, he, Ronin, could legally claim all the land north of Mountain Forest Town for himself.’

’He would probably be a Viscount by then, wouldn’t he?’

’The Viscount of Wubei Territory.’

“Jenny, Horn, I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”

Ronin instructed them casually.

“No problem, my lord!”

Ronin chuckled and glanced at Erin, who stood nearby. He noticed fear and avoidance in her eyes. ’Did what just happened frighten the little one?’

’Deciding a man’s life or death with a single word would indeed inspire fear in anyone.’

Ronin smiled and patted Erin’s head, then walked toward the house. “Elron, come with me.”

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