Chapter 141: Turnip Village

At the mention of someone occupying their territory, Rosalia became extremely displeased, swinging her greatsword around to vent her frustration.

Turnip Village seemed to have developed a faint trace of urbanization.

“They really should be taught some rules. Go ahead and head there first, but don’t act rashly. Wait until I send the troops, then we’ll decide the next move.”

“Alright. Honestly, I could handle it alone, but you’re the one in charge.”

Phield wasn’t worried that she couldn’t win. What he feared was that if Rosalia were left to her own devices, she might treat the villagers like dessert and kill them all.

That very night, Phield assembled all the demi-human cavalry in the territory. He brought along two wagons loaded with infantry and ten spare warhorses, and they set off immediately.

Thanks to his younger brother’s “assistance,” the territory now had enough warhorses for every soldier to ride one.

Unfortunately, only a handful of them actually knew how to ride.

They arrived near the ruins outside Turnip Village on the following night. After resting there for the evening, Phield finally led his troops slowly toward Turnip Village.

Passing through a sparse forest choked with corrupted vines, Phield spotted Turnip Village on the minimap. It had once been one of the villages directly under the jurisdiction of the Nightfall Domain, previously used by the Starnight family to cultivate sugar beets. It was not far from the Bull territory.

Using the artifact telescope, Phield gazed into the distance. Thanks to the characteristics of The Eye That Pierces the Veil, he not only gained enhanced long-distance vision but could also see through the gray mist.

Like other villages swallowed by the gray mist, Turnip Village had already become a ruin, with only mottled walls and shattered remnants left standing.

The difference was that crude, ugly shacks had been built throughout the village. Nearly all of them leaned against the remains of collapsed houses. The outer walls were patched together with scrap wood and stones, filling the holes.

Soon, seven or eight young people came running back toward Turnip Village, carrying large bundles and holding up a small mist-dispelling lamp, panic written all over their faces. A group of rotting corpses chased closely behind them.

Yet at the village entrance, two men armed with spears stood atop the low wall, constantly shouting at them and refusing to let them in.

Only after the youths painfully threw their bundles over the wall—allowing the guards to take ninety percent of their harvest—were they permitted to enter, wiping tears from their faces.

Not long after, smoke from cooking fires began rising within the village.

Meanwhile, the villagers holding spears stood above the wall and stabbed downward at the corpses below.

“Not bad. They’ve actually established a basic system. That means they must have something we need.”

Phield’s eyes lit up.

Illiterate farmers alone could never have endured for this long. And judging by the number of cooking fires, the village clearly had abundant food.

“Infantry, armor up. Form a shield wall and advance slowly. Cavalry, take the flanks and stay mobile.”

Having already fought one war, Phield was now familiar with basic battlefield commands.

“Oh my god! It’s knights!”

“What do we do? We’re doomed!”

“Mom! Mom! Waaaah!”

The moment the army of Nightfall Domain appeared outside Turnip Village, the entire place erupted into wails and screams.

The whole village was like a hornet’s nest splashed with boiling water, exploding into chaos in an instant.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As the alarm bell rang out, people ran everywhere throughout the settlement. Not toward defensive positions, but in blind panic. Men rushed about frantically, bumping into others or knocking over shacks in their confusion. Women cried loudly, some clutching bundles while others collapsed helplessly onto the ground.

“Damn it, I’m not a bandit.”

The villagers looked as if they had seen a ghost—more frightened than when facing the rotting corpses.

Phield tugged lightly on the reins, stopping his warhorse from accelerating further. The beast beneath him clearly carried the blood of a warlike magical creature. Hearing the villagers’ helpless cries had already made it eager to charge.

“We’re clearly a righteous army.”

Phield frowned and glanced back at his own troops.

Every one of them had red glints in their eyes, grinning viciously with greedy, feral expressions. The cavalry were already swinging lassos or winding the strings on their light crossbows.

Phield slapped his forehead.

“I almost forgot. They’re used to raiding. No wonder they don’t look like good people.”

“My lord, allow us to spread out as roaming riders and shoot down the guards on the wall first.”

Kai struck his fist against his chest, his eyes fierce.

“I guarantee that within your line of sight, there will be no creature standing higher than you.”

They still hadn’t mastered mounted archery, but they could still fire a volley with crossbows—though bows were easier to control.

“No need for that yet. Have the cavalry remain on alert.”

Phield ordered the infantry to advance to within fifty meters of the village. Then he rode forward with six riders and called out from a distance.

“I am the Baron of Nightfall Domain. You have occupied my land. Give an explanation immediately, lay down your resistance, and submit to me.”

The moment those words were spoken, an uproar broke out among the people of Turnip Village.

“So they’re not the troops of Baron Mountain Ape?”

“It’s all the same. When nobles kill us, do they ask for your address first?” an elderly villager wailed bitterly.

“What should we do? We must never surrender.”

After a period of chaos, Turnip Village gradually quieted down. Phield waited patiently for a while, but no one came forward to respond. His patience began to wear thin.

Just as he was about to launch an attack, the wooden gate blocking the road at Turnip Village was pushed aside by the villagers.

A group of twelve or thirteen villagers stepped out. Their clothes were ragged, and they carried crude weapons—sharpened wooden sticks or rusted pieces of iron. Their formation was a complete mess, clearly the kind of group that had never been tested in battle.

“Oh? Such pitiful combat strength, yet instead of surrendering, you actually dare to come out and fight face-to-face.”

The villagers tried their best to put on fierce expressions. After forming a line at the village entrance, they stopped advancing.

Clang.

The demi-human cavalry drew their long cavalry sabers in unison. The shining blades flashed with a cold, chilling gleam.

Kai led the cavalry forward at a slow trot, ready at any moment to charge in, cut off the villagers’ heads, and pile them into a mound as a warning to others.

“Wait! Please don’t act rashly!”

Two men and one woman stepped out from behind the villagers, their hands raised as if to calm things down. Their trembling voices tried to suppress the thunderous sound of approaching hooves.

When they saw the well-equipped army and the prowling cavalry, they felt as though their bladders had nearly given out. They didn’t dare make any sudden moves, nor did they dare rely on the village for defense. A dirt wall less than two meters high could protect nothing.

Holding the reins with one hand and a cavalry lance with the other, Phield studied the group with clear interest.

Originally, he had assumed another noble had come here to expand their territory. Instead, these people all looked like refugees. Only the three in front wore clothing that looked even slightly decent.

Still, the fact that they had dared come out to face him impressed him. They would make good soldiers.

“So, which of you will explain this to me? I am a merciful man. As long as you obey my orders, that will be enough.”

Phield swept his gaze across the three of them.

They exchanged glances for a long moment. In the end, the strongest-looking man stepped forward, trying to keep his head lowered as much as possible. With an awkward, forced smile, he said:

“My lord… we did not know the Nightfall Domain had an owner.”

“Mm. Now you know. Lay down your weapons and submit to me.”

“Ah? Th-this…”

At the mention of submission, the man lowered his head even further, staring awkwardly at his shoes.

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