The moment our ship docked at the pier, a group of knights in suits of black plated armor greeted us. Though their attire was all the same, each carried a weapon that looked unique from all others, giving the group a somewhat haphazard appearance. They stood in a straight, horizontal line across the shore as a knight equipped with a halberd stepped forward, acting as the representative of the group. The sailors who saw this scene from the ship were instantly on guard.
“Who are they?” Log muttered, his face stern. “Where’s pops? And where are the other villagers?”
“They must be Clinton’s goons,” Fol growled, preparing to head out. “He must’ve targeted the village while we were gone!”
“Calm down, you oaf,” I muttered, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck to hold her back.
“Huh?! Let go, Lofus! I’m not gonna take this lying down!”
“Take a look at that flag.”
Their flag and their mantles all sported the same emblem: a crescent moon devouring the sun.
“You’d best take in the sight and engrave that insignia into your thick skulls,” I muttered. “That’s the crest of House Lightless, the one who governs your land, and don’t you forget it.”
I channeled my mana into my feet and allowed my mantle to flutter behind me as I stepped off the pier by myself. Carlos followed me, and the knights immediately knelt once they noticed my presence. The other knights, as though that was their cue, all knelt as well.
I recognized these soldiers; this unit was the standing army of Marquess Lightless. They were the cream of the crop, carefully selected from all others. Each and every one of them was more powerful than a thousand men combined. The black armor was the symbol of House Lightless, and only they were permitted to wear it as the prestigious Dark Knights. Because of their overwhelming individual might, these knights were generally ordered to operate alone, so I hadn’t expected them all to greet me.
The one who knelt in front of me with his halberd removed his full-face helm, revealing a handsome face and white, long hair.
“Welcome back, my lord,” he said.
“I knew it was you, Alba,” I replied.
This man shone even among his esteemed peers. Alba, captain of the Dark Knights, served as the personal guard of my father and was practically the marquess’s right-hand man.
“I presume you’re here under my father’s orders,” I said. “How did you know where I was?”
“Marquess Lightless is terribly worried about you,” Alba replied. “Please, I ask that you return to the main fief immediately.”
I huffed with annoyance as he avoided my query.
“You haven’t answered my question,” I spat. “Are you underestimating me?”
“Certainly not, my lord,” Alba replied. “But Lord Lightless has said not to push Sir Carlos too much.”
I glared at Carlos. He must’ve sent a letter to my father before we departed. I told him that I’d report back after all was said and done, and yet...
“Carlos,” I growled. “How dare you disobey me.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Carlos replied.
He bowed his head low and apologized, and I clicked my tongue in response. You really didn’t need to do this.
“My lord, Sir Carlos is worried about you...” Alba started.
“Silence,” I rumbled. “I don’t remember ever giving you permission to interrupt Carlos and me. If you speak again with my consent, I’ll blow a hole through your stomach.”
“Yes, my lord.”
How dare he take Carlos’s side. I silenced Alba, knowing that this was a matter between myself and my butler. I cared not whether Alba was a personal guard of my father or the captain of the knights. He certainly had no right to butt into a noble’s conversation.
“That aside...” I muttered as I gave a sweeping glance at the village that the Dark Knights now occupied. “What’s going on here? I don’t see the residents anywhere.”
“When I asked the residents about you, they refused to speak,” Alba confessed. “They began to riot for some inexplicable reason, and so we had no choice but to extinguish it.”
The residents of Roguebert, led by Greig, despised soldiers that worked under nobles, chiefly due to Clinton’s soldiers plundering houses and doing as they pleased. The Dark Knights were clearly distinguishable from bandits due to their high-quality armor; anyone could tell that they were soldiers of the kingdom. But their timing was horrendous. The people of Roguebert were already wary of armed men coming to steal from their village, so anything resembling such could provoke their hostility.
“Did you kill them?” I asked.
“We did not,” Alba reported. “We restrained those that were aggressive, and the more compliant have been contained to one area.”
“I see...” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
If there were any casualties, I feared that it would affect my relationship with Fol—I mean Faltiana. If soldiers directly under control of House Lightless killed any villagers, she’d have ample reason to loathe my household. The sacrifice of my left arm would be for naught.
“That’s very good news,” I said, gently patting his shoulder with my hand. “If you’d killed even a single one of them, I would execute you on the spot, captain.”
Sweat appeared on the face of the composed Alba. “What do you—”
“Silence. I haven’t allowed you to speak further. Now, I suggest you release all the villagers at once, lest a riot ensue from the deck of this vessel.”
Alba, who finally noticed the sailors on the ship, quietly bowed his head.
“Certainly,” he replied.
He acted swiftly and gave the Dark Knights orders, freeing the restrained and confined villagers in a flash. Greig was the first to approach us with a huge smile.
“You blasted bastards!” he said cheerfully. “I’m glad you guys made it back safely!”
He hugged Log, then proceeded to wrap his arms around every single one of the young sailors, though Fol managed to evade him. After he greeted everyone, he turned to Carlos and me.
“I’m glad you’re alive, kid!” he shouted. “Did you manage to take the monster down?”
The moment Greig spoke to me so casually, the Dark Knights immediately turned wrathful, their eyes tinged with bloodlust as some placed their hands on their blades. I stopped them all with a glare.
“The monster was tougher than I expected, but yes, it’d been dealt with,” I said. “Log and Fol can give you the details. The aggressive monsters shouldn’t cause too much trouble now, and I imagine that you’d be able to fish more than before.”