Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ayric was done for; Marcus Ayric knew it the moment he saw the orcs appear outside the city walls of this border town.
As a baron of the empire, this town was a fief he needed to guard, but the orcish army was not something that could be resisted by a small town of three thousand.
The moment the orcish wolf riders leap onto the town’s wall with just a single leap, he knew that this place would not hold.
Regardless of everyone else’s opposition, Marcus took the member of his house, and the craftsmen in his fief as he piled all of his wealth onto a carriage and fled from the other side of the town.
Before he left, he had ordered the militia formed from the town’s folk to hold the orcs back.
Even so, he knew that all of it was in vain. If the armies of Norland Empire could not stop the orcs, what could the militia of a small town do?
The order was just to buy some time for his escape.
Sure enough, after he fled the town, the town that took over two hundred years to build was completely ransacked by the orcs, and the townfolks who could not escape in time had all returned to the arms of the God of Death.
Although the civilians he had abandoned managed to escape from the town were staring daggers at him, he did not care.
As a baron of the empire, a distinguished noble, these group of filthy civilians had no right for him to make way for them.
Was sacrificing themselves for the nobility something these uncultured, lowly civilians should be doing?
He thought that he had made the right call, if those civilians had not delayed the orcs, he would have become fodder for their dire wolves.
The orcs invaded the Norland Empire in order to pillage for food, and they would not leave before emptying a conquered town of its food.
Those filthy and disgusting orcs had no idea what was the most valuable.
Marcus sat on horseback with a triumphant look as he watched over thirty guards in full suit of armor behind him guarding five carriages full of silver Pykes and all sort of precious gems, and praised his wisdom in his heart.
Every winter, he would put the most valuable items within his fief on the carriage so that when the orcs came, he could escape as quickly as possible.
As he lived at the border of the empire, this wise approach had preserved the continuity of his house.
As long as he returned to the town at the beginning of spring next year, the whole place would still be his.
Behind the team, two young figures looked at the carriage, which was protected by the guards, as they prepared to make a move.
“Rackel, are we going to do this? Marcus has more than 30 guards, can we win?”
Ollie’s young face looked a little fearful as he watched Marcus on horseback with an uneasiness that he could not let go.
The majesty of the nobility had been as strong as the walls of Grimm under their long rule. Assaulting a noble was a major crime, and he knew that if this news spreads out, he would be wanted by Grimm.
Those mercenaries and bounty hunters would be glad to exchange his head for the bounty.
Rackel, who was questioned, was a burly young man. His short golden hair made him look like a lion, and the sword that was two-palms wide on his back proved that he had good strength. Perhaps he could even fight toe to toe with a wolf rider.
“No, Ollie, if we don’t act now, we won’t have a chance once we get to Grimm. We escaped from Ayric without a single bronze Pyke, and those noble lords will not care if we live or die. We need this money, everyone here needs this money.”
Rackel turned his head and glanced at the hundreds of people gathered around him, his tone was full of tragic vigor.
When the orcs broke into the town, they were as good as dead. Without food or money, they would starve to death when they reached Grimm.
Winter was coming, and no one could afford to wait.
Plus, a noble who abandoned his people was not worthy of their respect.
“Rackel, we will follow you.”
Ollie gritted his teeth and looked at Marcus’ back with a hissing hatred. If not for him ordering the militia to stop the orcs, his friends would not have perished at the hands of those dire wolves.
“When I get close to Marcus, I will attack the captain of his guard. He is an intermediate-level warrior and is probably above Level 7, a terrifying opponent. Once I strike, immediately attack the guards. We have the numbers and will be able to win. Do not fear death. Our family and children still need the spoils that you will be taking back. If we are not successful, none of us here will be alive anyway.”
They would die if they did not act, and they could not survive the winter. If they act, there was some hope of survival, and even the cowardly farmer had given up his inner cowardice at this moment.
For the borderland civilians, those that were cowardly were all dead.
“May the Goddess of Life be with us.”
Rackel took a deep look at the grim-faced crowd around him before turning around as he walked toward Marcus’ convoy.
After Marcus heard a report from his servant, he invited Rackel, who had a good reputation among the civilians to his side.
Riding on his horse and looking down at the burly civilian, he proudly said, “Rackel, although you are a resident of my town, you have to show your skills if you want to join my personal guard.”
“Your Excellency, I and willing to duel with your guard captain, and I believe you can see my strength with your eyes.”
Rackle bowed slightly and looked at the guards who were vigilant beside him very calmly. After revealing his intentions, the guard’s original vigilance was mostly relaxed.
The plan was proceeding step by step.
“Hahaha, all right, since you are so confident, I will accept your request. Ender, go and let this challenger witness your strength. Plus, if you think he’s good, don’t hurt him. If he’s just an arrogant fool, then take his head to me.”
Marcus raised his head arrogantly as he said that.
The moment Rackel saw that Marcus’ guard captain had been tricked to get off his horse, he could no longer withhold the killing intent in his heart.
Holding his big sword horizontally with both hands, he rushed toward his opponent in the most violent of ways.
Every single step left a footprint on the ground.
Warrior skill—Raging Impact.
The civilians who had been waiting for a long time, screamed in anger when they saw Rackel act, these border civilians had used the most tragic and fervent way to fight for a chance to survive this winter.
Everything was for survival.