Chapter 21: Subjects
The people, looking at Lothar who was drenched in blood and had slaughtered those brutal bandits as if cutting vegetables, like a demonic god, were scared into silence, completely unable to believe his words. Only after he repeated himself did someone stand up, trembling, and say with a sorrowful expression:
"Respected lord, thank you for saving us from those villains and generously granting us our freedom. But where can we possibly go now?"
Lothar fell silent for a moment. The village had been thoroughly burned; rebuilding it would take too much effort and time.
The man continued, "Our lord is a cruel and miserly man. I was his personal manservant; no one knows him better than I. When he learns that we failed to protect his manor, although he won't execute us, he will certainly choose to sell us into slavery and seize all our possessions. Respected knightly lord, he will not help us rebuild our homes at all! He will only squeeze every last drop of oil from us before abandoning this place!"
Lothar frowned, sensing this was a tricky situation. "If he abandons his fief, won't his own liege lord sanction him?"
"I don't know. Perhaps, but it certainly won't be severe, because he is the liege lord's wife's younger brother."
The man sincerely lowered his head, knelt on one knee, and said, "Please let us become your followers. Those of us still alive here are all strong young people. I guarantee they will labor like the most diligent mules and horses, and serve you like the most loyal hunting hounds, asking only for your protection."
The men and women behind him also chimed in, promising they would work hard. They could see that Lothar was a rare, kind lord. Being his servants was an entirely different concept from being sold as slaves in the market. More importantly, this lord was clearly more powerful. He had such well-armored warriors loyal to him and had dispatched those bandits with clean efficiency—far stronger than their original knightly lord.
Lothar looked troubled. "I apologize. I understand your suffering and difficulties, but I do not have a fief to accommodate you. We are on a journey to the Holy Land to engage in an arduous struggle against the infidels. If you follow me, you will undoubtedly encounter many dangers."
He did indeed need followers. These dozen or so young adults were in their physical prime, and the male-to-female ratio was balanced; they were good potential subjects. Compared to recruiting pilgrims in the Holy Land… one could only imagine how many truly good-hearted poor pilgrims would survive such an arduous journey.
"Praise the Heavenly Father! The pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a glorious and sacred mission! If we follow you, your glory will also shine upon us humble people."
All the survivors of the village knelt on the ground behind the manservant. Some of them were still bewildered, but the manservant's "wise" image had evidently already taken deep root in their minds. With him taking the lead, the rest did not hesitate in the slightest.
"Very well." Lothar hesitated no longer and said, "I am Lothar von Habsburg, a knight from the Habsburg family of Aargau. I accept your pledge of service and promise not to treat you as slaves, but as freemen within my domain. After I acquire a fief, you will all receive your own land. However, you must swear fealty to me in the name of the Heavenly Father and fulfill your obligations of taxation and military service!"
He had counted carefully: seven men and six women in total. It would only mean the extra cost of thirteen boat tickets. Their food and drink could be covered by the goods plundered by the bandits; he wouldn't need to pay extra. Moreover, there would clearly be a surplus from the bandits' loot; after all, judging by their words, the bandits had pillaged a knight's entire manor.
"Ryan, go and call Moder over."
"Hans, you are responsible for inventorying the spoils and belongings, returning what originally belonged to these people, and assigning them carts and horses to look after." Ryan and Moder were both illiterate, unable even to convert gold coins to silver. Hans would temporarily act as a scribe.
After dealing with these matters, Lothar and Banu approached the three surviving bandits.
Lothar looked at these three cowards, who were trembling like chaff in the wind, and frowned. "Speak. Where is your main camp, how many men are left guarding it, and are there any traps?"
It wasn't for the sake of "eliminating evil thoroughly," but rather he wanted to test if the system would judge the same group of bandits as two separate groups if he attacked their lair. If so, after taking down this bandit stronghold, which had lost its main force, he could complete the "Chivalrous Knight" milestone. He increasingly felt that talent was hard to come by. Even a retainer like Hans, rated as 1-star by the system, was an excellent talent that a mere knight like himself could never hope to recruit in this era.
None of the three spoke. Lothar was puzzled; why were these cowards, who had surrendered without resistance, suddenly acting so tough?
Lothar snorted coldly. "Tell me the truth, and I will spare your life. I swear this to the Heavenly Father! This is a rare opportunity; whoever speaks first lives."
Finally, one of them was moved. He tentatively raised his hand and said in a small voice, "Milord, our stronghold isn't far from here. We originally planned to enjoy ourselves here before returning."
"Pike, you son of a bitch, shut up! Have you forgotten the oath we swore before the Heavenly Father? Do you want to burn in the hells of fire for breaking your oath?" a bandit beside him immediately cursed.
Pike retorted just as fiercely, "You and Old John both have wives and children back at the stronghold! I'm all alone. What's wrong with just wanting to save my own life? Why should I risk my life to protect your wives and children?"
Lothar nodded. "You are smart. Now, honestly tell me the location. I warn you, don't try any tricks. I will take you to your stronghold and then let you go."
Pike immediately spilled everything, like beans from a bamboo tube. He trusted Lothar. People of this era still placed great importance on oaths, especially knights like Lothar. A knight who easily broke his oath would be considered dishonorable; his reputation would be utterly ruined.
Pike smiled fawningly. "Milord, I've told you everything clearly, including the traps they've set. Absolutely nothing has been omitted."
Lothar nodded, then said loudly, "My people, among these three, are there any who have murdered your relatives and friends, or plundered your property?"
These men and women, who had just reclaimed their belongings, immediately showed hatred on their faces.
"It was him! He raped my mother and then killed her!"
"That man killed my father and cut off his head, stringing it on a spear to terrify others!"
"That one-eyed beast! I saw him smash my three-year-old son against a wall with my own eyes! His little head caved in. Woo-woo-woo..." The woman, speaking, began to wail.
"Then, repay grievances with grievances, and enmity with enmity." Lothar waved his hand and turned to leave.
Pike's face was aghast. "Knightly lord, you promised to spare my life!"
Lothar said without turning back, "I did indeed spare you. But they are unwilling to spare you. As their lord, I grant them the right to fair and just retribution, to avenge their hatred."
These men and women, suppressing their fury, quickly picked up the bandits' weapons and, towards the three bound bandits, unleashed their wrath. Being on the frontier, they were by no means sheep who would submit without resistance, let alone against three unarmed bandits.
The screams gradually weakened, until they fell silent.
The manservant was the first, holding a bloodstained arming sword, to kneel before Lothar. "Thank you, thank you to the lord we serve! You were willing to risk breaking your oath to grant us the power of revenge. I swear, I will be loyal to you forever."
Lothar shook his head. "This right is not permanent. When I acquire a fief, I will establish laws and will no longer permit acts of vendetta. Everything will be handled according to the law." He then added, "Moreover, I did not break my oath. Do not mention it again."