Chapter 413 – The Rift Opens (1)
“Pl-Please spare me!”
On the road leading west, a small merchant group knelt, begging someone for mercy.
Their assailants were bandits.
Despite hearing rumors of unrest in the area, the merchant leader had risked the trade journey. Now, he bowed his head, his face pale as death.
This area had once been under the influence of Marquis Roderick, the Great Lord of the West. Now, it was ruled by Count Fenris, the strongest power in the North.
Since the region was vital for trade, the nearby lords never allowed bandits to run rampant. Bandits only dared to act within minor territories.
The merchant leader hadn’t worried much. He never imagined his guards would be completely wiped out by bandits.
One of the bandits approached their apparent leader and bowed.
“There are no others nearby. The troops haven’t moved yet.”
“Good. Finish up here and move out. We need to keep running around this area, forcing them to chase us.”
“Understood.”
The merchant leader trembled as he watched them, confused.
‘What kind of bandits are these…?’
He had encountered many bandits before, but these ones felt different.
Though dressed like typical outlaws, their speech and actions lacked the usual vulgarity and pettiness of criminals. Instead, they exuded a disciplined, almost military presence.
They spoke only when necessary. Their movements were precise. They even maintained formations while moving.
‘Are they… deserters?’
Rumors had spread recently about deserters from the West turning into bandit groups.
‘But I heard they all surrendered after Fenris conquered Roderick…’
Moreover, the men before him didn’t look like fugitives. If anything, they appeared like hunters closing in on prey.
The bandit leader spoke.
“Kill them all and leave the bodies. Take the valuables, then dispose of the rest.”
“Understood.”
The bandits drew their weapons and approached. The merchant leader turned pale and pleaded again.
“Please! Spare our lives! Take everything! Just let us live!”
No matter how much he begged, the bandits remained silent. They didn’t even attempt to negotiate. Judging from what he’d overheard, they didn’t seem interested in wealth anyway.
He had never seen bandits like this before. They seemed downright insane.
A bandit raised his sword. The merchant leader and his people screamed, squeezing their eyes shut.
Thud!
“Ahhh!”
The merchant leader, kneeling at the front, screamed at the sound of something being pierced.
But there was no pain.
“Huh?”
Opening his eyes in shock, he saw the bandit who had been about to strike him lying on the ground, a spear impaled through his chest.
The remaining bandits immediately tensed, raising their weapons into a defensive formation.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Following the bandits’ gaze, the merchant leader slowly turned around. A man on a black horse was galloping toward them.
The bandits numbered thirty. It made no sense to be afraid of just one man.
But as the merchant squinted at the approaching figure, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“How is he so fast…?”
With every blink, the distance closed drastically. Upon closer inspection, a strange crimson aura flickered around the man, wrapping both him and his steed.
Then came the bandits’ panicked cries.
“Count Fenris!”
“The Count of Fenris?”
The rider was Ghislain.
Grinning as he faced the bandits, Ghislain chuckled.
“You’re definitely no ordinary bandits.”
The bandits, active near the western territories, recognized him immediately despite him being alone.
Ghislain was famous enough to be identified easily. But their precise, coordinated reactions were far beyond the behavior of typical bandits. Even deserters from Roderick’s army wouldn’t be this disciplined.
Boom!
The black steed closed the gap in an instant, leaping over the kneeling merchants and landing before the bandits.
Clank.
Ghislain dismounted, drawing his sword.
“Not a single one of you will escape.”
“Attack!”
The bandit leader barked, and the group lunged at Ghislain, eyes burning with the resolve of men prepared to die.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
With each casual swing of Ghislain’s blade, heads flew.
Yet, the bandits didn’t falter. They continued charging with reckless determination.
Ghislain grinned.
“A knight turning to banditry?”
Though their skills weren’t exceptional, every one of them wielded mana. At the very least, they were low-ranking knights.
Why would such men resort to banditry? The only explanation was that a ducal family had sent them. Only a ducal house could afford to throw away knights, even of this level.
Of course, the bandits themselves had no idea they were being sacrificed. Their mission was simply to run around and draw attention. They had thought the task was easy.
The man disguised as the bandit leader realized his mistake only when he faced Ghislain directly.
‘He’s even stronger than the rumors say!’
It was mere delusion to think they could escape easily in a place that had already become the territory of Count Fenris.
Despite keeping guard and scanning the surroundings, they failed to notice Count Fenris approaching.
It meant either he had the ability to monitor a far wider area than they could or that he could close the distance faster than novice knights could perceive.
Kwaaaang!
The bandits who had attacked Ghislain were all killed in an instant. Realizing they could not handle him, the leader immediately drew his sword and beheaded himself.
Thud!
With the leader collapsing, no bandits remained standing.
Ghislain brushed the blood off his sword and looked down at the fallen leader.
“Hmm.”
They were weak, yet surprisingly disciplined. The way they resolutely ended their own lives rather than risk being captured and tortured into confessing was proof enough.
‘This only makes me more certain.’
Who else would use knights of such skill and loyalty as mere bandits?
The ducal family was clearly scheming something here again.
“Ah, thank you so much!”
The merchant leader, who had been lost in thought, rushed forward and prostrated himself before Ghislain. The others followed suit.
They had thought they were doomed, only to be saved, so their gratitude was inevitable.
Ghislain looked at the merchant leader and asked,
“Count Fenris here. Did they say anything in particular?”
“So, you really are Count Fenris! Ah, they were nothing like ordinary bandits.”
“What do you mean?”
“They seemed to have some purpose. They refused to negotiate and showed no interest in wealth. And… they mentioned they had to keep running around this area to be chased. So, I thought they were deserters, but…”
The merchant leader talked endlessly. Whether it was sheer relief from surviving or just his natural tendency to be talkative was unclear.
Ghislain nodded while listening to the merchant’s words.
“As expected, they were trying to divert attention.”
If knights of that caliber set their minds on running, even an ordinary punitive force would struggle to capture them.
And there wasn’t just one such group there were several.
Not all of them would be knights, but it was obvious they were made up of highly skilled individuals.
The ducal family and the Salvation Church had created fake bandit groups to divert the attention and forces of the lords.
‘A clever move. They’re not fools.’
The royal faction knew that the information Ghislain had provided did not reveal all the Rifts. Other kingdoms had previously discovered Rifts that hadn’t been included in intelligence reports.
This had led to a kingdom-wide search. But now, with bandits causing havoc everywhere, forces had become scattered, delaying the search efforts.
‘If there were no Rifts left, the ducal family wouldn’t be going to such lengths for distraction. It’s certain. There are still many Rifts left.’
As Ghislain frowned at this unpleasant conclusion, the distant voices of knights rang out.
“My lord!”
It was only after Ghislain had single-handedly slaughtered the bandits that the knights arrived. Ghislain clicked his tongue as he looked at them.
“Still too slow.”
‘No, my lord, you’re just too fast.’
The knights pouted. How could they possibly keep up with a man riding the Black King, a warhorse empowered by mana? It felt unfair, to be honest.
Ghislain turned to the merchants and spoke.
“The bandits will be completely eradicated once I send forces. Do not worry.”
“Thank you! But, my lord, what will you do? If you are heading to a nearby city, I would be honored to escort you.”
His intention was obvious he wanted Ghislain to travel with them, fearing another bandit attack.
“I have other matters to attend to. I’ll assign a few knights to escort you. Travel without worry.”
“Thank you so much!”
The merchant leader, having lost all his guards, bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
Judging the skill of the bandits he had just faced, Ghislain assigned ten knights to the escort.
“After you escort the merchants, wait in Linderstein. Also, inform Count Selverk to prepare a punitive force immediately.”
Though Count Selverk officially governed the west, Fenris’s administrators handled the actual affairs.
All the vassals who had once served the Roderick Marquisate had sworn new loyalty to Ghislain. Even the independent lords were watching his movements closely, so managing the west posed no challenge.
“Understood!”
The merchant leader and his people left with peace of mind under the protection of the knights.
Ghislain watched them go and let out a quiet sigh.
‘Whatever they were up to, it must have progressed significantly by now.’
It had already been days since the rumors of bandits causing havoc had reached him. Considering the time it took for rumors to spread and information to be gathered, quite some time had already passed.
‘Nothing I can do about it.’
Even with the knowledge from his past life, Ghislain was no god. That was why he had always adjusted his plans to match the circumstances.
The ducal family and the Salvation Church were also scheming in their own ways. There was no way he could know everything they planned or stop them in advance.
Ultimately, he could only prepare as much as possible and ensure he had the strength to crush them, no matter what they did.
“For now, let’s head to the Barony of Finros.”
It was the most likely location where a Rift could be hiding. Searching the area was the best course of action for the moment.
When Ghislain arrived at the checkpoint marking the boundary of the Barony of Finros, the soldiers stationed there were visibly startled.
“C-Count Fenris! What brings you here?”
Even the knight in charge was trembling.
Having seen the Roderick Marquisate utterly crushed by Fenris, their fear was understandable.
The Baron of Finros had once been part of the ducal faction but had defected. And recently, the greatest threat to the ducal faction wasn’t the royal faction but Fenris himself.
Now, Count Fenris had appeared with nearly 200 knights in tow it was no surprise they were losing their composure.
Seeing the soldiers trembling, Ghislain smirked.
“I’m just here to look around the territory.”
“…….”
The knight in charge was at a complete loss for words.
In the past, he would have scolded anyone speaking such nonsense. When the Barony had been part of the ducal faction, they could act with such confidence. After all, they had the ducal family backing them.
But now, the Barony was just a minor domain, with no one from the royal faction to support them either.
And when the royal faction’s strongest noble came asking to “look around” the territory, there was no way they could refuse.
“W-well, I-I should report to the lord immediately”
“No, there’s no need for that hassle. Just think of me as a traveler, got it?”
“B-but, how could I”
How could he possibly treat a lord arriving with an entire company of knights as a mere traveler? Who knew what kind of havoc he could cause?
“Just think of me as a traveler. I’m busy right now, okay?”
There was a sharp edge to his voice. The knight clenched his eyes shut and forced out a response.
“Welcome to the Barony of Finros, my lord. I hope you have a pleasant visit.”
Blatantly ignoring the checkpoint, Ghislain led his knights straight to his destination the nearest town.
The Rifts discovered by the royal faction so far weren’t just hidden in remote villages like the one where Lavierre had been found. Some had been located in towns.
In such crowded areas with many people and buildings, finding a Rift was significantly harder, requiring extensive manpower for searches.
The ducal family had deliberately unleashed the bandits to spread their forces thin and delay the search.
When Ghislain arrived in the town, a similar reaction played out at the entrance checkpoint.
“W-we must inform the mayor immediately”
“No need for that. Handle it later. I’m busy.”
“Th-then, may I ask your reason for”
“I have personal matters here. I’ll be entering briefly.”
As soon as he stepped into the town, Ghislain turned to his knights.
“Raise your mana to the maximum and scan the surroundings. You remember the aura from last time, right?”
The knights nodded. Back in the village where they had captured Lavierre, they had distinctly felt a subtle, repulsive energy.
It was a sensation that could only be noticed with intense focus and heightened mana sensitivity. They needed to flood the area with mana to reduce interference and detect the Rift’s presence.
“Good. I’ll take responsibility, so leave no place unchecked.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The knights spread out aggressively, drawing the attention of the town guards, who could only stand frozen in confusion.
Ghislain patted one guard on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Of course, none of the guards believed him.
A noble had arrived with a small army of knights and immediately unleashed them into the town. Trouble seemed inevitable.
Ignoring the guards’ reactions, Ghislain expanded his own mana and began scanning the area.
It was during this meticulous search that Lucas came running in a hurry, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“We found it! We found it!”
“You did?”
“Yes! Remember when I broke my arm fighting in that village? It’s the exact same energy as back then! But there’s something strange about the people nearby!”
“Strange how?”
“I’m not sure… but you should see for yourself!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
A smile formed on Ghislain’s lips. As expected, a Rift had been prepared here.