The two parties faced off, separated by dozens of meters, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
At first, Ronin's Guards didn't quite understand why the Baron had ordered them to take up their weapons.
But when they heard the newcomers speak in such a disrespectful tone, they finally seemed to understand.
At that moment, their admiration for Ronin deepened. 'The Baron is truly remarkable; he actually predicted this situation.'
The Civil Servant, Princest, sat on his horse, looking past Ronin at the men behind him. The number of Guards holding swords was just as he had expected—about thirty men. This bolstered his confidence.
"Lord Ronin, perhaps you are unaware, but I have served as the Civil Servant of Mountain Forest Town for nine years. During that time, even when the harvests were poor, even when we were attacked by Wilderness Tribes and the Magical Beasts of Wushan, I still managed to pay taxes to Wushan Castle equivalent to Ten Gold Coins every single year."
The Ten Gold Coins did not necessarily refer to currency; goods of equivalent value were also included.
It might not sound like much, but for a small mountain town with a population of less than a thousand, paying that much in taxes each year was certainly impressive.
Ronin nodded slightly. "You've done an excellent job. It was precisely because Wushan Castle recognized your capabilities that they entrusted this town to your management for nine years."
He wasn't yet sure what the man intended to do, so there was no harm in offering a bit of praise.
"Hah! But now, the place I worked so hard to build for nine years is to be handed over to a notorious piece of trash like you!"
Princest's gaze changed, growing aggressive. "I refuse to accept this!"
"Why do nobles get to so easily snatch away what others have built? Why must I hand over what is mine to a waste of space who let himself be played by a woman?"
He roared in fury, "Why!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Macken drew his longsword and looked to Ronin. "My lord, let me go over and kill him!"
But Ronin shook his head, signaling for Macken to stand down for the moment.
As a Transmigrator, he could somewhat understand the man's feelings.
For all these years, although Princest wasn't the Lord of Mountain Forest Town, he had acted as if he were. To now be asked to acknowledge another as his master was, psychologically, a difficult thing to accept.
But understanding was one thing. He would absolutely not allow the man to seize what was rightfully his.
"You were sent by Wushan Castle to manage Mountain Forest Town, but the town does not belong to you. Your anger and your roars cannot change the rules. This world is ruled and dominated by the nobility! If you want a territory of your own, the first thing you must do is pledge your loyalty to a noble."
"But I do understand."
Ronin's tone shifted. "Dismount now and acknowledge me as your lord, and I will overlook your behavior today. If you swear your loyalty to me, perhaps one day you too can become a Baron, just as I am now."
"Perhaps!"
Princest slowly drew the sword from his waist. "But I have a better proposal."
The atmosphere turned frigid as killing intent slowly began to leak out.
"Go on," Ronin said.
Princest pointed his sword at Ronin. "I could kill you right here and continue to serve as the Civil Servant of Mountain Forest Town."
"Oh? And you aren't afraid of Wushan Castle holding you accountable?"
Princest laughed heartily. "The road to Mountain Forest Town is prowled by wild animals and Magical Beasts. With only a single Basic Level Knight and thirty Infantry at your side, it would be all too normal for you to fall to the claws of a Magical Beast."
Clearly, the man had intelligence on the composition of Ronin's forces. He suspected that as soon as he had set out from Wushan Castle, this information was already on its way to Mountain Forest Town.
Ronin refused to believe that Princest had spies in Wushan Castle.
The Civil Servant of a small mountain town shouldn't have that kind of reach.
So Ronin was extremely curious. 'Where did he get his information?'
He sized up the several burly men on horseback beside Princest. 'There's something about these four... can it be that they're also Basic Level Knights?'
'But a place like Mountain Forest Town, with a population of just a few hundred, shouldn't be able to produce so many Transcendents, right?'
Ronin decided to probe him for more information.
"Your plan does have a certain feasibility. But from what I can see, you only have twenty or thirty men. Are you really that confident you can kill me so easily?"
As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder. "And if we're talking numbers, I have quite a few more men than you do, you know."
"Haha, you're just as foolish as Wiggin! If numbers decided everything, couldn't Wushan Castle just crush the Black Gold Brotherhood? Couldn't it crush the Hyde Clan?"
Princest's face was full of scorn. "But the reality is, Wushan Castle is powerless against all of them!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he grew. Challenging the authority of the nobility and trampling on their dignity was something he had always dreamed of doing. Today, he would finally get his chance.
"I'll tell you the truth. I myself am an Intermediate Knight, and with me are four Basic Level Knights. In the face of absolute Power, you lot are no different from sheep in a pen."
He eagerly anticipated the look of terror on the face of Wushan Castle's heir when he heard of such a force.
But all he saw on Ronin's face was a flicker of surprise.
Ronin was, in fact, surprised.
Before they arrived, the people of Wushan Castle had assumed that Mountain Forest Town would have one or two Transcendents at the absolute most. Who would have guessed that not only were there five, but one was even an Intermediate Knight?
'Wushan Castle's intelligence gathering is truly terrible. You could say they know absolutely nothing about Mountain Forest Town.'
'Then again, there's another possibility. Perhaps they never cared about Mountain Forest Town at all. As long as the annual tax of Ten Gold Coins was collected, they couldn't care less what happened here.'
'This is how a declining noble family gradually loses its grip on power.'
"I'll say this one more time, Princest, and have all the men behind you listen carefully!"
Ronin regained his composure. "Before any blood is shed, I can forgive your disrespect today. But if you insist on throwing your lives away to challenge my authority, then don't blame your new Lord for the slaughter that follows."
On the other side, Princest's expression darkened.
After being the de facto master of Mountain Forest Town for so many years, it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him with such disrespect.
For years, he had longed to see panic and fear on a noble's face, longed to best one of them just once.
But not only did Ronin show no such fear, he was now turning the tables and sowing dissent among his men.
He noticed that some of the Guards beside him were actually starting to waver. After all, the concept of nobility was deeply ingrained in these men; they knew they were all subjects of Wushan Territory.
'I can't let this conversation continue.'
Princest steeled himself. "Archers, fire!"
The three Archers did not waver. To them, a noble was a vague, distant concept, while the Civil Servant was real and could grant them a comfortable life.
They quickly drew their bows and nocked their arrows. In just two seconds, the arrows were loosed.
SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!
Macken spurred his horse forward, leading the charge.
Fueled by his Fighting Qi, the Sword Aura radiating from his longsword flared to life.
With a single horizontal sweep of his blade, all three arrows were sliced in two and fell to the ground.
Princest's pupils contracted violently and his expression twisted. "How is this possible? How do you have an Intermediate Knight?!"
Now that the fighting had started, there was no need for more talk.
Ronin barked out orders. "Macken, you handle Princest! Try to take him alive, I have use for him!"
"Elron, be ready to treat the wounded!"
Ronin pointed his longsword forward. "Everyone, kill!"
Macken roared in response, "Traitors deserve to die!"
The thundering of hooves filled the air as Macken, Ronin, and David led the charge straight into the enemy's ranks. Behind them, all twenty-nine Guards surged forward as well.
Only Elron the Mage and the manservant Chahar remained behind.
Princest hadn't expected the other side to be the one to charge, especially since they were charging uphill while his men were downhill, giving them a terrain disadvantage.
But since the battle had begun, there was no point in dwelling on their positioning.
"Kill them!"
With a furious roar, his Fighting Qi erupted from his body in an imposing display.
And just like that, on the main road, a battle involving sixty or seventy men erupted.