Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 134

“They’ve been around for a while, but their atrocities are reportedly getting worse by the day.”

“What started as some mercenaries or free knights taking requests from lords has now become a profitable business, growing in scale to the point where they’re even called slave hunters, and their numbers are enormous.”

Reports from the intelligence agency kept pouring in, followed by stories of their various evil deeds.

Until now, Arthur Domain hadn't had the capacity to act, and there was no way to counter their logic of recapturing their runaway slaves, so they couldn't move.

However, recently, as these slave hunters grew in scale, they began to cross the line.

They even started capturing residents from the border regions where Karl and Count Vito were, or even freemen, and even selling them, which gave Karl a justification to act.

“Where is the largest group located?”

Anne, who hadn't attended the meetings initially but had somehow started attending them in the conference room, pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom.

“I figured you’d ask, so I looked into it beforehand.”

She informed them of the locations and numbers of the three largest slave hunter groups.

“You mean there are 500 of them?”

“That’s right, the amount of money those bastards are raking in must be no joke.”

Karl nodded and calculated his forces.

“Their numbers may be large, but their quality isn’t that great.”

Feeling the need to wipe them out thoroughly this time, Karl calculated the available troops.

“We will support with 50 Holy Knights.”

“The Alcantara Knights will support with 100 men.”

“The Holy Knights will also support with 100 men.”

“The Mercenary Guild will support with 500 men. You’ll have to cover the pay.”

With that, a force of about 900 men was formed, including 150 members of the Lighthouse Knights, whose numbers had recently been augmented.

The fact that all 900 were skilled individuals made them a force incomparably superior to the slave hunter groups.

Since Karl's development plan, the Alcantara Knights and the Holy Knights, who had stable roads connecting them and increasing exchanges, had also established branches in the Arthur Domain to maintain cooperative relations and were operating their knight orders there.

“Departure is in three days. We will wipe out all three slave hunter groups.”

After Karl’s declaration, they ended the meeting simply with a light nod.

And exactly three days later, 900 men led by Karl left the castle gates.

***

The slave hunter groups, like bandits or thieves, had built fortresses in forests or mountains and were living there.

They had built facilities there to imprison the slaves or people they had captured, and recently, they were even selling them to slave traders or nobles.

Among them, good-looking women, young children, or strong slaves were sold separately to nobles at high prices.

These individuals, who initially captured requested slaves and received rewards from their masters, now repeatedly captured even non-slaves and sold them on the slave market.

“Commander, shouldn’t we be a little more careful? The ones we captured last time were from domains under Count Vito’s influence.”

“Count Vito? You mean that lord who’s Karl Meyer’s lackey?”

“…That’s true, but if that Knight of the Lighthouse really makes a move….”

“What’s there to worry about? Our forces number a whopping 500. 500! And most of them are knight-level individuals. Karl Meyer himself may be strong, but his forces aren’t, right? Didn’t they say the Lighthouse Knights only have about 120 men?”

“But… They are knights, aren’t they? Compared to them, we are….”

“We too are a gathering of knight-level individuals. And our numbers are more than three times theirs. What are you so worried about, I’m saying.”

Though they called themselves knight-level, it was self-proclaimed knight-level.

“…I understand.”

“Now, now, Vice-Commander. Don’t worry too much.”

The commander of the slave hunting group named Red Hook laughed heartily, patting the Vice-Commander’s shoulder several times.

He acted boldly, showing no signs of fear whatsoever.

On the other hand, the Vice-Commander couldn’t hide his growing anxiety.

Considering the results Karl Meyer, a legendary figure, had achieved, he judged that encroaching on his territory was tantamount to suicide.

‘I need to run away tonight. The commander is crazy. As the money he touches gets bigger, he’s gradually losing sight of things.’

The realistic Vice-Commander, caring little for money or anything else, went to his room and started packing his belongings.

“Vice-Commander, where are you going?”

“Ah, I have a place to visit for a moment.”

That evening, before it even got dark, the Vice-Commander left the mountain stronghold without looking back.

And those who didn't even know the Vice-Commander had left held their usual festival that night.

“By the way, where did the Vice-Commander go that he’s not around?”

“Who knows?”

The two exchanged cups of wine, laughing and talking casually.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s party harder!”

Just as their banquet, where they were thoroughly drunk and indulging in pleasure, was reaching its peak.

Dudududududu.

The sound of horse hooves, which shouldn't be heard in the mountains at such a late hour, echoed in their ears.

Kwaaaang!

Not long after the sound of warhorses' hooves, the wooden gate of the mountain stronghold burst open violently.

Following that, a group of warhorses poured into the mountain stronghold as if flooding in.

“…! What, what the hell are you bastards doing!”

Those who were so drunk they couldn't even stand properly were startled by the sudden situation and moved their bodies as if flailing.

“Leave ten alive, kill all the rest. Show no mercy.”

A man wearing a surcoat with a black diagonal cross on a white background, with flowing black hair and black eyes, rode at the very front.

His dark brown steed, which seemed 1.5 times larger than other horses, galloped forward like the wind and soon approached the slave hunters.

Seogeok! Seogeok!

Their necks began to fall to the ground in an instant, cut by a sword moving too fast to be seen.

It took only a moment for the 500 drunken hunters to be subdued by a mere 300 knights.

Deoldeoldeoldeol.

Yellow liquid trickled down the hunter's pants as he felt Karl's indifferent gaze, his entire body drenched in blood.

Those unfathomably deep eyes had the power to drive a person mad with fear.

As the hunter fainted from the endless killing intent and the pressure of a Master, the others standing next to him knelt, touched their heads to the dirt floor, and rubbed their hands together earnestly.

“I will let you live.”

They slammed their heads onto the ground several times.

“You have one job. Let the world know that if any slave hunter falls into my hands, they will all die. For now, I will only take an arm, but if you are caught by me for the same thing next time, you will be flayed alive.”

At Karl’s voice, which seemed to embed itself in their souls, they slammed their heads onto the ground once more.

“We will keep it in mind, we will keep it in mind.”

Seogeok.

The right arms of those on the ground were severed by his sword, which swung too fast to be seen.

They writhed in pain, crawling on the ground, and then flames erupted from Karl’s hand.

“This is the mark of your sins.”

As the flames from his hand seared their foreheads, they thrashed about madly from the pain of burning flesh.

“We are the Lighthouse Knights. We have come to rescue you, so come out here. Bring the injured and those who are unwell first.”

Kelvin quickly cleared the battlefield and took care of those who had been captured.

The injured or weakened recovered quickly and regained consciousness thanks to the power of the priests who came with the Lighthouse Knights.

“You sons of bitches!”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he thought the Lighthouse Knights were members of Red Hook and charged at them, then came to his senses.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

And his eyes reddened at the thought that he had survived with Marie.

“Ask the mercenaries in the rear to take these people safely to Arthur Domain. We move to the next location.”

***

Dududududududu!

“Leave no one alive!”

Godfrey of the Holy Knights had arrived at the mountain stronghold of another slave hunter group, the Black Axe Gang.

His eyes turned upside down when he saw the gruesome scene, which was no different from Red Hook’s.

“Even Essus would be pleased to punish such trash. Leave 10 alive, there is no mercy.”

Even though they weren't holding a banquet, they were swiftly wiped out by the 300 knights, including the Holy Knights.

Thus, the 900 men, including Karl, split into three groups of 300 and uprooted the slave hunters in the area.

The number of slave hunters wiped out in a single day exceeded 1,300, and after a month, nearly 5,000 slave hunters had become wandering souls at the hands of Karl and the knights.

It was unknown about other places, but in the northern, western, and central regions, the results they produced were so shocking that people stopped even uttering the words “slave hunter.”

People praised in unison the miraculous results achieved by the knights of Arthur Domain.

***

“Hoo….”

In the office of Arthur Domain, which had returned after recently hunting down slave hunters, an enormous amount of paperwork had piled up.

The daily pile of documents and approvals, occasional banquets, and interactions with neighboring vassal families.

Amidst the appointment of lords under the Margrave's influence and countless tasks, Karl decided one day that he had to leave.

‘Yes, this isn’t it.’

Looking at the pile of documents being brought in on a cart once again, Karl made up his mind.

Come to think of it, there was a strange support request document that had come to the lord’s castle from one of the vassal family’s domains a while ago.

[Whenever people enter the mountain named Peto, they fall asleep and then wake up. They don’t die, but no one brought in has been able to solve it. Even Superior-grade knights fall asleep as soon as they enter the mountain.]

It was a document with roughly that content.

Karl decided to go out for a while, using the justification that since things had come to this, he should resolve the vassal family’s difficulties.

[Progress 38%]

It was time for the stalled progress to move again.

Karl convened a meeting that day after a long time.

“Is there really a reason for the Lord himself to move?”

“If even a Superior-grade knight falls asleep, it means at least a Master-grade knight needs to move. This is a good opportunity for me to personally move and show how much we care about our vassal families.”

“There is some truth to your words, but.”

Looking at the vassals who wore slightly reluctant expressions, Karl practiced mind control inwardly.

This was purely for the progress of the mission, not an avoidance of excessive work.

Since many talented individuals had come to Arthur Domain, if he delegated work well and left, the domain wouldn't fail to function or anything like that just because Karl was gone.

“If the Lord is going, please go with Sir Emilio. For the knights, we will assign Sir Rogério and 30 Lighthouse Knights.”

At the firm voice of Selena, who handled all the practical administrative affairs of the lord’s castle, Karl nodded in agreement, and the meeting ended.

A few days later, after preparations were complete, Karl and 30 knights departed for the problematic mountain mentioned in the letter.

Riding Silver out of the castle after a long time, the cool breeze cleared his stuffy insides, which had been clogged with administrative affairs.

And at that moment, a system window popped up before Karl’s eyes.

[Quest: Find the Tomb of Peto.]

It was the moment when time, which had briefly stopped, began to move again.