Chapter 210: Nature Will Take Care of Them

With the death of the Imperial Knights commander, the quest was complete. As the tension that had been crushing my whole body lifted, I let out a deep sigh without realizing it. From the moment Feuzen came under attack until now, it had been one long stretch of tension.

[Gale Knight IV Quest Complete]

[10,000 points, 10 gold coins awarded]

[Item: Imperial Knights Commander’s Treasure Map]

[Guardian of Feuzen II Quest Complete]

[20,000 points, 20 gold coins awarded]

[Family Prestige 200 points gained]

The Streit family’s current prestige stood at 2,350 points (Recognition 47%, Governance 47%). Maybe that governance had been one of the hidden forces that helped us hold Feuzen.

The points that had dropped to -1,780 after using the medical service shot back up sharply once I completed the quest. After subtracting the deficit from the 30,000 points I’d earned, I was left with 28,220 points.

On top of that, 30 gold coins was an incredible reward too.

I figured I could finally count myself a wealthy noble with my head held high, but the reality was that I was a lord knight with money flowing out in every direction, and just thinking about the cost of all the gunpowder I’d be using going forward made my chest tighten.

Maybe because this was a large-scale war spanning all of Beren, I was relieved that the quest rewards had risen to a level on a completely different scale from the previous ones. The quests keep me fed.

It was also the first time an item had come as a reward alongside points and gold.

[Imperial Knights Commander’s Treasure Map]

It was a scroll of linen paper. When I unrolled it, an old little church was drawn there, with the commander’s treasure marked as hidden inside.

Since it didn’t give the exact location, searching through every single church scattered across this world would be next to impossible. If I guessed at the commander’s travel route, the range would narrow, but even that would be difficult.

There’s treasure map content in the Medieval Knight world.

Heading out alone beyond Breisburg took tremendous courage, and it wasn’t worth risking danger just to find treasure.

So I hadn’t paid the idea much mind.

I never imagined I’d be seeing one again here.

If the gold the commander had amassed over the years was hidden there, it was worth looking into.

He hadn’t been lying when he offered 200 gold coins.

Besides this map, back in my duchy knight days I’d come across two treasure maps in Breisburg. I’d completely forgotten about them, but they were stored safely in the safe of my study.

I found the first map in The Pauper’s Crown, the house that used to belong to Bodo.

I got the second map in some building belonging to the slum organization, though I can’t remember which.

The first treasure map vaguely showed a windmill and a stream flowing below it, where a large boulder sat with treasure hidden beneath it. The drawing was so vague that it was hard to use.

So I’d quietly tucked it away in a corner of my mind, never expecting I’d get another treasure map. At least this latest one was far more specific than the others, given that it pointed to a church. Should I go take a look?

The Imperial Knights had been all but wiped out.

Except for the ones who fled for their lives, the Imperial Knights surrounded by my men chose death over surrender. Once branded as traitors, it was obvious they’d be executed even if they surrendered.

"Not counting those who fled, we’ve cut down twenty-three in total."

"The sun’s going down, so for now gather up all the arms and horses."

"What should we do with the bodies? Left like this, they’ll be food for the beasts."

"We don’t have time to bury the bodies too. Nature will take care of them on its own."

After finishing up, the Gale Knights laid out the naked corpses of the Imperial Knights in neat rows. Since these were slain bodies, the sight was extremely grotesque, but laying them out was our own way of paying respect to the dead.

"Enemies they may be, but let’s pray they make it safely to Resurrection Day."

A good enemy is a dead enemy.

Death is equal for everyone, after all.

The men all gathered and recited prayers, wishing the dead eternal peace. The Imperial Knights had been enemies we fought fiercely, but praying that the dead would be resurrected safely was the culture of medieval people.

"We’re heading back to Feuzen! Mount up!"

We returned to Feuzen.

But first I washed the vomit off at a nearby puddle.

The Battle of Feuzen had entered its final stage, and the western fields of Feuzen, all the way from the forest, were filled with corpses. After the fighting ended, the cavalry was frantically busy gleefully collecting arms.

Caw! Caw!

Flap!

Flocks of crows and vultures, which you’d hardly ever see in normal times, blackened the sky over the plain. For wild animals, it was a feast like no other. The crows’ cawing was loud enough to make my ears hurt.

Crows are treated as birds of ill omen here. Many people believed crows were partly to blame for the Black Death that shook all of Europe, carrying disease with them. So why do people eat crow meat?

The soldiers taken prisoner were clearing away the bodies of their comrades.

Prisoners are usually put to the filthiest work on the battlefield.

They wept and wailed as they recovered their comrades’ bodies.

Many men were still alive out on that field, but most were left to die in agony. Rather than going out of one’s way to save a soldier who was worth no money, it made better business sense to kill him and take his gear.

If a knight was found, the cavalry would pounce like a pack of jackals. The Lightning Knight I captured had been stabbed in the armpit, so he was transported to Feuzen first. As a high-ranking commander, it would be a problem if he died.

Fiel and Viktor, who had cut down the enemy like demons, had returned to their usual selves. Fiel kept praying, giving thanks that Feuzen was safe. It must have been one of the few horrific stretches in his life.

"I’m so glad Feuzen is safe."

"Vice Commander Steinhof, I nearly wet myself."

Viktor must have been pretty rattled too.

Thanks to the victory, he’d earned the right to crack jokes like that.

It might look like a miracle that a small village like Feuzen held out until reinforcements arrived, but it held because August and Hilda led the defense from the front and the people stood united as one.

"August and Hilda are the ones who defended Feuzen."

The two vice commanders seemed puzzled that I’d mentioned Hilda. They knew August had taken charge of Feuzen’s defense, but had the lord’s wife really had a hand in defending the estate too?

It was natural for them to wonder.

And that’s the prejudice the average medieval man holds toward women.

Being able to ride a horse a little and actually fighting were on completely different levels.

"Didn’t you know? The knight who fought alongside August was Hilda."

"What? With all due respect, even for the lord’s wife, that’s impossible."

"The noble Valkyrie is a far more remarkable woman than the two of you imagine."

I take great pride in that. Fiel and Viktor seemed to find it hard to believe, but if they saw it with their own eyes, they’d have to drop their prejudices. As we drew closer to Feuzen, the soldiers let out cheers.

Hoooorrraaaay!

My lord! My lord!

At their cheers, the people came rushing out, every last one of them. The soldiers and townspeople, bearing the marks of fierce battle on their bodies, seemed to forget their exhaustion as they fervently welcomed their lord and shared in the joy.

I entered in silence, looking around at my surroundings.

The first ones I saw were my retainers.

Ted and Oscar holding arquebuses, and Ralph the firearms manager, were the first to catch my eye. Maybe because they still weren’t used to handling gunpowder, their faces were completely covered in soot.

Most of the standing army and the levies were carrying firearms. Introducing the firearms and training with them had been anything but a waste. They must have racked up considerable results in the siege. Otherwise, they’d have thrown the firearms away.

We could speak to each other with nothing but a glance.

I nodded to them as if to say "well done" and moved forward.

On the way in, Bodo, Hans, and Daniel were there.

They looked at me and beamed. I could tell how hard they’d fought alongside the townspeople. Even Daniel, who always kept himself spotless, was a mess, but he was overjoyed.

Fiel and Viktor joined them to celebrate the victory.

The village girls were busy making a rain of flowers, having gathered them at some point. If Feuzen had fallen, it was a sight you’d never have seen again. The stench of blood seemed to fade into fragrance.

There wasn’t a single tidily dressed townsperson here.

Everyone had fought to defend Feuzen with their lives on the line.

As the master of Feuzen, I was so proud of them.