The Knight Commander glared at Howard, his eyes filled with rage towards their group.
“Why did you kill our men?” he demanded of Howard.
Howard replied, unemotional, “You’re mistaken.
It was your men who attempted treachery first.
We were merely defending ourselves.”
The Knight Commander, taken aback, glanced at the body on the ground and then at the knight battling Kellman.
Something seemed to click in his mind, and his demeanor softened slightly, though his gaze remained sharp and piercing as he looked at Howard.
He spoke with an authoritative tone, “If what you say is true, I will deal with him accordingly. Cease your attack immediately!”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Howard replied, standing his ground.
Kellman and Tina had saved Howard’s life and assisted him without reservation.
At this moment, even if Howard wanted to avoid trouble, he would not stand aside.
The Knight Commander’s frown deepened as he glanced at the knight, who was now visibly struggling.
He spoke again, more firmly, “Step aside, or I will have to intervene.”
Howard’s gaze also turned cold.
If a confrontation was unavoidable, he was not afraid to fight.
The Knight Commander was undoubtedly strong, perhaps even stronger than Geoff, but there was no fear on Howard’s face.
This surprised Tina, who was watching from a distance.
In her mind, Howard had always been a cautious man, driven strongly by the instinct to survive.
She hadn’t expected him to confront a knight commander of the Empire for her sake.
Didn’t he realize the significant standing of the Empire Knights Order within the empire?
In fact, Howard was indeed unaware of this.
He only knew what he should and shouldn’t do at this moment.
He was determined to assist Kellman and Tina.
“Are knights of the Empire really so unreasonable?” Howard attempted one last appeal.
This seemed to strike a nerve in the Knight Commander.
His fists clenched, a mix of anger and conflict evident on his resolute face.
“Even if you are right, this man cannot die, or you will face trouble!” he said in a lowered voice, trying to contain the situation.
“Rest assured, I will see justice done, but you cannot execute him privately.
Do you not know that killing an Empire knight is a grave crime?”
Howard remained unmoving.
The Knight Commander slowly drew his sword, ready to act if Howard refused to yield.
In Howard’s eyes, the Knight Commander saw strength; he did not wish to provoke such a man needlessly.
Yet, he was compelled to protect his subordinate and uphold the dignity of an Empire knight.
Despite his dislike for the knight in question, he had no choice.
Just as the tension between them reached a breaking point, Kellman ended his fight, slaying the knight.
With that, all three knights were dead.
The Knight Commander, including himself, now had only four knights remaining.
If a battle ensued, he had to consider the situation carefully.
Kellman was the leader of the Frostwolf Mercenaries, and while the Knight Commander was confident in his ability to defeat him, he doubted the remaining three knights could overcome Howard and the others.
Weighing the pros and cons, the Knight Commander sheathed his sword.
At that moment, a gleam flashed in Howard’s eyes as he drew a dagger he had obtained from Laxa.
With the swiftest movement he could muster, he lunged at the Knight Commander, stabbing fiercely towards him in the instant the Knight Commander turned around.
It wasn’t that Howard was ruthless, but rather, if these knights were allowed to leave, they would pose significant future trouble.
The Knight Commander had said that killing an Empire knight was a serious crime, and regardless of the reasons, such acts couldn’t be exposed. 𝘪𝑎.𝒸𝘰
Perhaps Howard could have avoided immediate danger by not acting, but for Tina and Kellman’s sake, and to ensure the safety of the Frostwolf Mercenaries within the Empire, this incident had to remain concealed.
Kellman and Tina stood frozen in shock as the Knight Commander fell to the ground, staring at Howard in disbelief.
Howard had targeted the spine; even if the Knight Commander wasn’t dead yet, he was incapacitated.
Howard didn’t hesitate to finish the job, rushing forward and repeatedly stabbing the Knight Commander in the heart.
“I’m sorry, we had no personal grudge, but you shouldn’t have been here, and you shouldn’t have failed to control your subordinates,” he said.
With the Knight Commander’s final breath, Tina collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed.
“What has Howard done?” she thought.
He had killed an Empire knight commander.
She knew Howard did it for her and Kellman, but she struggled to accept it.
At that moment, Howard seemed like a stranger to her.
Howard turned to Kellman and said, “Now is not the time to be stunned.
Help me take out the other three.” Kellman hesitated.
The initial killing had been in revenge for Tina, but what would further killing be?
Mere slaughter?
Seeing his inaction, Howard added, “It doesn’t matter to me. I have a feeling I won’t be in this world for much longer, but what about you two?”
Kellman and Tina shivered.
Howard was doing all of this for them.
“If the news of you killing an Empire knight leaks out, you know the consequences better than I do, right?” Howard said pointedly.
“Alright, let’s do this,” Kellman finally conceded, grasping his sword and heading towards the campfire where the remaining three knights were.
Howard followed closely behind.
The three knights had heard Tina’s screams and the sounds of the fight but had kept their eyes closed, not moving.
They probably guessed what had happened.
The last knight Kellman killed was a notorious noble known for his lechery.
The three knights dared not provoke him and chose to turn a blind eye to the earlier incident, pretending to be asleep.
Besides, with the Knight Commander himself attending to the matter, did their presence matter?
Little did they know that all four knights, including their formidable Knight Commander, had been taken down by Howard, Kellman, and Tina.
As they feigned sleep, Kellman reached them before Howard.
The knights realized something was amiss from the sound of approaching footsteps, but it was too late.
Kellman acted swiftly; his blade fell, and one knight was decapitated.
He then turned his sword on another beside him.
Caught off guard and unclear about what was happening, the second knight couldn’t dodge in time and was also killed on the spot.
The last knight reacted quickly and managed to run a considerable distance.
Kellman didn’t chase after him, knowing Howard was already in position to intercept.
“I’m sorry, we have no personal vendetta, but because of your indulgence, I must kill you. Blame yourself,” Howard said as he relentlessly stabbed the knight several times, who, in his panic, had no chance to escape.
Members of the Frost Raven Tribe, having witnessed the entire scene, were too frightened to speak.
A fully armed squad of Empire knights had just been annihilated.
Although they were a reclusive tribe, they understood the gravity of what had just occurred.
If word got out, Howard and his companions would face dire consequences.
Under the laws of the Empire, killing an Empire knight was an unforgivable crime.
They feared that Howard, in his effort to keep this a secret, might decide to eliminate them as well to silence any potential witnesses.
Tina shared this concern.
She realized she might have misjudged Howard initially, thinking he was merely cautious.
Now it seemed he was a man of decisive action, not hesitating to take lives, far from being a simple character.
When Tina approached, Howard said, “Relax, I’m not that heartless. I won’t harm the villagers.”
Both Tina and Kellman breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Howard, in his frenzied state, might spare no one.
To better conceal the incident, Howard had Kellman help him bury the knights’ bodies.
They meticulously cleaned up the blood and buried all the equipment deep in the earth.
Kellman and Laxa were puzzled by this.
Both their group and the Frost Raven Tribe were in dire need of armor and weapons.
Such equipment could significantly enhance their combat capabilities and was a rare find.
However, Howard saw it differently.
To him, the gear was not just worthless but a death warrant.
The equipment of the Knights Order was distinctive, each piece marked with a unique number.
Keeping such items would only invite disaster.
How would they explain their possession of it if discovered later? Claiming it was gifted or sold by members of the Empire Knights Order was implausible.
No knight of the Empire would part with their equipment unless they wished for death.
Thus, for Howard, the only safe course was to ensure that no trace of the knights or their belongings remained.
Upon hearing Howard’s explanation, everyone’s admiration for him deepened.
Kellman couldn’t help but ponder who Howard really was.
He was clearly no ordinary man.
The horses of the Knights Order could be kept after stripping off their armor and burying it.
However, the Knight Commander’s horse was an exception.
It was a rare white steed, robust and easily recognizable.
So, Howard suggested that the Frost Raven Tribe slaughter this particular horse for a hearty meal.
The next day, the group encountered no further incidents.
Since their paths diverged, Howard and his companions parted ways with the Frost Raven Tribe.
Riding the horses of the Knights Order, their travel pace significantly increased.
As they neared their destination, on a mountainous road, they were blocked by dozens of bandits armed with clubs and sticks.
The rise of the Night Demon had weakened the Empire’s control, leading to an increase in the number of bandits and highwaymen.
Kellman and Tina were not surprised by this encounter.
.