The choice was clear to the mercenaries.
They rushed towards the six carts of treasures, planning to seize the opportunity to drive away with them.
Howard, who had been watching them closely, hadn’t moved.
He wouldn’t let the fruits of his labor be stolen just like that.
He stood in front of the mercenaries, blocking their path.
“Gentlemen, even if you choose not to help, please do not cause trouble, or else…”
Howard’s gaze swept over them, not hiding the murderous intent in his eyes.
The mercenaries laughed.
Or else what?
How could he, alone, stand a chance against so many of them?
Howard knew that once greed took over, it wouldn’t be easy to reason with them.
He had already launched an attack while speaking.
One of the mercenaries, confident in his skills, stepped forward to meet Howard, believing he could easily kill him.
The others rushed towards the wagons, their priority being the treasures rather than Howard’s life.
Seeing his comrades sprinting towards the carts, the mercenary fighting Howard got distracted, cursing them silently for their shamelessness.
He then decided to quickly finish off Howard, not wanting to let the others get away with all the loot.
However, he had underestimated Howard.
In the moment of his distraction, Howard struck, swiftly decapitating him.
Howard then rushed at the fastest speed towards the first person who touched the wagon.
This mercenary was not weak, but his attention was entirely captivated by the imminent riches, leaving him oblivious to Howard’s sudden approach.
He met an easy death under Howard’s sword.
The remaining mercenaries finally realized that to escape with the treasures, they first needed to kill Howard.
Now down to five men, their assault did not relent, and they began to encircle him.
These battle-hardened mercenaries, while seemingly weaker compared to Sedge’s Four Knights, were actually among the stronger fighters in the city.
At least a few of them were as strong as, if not stronger than, Kellman, putting Howard in a difficult position.
“Kid, blocking our way to riches, die!” one of the mercenaries roared.
Howard struggled to fend off the increasingly fierce onslaught.
Faced with the prospect of immense wealth, the mercenaries fought like madmen.
In the past, Howard could have easily dispatched them, but now he was forced into close-quarters combat.
Red-eyed with fury, Howard launched a counterattack amidst the encircling enemies.
Ignoring the blades that struck him in the chest and abdomen, he managed to slay another mercenary, paying a hefty price with two deep wounds.
Despite his injuries, Howard’s combat effectiveness hardly diminished.
It’s said that people fear death less when they’re poor.
Now, with immense riches before them, these mercenaries lacked the resolve they had shown in their fight against the Four Knights the day before, becoming more cautious.
They were so close to substantial wealth that they were unwilling to risk dying there.
Their attacks became tentative, unwilling to sustain injuries, which left them at a disadvantage as the struggle ensued.
At this point, they no longer saw Howard as a real threat.
While their attack appeared coordinated, each harbored their own agenda.
If they could manage to get one of their own slightly injured during the skirmish, it would be an ideal outcome for them.
Thus, facing Howard’s reckless attacks, these greedy yet somewhat cowardly mercenaries were filled with apprehension.
They hadn’t anticipated Howard being so tough to handle.
Now, neither advancing nor retreating seemed viable options.
Glancing over at Chris, they grew even more terrified.
After Kaedwyn’s death, his men stood no chance against Chris.
No matter how numerous, they were useless against her fury.
Chris was on a rampage, leaving a trail of severed limbs and bodies in her wake.
She showed no mercy, fully aware of the dire situation Howard was in, and was determined to quickly eliminate her enemies to assist him.
Among the mercenaries surrounding Howard, one realized they couldn’t take Howard down quickly and stealthily slipped away from the fray.
He jumped onto a wagon and spurred the horse forward.
Seeing this, the others panicked.
“Damn it, the traitor!” they cursed.
“Don’t run!”
They were risking their lives, and his fleeing didn’t sit well with them.
Their tight offensive against Howard immediately fell apart as each fought individually, all rushing towards the wagons.
Howard, seeing one of the wagons getting away, knew he was likely to lose that load of treasure.
While feeling a pang of loss, he quickly moved to protect the remaining wagons.
Seizing the opportunity presented by their scattered focus, he ended another mercenary’s life.
Then, as another mercenary climbed onto a wagon and threw his weapon at Howard, Howard retaliated and killed him.
Now, only two mercenaries remained.
They lost the will to fight Howard; whether they could beat him no longer mattered.
Chris would soon finish her fight, and upon her arrival, their deaths were certain.
Moreover, seeing a comrade successfully escape with a wagon of treasure threw them into an extreme state of imbalance.
They were determined to get their hands on the wealth, no matter what.
Howard was a step too late; the mercenaries had already jumped onto the wagons.
Cursing under his breath, he realized the situation had turned sour. 𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮
After fighting so fiercely and losing half the treasure, he couldn’t accept this outcome.
Had he known Chris would be so reliable, he wouldn’t have allowed Kellman to bring those men along.
Just when Howard thought all was lost, Chris, with incredible speed, dashed past him, swiftly catching up to and eliminating the two remaining mercenaries.
They fell from the wagons, their necks slashed by Chris in a state of terror.
Howard was overjoyed at this unexpected turn of events.
Looking towards where Kaedwyn’s men were, he saw that half of them lay dead, while the others were too frightened to advance, and some had already fled.
Seeing their companions flee, the remaining men lost the will to fight and followed suit.
In the end, Howard managed to save five of the wagons.
“Tina, I’m okay,” Howard reassured, even though the blood seeping from his wounds was alarming.
Tina immediately began to bandage his injuries.
Kellman, filled with regret, lamented, “Howard, my brother, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I should’ve listened to you and let you kill them yesterday.”
“There’s no need for self-blame, Leader Kellman. It was my decision not to kill them,” Howard replied, absolving Kellman of any guilt.
They arranged to hide the treasure in a secluded spot outside the city, planning to sell it off in batches.
Otherwise, such a vast amount of wealth would surely attract attention from various powers within the city.
Currently, neither Howard nor Kellman had the strength to openly possess such immense wealth.
…
Inside Howard’s residence.
With Kellman and Chris off to fence the stolen goods, Tina stayed behind to care for the injured Howard.
“Do you know the identity of that mercenary who escaped earlier?” Howard asked as Tina tended to his wounds.
Thinking carefully, Tina replied, “I know a little, but after what happened, it might not be easy to find him now.”
Howard nodded in agreement.
It was uncertain whether the man had returned to Holy Light City or not.
“What are people in the city saying about Sedge’s death?” Howard inquired.
He knew Tina had been out gathering information and probably knew something.
She was more meticulous in her thinking than Kellman.
Shaking her head with a puzzled tone, Tina said, “It’s strange.
Someone seems to have suppressed the news of Sedge’s death, so there’s no rumor about it in the city.”
“It seems there really is a greater power behind Sedge. Tell Kellman to be careful and not to draw too much attention for now, to avoid being targeted.”
Howard was contemplating leaving Holy Light City due to the dangers outside.
However, before doing so, he wanted to strengthen his own forces.
He was considering forming his own mercenary group.
He looked at Tina, intending to invite her to be the first member of his new group.
Over the past few days, Tina had taken care of him attentively, which had stirred special feelings in Howard’s heart towards her.
Just as he was about to speak, he hesitated, worrying about whether openly poaching from Kellman’s team was appropriate.
He was suddenly torn with indecision.
…
In a dimly lit room, where only the faint flicker of candlelight danced, a young man sat in a chair, absorbing the reports from his subordinate.
“Sedge is dead?”
“And Kaedwyn too?”
He found the news incredulous yet felt a hint of excitement.
“It seems a new, unknown power has entered the city. Go gather a list of everyone who has recently entered the city, especially unfamiliar faces. I want every single one accounted for,” he commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.
…
“How about it? These are all top-quality items,” a sly-looking mercenary said while dealing with a jewelry merchant.
The merchant shook his head, “Feraus, the quality of these items isn’t great. But considering the quantity, I’ll give you five thousand gold coins.”
Feraus, the mercenary, immediately bristled with anger.
“Five thousand?”
He drew his sword and pointed it at the merchant, challenging him, “Just one of these wagons is worth five thousand gold coins. Are you trying to cheat me?”
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