*Rumble—*
As a cloud of dust rolled closer, the chaotic sound of hoofbeats echoed through Carne Village, filling the villagers hiding in their homes with a surge of tension.
Some brave souls peeked out through their windows, catching a glimpse of a group of horsemen entering the village.
However, this group looked nothing like disciplined or trained warriors.
They wore no standard armor, nor did they carry uniform weapons, but each was outfitted with mismatched equipment—some wore full armor, while others wore only a chain shirt, giving them a ragtag appearance.
Moreover, their weapons varied as well.
Some wielded identical swords, while others carried bows, spears, spiked maces, or other backup weapons.
Some even bore no weapons at all, their hands empty save for iron gauntlets and gloves, proving that they possessed formidable strength.
At first glance, this group didn't appear to be trained warriors but more like a band of roving mercenaries. Yet, their horses were clearly warhorses typically used by soldiers, each one strong and magnificent, marking them as more than wandering mercenaries.
With the sight finally clear, one could see that their number was about twenty to thirty—a rather elite group of warriors.
"Wh-Who are you people?"
Mustered up the courage to step forward, the village chief stood before the horsemen and demanded an answer.
Upon hearing the question, the horsemen looked at the village chief, then at the bloodstained surroundings, and without saying a word, turned their gazes to one man in their group.
With a solemn expression, the man rode forward, emerging from the group to confront the village chief.
He was a particularly striking figure.
Broad-shouldered and clad in chest armor, with a heavy longsword at his side, he looked every bit the seasoned warrior.
He seemed to be over thirty, and his skin was a bit tanned from what looked like frequent exposure to the sun. His short black hair was neatly trimmed, and both his eyes and face held a hard, steely look that would make a coward hesitate to meet his gaze.
Needless to say, this man was clearly the leader of the horsemen.
"I'm Gazef Stronoff, the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
At this introduction, not only the village chief but even a few of the burly men accompanying him showed expressions of surprise.
However, despite their surprise, the first person they looked to wasn't Gazef, but rather Riezel, who stood quietly nearby.
"Hmm?"
Gazef noticed the reactions of the village chief and the other villagers, raising his eyebrows in slight confusion, but he continued speaking.
"By the order of His Majesty, I'm here to lead my men in patrolling the villages around E-Rantel to fend off the knights of the Baharuth Empire causing trouble nearby."
"You all are the residents of this village, right?"
"Where is the village chief?"
Gazef's question made the village chief respond a little nervously.
"I-I am the village chief of Carne Village, Lord Warrior Captain."
Following this, the village chief and the burly men accompanying him bowed to Gazef.
Judging from their attitudes, they weren't just showing respect because of Gazef's status; they recognized the worthiness of the man in front of them.
It was no surprise.
Gazef Stronoff was, after all, a well-known figure, both in the Re-Estize Kingdom and the neighboring countries.
Although he was not a noble but a born commoner, he won the kingdom's tournament and gained the king's favor, becoming his retainer and personal bodyguard, as well as attaining the position of 'Warrior Captain', commanding an elite band of warriors known as the 'Warrior Troop.'
Not only did people call him the 'Strongest Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom', believing he had touched the Realm of Heroes, but the king also trusted him deeply, allowing him to wield four great treasures of the kingdom.
Moreover, his reputation as the strongest warrior spread not only throughout the Re-Estize Kingdom but also to the Baharuth Empire and the Slane Theocracy beyond.
When fully armed, he might not be the strongest human in existence, but within the Re-Estize Kingdom, he was undeniably the strongest and a role model to all warriors, with widespread popularity even among commoners.
For this reason, even in a remote place like Carne Village on the kingdom's borders, the name of Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff had spread.
Knowing that the man before him was indeed the kingdom's strongest warrior, admired by countless people, the village chief couldn't help but show respect.
Nevertheless, Gazef did not act high and mighty upon seeing the village chief and the other villagers bow to him, but instead immediately dismounted from his horse.
*Thud!*
Seeing their captain dismounted, the other warriors followed suit, dismounting in unison and causing a low rumbling sound to fill the air.
"May I ask you a few questions, Chief?"
Gazef asked the village chief with a solemn expression.
"On our way here, many villages were ravaged by the imperial knights, nearly wiped out."
He glanced around and then turned his gaze back to the village chief.
"From the looks of things, it seems a fierce battle happened here as well. I'm truly relieved to see you're unharmed, but could you tell me what exactly happened here?"
He genuinely felt joy seeing that Carne Village had survived.
Throughout his journey, countless villages had been mercilessly slaughtered, leaving him heartbroken, sorrowful, and filled with fury toward those responsible for such atrocities.
Before arriving here, he had already braced himself, expecting Carne Village to have met the same fate, but to his surprise, it had survived—undoubtedly an unexpected stroke of fortune amid so much misfortune.
However, seeing bloodstains scattered all around the village, it was evident that a fierce battle had taken place.
What exactly had happened here?
Gazef clearly couldn't ignore it.
He had come on the king's orders to investigate the knights of the Baharuth Empire's rampages. If this proved true, he would undoubtedly eliminate them, restoring peace to the villages around E-Rantel.
Although this mission had its share of puzzling details that warranted extra thought, understanding what happened here was the first step.
Unfortunately, since the previous villages had been nearly wiped out and the few survivors had been sent to E-Rantel, he had little useful information.
However, now that Carne Village had survived, he felt he had finally found a breakthrough in this investigation.
"What happened here..."
Saying this, the village chief hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Gazef the whole story, one detail at a time.
"You mean... the people from the Slane Theocracy disguised themselves as the imperial knights?"
After listening to the village chief's account, a sharp glint appeared in Gazef's eyes, and the warriors standing behind him all showed anger on their faces.
"Wait, so the Slane Theocracy is behind this?"
"And of course, those noble bastards are in on it too, working with the theocracy..."
"I had a feeling something was off with those imperial knights causing trouble near E-Rantel. Why didn't the kingdom just send the soldiers stationed in E-Rantel to deal with it? Instead, they had us and Warrior Captain travel all this way without the kingdom's treasures just to check it out."
"Probably because those dirty nobles pushed for it, using excuses that wouldn't even fool a kid."
One by one, the warriors expressed their indignation.
It was clear they all sensed there was more to this situation, and most of them believed that some of the kingdom's nobles, who always held them in contempt, were involved.
For someone like Gazef, the kingdom's strongest warrior who had the king's trust, it was inevitable that certain nobles would have their eyes on him. Even so, none of them had expected those nobles would actually collude with an enemy country to harm him.
Such a fact was just too much to stomach.
"Alright, that's enough."
Gazef spoke calmly, silencing his subordinates.
"There are others around, so watch what you say."
Upon hearing this, the warriors fell silent, though the frustration remained clear on their faces.
Only then did Gazef shift his gaze from the village chief to the young man standing nearby, who had been observing him quietly.
Oddly enough, this young man had such a faint presence that he was easy to overlook. It was only by looking directly at him that Gazef finally noticed something unusual.
Lacking any sense of presence was one thing, but there wasn't even a trace of aura coming from this young man, as if he were transparent. If it were not for the fact that this young man had been standing right there, one might not have even realized he was present.
Moreover, this young man's attire was different from that of a typical villager—it wasn't luxurious, but it was clearly clean and neat.
Even more bizarre, this young man had a sword at his waist and a striking green jewel pendant around his neck, which should have drawn attention immediately, yet somehow, he blended in, as if he were invisible—truly eerie.
"So, you're the one the village chief mentioned, the one who saved this village and exposed those criminals for what they are?"
Saying this, Gazef stared intently at Riezel for a while before bowing to thank him.
"Thank you for stepping in to help."
With this bow and thanks, Gazef spoke not only for himself but also for the villagers of Carne Village. Knowing Riezel had protected the people he was meant to protect, this fact alone was more than deserving of this gesture of gratitude.
"No need..." Riezel replied calmly, shaking his head as he looked at the strong man in front of him. "I didn't step in for your sake."
"Even so, I still need to thank you." Gazef shook his head before his expression turned serious. "Also, I'd like to have a word with you if you don't mind?"
"Sure." Riezel replied with a sudden smile. "I'm pretty curious about you too, Sir Warrior Captain."
"Then, if you would." Gazef relaxed his expression and turned to the village chief. "Could we ask you to prepare a place where we can talk?"
"O-Of course!"
With a nervous expression, the village chief nodded quickly.
"Right this way, please."
And with that, they all made their way into the village, leaving the bloodstained village entrance behind.