Tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.
At this moment, the bustling main road, the bonfire roasting demon boar, and the tantalizing smell of meat wafting into the air became a beacon in the dark, attracting countless uninvited guests.
Bandits were, of course, inevitable, as three waves of them struck in a single night.
Wild beasts and monsters in the surrounding area were also drawn in, making several attempts to attack.
Some merchant caravans, traveling through the main road overnight, happened to pass by, and upon seeing the refugees gathering around the bonfire, eating and drinking with abandon, and the half-roasted demon boar still skewered on the fire, they stopped in their tracks.
It had to be said that roasting precious monster meat right on the main road was brazen—whether in a good or bad sense, it made Riezel's spot extremely eye-catching.
As a result, within just one night, multiple incidents had occurred, leaving Riezel feeling quite irritated, especially with the merchants passing by. Some even got excited and sent people to negotiate with him, trying to buy the demon boar meat at a low price, and when that didn't work, some resorted to threats or even outright theft—truly shameless.
In all honesty, what made Riezel truly irritated was that he had no reliable hands to help him deal with them.
Forget about the refugees—they were all just ordinary people who clearly couldn't possibly fend off bandits, monsters, or the guards of merchants.
Fanny was just a mascot, while Gerald was barely a Level 3 swordsman.
As for Lizbeth, she was busy practicing Love Breathing and keeping an eye on the demon boar meat roasting, so she couldn't help out all the time.
In the end, Riezel found himself the idlest person, becoming the one who dealt with attacks from bandits, monsters, and troublesome merchants, making him feel utterly helpless.
Naturally, while things were getting annoying and troublesome, with Riezel present, nothing could go wrong.
As a result, the next morning, with the heartfelt thanks of the refugees who had been helped, Riezel's group smoothly set off again, driving their carriage.
On the way, they helped two more waves of refugees, defeated two more waves of bandits, and by around noon, they finally reached the nearest city, Karudia.
Karudia was a northern city located on the outskirts of Mavros Territory, often referred to as Iron City.
Backed by mines with several rich mineral veins, Karudia produced all kinds of metallic ores, attracting merchants seeking business opportunities, blacksmiths making a living by forging equipment, and alchemist magicians skilled in crafting magic items, resulting in a well-rounded commercial economy.
Additionally, since Mavros Territory bordered the battlefield between Jinas and Reiburg, Karudia, which could produce equipment and magic items, held a high position in the territory—it could even be considered a backup stronghold for the frontlines.
Every year, the Mavros family would buy large quantities of equipment from Karudia, and the kingdom would also often place orders for a lot of equipment, either for the frontlines or to be sent to the royal capital as military supplies.
Many famous swordsmen also came to Karudia to purchase weapons or armor, making the city more and more prosperous.
For this reason, Karudia became the wealthiest city in the surrounding territories, so wealthy that it seemed out of place in the otherwise poverty-stricken Mavros Territory.
When Riezel's group arrived at this so-called prosperous city, the sight that greeted them was shocking.
"S-So many refugees?"
Fanny stuttered as she peered out the window of the carriage.
Around the walls of Karudia, a large group of refugees had gathered.
Some sat on the ground, shivering in the cold, while others had set up rickety tents, living there as if it were their home—the area around the walls almost looked like a rundown junkyard.
Some refugees had even gathered at the city gate, begging the guards for something, only to be shoved back.
"Go away! No refugees are allowed near the city gate!"
"No one is allowed near the city gate!"
"Move!"
A large number of guards at the gates formed several lines, pushing back or even knocking over any refugees who dared to approach the city gate or the road leading into the city.
Amid this chaos, a merchant caravan strutted confidently into the city, while the refugees surrounding the walls watched with envy, longing, or numbness, but none dared to approach and beg for help.
Seeing a scene like this, it was hard to believe that this was Karudia, the city rumored to be prosperous and wealthy.
"...Are these refugees not allowed to enter the city?" Riezel asked calmly while watching the scene.
"Well, isn't that normal?" Gerald chuckled bitterly. "I mean, with so many refugees, if they all rushed into the city at once, even a wealthy city like Karudia would have problems."
Riezel didn't agree with Gerald's words, so he didn't respond and instead glanced around.
Glancing at the surrounding area, he didn't spot any relief facilities, nor did he see anyone tending to the gathered refugees.
In other words, Karudia hadn't helped the refugees at all, leaving them outside the city without care.
Here, the refugees couldn't get any assistance, so if they hadn't set up tents, they had no choice but to sleep in the open, and if they were hungry, they had to figure it out on their own.
Nevertheless, they still chose to gather here, clearly because there were guards and patrolling knights, so at least they didn't have to worry about being attacked by bandits or monsters from the wilderness.
"Lizbeth."
Riezel didn't comment on the situation but instead spoke to Lizbeth, who was in the driver's seat.
"Is there any leftover monster meat?"
Upon hearing this, Lizbeth immediately answered.
"Yes, quite a bit."
A demon boar weighing over ten thousand pounds obviously couldn't be consumed in one night.
Lizbeth and Gerald had already processed the remaining demon boar meat, cutting it into chunks, and now it was piled up on the carriage's rear cargo rack.
Riezel had also cast 'Preserve' on the demon boar meat—a magic that could maintain the freshness of food or ingredients at the moment it was cast, preventing them from spoiling over time.
Thanks to that, the demon boar meat still maintained its fresh, just-cooked state, each piece still steaming hot.
"Okay, you can distribute the meat." Riezel nodded calmly.
"Understood."
Lizbeth was already used to this order, so she immediately began carrying it out.
At the same time, Gerald, as always, got out of the carriage right away to help Lizbeth hand out food to the refugees.
"I... I'll help too!"
Surprisingly, Fanny seemed unable to sit still, and for the first time, she gathered her courage and stepped out of the carriage to assist Lizbeth and Gerald in handing out food.
Riezel, on the other hand, closed his eyes to rest for a moment before stepping out of the carriage.
By this time, the world outside the carriage had completely changed.
It was now bustling to the extreme, a stark contrast to the heavy, deathly atmosphere from earlier.
"Please, take your time!"
"Here you go, don't fight, everyone will get some!"
"I... I have some too!"
As Lizbeth, Gerald, and Fanny were distributing the demon boar meat along the main road, the refugees, like sharks scenting blood, rushed over, each one pushing and scrambling.
Needless to say, such a commotion naturally caught the attention of the guards.
===
In fact, Walter had already noticed the arrival of Riezel's luxurious carriage.
As the captain of the guards responsible for guarding Karudia's city gate in this area, Walter didn't stand at the gate maintaining order like the other guards but stood off to the side with his arms crossed, keeping an eye on his surroundings.
Stationed at the city gate, Walter and the other guards were not only tasked with guarding it and occasionally fighting nearby monsters, but they also had the responsibility of stepping in to restore order if the refugees gathered here fought over food or other reasons.
Especially when nobles or merchant caravans were about to enter or leave the city, if any clueless refugees attempted to beg and block the road, obstructing traffic and causing congestion, it was their duty to punish those refugees and make them back off.
Thanks to that, the refugees usually didn't dare block the path of noble or merchant caravans to beg.
It went without saying that without the deterrence of the guards, the famished refugees might have done anything they could. Not only would they have blocked the road to beg, but they could also have turned into bandits and attacked any passing carriages in an instant.
In order to prevent such situations, whenever it was his turn to guard the city gate, Walter would quietly observe the surroundings like this.
Because of this, when Riezel's luxurious carriage appeared from the main road leading into the city, he immediately spotted it.
However, as soon as he spotted the carriage, he felt a bit surprised.
Why?
Simple.
Behind the carriage was a large group of people and horses tied together with ropes and reins, lined up in a row, dragged behind the carriage.
Walter instantly recognized who they were.
'Bandits?'
He could tell at a glance who they were just from their appearance and attire.
'Did they defeat the bandits who attacked them and want to sell them as slaves?'
Truthfully, this wasn't anything unusual.
Walter often encountered similar situations when guarding the city gate, where bandits would attack travelers. If the travelers had the ability to defeat them, they would usually take the bandits as spoils and sell them at the slave market in the city, so he was already used to it.
However, upon seeing the carriage more clearly, Walter couldn't help but be surprised again for a few seconds.
'No guards, no accompanying knights... It shouldn't be a merchant caravan or a noble, yet they've captured so many bandits with just one carriage?'
Yes, Walter was truly surprised this time, for two reasons.
First, the number of bandits being dragged by the carriage was immense, far surpassing anything he had ever seen.
Second, despite having only one carriage, the driver was surprisingly a stunningly beautiful girl who even left him momentarily stunned.
"Looks like the owner of that carriage is no ordinary..."
Walter muttered to himself, his expression becoming serious.
He had a feeling that a distinguished guest was about to arrive, so he needed to be cautious to avoid offending them.
Just as Walter was thinking this, something even more surprising happened.
Suddenly, the carriage, with numerous bandits and horses behind it, stopped and began distributing food to the nearby refugees.
Such a scene not only surprised Walter but also caused a slight stir among the other guards around.
"Are they seriously giving out food to those refugees?"
"Man, that's surprising."
"Yeah, first time I've seen someone actually help those refugees."
"Are they really that rich? I mean, there's a ton of refugees here. Can they really afford to feed them all?"
"Doesn't look like they're just handing out cheap bread, but fresh-cooked meat."
"What kinda meat is that?"
"Probably pork?"
"Tch tch, that's real generous, giving out meat to that many refugees. Bet the owner of that carriage is a big shot."
"Is it someone from a major noble family?"
In the end, the guards began discussing among themselves.
Walter didn't join in but started speculating about the identity of the carriage's owner.
As Walter pondered who the carriage's owner was, the next second, everyone saw a young man step out of the carriage.
'Sure enough, a noble.'
As soon as Walter and the other guards saw the young man, this was the first thought that crossed their minds.
He was dressed in casual clothes but wore some not-ordinary-looking accessories—a green jewel pendant, an exquisite ring, a black-and-red glove, and an amulet partially visible at his waist—anyone who saw them knew they were surely worth a lot.
He still looked a little young, and strangely, from head to toe, there was nothing remarkable about him. He didn't have a strong presence or aura, yet for some reason, there was a mysterious aura about him, making people feel like they shouldn't underestimate him.
In their eyes, these characteristics clearly pointed to him being the son of some major noble.
"Captain, should we stop them?"
As one of the guards asked Walter, some of the others looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Aren't you afraid of offending him?" Walter asked seriously.
"Uh... but isn't it kinda bad if we don't stop them?"
Another guard chimed in with a hesitant expression.
"I mean, all the refugees around are gathering over there, completely blocking the road. If a rush starts, it might turn into a full-blown riot. If we just stand by and do nothing, it's gonna be real trouble."
Upon hearing this, Walter began to hesitate.
Just then, from within the city gate, a carriage surrounded by many knights drove out of Karudia.
"What's going on?"
A displeased voice came from the carriage.
"It's so noisy, and why's the road blocked? How are we supposed to get through?"
When Walter heard the voice, he knew things were about to get bad.
It couldn't be helped.
Because the one arriving was none other than the most notorious and troublesome figure in Karudia.