Mount & Blade: Pendor Becomes a Dominator Starting with the Creation of a Self-Established Knigh

Chapter 92 The Lord Who Loses the Hearts of the People

As dawn broke, the sound of synchronized footsteps mingled with Virgil's short, forceful commands in the open space in the center of the Rogue Encampment.

Rogge stood to the side with his arms crossed, his gaze calmly sweeping over the training team members.

No one slacked off. Even the two team members who were on duty until the early hours of the morning were still swinging their weapons with great enthusiasm.

Some members receive significant boosts through attribute point allocation.

If others don't quickly return to their allegiance, the gap between them and the leaders will only widen.

Now, all they need to do is maintain their high-intensity training every day, supplemented with ample meat supplies. Before long, the potential for improvement brought by these points will be fully realized and transformed into the team members' real combat power!

Rogge was in no hurry to take the initiative.

The most urgent task is to solidify the foundation of the team.

Only when the team members' strength is fully consolidated will he be able to fight against the pirate squadron when he leads the team into the wilderness.

The camp is located far from the fortress of Ganders and in a remote location.

Few people come here on ordinary days, so Rogge doesn't need to worry about the training noise reaching the fortress.

Several conscript squads from different villages were stationed around the camp, and they often watched the Rogge team's training from a distance.

Now, the reputation of the Broken Amber Village mercenary squad has spread like wildfire throughout the lower city of Ganders Fortress.

The last time, when Roger led his men to the main fortress to collect the bounty, carrying the pirates' ears and captured equipment in sacks, it was witnessed by many.

Those pirate-style armor and weapons cannot be faked.

In addition, some team members, while drinking in the tavern, vividly boasted about their battles with the pirates, and the news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys.

At first, many people scoffed, saying that how could a bunch of peasants possibly defeat well-equipped pirates?

After all, even the three hundred conscripted militiamen and a small number of regular troops led by Lord Sigurd were defeated by the pirates and fled back to the fortress in disarray, losing nearly a hundred men.

But when people saw Rogge's men in their pirate-style armor and weapons, all doubts vanished.

These equipment aren't things you can just get your hands on; it's impossible that the pirates took pity on them and gave them away for free.

In a tavern in the lower town, a carpenter who had just returned from outside the city said with great enthusiasm, "Let me tell you, I saw the people from Broken Amber Village with my own eyes at the gate of the main castle yesterday!"

They carried a whole sack of pirate ears to collect the bounty!

Those sacks were bulging; there must have been at least seventy or eighty of them!

"Really? Seventy or eighty? That's quite a large pirate force!" A burly man with a full beard asked incredulously.

"Of course it's true!"

"While they were waiting for the bounty, I even chatted with one of their team members for a bit!"

He said they ambushed a pirate camp overnight, killing thirty or forty pirates and rescuing thirty or forty villagers!

"But then Terry's lackey, Wall, denied it, saying the source of their pirate ears was unknown—and refused to pay them the bounty!"

"Terry was never a good person to begin with!" a drunkard next to him spat. "Withholding bounties, lining his own pockets, what bad things hasn't he done?"

"Only a blind lord would appoint him as the castle steward!"

"The Broken Amber Village mercenary squad is truly impressive!" A tavern waiter exclaimed with admiration. "They only had a few dozen ordinary villagers, yet they dared to go toe-to-toe with the pirates!"

"Much better than those garrison soldiers who draw salaries but do nothing!"

Faced with the lord's refusal to come out, the commoners from various villages vented their resentment and placed all their expectations and praise on the Broken Amber Village mercenary team.

The mercenary squad from Duanpo Village has become heroes in the hearts of the surrounding civilians.

A terrifying message had already spread silently throughout the area surrounding the fortress of Ganders.

Some villagers who fled from the shore of Donghu Lake in the east said that the pirates had gathered an army of four or five hundred men and were looting along the lake shore!

Wherever they went, villages were burned to ashes, men were killed, and women were abducted—a truly horrific sight!

At the gates of the city, more and more refugees, with their families in tow, poured in.

The people in the city were filled with fear and unease.

Lord Harald, however, remained holed up in the city, refusing to come out!

This caused an uproar among the public.

"How could the lord do this! He collected our taxes, so he should protect us!" A villager holding a child stood outside the city gate, crying his heart out.

"We handed over so much grain and supported so many soldiers, but when the pirates came, they just hid in the city like cowards!" a young man from the countryside roared angrily.

"What kind of lord is he! He's a complete coward!"

They're not even as good as the mercenary squad from Broken Amber Village! At least they dare to fight pirates to the death!

"Harald is a complete waste! He has failed in his duty as a lord; he is utterly unfit to be our lord!"

Curses rose and fell, and Lord Harald's prestige plummeted to rock bottom at that moment.

Inside the camp outside the city, Rogge was completely unaware of this.

He was watching his team complete their last set of chopping drills, preparing to dismiss them.

Just then, the lookout rushed over, his face grave: "Leader! Something's happened!"

A troop of cavalry is approaching in the distance!

Wearing green robes and armor, they look like the lord's private army!

Rogge's eyes narrowed, and he stood up to look in the direction his teammate was pointing.

On the distant dirt road, a group of green-armored knights were slowly approaching.

Excluding the two leaders, there were exactly ten fully armed Fieldsway rogue knights!

Roger's brow furrowed slightly.

How did the lord's private army suddenly find its way here?

The first thing that came to his mind was Rolf's matter.

Yesterday, Rolf rescued Anya from the sheriff's mansion, but accidentally injured the old butler. It's unknown whether he's dead or alive, but the sheriff certainly won't let it go.

"What's meant to happen will happen," Roger murmured to himself, his tone calm.

He turned to look at Aunt Slin and said in a deep voice, "Aunt Slin, take Anya to hide behind the barn. Don't come out without my orders."

"it is good."

Without asking any further questions, Aunt Silin reached out and grabbed Anya, who was pale-faced and clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, and quickly walked towards the barn.

Rogge winked at Virgil, who was standing not far away: "Have everyone put on their armor, grab their weapons, and hide in the barn immediately."

Follow my signals!

"Understood." Virgil nodded and immediately organized his team to take action.

A moment later, the once noisy campsite fell silent.

Rogge, Gode, and Aino stood at the camp entrance, quietly waiting for the arrival of the knights.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and soon they arrived at the camp entrance.

The leader was Sigurd, who looked down at Rogge with curiosity and scrutiny in his eyes.

The young man in front of me looked to be no more than twenty years old. He was wearing a set of chainmail in the style of a sea pirate. He was tall and straight like a pine tree, and his eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water.

Facing his ten knights, he showed no panic or fear whatsoever, and didn't even move his hand holding the sword.

Sigurd was all too familiar with the chainmail he was wearing.

Not long ago, he led three hundred conscripted militiamen and a small number of regular soldiers in an encounter battle with a large pirate force.

Those pirates wore armor like this and carried weapons like this!

Surprisingly, these pirate equipment ended up on the bodies of a group of villagers who were acting as mercenaries.

Sigurd's eyes held a newfound seriousness.

He originally thought that the rumors about the Broken Amber Village team were just exaggerated gossip.

Now it seems that this may not be the case.

Before Sigurd could speak, Ramsey jumped out impatiently.

Without even dismounting, his massive body bent the horse's back slightly. He pointed his whip at Rogge's nose and shrieked, "By order of the lord! We have come to apprehend the murderer!"

"How dare your men murder the lord's squire in Seri, Ganders!"

Roger was slightly taken aback by what he was said, then suddenly looked up.

"Hand over the murderer immediately!"

And that murderer Rolf, who broke into my house yesterday and killed my old butler, hand him over as well!

Otherwise, I'll raze this wretched camp to the ground!

His voice was sharp and shrill, making him sound exceptionally arrogant.

Rogge remained calm and spoke slowly, his voice low but clear: "My lord, you must provide evidence before you speak."

"evidence?"

Ramsey scoffed, his face full of disdain.

"Yesterday, your men had a fierce confrontation with the deceased, Wall, at the main castle gate. Two guards witnessed it!"

Isn't this evidence?

"Wall and another servant died last night in an alley in the lower town!"

Rogge said unhurriedly, "The fortress gates are closed every night and will not be opened until the next morning."

My camp is outside the city, and all team members rested in the camp last night. Everyone can testify to this.

"No one can enter the city, kill someone, and then return unnoticed when the city gates are closed, right?"

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, we have no motive to kill!"

Aino has already received a bounty of one thousand denarii from Director Terry!

We don't need to kill two lords' servants for a few hundred dinars of pirate bounty.

Killing the lord's men will do us no good; it will only invite a siege from the city guards. We're not that stupid.

These words were spoken clearly and logically, with well-founded evidence.

Sigurd and the rogue knights behind him nodded subconsciously.

They were all hard-earned veterans who valued logic and evidence above all else.

Ramsey's expression changed slightly; he seemed a little embarrassed.

"And what about Rolf? He trespassed into my mansion, injured my old butler, and caused the old butler to die from his injuries. Isn't that a fact?"

He's a murderer on the run!

You who harbor fugitives are accomplices!