Chapter 50

On the outskirts of Nishiru.

Nearly a hundred soldiers escorted the water transport convoy as it headed towards the Emperor's summer retreat.

In addition to the wagons carrying water, a carriage in which my older brother Henry was riding ran alongside.

I was riding a horse next to it.

My brother was seeing the water transport off for part of the way.

"Hmm."

"What's the matter, brother?"

"Noah, you look good on a horse."

"Really?"

"Yes, you look so impressive that I can't help but admire you. Do you ride often?"

"Somewhat. The Empire is a 'nation of warriors.' Even you must have been trained to ride a horse since childhood, right?"

"Still, some people just don't ride, no matter what. I and Oscar both dislike horses."

"Oscar, too?"

That's right... I thought.

Oscar is the kind of person who could be described as a "gentleman."

It makes sense that he might dislike horses.

We were talking about various things when the soldiers guarding the water suddenly started to stir.

"What's going on?"

My brother, the one responsible for the transport, asked one of his subordinates.

The soldier frowned as he answered.

"Sir, there's dust coming from the south. It's probably..."

My brother and I turned to the south at the same time.

A group was approaching from beyond the horizon, kicking up dust as they came.

They were heading straight for us and quickly surrounded our convoy.

"Bandits?"

My brother's tone changed.

His face tensed, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows were deep.

"I didn't expect this here."

"Leave it to me, brother."

I said that and jumped off my horse.

I approached the leader of the hundreds of bandits who had surrounded the stopped convoy.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Hehe, with such a grand escort, you must be carrying something valuable, right?"

"..."

I turned back.

Indeed, we had increased the number of guards to deliver the water to the Emperor.

So they must have misunderstood.

I made eye contact with my brother Henry, and we both smiled wryly.

"If you hand over the cargo quietly, we might spare your lives. Hmm?"

The man, holding a longsword, tapped it on his shoulder and said with a grin.

I ignored his "advice" and drew Leviathan from my armband.

The blue sword glowed.

The moment I drew it, both enemies and allies focused on it.

"What? Are you going to fight?"

"---Huff!"

I took a step forward and instantly cut down three bandits behind the man.

The three of them fell, their weapons dropping as they tried to understand what had happened.

"..."

I looked around.

The event had been so sudden that neither enemies nor allies could react.

"Hey! You! Get them!"

The bandit leader was the first to come to his senses.

He gave the order, and the bandits all rushed at me.

They forgot about the cargo and attacked me.

As expected, I had drawn their attention. I swung Leviathan and cut down the bandits one by one.

With my All SSS abilities and Prime Time invincibility mode.

One slash per person, I cut them down in quick succession.

It took less than thirty minutes to cut down all three hundred bandits.

After I had defeated them all, I ordered the soldiers to tie their hands and restrain them.

My brother Henry got out of the carriage and came to my side.

"Amazing, Noah. I didn't expect you to defeat them all alone."

"If we had casualties, it would delay delivering the water to the Emperor."

"Indeed. Still, your skills are impressive."

My brother nodded and praised me.

I looked at the man who had been bound and forced to kneel.

The man was bleeding profusely from his shoulder and glared at me.

After a moment of thought, I asked him.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Jerry Eisen of the White Tiger. Remember it."

Jerry answered with confidence.

"Jerry, do you understand what you've done?"

"Hah, I knew the risks of this line of work. It's probably the death penalty, right? I'm not scared of that."

Jerry spoke quickly.

His expression seemed to show that he wasn't afraid of death.

...Hmm.

After a moment of thought, I changed the subject.

"This convoy is carrying a tribute to the Emperor. In other words, it's the Emperor's property. What do you think happens to someone who tries to steal it?"

"So---"

"The maximum penalty is dismemberment."

"What... dismemberment?"

The unfamiliar term clearly confused Jerry.

"Exactly as it sounds. It's a method of execution where the body is cut in half, not the head. If the cut avoids the heart, the person doesn't die immediately. They suffer for about thirty minutes before dying."

Jerry was stunned.

"Thirty minutes of pain as your body is cut in half. Gradually, you lose the ability to move, even to struggle. But the pain remains."

Jerry turned pale, his teeth chattering as he began to tremble.

"How many people have you killed?"

"I... I haven't killed anyone..."

His lips turned white, and he answered in a trembling voice.

"Why not?"

"Back in the day... there was a famine. The magistrate did nothing. Eventually, I had no choice but to turn to this line of work..."

"You didn't do it willingly?"

"Of course not. If I could work a normal job, no one would choose this life..."

Jerry's head gradually lowered as he spoke, his words filled with emotion.

After a moment, I asked him seriously.

"Do you want a chance to start over?"

"---!"

Jerry's face snapped up, and he looked at me in disbelief.

"Start over!?"

I looked around at Jerry and his men.

They all had the same look of surprise and disbelief.

"If you were just a bandit, I could sentence you to military service."

I spoke, recalling the imperial laws as the Minister of Justice.

It wasn't just for bandits; it was a punishment for young people who were on the verge of a death sentence.

"Quite literally, you'll be thrown into the military and sent to the frontier to fight. Depending on your military service, your crimes can be forgiven, and you might even rise to a noble position."

"Such a thing exists!?"

Jerry's eyes lit up, and he latched onto my words.

"I won't go easy on you---but if you earn your stripes, I'll vouch for you. What do you choose, military service or dismemberment?"

When I presented the two options, Jerry and his men didn't hesitate.

They bowed to the ground, their foreheads hitting the dirt.

I then assigned some soldiers to escort Jerry and his bandits to Nishiru.

After seeing them off, my brother, who had been listening silently, said:

"Your way with words is impressive."

"Is that so?"

"Threatening them with dismemberment and then breaking them down was masterful. But was it worth the effort for them?"

"People are treasures, and they deserve hope, brother."

"Even scoundrels like them?"

"Even them."

"Hah, you're as resolute as ever."

☆

After parting ways with my brother, I returned to the Nishiru mansion, arranged additional guards, and handled the aftermath of Jerry's capture.

Jerry and his men were overjoyed.

What I offered them was, in a sense, a chance to turn their lives around.

Of course, they might die as soldiers.

However, the Empire is a "nation of warriors," and military service is the highest form of merit.

If they survived and earned military honors, they could even become nobles.

Presented with this chance, Jerry and his men thanked me repeatedly.

After handling that, the maid Cecily entered the study.

"Master, a man named Lawrence is here to see you."

"Lawrence? Show him in."

"As you wish."

Cecily left, and a moment later, Lawrence entered.

As soon as he entered the room, Lawrence knelt and bowed his head.

I stood up from my chair and pulled Lawrence to his feet by his arm.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Thanks to Your Highness, I'm fine now. I don't know how to thank you for coming to my rescue."

"Don't worry about it. More importantly, what do you plan to do now? Do you want to join my service?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm already serving Pascal."

"..."

I frowned.

The emotion that welled up in that moment spilled out.

"I'm disappointed in you."

"Eh?"

Lawrence looked at me in surprise, clearly confused by my sudden comment.

"You're a capable person. Don't be modest; I've done my research."

"..."

Lawrence bowed his head slightly.

"You're capable of doing a lot for the people. Why are you fixated on trivial matters?"

"That would be betraying Pascal..."

"You don't want to be a traitor. That's selfish. You're prioritizing your own reputation."

"---!"

"You'd be fine if Pascal did something for the people. But he doesn't care about them at all, and you know that, don't you?"

"..."

I sighed.

"Never mind, go wherever you want."

As I turned to leave, Lawrence suddenly prostrated himself.

He knelt on both hands and knees, his head hitting the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"I... I was wrong."

"..."

"You're right, I was thinking about my own reputation without realizing it. No, that's just an excuse."

"Your Highness's words have opened my eyes. You are the true master I should serve. Please, take me into your service, even though I'm just a man!"

He added, "Please!" and hit his forehead on the floor with a thud.

"You'll work for the people, then?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, then I'll forgive you."

"---! Thank you so much!"

The status in the corner of my vision didn't move from SSS, but it would have definitely increased if it hadn't.

Such a man joined my service.