Chapter 92

Lambert, having been given a ride in the merchant Ganzas' wagon, arrived at the central city of Clane in the Viscount Lagar territory. He immediately headed to the slums based on the information from Ganzas.

If the suppression by the lord's soldiers was indeed taking place, Lambert, who had once been at the pinnacle of the former kingdom's army, could not overlook it. If necessary, he intended to confront the lord immediately, and depending on the response, he was prepared to take drastic action.

Narrow alleys lined with houses reinforced with patched boards stretched out. Leaning against a dirty wall, a gaunt old man sat on the ground.

"Old man, I want to ask you about Viscount Lagar and his private army."

When Lambert asked, the old man's eyes widened as he looked at Lambert.

"O-oh, I know nothing! So, please, please have mercy!"

The old man's voice trembled as he spoke and he stood up, stumbling away from Lambert, clearly fearing retribution from Viscount Lagar if he spoke out.

(Their fear runs deep. There's no need to force it out of them.)

Lambert gave up and began searching for the next lead. However, the reactions of the people he found were not much different from the old man's. As Lambert placed his hand on his helmet, pondering what to do, a door of one of the houses opened slightly, and a little girl peeked out, watching Lambert. She looked to be no more than ten years old, with messy red hair and clothes made of patched fabric.

When Lambert turned to face her, a smile lit up the child's face, which had been watching him fearfully.

"Sir Knight! Sir Knight! Did you come to take care of the bad people?"

Lambert approached the girl. She opened the door and came out in front of him.

Since arriving in the slums of the central city of Clane, this child had given the best reaction. Lambert felt a glimmer of hope that he might learn something.

"Yes, that's right. I am one of the Four Demon Generals of the Regius Kingdom, Lambert Dracow."

"Four Demon Generals...? I don't really understand, but that's amazing! You're so cool!"

"Indeed."

Lambert nodded deeply.

"Sir Lambert, did you come to take care of Piero?"

"Piero...? What is that?"

"My father said that ever since Piero came to the lord's mansion, things here have been strange... So, Sir Knight..."

Before the girl could finish, Lambert had already turned his arm behind him. A wooden stick was being swung down at his shoulder from behind. Lambert broke the stick with his raised arm and then struck the attacker's cheek with a thrust, embedding it in the wall, creating a crack. The attacker let out a short scream and collapsed. Lambert then raised his gauntlet, which was clearly capable of crushing a human head with ease, as evidenced by the neatly perforated wall.

"Papa...?"

The girl called out to the attacker. Lambert looked at the man who had attacked him. He was a man with messy red hair and a scruffy beard. He looked somewhat older due to the dark circles under his eyes and his grayish skin, but he appeared to be in his early thirties.

The attacker collapsed on the spot, utterly despairing. He glared at the ground, his voice small and filled with helpless anger.

"Althe... I told you not to open the door, didn't I..."

It seemed the girl's name was Althe, and the attacker was her father.

"Try to explain yourself. Depending on your answer, I might spare you."

Lambert deliberately released a miasma and asked the man. For a normal person, this pressure was unbearable. Few could lie in the face of Lambert's oppressive aura.

The man quickly folded his body and bowed to Lambert.

"I, I don't care what happens to me! But please, please, spare my daughter... She is my only reason to live since my wife died!"

"..."

Lambert looked down at the man and slowly lowered his raised arm.

"To beg for your daughter's life in the face of death, that's quite a spirit. Take good care of her."

The man, not knowing what had happened, cautiously raised his head and looked at Lambert.

(But, their fear is truly excessive.)

Both the old man and Althe's father had reacted far too strongly. It seemed the entire slum was suffering from deep psychological wounds.

Then, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed. Lambert immediately recognized it as the sound of armor. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw three armored knights in uniform, and at their head, a magician with a deep hood and a white mask adorned with symbols.

"Look, there's a child."

"Despite all the hunting, some still remain."

"They're like toads. They multiply quickly."

The armored knights laughed. Their uniform armor bore the same emblem.

(These must be Viscount Lagar's private army. But who is the magician at the head? His tasteless cloak and mask don't seem to belong to a noble's private army.)

"It's not right. For the reconstruction of the troubled territory, young children living in designated areas within the territory are to receive the minimum education under our supervision and be dispatched as labor to nearby areas. They are all cooperating for the sake of the territory, swallowing their tears."

The masked magician spoke, dramatically extending his arms and shaking his head.

(Indeed, this is the true nature of the lord's soldiers' abductions. Despite the noble-sounding words, it seems the lord, in a bind, is imposing a slave tax on the slums.)

Lambert focused his mind on the greatsword on his back. He was prepared to draw his weapon depending on the actions of his opponents.