Chapter 467

Chapter 467 – Burning the Village

In the Black Rock Duchy.

Jenna rode a horse down the road at a rapid pace. After a day’s journey, she felt a bit tired, but fortunately, there was a village not far ahead. She had been here a few years ago and remembered that there were fields surrounded by low stone walls near the village.

The hooves of the horse trampled on the weed-covered road, stirring up clumps of dirt and grass debris. The air was a little cold as night approached.

As Jenna neared her destination, she saw flames in the distance, and the chaotic shouts gradually grew clearer. Her heart tightened, and she picked up her whip, urging her horse forward to speed up.

The village she remembered was currently being burned. Flames rose from the damp straw, carrying thick smoke that slowly dried everything around. Inside the village, chaos reigned.

A group of soldiers clad in chainmail and full-body iron armor were forcing villagers out of their houses with swords and guns. They plundered coins and various possessions from the houses.

A bearded soldier kicked an old woman lying on the ground.

“Tell me, where else have you hidden things?” he asked impatiently.

“Haha, this girl is quite pretty. She’ll come with me tonight,” said another lecherous soldier, binding a struggling woman with ropes while groping her.

“Tch, still trying to resist.” A spear was pulled out from a middle-aged man’s body, spraying blood everywhere. The dead body then fell beside the house, its face frozen in shock and resentment under the firelight.

These fully-armed soldiers forcibly dragged villagers out of their homes, beating or stabbing those who resisted. Curses, wails, and whips echoed amidst the burning village.

They were driven to one side and made to kneel on the ground, watched over by other soldiers. The rest of the soldiers moved items from inside the houses and cellars to an open space elsewhere and loaded them onto wagons.

Some elders were killed directly by these men using weapons, while young men and women were bound under the threat of cold steel. The cries of children and women, along with the weeping of the crowd, sounded particularly mournful against the backdrop of the fire.

Jenna, seeing this scene before her eyes, could hardly bear it. Although many of these villagers were only acquaintances, they seemed honest and simple in her memory. Why were they being treated like this?

She rode her horse into the village, dismounted, gripped her scabbard tightly, and walked heavily towards them.

“What are you doing here!”

“What do you mean?”

Several soldiers turned to look at this suddenly arrived girl. Seeing that she wore a leather jacket with a long knife hanging from her belt, they guessed she came from a good family and had some martial skills.

A squad leader carrying a spear walked over and said to the unfamiliar girl, “It’s best if you stay out of this. These people all support the ‘Hunt Bow Faction,’ and many of our brothers died fighting them.”

“But what you’re doing is too cruel,” the young lady said, her chest tight with anger, her hand gradually tightening into a fist.

“Cruel? Hilarious. Where did you come from, naive young lady?” The squad leader whistled and sneered.

“This is how war goes. If they won, they’d treat us the same way. Don’t think the ‘Hunt Bow Faction’ are good people. You’ve probably been tricked by them before, haven’t you? During famines, they sold a bag of rice for a gold coin. What a rip-off.”

He figured that this girl riding a horse should be from a mercenary family, possibly an ally within the ‘Halberd Faction.’ After all, few girls in the area trained with swords and horses, preferring instead to learn weaving or other crafts under their elders’ guidance.

“Exactly, little girl. Go back and suck your mother’s milk. Stop running around with a knife. Hahaha.”

Some nearby soldiers joined in the jeering.

“Maybe find a man to marry, have kids early. Then you won’t think about such nonsense.” These soldiers didn’t see themselves as doing anything evil; it was just part of their job. They were mercenaries who traveled far and wide, unfamiliar with these compatriots in the Black Rock Duchy, and had no qualms about killing them.

Besides, wasn’t war like this? Who would risk their lives for nothing but meager rewards?

Now that they had won, they naturally wanted to squeeze every last drop of oil from their enemies—property, women, livestock, and fields. Without these, why would they follow the mercenary captains into battle?

“You!” Jenna shouted angrily, drawing her sword. The heavy and narrow blade reflected a chilling light in the firelight.

“Oh, oh, the young lady is getting angry. Hahaha.”

“If you attack us, you’ll be considered a traitor. Not only you, but your entire family will be punished.”

“I advise you to think carefully.”

“Hah, probably read too many knight novels and lost your mind. Hahaha.”

These soldiers weren’t afraid at all. The leaders among them were ranked Sequence 2, able to sense the girl’s approximate strength. Though commendable, it was insignificant compared to their numerical advantage.

If not for caution, they would have dealt with this meddlesome girl long ago. In times of war and chaos, the disappearance of one or two people was commonplace.

After the war broke out, some order in the Black Rock Duchy began to collapse, and the pent-up conflicts and hatreds erupted in savage ways.

The taunts of the soldiers stung the girl, who still held onto her sense of justice. She charged forward, ready to stop this tragedy with her own means.

Sss—

A faint spark flashed as the sharp longsword sliced through the opponent’s weapon, cutting through the sturdy iron armor and leaving a long gash on the body.

In this brief assault, the girl slashed three soldiers to the ground, where they curled up in pain.

“Not bad, little girl. I want that sword of yours.”

A man in heavy armor approached from behind. The soldiers respectfully made way for him. This man appeared to be the leader of the group, with Sequence 4 power.

“Lengke is here. Now she’s in trouble.”

“Tsk tsk, this girl looks like she has a decent figure?”

Despite having three men cut down, the group calmed down after the leader arrived. This leader was a rare talent among the surrounding troops, easily handling this Sequence 2 girl.

Standing over two meters tall in his heavy full-body armor, his mountain-like form stood against the firelight, massive and oppressive. His shadow slowly enveloped the slender girl in front of him.

(End of Chapter)