Chapter 21.1 – They Handled the Situation Flawlessly

And so, the centaur bandit gang was annihilated.

Some survived, but every last one—dead and living alike—was lashed to the roof of Nine Lives and hauled off to the lord’s manor.

The dairy farmers who’d suffered damages were summoned to identify the culprits.

“Hee-hee-hee… Would these scoundrels be the right ones?”

“Th-that’s him… that’s the ringleader!”

“Yeah, no mistake! That elite-looking one was their leader!”

The farmers all pointed straight at Sajitta.

Sajitta’s body was in tatters, all four legs crippled, yet he still managed to look proud and imposing.

He glared spitefully at the farmers accusing him—

and, more than anyone, at Gaikaku.

“L-Lord Gaikaku… Your skill is astonishing. To subdue them without casualties—I never would have imagined it.”

“Hee-hee-hee! Oh, there were ‘casualties,’ no doubt. Because I handed out weapons and put everyone on alert, your daily routines must have suffered, yes?”

“No… That’s just hindsight talking. If you hadn’t tightened our defenses first, both I and the people would’ve worried ourselves sick. Had you skipped that step, even a flawless victory might be dismissed as ‘pure luck’—or worse, ‘gambling with our lives.’ We can’t have that.”

Viscount Rukbat spoke for his people, and those nearby nodded in silent agreement.

Gaikaku hadn’t shared every detail of his plan, but he’d nailed the defensive fundamentals.

Because he truly did everything possible, there was little backlash.

“I’m glad you feel that way. Tistria-sama went to great trouble letting me borrow these… yet in the end, I never used them!”

“If they went unused, all the better. If need be, I’ll pay for what you borrowed myself.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful, but then I’d be double-dipping. Just report to Tistria-sama that she ‘provided the finest support.’ That’s all I could ask.”

“Of course.”

If not for the constant air of shadiness, the whole affair would have been perfect.

Why he insisted on projecting that vibe was anyone’s guess.

“Now then, Sajitta, was it? What happened to the property you stole?”

“We ate it or sold it.”

“I see—so nothing remains.”

“Obviously. Once we take something, it’s ours to do with as we please.”

At those words the farmers’ guts boiled.

“No, it wasn’t! That was our stuff!”

“On what grounds does it become yours?”

“You thieving scum—you’ve got some nerve!”

“Hmph. Big talk from cowards who didn’t even try to take it back.”

Sajitta had already resigned himself.

Knowing he was doomed, he mocked everyone around him.

“If you truly believed it was yours, why didn’t you face us yourselves? Relying on total strangers like these… pathetic doesn’t begin to cover it.”

The farmers instinctively recoiled.

Deep down, they’d felt the same.

If only we had strength…

“Pathetic? Absolutely not.”

Viscount Rukbat cut in.

“They hand over a portion of their not-so-large income to me and the crown, and in return we vow to protect them. They’re not beggars living on charity; they’re upstanding folk with honorable work.”

With a self-deprecating chuckle, he finished,

“If anyone’s pathetic here, it’s me. I had to call in the Knight Order, and help arrived late. For that, I am sorry… but my people bear no blame.”

It was politics in front of the masses—

yet not a lie; his words moved the crowd.

“Hmph, so you do understand. Depending on others has its limits. Fail to defend your own lives and property, and you lose them—that’s reality!”

Sajitta kept barking.

A beaten horse baying at the moon.

The farmers burned with frustration.

These brigands would soon be executed, but if they died with smug grins, it would be unbearable.

Regret your crimes, scream and weep as you die—that’s what you deserve.

“M-my lord! I-I’m furious! There’s a crossbow, right? Let me kill him!”

The speaker was a young victim, trembling with rage.