The company of fifty men galloped across the grassy plains on their horses.
Every man in the company was athletically built. One of them was particularly eye-catching.
There was no better word to describe him than "fit." His muscles were prominent even though he was wearing a breastplate.
He was around thirty years old, and his face was tanned from long days of sun and covered in wrinkles. His black hair was neat and trimmed, and his dark eyes had a sharp look about them.
The man riding by his side said:
"Warrior-Captain, we're almost at the first village on our patrol route."
"Ah, yes, Vice-Captain."
Gazef Stronoff, the renowned Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, did not see any villages.
He calmed his racing heart and maintained his mount's speed. Although he had kept the horse's pace at one which should not be overly fatiguing, they had hustled all the way here from the Royal Capital, and fatigue was beginning to accumulate within Gazef's body. It must have been at least as bad for his horse, which was why he tried not to overburden it.
"I hope they're all right," the Vice-Captain said. There was a current of unease running beneath those words, and Gazef felt the same way.
The King had ordered Gazef and his men, "Imperial knights have been spotted at the border. If these reports are true, eliminate them immediately."
The city of E-Rantel was closer, and under normal circumstances, it would be faster to send troops from there. However, the Imperial knights were powerful and well-equipped, and there was an insurmountable gap between them and average conscripts. The only people in the Kingdom which could match up to the Imperial knights were Gazef and his troops. However, handing the entire task to Gazef and his men alone was the height of foolishness.
Before Gazef reached their objective, other troops could have been mobilized, in order to protect the villages. Though they could not win, they could at least hold them off. There were many other methods they could have employed. However, they had not used any of them — no, they could not.
Gazef, who knew the reason why, was filled with agitation. He tightly gripped the reins and tried not to tug on them. Even so, it was difficult to suppress the thoughts burning in his heart.
"Warrior-Captain, just having us do the searching is pointless. Couldn't we bring everyone from the warrior band and have them help us? We could also hire adventurers from E-Rantel to help us out. Why are you doing this?"
"...Enough, Vice-Captain. Things might go poorly if someone heard that Imperial knights were running loose in the Kingdom's territory."
"Warrior-Captain, there's nobody here. You don't have to stand on ceremony, but I hope you can tell me the truth," the Vice-Captain said with a smile. Then, he continued, "Was it those nobles?"
Gazef did not reply to those disdainful words, because that was exactly the case.
"Those damned nobles, treating human lives like pieces in their power struggles! And on top of that, since this is the King's domain, they can use any problems here to take shots at the King."
"...Not all nobles think that way."
"And maybe you're right, Warrior-Captain, and there are some nobles who think of the people. For example, the Golden Princess. But apart from her, there's practically no one else… if only the Kingdom was ruled by a dictator, couldn't we ignore those damn nobles and work for the good of the people?"
"If you interfere too strongly, it might lead to a civil war that would tear the Kingdom apart. Given that we're facing the threat of the Empire's expanding ambitions, a war like that would be a disaster for the common folk."
"I know that, but…"
"Just leave this matter aside for…"
Gazef's voice cut off halfway, as his eyes looked intently forward.
Thick, black smoke rose up from behind the small hill ahead of them, and it was not just one or two plumes.
Everyone present knew what that meant.
Gazef could not help but click his tongue, and he squeezed his legs around his horse's flanks.
The scene which the rapidly galloping Gazef and company saw did not deviate from their expectations. Before them spread an expanse of blackened ground, the scorched remains of a village. The corpses of several of the burned houses remained standing, like tombstones.
Gazef gave an order in with a voice of steel, "Everyone, we're moving. Quickly now!"