Leon calmly walked through the open area of the fields situated on the outskirts of the village.
Contrary to how it appeared from the village's edge, the so-called nearby hill wasn't actually all that close. Yet, given how Leon could see the outline of the soldier's camp hidden behind it, it wasn't all that far either.
And no matter how much Leon would like to deny it, the flatlands between the village and the hill were insanely beautiful.
The fields were full of half-grown wheat and vegetables. The plants, even though the harvest time was still way off, were already bending under the weight of the grains growing at their tops. The rows of vegetables planted on the other fields were well-kept, a sign of how diligent the local farmers were about their job.
'Fuck it,' Leon thought, his thoughts contrasting with the beauty of the nature that surrounded him. 'Worst case scenario, I will have to use the blood rampage,' he thought after considering his options.
The bloodmancer harbored an obvious hope that the presence of the soldiers near the village wouldn't lead to a conflict. Yet, not knowing the situation, he had no other choice but to consider what he would do if his hopes would prove to be futile.
"I can't go about it the way I did back at that damned castle," he muttered to himself, recalling the details of the events that transpired relatively recently. "This time, I would have to go all out right from the start."
Back when he first appeared in this world, Leon used the means he was most familiar with. Back then, he had no time to figure out the best tactics, forcing him to go with whatever he deemed to be the necessary measure at the time. Contrary to that, during his fight at the village, he managed to do things in an efficient manner. But now...
'Well, at least I know what I'm signing up for,' Leon then thought, only for his vigilance to shoot through the roof when he noticed a small commotion at the camp in the distance.
It started in a pretty innocent way. Some people moved around the outskirts of the camp, clearly in response to spotting Leon's own presence. Then, a small cloud of dust hid the camp from Leon's eyes, signaling that either a huge host of people or a small group of mounted soldiers rushed out to meet him.
'And now, the fun begins,' Leon thought, allowing his dark nature to take over.
He liked the peace. It was something that he enjoyed every second of, given how scarce it was in his previous life. Ultimately, though, peace was nothing more but a freak event in a world dominated by humans, a species that thrived in bloody conflict.
'And from the looks of things,' Leon thought when he could finally confirm that it wasn't a huge group of footmen but a smaller host of horsemen approaching him at a relatilyle leisure rate, 'this world isn't that much different.'
"Halt!" an officer shouted once the group reached a short distance away from Leon. If any of the soldiers the group consisted of were to throw a stone with all their might, it would likely fall just a few steps short of Leon's legs. "Stay where you are, peasant!"
Leon obediently stopped, resting the weight of his body on his right leg while pushing his left foot a little bit forward.
If the need were to arise, this seemingly uncomfortable position would allow him to break into a dash right away.
"I'm no peasant," Leon then said, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion. "And I'm pretty sure you already knew that," he added a second later, his voice dripping with casual confidence.
The group of soldiers stopped their advance, the unnerving words spoken by the man in front of them echoing in their heads.
"What did you say?" the officer asked, his voice trembling slightly. He then gulped down his saliva and took a step forward. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" he spat out, clearly trying to intimidate Leon with the strength of his voice.
"Someone who doesn't have time for this bullshit," Leon replied calmly, taking a step back and crossing his arms over his chest in a carefree manner. "So how about we drop this little game of yours and get straight to business."
The officer's eyes widened when he heard Leon's words but quickly regained their composure. "What business could you possibly have with us?" he asked in an attempt to buy some time while trying to understand what was going on.
"Oh, I don't know," Leon shrugged before taking a couple of steps forward himself until he closed half the distance between him and the soldiers facing him down. "Maybe that fucking barbarian that you keep by your side could give you some clues?" he suggested, leisurely pointing his hand at the man sitting on a horse by the side of the group, whose clothes made it pretty easy to discern him from the rest of the group.
The soldiers of the host were all uniformly dressed and armed, each bearing a short lance in their right and carrying a cavalry sword by their side. Contrary to them, the one man that attracted Leon's attention wore stuff that couldn't be called as anything other than rags while carrying no weapon whatsoever.
But it wasn't the clothes of the man that made Leon take notice of him. It was his face.
A face that he already saw in this world, back when he allowed some of the raiders to escape from the village rather than putting them to a sword.
"Bactrian, that's all right," someone else spoke out in a soft yet decisive voice. Following that, one of the horsemen pushed forth... Only to jump down from his horse and close the remaining distance on foot.
"And who might you be?" Leon asked, leaning his head to the side while putting a small, cheeky smile on his lips.
Yet, while he did his best to appear relaxed, the bloodmancer couldn't help but tense up.
The man that approached him was dressed and armed in exactly the same way as others in his group. But his aura... The way he moved, even the way he breathed... They all set him worlds apart from the common soldiers he left behind.
"I'm Leynel," the man then spoke before nodding his head in a cultured manner. He then raised his head and showed a relaxed smile.
"And I'm somewhat of a leader of this banner."