One hour later, the caravan had cleared the site. A few apprentices moved the bandit corpses aside and counted the lost goods. After discarding what was unusable, the caravan prepared to depart again.
Suddenly, the bushes by the roadside rustled, sending a wave of panic through the group. The fear that the bandits had returned was palpable.
As the mercenaries stood on high alert, it wasn't another bandit attack—but a weary and distraught Genn stumbling back towards them.
Seeing his disheartened state, Mike Bai furrowed his brow but didn't ask any questions. He simply clapped a hand on Genn's shoulder. The caravan leader sighed, shaking his head, and gave the order for the caravan to move on.
Despite no casualties, the previous bandit attack had cast a heavy gloom over the group, and Genn's visible sorrow seemed to have deepened the somber mood.
The whole afternoon passed in silent progress, the caravan making its way towards their next stop—Beiji Village. But what they found upon arrival was less a village and more a ruin.
Dozens of hovels were nothing more than piles of crumbled walls and charred remains, the fields razed to the ground. Anything of value had been looted, and the only evidence left behind was a swarm of flies covering the decaying corpses that littered the area.
The caravan scattered, searching for something useful, but the place had already been ransacked clean. Even the well, a crucial water source for the village, had been blocked by bodies and was now unusable.
"The damn war! These bastard counts' men!" the caravan leader cursed bitterly upon seeing the devastation.
Noticing the choice of words, Genn, still in disbelief, asked, "Counts' men? Wasn't this the work of rebels or bandits?"
"Of course not," the caravan leader snapped, still seething with anger. His round, chubby face was flushed, and veins were visibly pulsing on his neck. "This is all the result of a territorial dispute. The local baron thought the Count of Toulouse was unfair in his dealings, so he outright refused to fulfill his feudal duties. The Count of Toulouse immediately summoned his vassals to quell the rebellion. But when the Count's army arrived, they were worse than bandits."
"Bandits at least take a protection fee and stop there. The Count's men? They looted everything of value—anything they thought was worth a coin. They drove the villagers out, leaving them homeless."
The caravan leader gritted his teeth, clearly struggling to accept what had happened. After a brief silence, he continued, his voice tinged with regret. "When I came here two months ago, this was a modest village, just like any other—nothing rich, but enough to live on. The beer they brewed was particularly good. Now…" He let out a long sigh. "Now, it's all destroyed."
"How could… this happen?" Genn murmured, struggling to comprehend it. "And there were no knights to oppose this?"
"Knights?" The caravan leader sneered, his contempt palpable. "If they even deserve to be called knights. They only care about their own lands, and when they cross into enemy territory, they're the first to charge, the first to loot, and the first to burn."
Genn felt as if his entire belief system was crumbling. He had grown up hearing tales of knights in the tavern, listening to wandering minstrels sing of their glory—knights in shining armor who would always stand up for the people in times of need. He could recite the Eight Virtues of Knighthood by heart.
But to his dismay, the knights of the real world were nothing like the ones in the stories. His resolve shattered, and he stood frozen, lost in thought.
Seeing the young man, who had once aspired to become a knight, in such a state, the caravan leader said no more. He simply directed the group to set up camp on the empty land beside the village.
As night descended, Mike Bai, Anna, and Genn sat around the campfire. The smell of the carrot stew with dried meat wafted through the air, but even the appetizing aroma couldn't rouse Genn from his gloom. After Mike Bai finished his portion, he noticed Genn hadn't even touched his food.
Anna looked at Genn with concern and then silently turned her gaze toward Mike Bai.
Seeing the despondent look on Genn's face, Mike Bai sighed in resignation. He walked over, clapped Genn firmly on the shoulder, and spoke in a tone that was both firm and gentle.
"Come on! What's with the long face? This isn't the Genn I know—the one who was so determined to become a knight."
Genn slowly came to his senses, looking up to see Mike Bai standing before him. He forced a bitter smile.
"It's nothing, Mike Bai," he muttered, staring at the campfire. The images of the destroyed village and the bandits he had encountered replayed in his mind. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet but filled with conviction. "I just don't want to be a knight anymore."
Mike Bai looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. He shook his head, his eyes filled with understanding. "You're really something. Just because you saw a bunch of knights slaughtering villagers, you're ready to give it all up?"
Genn didn't respond right away. He stared into the fire, lost in his thoughts, before speaking again. "A true knight should uphold the Eight Virtues, fight for God, for their lord, and for their people, right?" His voice grew softer, tinged with frustration. "But what do those knights really stand for?"
Mike Bai smiled warmly, his eyes glinting with wisdom. "There you go. You've already figured it out. You don't even believe they deserve to be called knights. So why are you still mourning?"
At that moment, Mike Bai stood up, drawing the short sword at his side and holding it before him as if it were a longsword.
"Being a knight isn't about a title. It's about humility, honesty, mercy, courage, justice, sacrifice, honor, and spirit. Only when a person possesses all these qualities can they truly be called a knight."
The flickering flames of the campfire illuminated Mike Bai's face, casting a glow in his eyes that seemed to carry a sense of clarity and truth.
"Right now, there are plenty of nobles—from kings to knights—who like to call themselves knights, but their actions? They hardly deserve the name."
Mike Bai paused, his gaze locking onto Genn's eyes, his voice steady and resolute. "So, Genn… are you going to join them? Become one of them?"
"Of course not!" Genn's eyes burned with newfound determination, the firelight reflecting the strength returning to his spirit. Memories of his father's words, of the ideals he had once cherished, flooded back to him. "I want to be a knight—a true knight! One who can protect his people and provide them with a prosperous life!"
"Clap clap clap!"
Anna, who had been watching Genn closely, clapped enthusiastically, delighted to see him regain his resolve.
"That's the Genn I know!" Mike Bai grinned widely, but a mischievous glint suddenly appeared in his eyes. "By the way, you don't seem too hungry. Your share of food…?"
"Forget it!" Genn grinned, shaking his head with a laugh.