Downstairs, Murkoc and Thorris were seen waiting anxiously at the lobby on the first floor of the castle.
Councillor Murkoc, a thin, middle-aged man, pale as Reyn. His principal role was to assist Reyn in dealing with the various administrations of the Black Water Territory, the equivalent of a manager hired by the Lord.
Trainee Knight Maurice is a big man with a gloomy face, with chain armour on his body, a long sword around his waist, and an extremely large body. The most striking was the bronze brooch with three long swords and three stars on his chest, which represented the knighthood.
According to Reyn's memory, the bronze badge represents a trainee knight who has practised specials combat art. They didn´t fully understand the knight division, but he knows that when starting, there are three initial stages that one has to train before the breakthrough, and even then afterwards there are more conditions to be considered before becoming a full-fledged knight, otherwise they are called just Professional.
Thus that didn´t attain the full requirement to advance to Profesional. Furthermore, there is a higher Knigth rank like the Professional Knight and Master Knight.
As the strongest in the Black Water Territory, Thorris's main work is to be responsible for the territory's security, the equivalent of a police station director.
When they saw Reyn appear, they hurried to salute.
"Sir..."
"Please sit down!" Reyn waved his hand and motioned the two to sit down.
"Mr Thorris, Mr Murkoc, What is of such urgency?" As soon as the Reyn end talking.
"Sir, we may be in danger!" Thorris take the lead saying”
"Danger!?" - Reyn
"Come on, don't waste our time, just say it" - Reyn scowled
"I suspect that the bandits have been spying on us these days. This morning, when I was on patrol at the outskirts of the Black Florestout we found some fresh horseshoe prints" - Seeing Reyn's displeasure, Thorris said with some embarrassment.
"How can you be so sure it was the horseshoe print left by the bandits?"
"You know it's could be our team patrolling the territory on horses" - Reyn thought for a moment.
"Certainly not our, just I especially looked through it, I even look at the archives of the Black Water we have found similar traces and it matches with the early winter of previous years similar occurrences." - Thorris shook his head and said firmly.
"And everything point that they may be the Red Claw Bandits"
"Red Claw Bandits!" Reyn's face was immediately gloomy. They are a gang of bandits lurking around the border forest, they have dozens of people who are known to be notorious, cunning and ferocious around the borders area, they mostly know for picking weakly defended areas along the border.
In particular, their leader "Claw", but also know to have a Professional strength rank, in addition, their been story that lately they were able to lay their hand on more sophisticated weaponry.
"Sir, this group for a long time have been ransacked the Black Water territory" Till now Murkoc who had not opened his mouth, suddenly start talking
"Since Thorris found their traces, we must start preparing because at any time they possible may invade our territory." - Murkoc
Reyn face grimaced and glanced at the Thorris.
"Thorris, with our current armed forces of our territory, can we resist the attack of the Red Claws Bandits?” - Reyn
"No!" - Despite being proud of his strength as peak Traine Knights, Thorris had to acknowledge the matter of the situation.
"Our forces at moment only ten junior Trainee Knights and militiamen who have been put together temporarily but still we are far away from equally them in forces, whether it's weaponry or the quality and combat experience of our personnel."
Hearing this, Reyn said expressionlessly.
"So we can only sit quietly and wait for them?"
"I Thorris is prepared to fight to the end for the Lord." Thorris immediately kneel down and bowed his head in front of Reyn, at the same time felting shame for not being strong enough.
Reyn felt Thorris resolution in this matter and did not blame him at all, after all, he could just run away the moment he concluded that he might die the moment e confront the Red Claw Bandits. Reyn only shook his head, here honour and Loyalty are worth more than life.
"Sigh"
With a deep sigh, Reyn turned his attention to Murkoc.
"Really? we have no opportunity to fight back or hold them down?" ”
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Murkoc reflected for a moment.
"We can turn to NortSett City for help, and ask to send a platoon of soldiers as reinforce, or spend some of the money to hire some mercenaries to help us fend off the bandits"
"Good idea, but it's very tricky to realise." Thorris shook his head and rejected Murkoc's proposal.
"The NorthSeet guarded by the Earl of Grandrich, but it is also a military fortress dedicated to guarding the borders. Particularly recently that are signals of movement from the forces of the Kingdom of Cisea. A little territory like Black Water that is filled with some outlaws will not gain much attention from the Count" - Thorris
"Especially the cunning Red Claw Badints, at the sign of danger they would immediately back down, and even if the NorthSeet sent some reinforce the number is not expected to be too large, or else this kind of situation would not be a reoccurring one."- Thorris
"Crucially even if we are to recruit mercenaries, we would soon run out of money and food to feed them through the winter." - Thorris
"And once we recruit the Mercenary probably the Red Claw Bandits would wait till the Mercenary run us dry of our resource just to kill to vent their frustration, and such event had happened in the past." - Thorris
As soon as these comments came out, Mr Murkoc was quite hushed.
After listening to Thorris analysis, Reyn founded it quite reasonable.
In the end, The Black Water territory was so pitiable that all but Thorris was the only one with a complete decent armour, and the remaining ten Junior Trainee knights didn't even have decent protection.
If Black Water were a tad financially better, hiring some powerful mercenary corps for a long time would be possible. But the key problem was that he have nothing right now, no strength no money, can only be passive in front of bandits.
Thinking of it, Reyn's face became more and more bloodless, and his mood dropped to the extreme.
Feeling the depression of the Reyn, Murkoc thought for a moment and said with a weak voice.
"Sir, What if we leave Black Water Territory temporarily and apply for refuge in Blackstone Castle, although this would require the consent of the Baron of Blackstone Castle..."
Before Murkoc could end his thought, Thorris stopped him from finishing talking.
"No, definitely not, we just last time by Baron of Blackstone were captured and humiliated and this time to apply for asylum in Blackstone Castle, this is a great shame, will be laughed at by all, Where is the dignity of our Black Water"
"How many gold coins is dignity worth?" sneered Mr Murkoc.
"Where is the Dead still thinking about that ridiculous dignity of yours!"
"Murkoc, of course for a coward who is afraid of death, it is a disgrace to work with you!..."
"Shut up, I had enough of this!" Reyn yelled and in a flash, the two men who were quarrelling quieted down.
"You two can go out now, I want to be quiet."
Taking a few deep breaths, trying to maintain his mood, he waved.
"Yes, Sir!" Having said that, Thorris gave Murkoc a hard look and then stamped away.
Looking at the burly back of Thorris's departure, Murkoc said, "Sir..."
"What now!" ReynShaun raised his eyebrows and said, somewhat upset.
"Perhaps everyone has heard recently that the bandits are about to attack, and last night, more than a dozen serfs in Black Water fled to Blackstone Castle, and last week, there were more than fifty who fled too" Murkoc sighed.
"What?" Hearing this, Reyn's mood seems to hit a new low
"The Baron Philo Edbarth wouldn´t probably let them come back?"
Murkoc nodded, hesitating and said
"The Lord of Blackstone Castle said that people are willing to run come to his territory and as long they are willing to come back, he will not block, but he also will not allow us to use force to do so"
"Damn Philo, one of this day...!" Reyn gritted his teeth.
After Murkoc left, Dohnal gently walked up to Reyn, "Sir, it's lunchtime."
Reyn shook his head, "No appetite right now!"
Having said that, he went upstairs alone and locked himself in his room, his mood was extremely depressed.
'Give up and run? Where can I go? How do I survive? That will only make me die faster.'
He couldn´t just leave his territory, because that would be frowned up and be considered as neglecting his Lord duties and the punishment for that would be dead for most cases. And about take asylum in Blackstone Castle his like stabbing in the Count Grandrich in his back and becoming a new cannon fodder under the Marquis of Edbarth, and if he survived it wouldn´t be long till Count Grandrich decide to clear him up.
His situation couldn´t be worse. Originally thought to be born again and as a little lord, but with some financial problem but dead was avoidable, but who thought, now the situation is so alarming.
Most of all, according to Murkoc, this group of bandits seem to have some hatred for nobles, so unless he gave up his head, compromise with them was out of the table.
"What do I do, what am I supposed to do?... Why is so hard to want to live?" - Thinking of it, Reyn's mind was filled with despair.
Suddenly, at this moment, he felt a burning sensation coming from his arm.
"Ouchh..., What was that!"
Reyn moved his arm and hurriedly look at the mark, and sure enough, the black mark start moving at an alarming speed. His left arm swelled almost doubling its size.
After a while, the pain goes away and his arm started to swelled down. But the strange thing was the mark. Now it was about 20 cm long, extending from the middle of his arm to the wrist, and the colour seems to have changed too, now it was a mix of green, grey and light red, looked like an artwork.
Puzzle by this he moves his right hand to touch his arm. The moment his right hand contact the mark, a violent shock along his left arm, like an electric shock wave rushed into Reyn brain. In his head suddenly a "boom" sound happened, he wanted to open his mouth and shout for help but nothing came out. The mark on his left arm glowed green, and something splashed upward like a long green snake.