The villagers stared in disbelief.
The elder among the villagers fell to his knees. "My Lord..."
"No. I am not your lord," Roland said, shaking his head.
"But I am a man. And I hope someday, others remember this road not as a place of banditry, but as the place where mercy was returned for desperation."
The people looked at one another, unsure of what had just happened.
Nil brought the sack. Roland handed it to the children. Nora peeked from the side of the caravan and whispered, "Papa is so cool."
Roland gave a soft, almost unnoticeable smile.
"Let’s move," he ordered at last. "We still have a city to reach."
And as the caravan rolled again, the villagers stayed behind, some waving, others still too shocked to speak. But their hungry eyes now shimmered with something new.
A hope ignited among darkness.
In the world kind people still exists
Roland took the villagers and brought them ration from nearby bigger cities.
With their help he didn’t encounter such a situation but he encountered a few more bandits who were real ones.
However,Roland didn’t want to waste time.With a wave of his sword,they were sent down.He didn’t kill them but he crippled.
But how can he let them go,he raided their hideous and distributed the loot among the needy.
After weeks of relentless travel, the rhythmic thundering of hooves finally slowed.
Roland and his company arrived at their destination—a massive stronghold city in the Duchy of Vale, sitting at the side of the Central Region.
The capital of Jin was a few hundred kilometers away, but Roland had no intention of heading there.
His eyes locked on the towering walls ahead, easily over twenty meters high. Built from rare blue stone and engraved with glowing magical runes, the sight gave an immediate feeling of insignificance.
Compared to them, the city walls Roland had painstakingly constructed of just eight meters tall felt like fragile toys in the face of such grandeur.
He stared in silence, feeling a mix of awe and quiet frustration.
"So this is what real defense looks like..." Roland muttered under his breath. "We’re far behind."
Sighing, he signaled his guards forward. They were more than ten strong, flanking his children, who rode smaller horses in the middle.
As they approached the city gate, they were met with the sight of thousands queuing peasants, traders, refugees—all looking tired, hungry, and scared. It was clear that the chaos outside of bandits, rogue lords, and whispers of evil gods had driven many to this safe haven.
Roland’s face remained stoic. He knew they were lucky. As a noble, he didn’t need to wait in line like the rest. He presented his family crest to the guards stationed near a separate noble passage.
They moved swiftly, passing through a shimmering magic detection array that glowed briefly before fading away. The guards gave a respectful nod. "Confirmed. You may enter."
Once inside, the atmosphere changed instantly. Paved roads lined with stone houses spread out in all directions. The buildings were tall, symmetrical, and clean. Roland and his men slowed, taking in the strange new environment.
For a moment, none of them moved, their eyes flicking about like naive younglings.
Roland then found boys guiding people and hired one.
A voice cut through the stillness.
"My lord, would you like me to show you the way?"
They turned to see a young boy in rough clothing, perhaps no older than twelve. He smiled brightly, eyes full of cunning charm.
"I grew up in Vale and I know this city like the back of my hand. For just ten copper coins, I can take you anywhere you want to go. Every shortcut, every quiet alley."
Roland looked him up and down and gave a small smile. "Fine. Show us to a good inn. I have children and guards, so it should be decent—not extravagant, but clean and safe."
He gestured, and one of his men handed the boy the coins. The boy pocketed them with a practiced flick and gestured for them to follow. "This way, my lord!"
At the bustling heart of Duchy Vale, within the dense but orderly rows of city buildings, Roland followed the boy guide through the clean, wide avenues.
Despite being weary from days of travel, his back remained straight, posture calm, radiating both nobility and authority. The guards silently followed, their armor clinking rhythmically with each step.
His children, though initially distracted by the sights and colors of the new city.
The inn they arrived at was modest but refined—stone columns, a sturdy wooden sign, and a quiet courtyard. After washing the dust of the road from their faces, they sat for a hearty lunch of roast meat, soft bread, and seasoned stew.
Before departing, Roland had made sure everything was in place. He had given each child a soft pat on the head—his touch gentle, but firm.
"I’ll be back before sunset," he said, crouching to their eye level.
"Father, don’t forget my cake!" his youngest daughter, Nora, beamed up at him, swinging her legs excitedly on the plush couch of the lounge.
"And I want that curved sword we saw in the marketplace," Hilda, added quickly. "It looked sharp!"
Roland gave a quiet chuckle and ruffled both of their heads. "Cake and a blade? One sweet and one deadly... fine, if you behave and don’t cause any trouble for guards.
Argon, ever stone-faced, gave a slight nod in acknowledgment as the children giggled.
Stepping outside again, Roland adjusted his cloak. The city air was cooler than the plains—cleaner too, infused with a faint scent of burning incense and distant flowers. The blue-stone walls of Duchy Vale shimmered faintly behind him, casting long shadows across the streets as the sun crept westward.
Later, Roland leaned against the inn counter and spoke to the clerk. "Is there a place where I can hire teachers? Private tutors for children—literacy, swordsmanship, etiquette."
The clerk nodded. "The Artisan District, second plaza. There’s a guild office that handles such contracts."
Roland gave a grunt of thanks and turned to Argon, his most trusted guard. "Follow me."
Roland took Argon alongside and moved out.
However in the midst of the journey,he changed his route and decided to give Adventure Guild a visit.