As Gideon ordered, Noelle and Silva agreed to go with him. Nozel’s carriage was still parked in front of the village gate, and Gideon could use it now by right of his new title.
"Luke, Lyra. Stay here and keep watch. Make sure the village and Princess Alanar remain safe," Gideon said.
"Of course, Captain. Leave it to us," Luke replied.
There was nothing more to be done in Nemora. Gideon left with Noelle and Silva. The Baron’s badge was pinned on the shirt he wore, proof that Nozel’s authority had passed to him.
The carriage rolled westward. Rockvalley was a much larger and wealthier village compared to Nemora and the other two.
Nozel had lived there all this time, so it was no wonder he had cared more about Rockvalley than the rest.
But Gideon had no plans to follow that path. He had four villages to oversee: Nemora, Rockvalley, Algus, and Dergon. Algus and Dergon lay in the west, while Nemora was the only one in the east.
For now, Gideon’s goal was to reach Rockvalley and see the situation there.
"Have you ever been to Rockvalley?" Gideon asked.
"Yes, a few times to buy goods."
"And what do you think of it?"
"It’s a good village. Organized and complete. Compared to Nemora, of course Rockvalley is far superior."
Noelle explained what she had seen and heard about Rockvalley. The ride there took about half an hour by carriage. Neither she nor Silva hesitated to answer any of Gideon’s questions.
From their accounts, Gideon learned some of the problems facing the other villages. Algus was overwhelmed by wild beasts. Dergon was starving. Rockvalley lacked clean water.
Hmm... those could be solved with modern methods. But my territory has widened. I don’t know where to start.
Best to arrive in Rockvalley first. Maybe someone at Nozel’s manor can help me.
Gideon nodded as he listened, falling silent as he thought through possible solutions. For now, his focus was Rockvalley, to hear directly from its people what they needed.
After turning at a crossroads, Gideon looked ahead through the carriage window. Rockvalley stretched before him, much busier and livelier than Nemora.
Passing through the gate, Gideon was surprised by the hostile welcome. Some villagers hurled vegetables and rotten eggs at his carriage, startling Noelle and Silva.
"Pay them no mind, sir. It’s only a passing outburst," the driver said through the front window.
"Does this happen often?" Gideon asked.
"Nozel usually used the north gate, never the south. He avoided this sort of thing," the driver replied.
Noelle and Silva clutched each other’s hands, worried for their lives. Gideon glanced at them and saw their fear.
What had Nozel done to make his own people so angry?
Still, Gideon had to admit the village’s buildings were better laid out and more colorful than Nemora, though the people still clung to the habit of tossing their trash in the open.
"Nozel’s manor is just ahead, sir," the driver said.
Gideon looked and saw a two-story house with modest front and back yards, still impressive for its size. Armed soldiers guarded the entrance.
The gate opened. Maids walked out and lined the paving stone path, one row on each side, as though to welcome Nozel home.
I’m not used to this noble culture.
The coachman stepped down, opened the carriage door, and invited Gideon out. What shocked him most was seeing one maid kneel at the last step.
Since the carriage was high, she usually did this so her master could step down easily.
What the hell is that?
Gideon halted and ordered her to stand. He couldn’t step over her. She was a person, not a tool or a doormat.
"Stand up. What are you doing?" Gideon asked.
All the maids, who had been bowing their heads, froze in shock at his tone. They looked up toward the carriage door and saw not Nozel but another man.
A handsome man, pale-skinned, sharp-featured, black-haired, tall, muscular, and commanding. That was what the maids saw in Gideon.
"W-Who... are you?" one maid asked.
"Viscount Duncan stripped Baron Nozel of his title and named him as the new Baron. His name is Gideon," the driver explained.
"That’s right. I’m your Baron now. Nozel is dead. You obey my orders from this moment on," Gideon said firmly.
"Y-Yes, Lord Gideon," the maids answered together.
The manor doors slammed open, and a burly man in a red shirt came into the courtyard. Gideon’s eyes locked on him.
"Lord Nozel... have you alrea—"
His words froze as his eyes widened. It wasn’t Nozel but Gideon. His glare sharpened, his fists clenched. He already knew what had happened to Nozel, seeing the Baron’s badge on Gideon.
"That badge... you killed Nozel?" the man asked.
"N-No, Viscount Duncan appointed him in Nozel’s place," the driver explained.
The burly man struck the coachman across the face, calling him a traitor who had failed to protect Nozel. Gideon was stunned by his violence. He had no other choice.
He drew his SIG M17, released the safety, and aimed one-handed at the man’s head. Seeing this, the man laughed loudly, mocking the black metal as nothing more than a joke.
"All of you! Shut your eyes!" Gideon ordered.
The maids obeyed, except for Noelle and Silva, who already knew what was coming.
Gideon pulled the trigger. The round tore into the man’s face and buried itself in his brain. One maid peeked, only to be horrified at the sight of Nozel’s close friend collapsing lifelessly in an instant.
Her cry made the other maids turn. They saw the man sprawled on the ground, blood pouring from the hole in his face. Their expressions went pale with panic. None of them knew how to react.
The loud gunshot drew a crowd into the front yard: cooks, soldiers, even Nozel’s family. Gideon was startled. Nozel had a family living here.
A wife and two daughters.
The woman came out and froze, seeing her husband’s friend dead in the courtyard, drenched in blood.
"What happened?" she asked.
She looked forward and saw Gideon standing in the manor yard, the Baron’s badge pinned to his chest. She understood what it meant.
"WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?!" she screamed.
"What’s your name?" Gideon asked.
"Maids, help me. Bury him properly in the town cemetery," Gideon ordered.
"Soldiers. You have one day to make your choice: remain loyal to Nozel and share his fate, or swear obedience to me," Gideon declared.
"And you, Viviene. I need to speak with you."