"I see you remember my face."
"Ah, no, um, that is...!"
With Roderick growling in front of him, the village chief opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. His mind went completely blank, and he couldn't think of anything. The other villagers were similarly frozen in fear. Some lost their strength and collapsed to the ground, while others trembled all over.
"If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to kill you nicely, but there's no time. I'll end it with a noose around your neck, so be grateful."
"Ugh, uh! Just a moment! Please spare me!"
"What are you doing? Hang him!"
"Yes!"
The village chief's pleas fell on deaf ears. At Roderick's command, the mercenaries grabbed the chief's shoulders and pushed him down. Then they took out a rope to hang him. As the rope was about to wrap around his neck, the village chief panicked.
"Sir knight! I don't mind dying, but please at least let me send a message to the lord before you kill me!"
"What? The lord?"
Roderick frowned. If there was a lord, it meant someone was collecting taxes, right? That made things a bit more complicated. No matter how much the man deserved to die, he was a potential source of tax revenue for the lord.
Even in a small village, if there were too many deaths, there was a high possibility the lord would protest.
"Y-yes! This land belongs to the baron, Count Rudger!"
Feeling he had found a way to save himself, the village chief quickly added. Roderick fell into thought at the chief's words. Count Rudger was a noble Roderick had seen before. A rather greedy and authoritative noble.
If he proceeded with the execution now, it was highly likely there would be a conflict with the Corleone family.
'This is troublesome. Should I send a letter to get permission for the execution?'
The permission itself would be granted immediately. After all, they were going to kill a noble. The problem lay elsewhere.
He can't just keep watching these guys until then.
To get permission, Roderick would have to make a round trip from Count Rudger's castle, which was far away, to Brick Village. Naturally, that would waste a considerable amount of time. During that time, he wouldn't have the money to keep hiring mercenaries. If he loosened his watch, there was a high chance the villagers would escape.
Moreover, what if even those who had committed great sins were still paying taxes to the count? There was a good chance they would only deal with a few innkeepers.
'There must be a way out, even if the sky falls!'
Seeing Roderick deep in thought, the village chief internally cheered. He had taken a gamble, and it seemed to be working. He couldn't help but think that he was indeed lucky.
"It's a lie."
"...!"
All eyes suddenly focused on Sylas, who spoke calmly amidst the many gazes.
"There's no lord in this village. Therefore, we don't need permission for the execution."
"Y-you outsider hunter! How dare you lie to the knight, ugh!?"
The village chief, who was pointing his finger, fell backward with a thud. Roderick, filled with rage, ran over and kicked him in the chin.
"You scoundrel! How dare you point your finger at my lord!"
"Wha? What do you mean...?"
"This man is of the Corleone bloodline! Show him the proper respect!"
The villagers, including the chief, blinked in confusion. After a moment, they began to comprehend the situation and gasped in shock.
A natural-born son. Although rare, there are instances when a noble acknowledges a child conceived by a woman of noble status, accepting the child into the family.
Who would have thought such luck would come to Sylas!
"S-so, if Sylas defends us, can we all be saved?"
"Exactly! We've lived together for over 15 years..."
The villagers, who had been talking amongst themselves, gradually became more solemn. Memories of how they had treated Sylas began to surface. They had haggled over the price of meat and hides, prevented him from living in the village, and used him without compensation whenever they needed something.
In the end, they had even tried to pin fake debts on him and threatened him. It would be a miracle if he didn't want to kill them instead of defending them.
As the villagers turned pale, Sylas continued to speak.
"This village is a pioneer settlement that was established 30 years ago. It's so remote that no one ever declared it as their land."
"Then what was that guy saying earlier...?"
"I was simply referring to the most powerful lord nearby in a hurry. If I go to get permission for the execution, that lord will naturally claim it as his land."
Even though it was a small village, it was still a land that could pay taxes. It had simply been left alone because it was too far away to manage. But if the village willingly offered to serve the lord and pay taxes, saying, 'We don't need anything from you,' it was obvious the lord would gladly accept it as his own land.
"Is that true?"
"No, no! That's not it!"
Once everything was uncovered, the village chief trembled all over. There were no excuses left to offer.
Roderick looked down at the chief with cold eyes.
"Hang him from a tree. After a day, tear the corpse apart and throw it into the forest."
"Ah, no! Knight! No, my lord! Please spare me, my lord!"
The village chief clung to Sylas, but Sylas only smiled coldly in response.
"I told you there would be a price to pay."
"My lord! Please forgive me! Aaaah!"
The mercenaries skillfully wrapped a rope around the village chief's neck. Trapped in the powerful grip, the chief screamed and struggled, but it was futile.
Soon the rope was secured to the tree, and like a pulley, the chief was hoisted into the air. After struggling and gasping for a while, his body soon became still.
All that remained was the old corpse dangling from the tree.