Chapter 017: The Northern Legion
The Templar knight before him, upon hearing Alfred’s order, changed expression instantly. He gently pulled back his cloak, revealing the silver armor beneath. The long knight’s sword at his waist was also drawn swiftly.
The drunkards who had been watching took note of the knight’s appearance and realized these visitors were no easy opponents. They scattered like birds and beasts, hiding in the corners of the tavern, afraid of suffering the same fate.
The arrogant man from earlier now seemed somewhat uneasy, but being a man who valued face above everything, he snorted coldly despite his disheveled state. “Daring to bring weapons on our northern soil… You’re seeking death… Better throw down your weapons and confess your crimes now. Otherwise, when my cousin arrives, you’ll all be finished.”
The Templar knight frowned, his sword trembling in his hand. Without a word, he thrust it at the man’s throat.
The drunkard, unprepared for the knight to actually attack, screamed and turned to run. But being drunk, he stumbled several times on the short distance from the table to the tavern door before finally stumbling out.
The Templar knight frowned, intending to chase after him.
Suddenly, Du Fan laughed and said, “Ferei, leave it be. Just let him go. A little punishment is enough for someone like him. Do we really have to kill him?”
The Templar knight named Ferei stopped and glanced at Alfred.
Alfred snorted, signaling Ferei to retreat before saying, “Lord Du Fan, your kindness is somewhat problematic. That guy clearly wasn’t a good person. Killing him would at least rid this dull little town of a threat.”
Du Fan shook his head. “Under the glory of the Light God, all are equal. Though this man may be arrogant and vicious, it’s not our place to punish him. After all, the empire has laws and officials. If they don’t intervene, why should we? Moreover, if we really kill him, we won’t necessarily be safe afterward.”
Alfred asked, “What do you mean?”
Du Fan said, “Lord Alfred, don’t forget our purpose. We came to this small wooden town in order to find some clues about the divine palace. But if we kill someone now, do you think we’ll still be able to get any information?”
Alfred frowned, implicitly agreeing.
Seeing Alfred’s expression, Du Fan knew he must be displeased. With a faint smile, he didn’t say anything more.
Noticing the awkward situation, Nicholas couldn’t help but cough lightly and said, “What does it matter whether we kill these locals or not? It’s more practical to quickly gather information.”
Du Fan nodded, ignoring Alfred’s darkened expression, and waved at the owner who was hiding in a corner of the bar.
The owner rushed over, looking panicked, and said, “Guys, you’d better leave soon. That man over there is named Tommy—he’s practically the boss of our town. His cousin is the captain of the Northern Legion. He’s extremely arrogant here. If you provoke him, things won’t end well for you. It’s better to leave now while the people from the Northern Legion haven’t arrived. Otherwise, it’ll be too late. Last time, a few adventurers thought they were strong enough to confront him, but in the end, they were wiped out by the Northern Legion. I see you’re not ordinary people—why risk trouble in such a small place?”
“The Northern Legion?” Du Fan’s facial muscles twitched as he glanced at the others.
The rest of them naturally knew that the Northern Legion was led by Duke Old Green and was renowned throughout the empire for its strict discipline and formidable combat skills. Yet here, someone was describing it as so “fearful” in front of Du Fan, which was like slapping him in the face.
Du Fan also felt a bit embarrassed. He had never paid much attention to matters related to his family before and still didn’t really know what the Northern Legion was like. All he knew about it came from rumors heard in the capital. Hearing what the bar owner said now, he wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not. He simply smiled and said, “You don’t need to worry about us. But as far as I know, the Northern Legion is always famous for its strict discipline. Why does it have such a poor reputation here?”
Seeing Du Fan and his group remain indifferent upon hearing about the Northern Legion, the shop owner realized that Tommy had hit a wall this time. Being an experienced man, he seized the opportunity to complain bitterly: “Gentlemen, you may not know, but it’s true that the Northern Legion has strict discipline. But where are we? We’re in the icy plains near the Frozen Forest—a place that’s never been of concern to those high-ranking officers in the legion. The few towns around here only have one battalion of soldiers stationed there. We also have to pay taxes to the legion. Well… those guys come to town a few times a month, collect the money, and leave. As for anything else, they don’t care at all. Meanwhile, those who have some connection to the Northern Legion act tyrannically in town. We can only feel anger but dare not speak up.”
Du Fan gave a wry smile and said, “Is this what they call arrogance and domineering behavior?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at the others again. They all had extremely strange expressions on their faces. Du Fan’s face grew even more embarrassed. In his heart, he had cursed that unknown battalion commander countless times. If not for lack of time, he really wanted to see what kind of person it was who could turn the mighty Northern Legion into such a mess.
The shop owner seemed to want to say more, but just then, the sound of horse hooves came from afar, breaking the silence around them. The drunkards hiding in the corners showed panicked expressions, and the tavern owner was even more terrified. He stumbled back to a corner, as if staying there even for a second longer would get him into trouble.
“Bang!”
With a loud noise, the tavern’s door was kicked open.
A tall and muscular cavalryman stepped in first, followed by a dozen armored soldiers, all of them cursing.
Tommy, who had run outside earlier, stood beside the leading cavalryman and pointed in Du Fan’s direction, saying, “Cousin, look, it’s them!”
The cavalryman at the front glanced over and his eyes lit up when he saw Tasia. This girl from the north, with her face scorched by the northern winds, was beautiful only to a limited extent. Had this cavalryman ever seen such a stunning woman before?
He swallowed hard, determined to get this woman no matter what. But he still had some sense and knew to find an excuse.
His gaze swept over Du Fan and his companions for a moment before settling on Ferre’s sword at his waist. His expression changed instantly, and he shouted angrily, “Dare you! Don’t you know that military control has been imposed in the north over the past six months? In any territory under the Northern Legion’s control, carrying weapons without permission is considered treason. Will you surrender now, or do you want us to take action?”
As he spoke, he made a gesture. Although the soldiers behind him continued to curse, they quickly secured the doors and windows of the tavern, showing remarkable discipline.
The more disciplined they seemed, the more ashamed Du Fan felt. If it had just been a bunch of hooligans causing trouble, Du Fan could have dealt with them easily. But these soldiers looked utterly professional—didn’t that mean the Northern Legion wasn’t as formidable as it seemed?
Nicholas sighed and lowered his head. Alfred chuckled and turned his gaze away, while even Tasia covered her mouth. No one knew whether she was sneering or not.
Du Fan felt despair. He knew these people wouldn’t help him. But then again, they were members of the Holy Church. If they intervened to discipline the Northern Legion in front of him, the third young master of the Green family, it would be overstepping their bounds.
The leading cavalryman, seeing that the others hadn’t responded and instead seemed indifferent, grew angry. He drew the machete hanging at his side and strode toward them.
Ferre and another Templar knight showed great respect for Du Fan and tried to stand up when they saw someone approaching.
Unexpectedly, Du Fan raised a hand to stop them and turned to face the cavalryman with a smile. “Are you Tommy’s cousin? The squad leader of the Northern Legion?”
The cavalryman wasn’t expecting Du Fan to remain so calm. He sensed something was off and paused, saying, “It’s good enough that you know I’m from the Northern Legion. If not surrendering now, then when?”
Du Fan sighed and murmured, “People of the Northern Legion have sunk so low. I wonder what Father would think if he knew. Well, this time, I’ll step in to discipline these disobedient fools.”
As he spoke, Du Fan slowly stood up. He pulled off the remaining cotton-padded jacket and threw it aside, his internal energy flaring brightly.