Ruin has come to our family

Reynauld strode forward. Lance followed with a loaded crossbow, while Barristan, shield raised and mace at the ready, guarded their rear, protecting Lance from any unforeseen threats.

As expected, the commotion outside had alerted those within. An elite captain wearing a breastplate, flanked by two guards, charged out, running right into them. Seeing them, Lance did not hesitate, raising his crossbow and firing. But unlike Dismas's fearsome accuracy, his shot, even at a distance of less than ten meters, went wide. He was aiming for the torso, but the bolt struck a guard in the knee. The problem was, he had been aiming for the other guard.

There was no time to dwell on it. The guard hit by the bolt collapsed, clutching his leg and letting out a piercing scream of agony as blood poured from the wound. The elite captain, seeing this, roared in fury—whether from genuine rage or to bolster his own courage, it was hard to say. But he charged. It seemed that targeting the ranged unit was a universal instinct.

Reynauld, however, had no time for such theatrics. Seeing the enemy advance, he simply brought his greatsword down in a heavy cleave, forcing the captain to a halt. The other guard let out a guttural cry and rushed towards Lance. His form was sloppy, but the glinting shortsword in his hand was no joke. Lance had no intention of engaging in melee. He quickly stepped back behind Barristan and began to reload his crossbow.

Facing the reckless guard, Barristan blocked the shortsword with his shield. The hidden mace swung out from behind it and smashed into the man's chest. Standing close enough, Lance could even hear the sound of cracking bone. In the next second, the guard fell backward, the shortsword dropping from his hand. A visible depression had been caved into his chest. Though he was not yet dead, the bits of flesh and blood he coughed up made it clear he was beyond saving.

Lance, in his mercy, drew his dagger and gave the man a quick death, sparing him further pain. He then immediately [Sacrificed] the body, giving the Ancestor no opportunity to gain nourishment.

On the other side, Reynauld's fight was also decided. One of the captain's legs had been taken from him, and the Crusader's longsword was now buried in his neck. The guard with the arrow in his knee was also dispatched by Reynauld with a single stroke. In this age, a serious wound was a death sentence. As for divine arts... those were for the wealthy. And Lance had no intention of wasting his precious [Boon] on his enemies.

Without a flicker of emotion, Lance calmly sacrificed the bodies and pressed on.

Just as planned, there was only one squad of guards inside the manor. The rest were servants. A maid, startled by the noise, came out to see what was happening. One look was enough to leave her paralyzed with fear. All she could do was scream and turn to run, crying out, "Brigands! The brigands are here!"

"Stop her."

At Lance's command, Reynauld surged forward, bringing the flat of his blade down and knocking her to the ground. Lance rushed over, grabbing her by the collar. "Where is the landowner?"

The maid, lost in a sea of terror, did not even hear his question. All she could do was cry and shout, "Don't kill me!"

They were racing against the clock. Where did Lance find the time to deal with her hysterics? He slapped her twice across the face. Let's see if you'll stop screaming now.

"Tell me where the landowner is!" he roared into her ear.

The pain brought her back to some semblance of sanity. The shout so close to her ear made her obey on instinct. "At the end of the hall... turn left... the second room."

"Take her with us."

Reynauld dragged the maid in front of them to clear the way. Lance and Barristan followed closely behind. But when they reached the door, they saw it was locked from the outside. It looked more like a storeroom than a bedroom. Lance instinctively glanced at the maid.

"It's true! He's really in there!" the maid cried, terrified. "The Master was locked in there by David."

All three of them were surprised, but Lance reacted the fastest. "David? Where is he? Is he here?"

"He's not here. He's outside, training."

At these words, Lance frowned. No wonder the captain was ordered to come without his armor or weapons, and the three guards came out from inside... This was a trap, but one intended for the other captain. They had stumbled right into it.

Lance had seen all manner of situations. He immediately adapted. "The son-in-law has turned on his master! We are mercenaries, hired to rescue the landowner! Get him out, quickly!"

Reynauld and the others understood at once. Barristan smashed the lock with his mace and then shouldered the door open with his shield. Sure enough, inside was a middle-aged man. Though David had imprisoned the landowner, he had not deprived him of food or water. He looked haggard, but otherwise unharmed.

"We are here to rescue you," Lance said, gesturing for the maid to help the man up.

Hearing this, the landowner grew agitated, about to launch into a tirade of complaints. But Lance had no time for it. "Quickly! David and his men are coming back!"

The landowner had been tormented for days. The mere mention of David's name was enough to make him jump. He scrambled to follow them. "You must get me out of here! I have money, a lot of money!"

They paid him no mind, rushing for the entrance.

In less than five minutes, Lance's party of three had fought their way through the manor and extracted their target. But the situation outside had already turned critical. The moment they stepped out the door, they could hear a cacophony of shouts and angry roars.

Lance quickly climbed the watchtower to join Dismas. "What is the situation?"

"At least ten of them. I've killed a few, but now they're using doors as shields. This light crossbow won't penetrate. If you hadn't come out, I was about to use my pistol." Dismas then noticed the landowner with them, a look of confusion on his face.

"The situation has changed," Lance explained briefly. He peered over the rammed-earth wall to observe the scene outside. Two door-panels, torn from some unknown building, were being used as cover, riddled with crossbow bolts. A number of men were hiding behind them, wary of the unseen marksman. Several bodies lay on the ground. From their weapons, it was clear they were crossbowmen. Among them was an elite captain with an arrow through his head, clearly a victim of Dismas's opening volley. Dismas's deadly archery had pinned them down, forcing them to stay in cover and buying Lance's party precious time.

"They're waiting for reinforcements. We cannot give them that time."

Lance scanned the group. He didn't know what David looked like, but he could see no obvious leader among the attackers. He made his decision instantly.

"Keep their heads down," he said to Dismas. "Shoot anyone who shows themselves."

With that, he quickly turned and went back down to the landowner.

"That is not David out there. I need you to go up on the platform and shout. Tell them David has committed treason. Order those guards to lay down their arms and leave."

He gestured for the man to go up to the watchtower. Hearing that David was not present, the landowner's courage returned. He quickly scrambled up the ladder.