Chapter 36  : Misunderstanding

The Desert Bandit who had been missing was right in front of him.

However, the soldiers guarding the end of the street did not make way.

Instead, all of them held onto their weapons tightly, pointing all the spears and scythes outside and glaring at the Desert Bandit with angry eyes. The rage in their eyes was so intense that it seemed as if their eyes were about to shoot fire.

The 16 Desert Bandits inside the street behaved the same way.

They were all quite angry.

That was because the 50 retainer knights, who were wearing mail armor covered with linen robes, appeared on the dune not far away.

They were all waiting at the dune.

It was apparent that they had a guide bringing them to the oasis.

That guide was none other than one of their own.

It was that Desert Bandit.

He was now a traitor.

“Hold on, let me explain.”

The Desert Bandit anxiously explained, “I’m not a traitor!”

He had instantly noticed the wrath on the faces of those soldiers and knew what had made them all so angry.

“Shut up! That’s not a reason for you to bring the enemy here!”

Someone responded angrily at the end of the street.

That caused all of the other soldiers to respond, agreeing with what that soldier said. Even the militia members on the rooftops aimed their hunting crossbows at him.

They only needed to pull the triggers to send bolts flying at that Desert Bandit.

The hunting crossbows had an effective range of 98 feet. The short, thick bolts were able to easily penetrate leather armor.

“I need to see Lord Kant.”

That Desert Bandit broke out into a cold sweat.

He realized just how careless he had been.

It had been a wrong move to bring all those strangers, who were knights with an extremely high combat capacity, to the Oasis Lookout. He did not even actually know if those strangers were actually acquaintances of Kant.

However, there was nothing else he could have done but report the matter to Kant.

“No way!”

The soldiers before him shouted unanimously and angrily.

All of them glared with intense wrath at the Desert Bandit, who they perceived to be a traitor and nothing else.

“Let him through.”

However, Kant’s voice was heard behind them.

His voice sounded steady.

His voice sounded strong.

With the immutable might of those of high status, he said, “I believe in my men.”

Troop classes provided by the system would never betray him.

“Lord Kant.”

The soldiers turned their heads around in shock.

Kant, who was holding on the banner emblazoned with a golden lion on a red background, was standing behind them.

The 16 Desert Bandits standing behind him glared at their former comrade with deadpan, cold expressions.

They held on tightly to the javelins in their hands.

If they so fancied, they would have been able to throw that deadly weapon at him within a second.

“Lord Kant, I’m absolutely not a traitor.”

The Desert Bandit gulped, but his eyes suggested that he was touched by Kant’s willingness to trust him. He quickly reported, “The forces from the Dukedom of Leo was led by a man named Hobson, who was responsible for escorting a scholar named Hank. They are here to look for the legendary lost city. Oh right, there was also a knight named Rowan. They all claimed that they knew of you.”

The Desert Bandit told him everything he knew just to clear his name.

“Hmm?”

Kant was slightly startled.

He immediately looked up and frowned at the dune. Those well-armed knights were wearing standard garb from the Dukedom of Leo.

He focused and peered, feeling even more surprised.

“Sir Hobson, Scholar Hank, and Rowan, the captain of the knights who came with us.”

Kant nodded. He looked somewhat relieved.

It was all a misunderstanding.

Despite having recognized those three acquaintances, he did not immediately tell his troops to let their guard down.

The warning from the system remained in his mind.

The darkening sky is bringing dangers with it.

He was entirely quite sure if the danger mentioned by the system referred to those retainer knights before him.

Then again, it was something easy to confirm.

At least, it was not all that difficult for Kant.

“Make way.”

Kant gave his order and brought all 16 Desert Bandits with him as he walked out of the street.

“Be careful, My Lord.”

Despite the soldiers before them having made way, they all still cast a doubtful gaze at that Desert Bandit.

They were still distrustful of that man who had brought all those people to their village.

That was true even though the man had once been one of their own.

That Desert Bandit had behaved in a rather awkward manner.

He was the one who brought all those men there, yet he was utterly unsure of their relationship with Lord Kant.

If both parties were friends, or, at least, mere acquaintances who met several times in the past, there was not a problem. However, if they were to an enemy of Lord Kant back in the dukedom and made such excuses just to crush the weak and small Drondheim, he was completely a traitor.

“M-My Lord…”

He opened his mouth trying to explain, but he chose to hang his head low.

There was nothing else to explain.

“Relax, those are my friends.”

Kant smiled. His expression was a calm one.

He and the other Desert Bandits got onto their horses. Kant said to that Desert Bandit, “Get back in line. There is no need to think about it anymore.”

That line made the meaning of Kant’s words very clear.

“Thank you, merciful Lord Kant.”

That Desert Bandit was overjoyed. He immediately nodded and got back in line on his horse.

The soldiers on the street no longer glared at him with vengeful eyes. Their expressions returned to being calm.

A Desert Bandit, who was older than most of the others, shot a look at that Desert Bandit, who had just gotten back in line. He gruffly said, “Use your brain a little from here on out. If the ones you brought had been the enemy, you would have been a traitor.”

“I shall be careful from here on out.” That Desert Bandit nodded. He looked rather ashamed.

Kant smiled and did not say anything else.

He rode forward with the Desert Bandits.

Three knights from the top of the dune rode in their direction as well.

“Revered Baron Kant, it is quite a pleasure to see you so far away from the castle of the dukedom.”

The leader was Sir Hobson.

He was a knight who had been knighted personally by Duke Cameron of the Dukedom of Leo. His estate and fief were not far away from the castle.

The two of them knew of each other.

“Sir Hobson.”

Kant smiled. His tone was polite yet charismatic.

He glanced at Rowan, who dared not speak much at the moment, and nodded. “Captain Rowan, we meet again. The aid you provided last time was very useful. You have my thanks.”

The aid referred to was when Kant used the knights to attack the Jackalan Tribe at the Oasis Lookout.

There was no way Rowan would have forgotten that.

However, he also remembered that he had given the baron a look and rode off with his knights immediately after they were done.

“O-Oh…”

Rowan gulped. In a submissive and respectful manner, he said, “It was an honor to be able to serve you, Baron Kant.”

He had lost all the arrogance he had before.

There was still a knowledgeable scholar of high status, as well as a knight who was also a noble, right beside him.

Kant simply smiled.

He held no grudge against Rowan. His actions had been considered normal.

When Kant turned to look at the old man by their side, his expression became rather complex. He sighed and lowered his head. He greeted the old man respectfully, “Master Hank, it’s quite a surprise to meet you in the Nahrin Desert.”

He was being as polite as possible.

His tone was very respectful.

Scholar Hank sighed lightly and replied, “Baron Kant, life is full of surprises.”

“It is.” Kant nodded.

Both men were feeling rather overwhelmed.

Just a month ago, the two of them had been studying the many books in the academy.

Hank was a scholar.

Kant had been one of his students.

Furthermore, he had been one of Han’s favorites for being the most hardworking one among the students.

“It is quite a surprise.”

Scholar Hank sighed as he looked around the place. “This is really quite a bad place to be.”

“Yeah.” Kant nodded.

Kant said to Scholar Hank, “Actually, I’m quite intrigued that you came all the way out here. The harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert might quite a toll on your body.”

“The lost city.”

Scholar Hank said in a rather excited tone, “I’ve come searching for it.”

“The lost city?” Kant slightly frowned.

As the most hardworking of the students in the academy, Kant had read many books regarding that topic. However, the conclusion he arrived at was that the lost city was but a ridiculous myth. It was a legend that never existed.

He shook his head and shrugged. “This man has nothing but sand.”

“There will be something.”

Scholar Hank was not discouraged. His old face looked determined. “I’m 67 years old. If I don’t find ways to prove what I believe in now, I won’t be able to come all the way out here when I get really, really old.”

“Your spirit is quite admirable.” Kant slightly lowered his head.

That was a measure of respect a junior showed to a senior.

However, Kant disapproved of such a course of action. He deemed the legend to be a farce. He did not believe they would discover anything.