— Knight Blood, whoever he was before, is certainly willing to risk his life in battle. He marched to the pass and participated in the battle at the Cursed Bridge. According to the accounts of the participants, he used powerful spells and also some unknown ones.
— You praise him as if he were a relative!
— I won't hide it; I like him, but that's not the main reason I'm here, — the man paused briefly before continuing in a much quieter voice, at the edge of hearing of his companion, — We both understand that the well-being of our duchy depends on who is in charge. And his grace… is still too young and inexperienced. None of the barons are worthy of standing behind him and giving advice. And it is even more inappropriate if it is the steward who does so. And that is precisely the situation now.
— I know all that, my dear.
— My brother…
— Baron Savoyardi doesn't want major upheavals and will be pleased if I advise his son. You've already mentioned that. As well as the modest reward the baron expects. Answer me one last question, my dear. Do you truly believe that Knight Blood will not betray?
— He had opportunities to betray my brother and improve his own position, and he did not take them.
The duchess nodded thoughtfully.
— That certainly doesn't mean he can be trusted, but I will support his candidacy. Although not everything depends on me here. The final decision will be made by His Majesty.
Exactly an hour later, in the same gazebo, the mother convinced her son of the need to keep Captain Vilor in position and fulfill the promise made to Knight Blood. The captain, who had pledged loyalty to the widow of his former lord, was sent to deal with the bandits who wouldn't calm down after their autumn rampage, and the duke traveled to the capital, carrying artifacts obtained at the pass and several letters from his mother to her acquaintances in the capital.
All that remained was to deal with the steward, but doing so without bloodshed was impossible. The woman sincerely hoped that by becoming a baron, this mage who appeared last autumn literally out of nowhere, would retain both his loyalty and gratitude for his title.
Kosoy, squinting and straining his eyes, watched the road. Spotting prey before anyone else and thus making them a laughingstock was his old dream. The bandit gang had taken their position and was waiting since dawn. The whistle from above announced another failure for Kosoy; the boy sitting one branch above him had seen something on the road that his partner had not. Angrily glaring at the boy, the bandit left his post and ran to the chieftain.
The gang, assembled last autumn, had only grown stronger in the spring. Rich spoils and the misfortunes of neighboring gangs helped to gather more than a hundred well-armed men in the forests of the Daer barony. The prolonged winter had also drawn into the banditry's embrace nearby peasants who were willing to do much for the sake of feeding their families. Of course, this year it was necessary to act more cautiously. The "Golden Autumn," which had enriched many gangs, was over. But the roads of the duchy were still restless.
Chieftain List decided not to follow the example of his fellow bandits by taking the main road, reasoning that there would be heavy competition and that the main road of the duchy would be cleaned of banditry first. Settling in the forests of the poor barony, where soldiers were not even enough for proper castle guard, he felt relatively safe. It was difficult to catch rich spoils away from the main routes, but this rule applied everywhere except in the Duchy of Kas, where not all goods could be transported openly along the Great Road.
The strategy proved successful. His men had never engaged in battle and had not even encountered mercenary hunting parties or retinues, but they frequently came across smugglers. Only one huge shipment of nuts had paid off everything, and after that, he could have retired from dangerous work, but the man kept postponing his retirement, convincing himself each time to delay his departure.
— Who's coming? — he asked Kosoy, although he knew the observer was as useful as a bull is to a cow.
The bandit hesitated, but he was rescued by the boy who had joined the gang a month ago, an orphan from a village who had gone in search of a better life and turned out to be quite observant.
— Riders, and there's a lot of dust ahead, so either carts or more riders, but I haven't seen them myself.
Riders meant guards. Should they attack or let them pass? The chieftain pondered. He had many men, and from riders, he could take armor, weapons, and horses. Good spoils. It would be possible to retire comfortably.
— Take your positions!
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