Chapter 16: Hamilton's Surprise
Chapter 16: Hamilton's Surprise
At first, Drunkard Jack's eyes were filled with disdain.
A mere child like you dares to kill? I don't believe it!
But as Rayn laid out a feasible plan, word for word, Jack's expression gradually turned to horror.
Rayn immediately noticed the fleeting terror in his eyes.
This could work!
He's all bark and no bite.
So, Rayn continued, his face expressionless:
"And what would be left of you then? Probably not even your bones."
"But no one would suspect me. I'm just a kid!"
At this point, Jack's demeanor began to soften.
What the hell? A kid this ruthless? Richard just wanted you to break my hand, but you're trying to take my life!
Drunkard Jack was a coward at heart; otherwise, he wouldn't have quit being a mercenary after a short while.
Jack felt that the life of a mercenary, constantly living on the edge, was not for him.
This time, when Rayn removed the smelly sock from his mouth, Jack immediately shouted, "It was Richard, the innkeeper's son! He paid me to break your hand!"
Hearing this, Rayn knew it was Browbeard.
He had suspected Jack was lying, but fear often makes it difficult to lie.
More importantly, Browbeard had a motive for this.
Rayn's display of swordsmanship talent seemed to have annoyed Browbeard.
Recalling Browbeard's expression during their sparring earlier, Rayn quickly connected the dots.
After a moment's thought, Rayn realized the truth!
He hadn't expected Browbeard, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, to be so devious!
As for this guy, Rayn began to size him up.
Jack, thinking Rayn was about to bleed him, cried out in terror, "Rayn, stop! Let's talk this out!"
Rayn shook his head and said, "Punishment is necessary!"
"Smack!"
Rayn struck Jack's ankle with the stick, causing him excruciating pain.
"Ahhhh!"
Rayn hit him again, this time on the temple, knocking Jack unconscious once more.
After searching him, Rayn was surprised to find over a dozen silver coins in Jack's wallet!
This delighted Rayn immensely.
Finally, some meat!
After releasing Jack from the vines, Rayn patted his hands and turned to walk home.
He checked the system and saw the following notification:
[You have experienced a battle. Militia Experience Points +23]
Rayn was thrilled to see such a significant experience gain.
Indeed, real combat experience was far more valuable than sparring!
But suddenly, Rayn felt like he had been struck by lightning, his body stiffening. Slowly, he turned his head.
Standing not far behind him was a tall, imposing figure.
The man did not attack Rayn.
Rayn forced down his unease and quickly assessed the man.
He was tall and robust, exuding an aura of authority. He wore a well-fitted male noble hunting outfit, with a longsword at his waist. He didn't appear to be a robber or bounty hunter but rather a noble.
Clearly, Browbeard couldn't afford to hire such a person.
As for Jack, lying on the ground?
That was even more impossible.
Still, Rayn remained cautious.
According to his original body's memories, the nobles in this world had various privileges. They could kill commoners without reason and avoid punishment by paying a hefty ransom.
Furthermore, if a noble could prove that a commoner had stolen from them or attacked them, they could kill the commoner without facing any consequences.
But for commoners, just stealing a noble's wallet would result in a hanging sentence!
This world is so unfair!
This is also why so many people rack their brains to squeeze into the households of high-ranking nobles as servants.
Because many times, nobles don't handle trivial matters personally; they let their high-ranking servants, such as the head maid, treasurer, and steward, handle them.
So, although these people are essentially servants, their social status is not much lower than that of ordinary knights, barons, and other low-ranking nobles.
Rayn had another concern, which was when this noble started to notice him.
If it was from the forest, then he was obviously too passive.
His actions were all exposed under the other's watchful eyes.
As Rayn sized up the other party, the other party was also sizing him up.
Just now, Hamilton had heard an unusual noise from the forest and, as the newly appointed sheriff of Glintstone Town, he was quite concerned about the area's security.
So, he quietly entered the forest to investigate.
As a result, he discovered a scene that surprised him. A frail youth was binding and interrogating a burly man!
The bound man on the tree was someone he recognized: Drunkard Jack, who had a terrible reputation in Glintstone Town.
This ruffian idled around all day, doing nothing but stealing and cheating. He also boasted to several widows about his past mercenary experiences, which might affect the area's security.
Soon, he learned the story from the interrogated Drunkard Jack.
He didn't expect that the bold youth before him was just a commoner's son and was currently participating in the Habsburg Manor's page training.
After the youth finished his interrogation, Hamilton considered revealing himself.
Because he was a bit worried that the youth might, in a fit of rage, kill Drunkard Jack.
As a sheriff, it was normal for fights to occur in his jurisdiction, but a death would affect his performance.
But unexpectedly, the youth merely knocked the other party unconscious, took the money from him, and was about to leave.
This surprised Hamilton, and he appreciated the youth's self-control.
Many commoners, when they possess extraordinary strength, would lose their sense of self and tend to resort to killing to solve minor problems.
Hamilton himself had relied on his knight talent to rise from a blacksmith's son to become a marquis. When he gained strength beyond ordinary people, he also once indulged in killing.
He would kill petty thieves and con artists without a second thought.
It wasn't until later, when he joined the Imperial Military Department, that he slowly changed.
Recently, there was an issue in his jurisdiction that had caught his attention and caused him a headache. Perhaps, the youth before him could...
But before that, he still needed to test the youth to use him.
"Young man, your basic swordsmanship is not bad!"
"However, you're also very bold. According to the Imperial Law on Public Security, you know..." A deep voice from the middle-aged noble sounded.
When Rayn heard the first sentence from the middle-aged noble, he slowly relaxed, but the second sentence immediately changed the topic!
This startled Rayn, and his body broke out in a cold sweat.
The next second, Rayn darted into the nearby forest like a nimble monkey.
It seemed that he could only escape into the forest first and shake off this person.
Hamilton was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening. He couldn't help but show a mix of amused and exasperated expression.
What an interesting kid!
As the dirt under his feet exploded, Hamilton's tall figure shot into the dense forest like an arrow, moving nearly twice as fast as Rayn.
(End of Chapter)
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