Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Chapter 189 Paying the Price

Chapter 190 Paying the Price

A loud shout pierced the sky above the village. Captain Puta turned his head sharply and saw dust billowing at the village entrance.

The fifteen heavy cavalrymen of the Silver Dawn Knights descended like divine warriors, their white cloaks fluttering in the wind as they charged.

"Defense! Defense! Form a shield wall!" Puta shouted hoarsely, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Hungarian soldiers hastily discarded their loot and hastily regrouped.

However, the Silver Knights charged faster than expected, embedding themselves like a sharp chisel into the enemy's hastily assembled defenses.

Henry followed closely to Peter's right; this was his first time participating in a cavalry charge of this size. Through the gaps in his visor, he caught a glimpse of the terrified faces of the Hungarian soldiers.

Following Peter's instructions, he laid his spear flat and felt the immense impact the moment it touched the enemy lines.

A Hungarian soldier was pierced by his spear, and blood splattered onto his white horsecoat.

Hungarian formation, broken through!

"Second wave, spread out!" Peter's voice echoed inside the visor. "Aim at their commander!"

The knights quickly changed formation, from a dense wedge shape to a loose line, and began their hunt.

Captain Puta watched helplessly as the white-robed knights moved across the battlefield like ghosts, each swing of their swords precisely taking the lives of his soldiers.

"Kumans, shoot their horses!" Ptah shouted to the light cavalry in the distance.

Six Cuman archers had already drawn their bows and fired many arrows, but most of their arrows were deflected by the knights' heavy plate armor. Only one arrow was lucky enough to hit a warhorse in the eye, causing the horse to rear up in pain and throw Kubinka off its back to the ground.

"Pothead, protect the fallen brother!" Peter commanded. "The rest of you, continue the hunt!"

To avoid revealing their identities, everyone gave themselves nicknames. For example, Peter was "Prince Brunswick," Jessica was "One-Eyed Dragon," Kubinka was "Sharpshooter," and the nickname "Pot Lid" belonged to Hynek.

Hynik slowed down his horse and helped Kubinka onto it. For the time being, the two of them rode on one horse, and they would find a spare horse to graze outside the village after the battle.

The village was in complete chaos. The villagers ran home in a panic, then stared in disbelief through their windows.

They had never seen such efficient fighting, nor had they ever seen any army stand up for them like this.

The Hungarian soldiers were in disarray and disoriented in the face of the cavalry attack.

Henry rode his little grey steed towards the Cumans who were shooting arrows, and engaged them in battle. But the Cumans' scimitar skills were ruthless and experienced. Henry managed to kill one, but was then surrounded by the remaining five. Just then, a long spear came flying, and the force of it pierced through the scale armor of a Cuman, who fell from his horse and was clearly dead.

After throwing down his lance, Peter drew his sword and charged forward. Together with Henry, they dealt with the remaining four Cuman cavalrymen. Henry's pressure was greatly reduced, and in no time, they each killed one of them.

The remaining two Cumans pretended to be outmatched and fled on horseback, while secretly observing Peter and Henry's pursuit position and drawing their bows.

The warhorses galloped after them, rushing out of the village. But before the Cuman cavalry could unleash their most triumphant "Look Back and Shoot the Moon" maneuver, they felt a whoosh behind them. Two head-sized stones flew from behind, striking them on the back of the head with two thuds. Their pointed iron helmets offered no protection; their skulls shattered, and they died instantly. Their warhorses neighed and ran a few steps before stopping.

Henry and Peter rode side by side, their warhorses clashing. Henry looked curiously at Peter's unarmed left hand, for he had just witnessed two stones appear out of thin air, one after the other, and then be thrown with pinpoint accuracy, killing the two Cuman cavalrymen.

"It's nothing, just a little blessing from God."

Peter shrugged, offering no explanation for the strange things in his weighted space.

Without much hesitation, the two turned their horses around and headed back into the village.

Beside the village well, Henry saw a middle-aged man in ornate chainmail directing soldiers.

"His Highness, Prince Brenker! Their commander is by the well!" Henry shouted.

Peter immediately understood, "One-Eyed Dragon, take five men and flank from the right! Bowl Cut, move back from the left! Thief Saint, you and I will break through head-on!"

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Three cavalry squads, like a well-trained pack of wolves, pounced on the well from different directions. Upon seeing this, Puta's expression changed drastically, and he hastily ordered his soldiers to tighten their defensive line.

But it was too late.

Peter charged ahead, his longsword drawing a silver arc in the air, and two Hungarian soldiers who tried to block him fell to the ground. Henry followed closely behind, bravely blocking an attack that came from the side.

"For Bohemia!" Peter shouted the battle cry, and the Silver Knights responded in unison, their voices thundering through the heavens.

Seeing the situation was turning against him, Captain Puta quietly retreated, trying to hide in a nearby house. But Henry had already spotted him and spurred his horse into hot pursuit.

"Trying to run away?" Henry shouted, leaping off his horse and blocking Ptah's path.

The two engaged in a fierce battle beside the well. Ptah's swordsmanship was ferocious, each strike carrying deadly force. Henry relied on his agile movements to dodge, while simultaneously searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

Just as Ptah raised his sword overhead, ready to strike, Henry noticed a gap in the chainmail under his arm. He dodged to the side, and at the same time, his longsword pierced through the gap in the chainmail like a viper.

Ptah screamed, and the longsword slipped from his hand. He clutched his wound, staring at Henry in disbelief. "You...who are you?"

Henry sneered, "A Bohemian who can't stand your atrocities."

"Damn Bohemian scum!" Ptah cursed. "Your king and nobles have surrendered, why are you still opposing us!"

"For justice!"

"The mighty King Sigismund is the true embodiment of justice, and we who followed him from Hungary are the true embodiment of justice!"

"Strength does not equal justice. Justice is the measure God bestows upon the human heart, courage is the hymn of humanity itself, and strength is the use of power for protection. Your actions of harming unarmed civilians and plundering hardworking farmers are not justice, but the actions of disgusting invaders!"

"nonsense!"

Unable to accept Henry's explanation, Ptah launched a furious sneak attack. Henry turned to parry, then swiftly plunged his sword into Ptah's throat. Blood splattered onto the muddy ground like poppies suddenly blooming.

By this time, most of the Hungarian soldiers on the battlefield had been killed, and the rest were in complete disarray.

The cavalry showed no mercy, pursuing and killing every enemy soldier they could see.

Several Hungarian soldiers who tried to outsmart their way into a farmer's house were also apprehended and brought back by the villagers.

The villagers hated these foreign soldiers who committed murder, arson, and ransacked their homes.

Peter didn't stand on ceremony and, in front of everyone, had the drunkard use his greatsword to behead the prisoners.

This was a resounding victory. Fifteen cavalrymen fought against sixty Hungarian soldiers and six Cuman cavalrymen, annihilating the enemy at the cost of one soldier falling from his horse and six others suffering minor injuries.

They acquired sixty-six sets of armor, more than sixty main weapons, six recurve bows and several bags of armor-piercing arrows, six warhorses, and six chariots.

Peter ordered the grain to be returned to the villagers, keeping only enough for the Knights to use.

“This food was originally stolen from you,” Peter said to the gathered villagers. “Now it is being returned to its rightful owner.”

The villagers stared in disbelief at the scene. The village chief, Bainek, stepped forward shakily. "Sir... are you really going to return our grain?"

'

"Not only that."

Peter pointed to the weapons and armor that had been pulled from the Hungarian soldiers. "You should learn to protect yourselves. I will leave ten sets of equipment for you to distribute among yourselves."

The villagers cheered upon hearing this, and the village chief, Bainek, on behalf of everyone, said, "Thank you for your kindness. You not only saved the lives of our entire village, but also gave us food and armor, allowing us to continue living. May I ask your name?"

"We are the Knights of the Silver Dawn, and I am their leader, Brunswick. Our motto is to pay no taxes or grain levies, so that every farmer can have enough to eat from the crops they grow."

Benedict bowed his head before Peter: "My lord... how can we possibly repay you..."

Peter shook his head and said, "Everyone has the right to live. I am Brunswick, destined to fight for the Bohemians, to drive out the invaders. If you wish to repay me, tell my messengers about the arrival of these invaders. They will deliver a fatal blow to them!"

Afterwards, Peter left the white-haired Robert behind to cultivate the base, while the others mounted their horses and drove away quickly, arriving like a storm and leaving like a gentle breeze.

Robert, the white-haired man who remained, directed the young men to drag the bodies of the Hungarian soldiers outside the village for burial. He also used herbs to stabilize Wittek's injuries. Furthermore, he taught the men how to use codes and methods of communication, gradually building a strong base of support among the followers.

At this moment, Fu'er, the landlord who betrayed everyone by hiding the food, was huddled in a corner, trembling all over.

"You," the village chief's voice held no anger, only deep disappointment, "should have stood with your neighbors."

Foul wept bitterly, but none of the surrounding villagers glanced at him again.

After hiding the carriage in a new location, they set up camp and rested in the wild.

Today's operation was a great success, and everyone was beaming with joy when they talked about the victory.

"With Prince Brunswick leading the way, victory is so easy."

"Yes, I didn't feel tired at all after this battle."

"I also feel that my recovery has been much faster since the injury."

"Really? Why don't I feel that way?"

"We must not let our guard down. The Hungarians will soon learn of our presence and launch a siege."

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"Let them come, we're waiting."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but no one noticed that Peter had just leveled up again, added some points to himself, and gained a new talent—

He was burning with rage.

[Burning Fury] "Your subordinates are consumed by an endless fire of justice and vengeance. May God have mercy on any enemy who will be consumed by this flame. When their health drops below 50 points in battle, their strength and agility will increase by 3 points for a period of time, and their stamina regeneration rate will increase by 4 times for 30 minutes."

Those knights whose character panels have been activated by Peter can enjoy Peter's aura bonus. This explains why some people feel their recovery is particularly fast, while others don't feel it at all.

They started a fire and began cooking, with chef János in charge, and everyone was filled with anticipation.

Henry, however, resigned.

"I'm happy to be involved in this operation to combat the Hungarians and rescue the villagers. But I'm still a little worried about Catherine and want to go back and check on things first. I'm afraid I'll have to continue investigating this series of murders and make the killer pay."

"I understand," Peter patted Henry on the shoulder. "Remember, we'll always be there for you."

Jessica added, "If you need support, send someone to the Demon Cave Tavern anytime. We may not be there, but we can definitely get information from there."

"I will."

After bidding farewell to the members of the Knights, Henry quickly rode back to Coutenburg.

It was afternoon when they arrived in Kutenberg. The city seemed unusually quiet, but Henry knew that beneath this calm surface, undercurrents were surging.

He found Catherine and Lumir, and the three of them gathered together to analyze the intelligence they had gathered. They ruled out the elderly priest and the frail bard, and finally focused on one target—Sir Groll.

Henry pulled out the unidentified heraldic ring, which the learned Lumir immediately recognized as the heraldic ring of the Groll family.

Combined with the rumors that young master Grol was fond of womanizing and toying with common girls, the murderer was already obvious.

"Let's report him to the city hall!"

Henry suggested.

"But we still need evidence. Making baseless accusations against a nobleman will not only be rejected by the city hall, but we will also be punished."

Lumir reminded him.

Henry volunteered to break into the Grower family's apartment and found the girl's brown hair and bloodstained clothes in a closet in young Master Grower's bedroom. The innocent-looking young master even claimed it was just a personal collection.

"Although we have enough evidence to convict a commoner, it's not enough to bring down a nobleman," sighed Lumir, who has worked at the city hall for many years.

The brave Catherine came up with a "fishing" plan. The next day, she pretended to be pregnant with young master Grol's child to lure him out.

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, the old lady of the Grol family and the doorman came to the door. The mystery was revealed: it turned out that little Grol was just like his sick father, a scoundrel who would poke holes in anything he saw.

The father and son had impregnated many girls. Fearing the family scandal would be exposed and to prevent any more illegitimate children, the old lady ordered her strong guards to hunt down the girls, cut open their bellies, and prevent the discovery of the infants inside their corpses...

That whole family are animals!

Just as the old lady was triumphantly ordering the guards to kill Catherine, Henry and Lumière appeared and apprehended them, catching them red-handed.

But the city hall's verdict was completely unexpected; all the blame was ultimately placed on the doorman, who was quickly hanged. The Grower family was only fined a hefty sum for "negligence."

Late at night, Henry broke into the Groll family apartment again and executed old Sir Groll, young Master Groll, and the wicked old lady. Their blood was no more vibrant than that of ordinary people.

"Wrongdoing must have consequences! Lord Peter made me realize that even nobles who commit crimes should face a just trial."