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“Isn’t this different from what you promised, you coward?!”

“You dirty bastard! You call yourself a priest?!”

Their audacity was unbelievable. These vile bandits dared to lecture me on the righteousness of a priest, accusing me of breaking my word. I couldn\'t just stand by and let them slander. As soon as I lifted my mace, the bandits fell silent. Like Pavlov’s dogs salivating to a bell, these bandits had been trained to shut up whenever I raised my mace.

“Robin, good work.”

I lowered my mace again, praising Robin for his efforts. Though Robin looked like a gruff country bumpkin, he loved receiving compliments. With a proud expression, he nodded, and the bandits began to speak up once more.

“What about Brother Klebang? What happened to him? Did you kill him?”

Wham!

I smashed the head of the bandit who was the first to start babbling useless nonsense. The bandits held their breaths when they saw the helmet looking like a tuna can crushed in a press. I said, wiping the blood off my mace.

“You’re bandits who prey on the innocent, yet you think you can talk about right and wrong? By law, those who operate a bandit group that harms civilians are sentenced to death. Given the severity of your crimes, it’s only fitting that all of you die.”

“You filthy bastard!”

The bandits began to scream in outrage. I ordered the soldiers to draw their swords and cut them down swiftly, silencing all seven bandits in an instant. The soldiers drove their swords into the corpses sprawled across the ground, their frustration evident as they repeatedly slashed the bodies of the bandits that had caused so much trouble.

“Display their bodies in the streets.”

Afterward, I went to meet Sieri. When I arrived at the church, Sieri was sweeping the yard early in the morning. When I waved to her, she stammered on how to respond. Finally, she set her broom aside and placed her hands together in a formal bow. Though it was the correct way to greet a lord, the way she almost dropped the broom was amusing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“M-My Lord!”

“Sieri, you doing good? How are the bandit brothers doing these days?”

“Well, I haven\'t heard from them since they came to church last time... They seemed to be trying to adapt to the village.”

I took Sieri’s hand. She looked at me, her face bright red with surprise. Pulling her gently toward me, I said.

“Would you mind coming with me for a moment? There was some commotion between the knights and guards, and bandits today.”

Hearing this, Sieri\'s expression grew serious as she followed, likely assuming there were injured in need of prayers or aid. However, what I intended to show her wasn’t something so innocent. I led Sieri up the mountain path. Along the way, there were a few dropped coins and signs of a hasty escape through the grass. As we moved deeper into a deserted area, Sieri looked slightly bewildered.

“My Lord?”

I ignored Sieri’s questions and led her deeper. As we passed through the overgrown grass, a thin dirt path came into view. Sieri frowned, sensing the foul smell beyond the path. But I gently pulled Sieri forward, who was hesitant to move. She grabbed my clothes nervously.

“My Lord.”

“It’s okay, Sieri. I’m here.”

If I asked her to call me Lucius here, I\'d probably look crazy. I gave Sieri a reassuring smile to make a good impression and pulled her along. She followed me, taking small steps. As we got closer, the foul smell gradually filled our nostrils. Sieri realized that the things lying on the ground were corpses and clung tightly to me, shivering. ṛ

“My Lord?”

“Sieri. Look here.”

“My Lord… What is this?”

What Sieri was looking at were corpses. The bodies of four people who had lived in the village not long ago. And in addition to that, the corpse of another man, presumably a bandit. They were all my creations. I asked with a sorrowful gaze.

“Do you know who they are?”

Sieri held back her fear as she slowly looked at the corpses. Even without examining them closely, the bodies showed enough distinct features to make their identities easy to recognize. I had deliberately avoided touching their faces, and the third or fourth had died with just a stab to the heart. Meanwhile, flies clung to the blankly staring face of the second.... Sieri’s expression shifted from fear to surprise, then to a mixture of emotions.

“… It’s them. Why… were they attacked by other bandits?”

“They ignored the kindness I showed them. They sold the field and house I provided, and tried to return to the bandits.”

“Why…?”

“When I learned this from the watchman and rushed over, they had already been killed by this bandit here. I had no choice but to kill this man who was trying to silence me as well.”

“Why…

Sieri seemed visibly shaken by the story I’d told her.

Of course, it was all a lie. It was a setup from the beginning. I’d had Klebang threaten the four bandits, and even if they’d risked death to report the truth to me, I had no intention of supporting them. Why go to such lengths? Beyond gaining Sieri’s affection, I needed to prevent her from constantly questioning my methods. I stroked her hair and let my hand trail down over her shoulder.

“That\'s how bandits are. Do you understand, Sieri? Their way of thinking is different from ours. Just as we live for God, these people live for their leader and organization. People like us could never understand those who gather strength just to plunder from others.”

“Still, even so, we should gather our strength to understand them….”

“Sieri, if I were even a little weaker and that bandit had killed me, what would happen to this estate? Wouldn’t the kind lord from the neighboring territory step in to oversee it?”

Sieri shuddered at the mention of that tanned-blonde f*cker. I gave her a sorrowful look and said.

“I may be a religious person, but I am also a lord governing a territory. Sieri, there are times when we must act in ways that go against the teachings of the Great Celestial Church. I wanted to show you this, Sieri—that not everyone is good. These kinds of tragic outcomes are the result.”

“... Did you know everything from the beginning, My Lord?”

“Let’s just say I didn’t foresee it would end up this horribly, Sieri. I don’t want you to hate me.”

“Yes?”

“As I run the estate, I may have to be far more ruthless than you might think, Sieri. But that’s the only way to protect it. Do you understand? To defend my people, I must be ready to wield a sword without hesitation. You’ve seen it yourself—we’re people of faith, yet we face those who don’t uphold its teachings. If I show even the slightest weakness, people will try to take advantage of it.”

“I... understand.”

Sieri nodded. Flies buzzed noisily around us. As the sun rose, the heat caused the corpses to gradually decompose. The stench of blood mingled with the humid, earthy smell, created a foul odor. I hugged her tightly and said.

“Whatever cruel decisions I may have to make in the future, I hope you won’t hate me for them.”

“Yes…..”

Sieri nodded. That\'s right. Oh, how much effort it had taken to hear her say that one word. I could have barked at her to stop interfering in my work, but then I’d never win her over. I had to coax and persuade her that what I was doing was justified. I could feel her trembling slightly. It seems she\'s been in this gruesome setting for too long. Holding her hand, I spoke gently.

“Then shall we go?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Sieri.”

“Yes.”

“Can I be a little spoiled sometimes?”

“Spoiled?”

“When I do things that go against the doctrine and my body and mind are weary, I need a place to rest too, don\'t I? Can you keep me company then?”

“W-well, if you want…”

Sieri blushed as she nodded. Then, I said before we had reached the village.

“Can you call me Lucius?”

“Uh…. Lu, Lucius…..”

“Good job.”

I hugged her tightly and then continued walking forward. Along the way, I instructed a guard to retrieve the bodies and display them in the streets.

For the next three days, the bodies of the bandits and the four brothers were hung out in the marketplace. The boss’ body, standing a full head taller than the others, bore a sign reading [Leader]. The others had signs reading [Guilty of conspiring with the leader to plunder the village].

The corpses of the four brothers were displayed separately, with a sign that read:

[These four were granted a pardon, land, and a home by Lord Peta Lucius, yet they committed a grave act of betrayal. They sold everything and attempted to rejoin the bandit group. In the process, they were killed by their fellow bandits who coveted their wealth. It was a ridiculous thing. Let this serve as a lesson that no further pardons shall be granted to bandits within the Peta estate.]

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