Outside the farmhouse,
a blond soldier was dragging a little girl of seven or eight by the arm. She had probably been found hiding in the cellar.
The girl's eyes were rimmed with red, her slight frame trembling uncontrollably, yet not a single tear fell.
"You bastards—when Brother Siegfried comes back, none of you will get away!"
Perhaps the thought of this Brother Siegfried gave her courage. Suddenly, the girl sank her teeth into the soldier's arm.
The blond soldier winced in pain and raised his hand to slap her across the face.
"You little peasant dare bite me!"
"Hey, Lord Knight, she's just a child who doesn't know better. Please don't stoop to her level."
Siegfried had just stepped out of the dilapidated farmhouse when he saw the scene. He hurried forward to block the soldier's slap, his face full of fawning flattery.
"Lord, why bother getting angry with a kid? You're here for grain, right? I'll tell you where the storehouse is. Us common folk farm the land precisely to support noble knights like yourself."
As he spoke, he subtly pulled the girl behind him. He acted exactly like a genuine country bumpkin who couldn't tell the difference between an ordinary soldier and a knight.
The blond soldier grew even angrier when he saw this rural idiot daring to stand in his way.
He flipped his rifle around and drove the butt hard into Siegfried's stomach.
Siegfried instantly felt his insides churn, the pain doubling him over.
"Cough… cough…"
His face twisted in agony, yet he still wore an ingratiating smile. Only his pitch-black eyes grew colder.
Not satisfied, the blond soldier jabbed the rifle butt into various parts of Siegfried's body several more times before finally stopping.
"Follow me. Tell the captain everything you know."
"Yes, yes."
Enduring the pain coursing through his body, Siegfried turned and leaned close to the little girl's ear, his voice gentle.
"Little Towa, be good. Don't cry or make a fuss. Listen carefully—go to the square and find your mom and dad, then… got it?"
Little Towa's eyes were already bright red. The clever girl understood that Brother Siegfried was taking the punishment for her.
"But you…"
"I'm fine. Go, quick!"
"Mm…"
Only after watching the girl leave, glancing back with every step, did Siegfried plaster a smile on his face again and bow forward.
"Lord Knight, shall we go?"
"Hmph."
The blond soldier shot Siegfried a disdainful glance. He genuinely despised this kind of spineless fool who played hero despite having no ability.
[Sir. Wanderer, he is no match for you.]
"I know."
Siegfried was mentally on full alert and unwilling to waste a single word.
He was not as calm inside as he appeared. Everyone knew the principle of capturing the king first—even monkeys understood it. The problem was that this "king" would not be so easy to capture…
The female knight Katalinna was riding her horse on patrol through the village. As a knight, she truly did not want to engage in something as base as robbery, but circumstances left her no choice.
"If His Highness learned what happened today, she would be furious…"
Katalinna shook her head bitterly.
Just as she was tormented by guilt, she spotted one of her soldiers approaching with a handsome young man wearing a headscarf.
"What's going on?"
The female knight's voice was crisp and icy, showing none of the earlier hesitation.
"Lord, this commoner says he can lead us to the village storehouse."
Katalinna frowned. "You're willing to take us to the village storehouse?"
"Yes, Lord Knight. Our village stored quite a lot of grain last year. As long as you spare the villagers—no, even if you only spare me—all that grain is yours. I absolutely won't speak a word about today. I know the rules."
The man stood half-bowed, his face covered in an obsequious smile.
This reminded the female knight of the fat, useless ministers back at court who achieved nothing yet clung to power.
She felt nothing but disgust for someone who would abandon all conscience and dignity just to survive—even though she herself was about to become one of them.
Her voice grew several degrees colder.
"We will only take a portion of the grain. As long as you cooperate, we will not harm the villagers."
"Oh~ Thank you for your mercy and generosity. Your character is truly admirable!"
For some reason, Katalinna felt there was something off about that statement.
"Lead the way."
Siegfried extended his hand and pointed toward the center of the village.
"It's not hard to find—just the big storehouse in the middle of the village. Follow the path straight ahead. There's quite a lot, though. One or two people probably can't move it all. Maybe I should call the villagers to—"
"No need."
Katalinna cut him off coldly and turned to give orders to the blond soldier about transporting the grain.
Siegfried naturally seized the opening.
"Chagnon, give me this woman's data."
[Querying…]
[Query complete.]
Name: Katalinna
Female, 20 years old
Race: Human
Alignment: Order
Class: Grand Knight
Guardian knight of the Moen royal family. Half a year ago, during the palace coup, she escorted the crown prince she served out of the capital. After the civil war broke out, she has been fleeing until reaching this place.
Specializations: Spear Technique 63% (Proficient), Horsemanship 61% (Proficient)
Martial Skills: [Knight Charge] [Shield Stance: Unbreakable] [Taunting Roar] …
Ability Stats:
Strength: B+
Agility: B+
Magic: C
Intelligence: D
Luck: D
Charisma: C
Overall Rating: B+
Hm?
A knight of the crown princess?
Siegfried raised an eyebrow—surprised, yet not surprised.
Chagnon had probably known the female knight's identity all along, which was why it issued this mission.
Her master was almost certainly that Princess Kriemhild who had been driven from the capital.
If he could take her down and pry open her mouth, he could complete both stage missions at once and return to reality.
But it wouldn't be that simple…
Siegfried recalled the female knight Katalinna's data.
Overall rating B+—more than a full tier above his own.
From observing the villagers these past few days, he had realized that humans in this world generally possessed far superior physical qualities compared to people on Earth.
Ordinary children and elderly villagers rated E overall, yet that already equated to the physical ability of a normal Earth adult.
Villagers who had received basic sword training or were particularly robust rated D—roughly equivalent to top-tier special forces soldiers.
Only one person in the village rated above C: Siegfried himself.
His physical condition surpassed even the very best athletes on Earth. With this body, he could sprint 100 meters in under 7 seconds.
And this female knight rated B+…
That was likely far beyond anything Siegfried had imagined possible for a human.
"Hey, are you sure this is an enemy that should appear in a beginner tutorial?"
[We will not issue missions you cannot complete. Please utilize all available resources to defeat the enemy.]
[Additionally, treat this as a real world. You may do anything you wish to a captive.]
"Tch. No need to say that out loud."
Siegfried clicked his tongue. The pair nearby had finally finished their discussion.
The blond soldier gathered the other six soldiers and set off toward the storehouse.
Katalinna turned her horse away, no longer looking at Siegfried, and casually dismissed him.
"Thank you for the information. You may return now. Once we have taken sufficient grain, we will leave."
"Yes, yes. Uh… Lord Knight, our village storehouse is rather large. Those seven officers alone might not be enough to—"
Katalinna did not turn back. This despicable man was making her increasingly impatient.
"That is not for you to worry about! The seven men I brought are all seasoned, outstanding warriors. Do not measure them with your narrow vision!"
"Oh, I see…
So you're the only one left here?"
A whisper—so soft it was almost inaudible, yet laced with utmost malice—drifted from behind Katalinna.
In that instant, a chill shot up from the base of her spine and raced along her back.
She whipped around and saw that the groveling man now stood straight as a wintry pine.
In his left hand he held a black-covered book; his right hand brushed across its pages, and a gleaming longsword materialized out of thin air.
The moment he gripped the sword, Siegfried's presence exploded outward. The turf beneath his feet was blasted apart in a ring.
He flung the handbook toward Katalinna and kicked off the ground with both feet, launching himself forward like a cannonball.
The Wanderer's Handbook flipped open mid-air, displaying its owner's current status data.
Name: Siegfried
Race: Wanderer
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Hero Candidate
Strength: A
Agility: A
Magic: C
Intelligence: A
Luck: B
Charisma: B
Overall Rating: A!
The [Grand Knight]'s keen senses sent every hair on Katalinna's body standing on end!
Almost simultaneously, she swept her knight's lance aside, knocking away the flying black handbook.
Behind the book, a grim face lunged straight at her!
The earlier servility had vanished like an illusion, replaced by a chilling intent to kill.
In that moment, Katalinna suddenly recalled her very first lesson as a child beginning knight training, when her instructor had told her…
"Katalinna, remember this: the most elite hunters in this world often appear in the guise of prey."