Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”Die here?” Buni took a step back. ”His injuries aren’t fatal at all. Don’t you dare try anything! If you keep this up, I’ll call the guards!”

”The guards? You mean those farmers? Don’t make me laugh!” Levi burst out laughing. ”In a backwater place like this, you call a bunch of farmers with pitchforks ’guards’? Go on! Call them all over! Stellan, as soon as they arrive, show them what kind of scum this Priest is! So greedy she’d let an innocent, injured man die for money!”

”Die from lack of treatment? No, Mr. Levi, you can’t...”

Hearing his employer’s merciless words, the injured Attendant on the stretcher could no longer lie still. However, before he could even struggle, the man in silks named Stellan turned his head. A deep blue flame lit up in his eye sockets, and the power of Arcane Magic bound the insignificant fellow firmly to the ground.

”Come now, Miss Buni. Let’s see if the guards here can enforce the law impartially, shall we?” Levi’s tone was aggressive. ”Stellan, all of you, watch and learn. We’re about to see what kind of laws the famous new Lord of Delusional Land has established.”

”Will they arrest this despicable, greedy Priest, or will they kick us unfortunate visitors from afar while we’re down?”

”Hey, do you take us all for blind men?”

Finally, the surrounding residents couldn’t take it anymore. Someone in the crowd shouted, ”We can let it slide if you want to throw your weight around in Cloud Port, but don’t even think about pulling that crap here! The people here are good, honest folk, and we won’t be manipulated or threatened by you!”

”Good, honest folk?” Levi acted as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world and turned around. ”Alright, ’good folk,’ if that’s how it is, then it looks like my friend will have to die here. Stellan, I wonder how the old-timers in the clan will react when they hear about this?”

”Without a doubt, they’ll impose unprecedented sanctions,” the man snorted. ”And the pressure will definitely fall on the town of Fromm, completely cutting off all trade!”

”I hear the Lord here was appointed by Old Victor? I wonder how Mayor Viktor will react when he finds out about this.”

”You’ve gone too far!”

”Gone too far? How so?” Levi Bengsen wore a smug, triumphant smile. ”According to your own rules here: anyone injured due to the local environment can receive free treatment at the church, and outsiders can even be given a sum of compensation depending on the severity of their injuries. We should be thanked for not demanding money from you, yet your Priest refuses to even satisfy our reasonable request? Is there no justice in this land?!”

”Is there no law?!”

Levi took a step toward Buni. His tall, powerful frame, combined with the shadow cast by the sun outside, completely enveloped the small Half-Elf in darkness. ”Miss Buni, I’ll ask you one more time: are you going to treat him or not?”

”It’s true that people injured by the environment of Delusional Land can get free treatment, but this man’s wound is clearly from a sword!” The poor Half-Elf mustered her last bit of courage to argue back. ”You may have tried to disguise it, but a friend of mine is an expert in these matters, and I’ve dabbled in it myself—you can’t fool me!”

”A sword wound? That’s right, it’s a sword wound!” Levi was completely unfazed. ”What, are you trying to say there are no bandits or robbers around here?”

”You—”

”Buni, treat him.”

Just as Buni’s psychological defenses were about to be shattered by the outsiders’ chaotic flurry of attacks, a voice came from outside the church, finally letting her breathe a sigh of relief.

’Thank heavens, they’re finally back.’

”Oh? It seems there’s someone in this city who knows how to be reasonable and see the big picture,” Levi sneered, turning his head just in time to see Ron’s party striding into the church, which housed several Deities. ”Who are you? Adventurers trying to make a living here?”

”This place is really not friendly to people like you—like us—who live on the edge,” the Bengsen said eloquently. ”Why not go to Cloud Port? The scenery is pleasant and beautiful, and there are tons of opportunities waiting for you! Your talents would surely be put to good use there!”

”And you are?” Ron stepped forward. After leading the team for so long, it was difficult for him to hide his status even if he wanted to. The man with the flat-top haircut had been staring at him ever since they entered.

”You may call me Sir Levi Bengsen, leader of this trial caravan from Cloud Port to Delusional Land. However, the Lord here and his subordinates are extremely cold and unfriendly, which is forcing me to reconsider our cooperation.”

”Right, I haven’t asked. And you are?”

”I’m that cold and unfriendly Lord,” Ron said, the corners of his mouth turning up as he caught a flicker of embarrassment on Levi’s face. ”Alright, Sir Bengsen, would you care to tell me the basis for your judgment?”

”So you’re this Ron? You’re so young.” Levi looked Ron up and down. ”You want to see my basis? Isn’t it lying right here on the ground? My friend was attacked by a monster in your territory. According to the laws you enacted, we requested assistance from this Miss Buni, but she decided to take advantage of our predicament and demand an exorbitant fee for treatment!”

”You call five Gold Coins an exorbitant fee?!” Now that Ron and the others were back, Buni had found her courage again and cried out, her voice thick with tears, ”Mr. Ron! They’re just here to cause trouble!”

”Oh, and by the way, this Miss Buni also tried to stir up trouble by claiming our friend here was wounded by a sword,” Levi said with a sneer. ”The Bengsen Clan will not tolerate such slander! Do you really think we need to resort to such excuses?”

”No need, of course, there’s no need,” Ron chuckled. ”While I’m no doctor, I know a thing or two about external injuries. Before he’s treated, I wonder if you’d let me take a look at the gentleman’s wounds?”

”Be my guest.” Levi shot Stellan a look. Stellan instantly tightened the magical bonds on the Attendant before releasing them again, making the man’s wounds even more severe.

”My, this is terrible!” Ron walked over to the stretcher, took one look, and cried out in alarm. ”Sir Bengsen, what on earth did your companion encounter? I’m afraid this was no ordinary beast!”

”Of course. We ran into a monster! An Owl Bear or... something else.” Levi went along with it, seeing no disadvantage in Ron making the situation sound so dire.

”No, no, no. In Cloud Port, you’ve surely never seen one of the monsters native to Delusional Land,” Ron said, spouting a made-up name in the Elf Language. ”This monster is not only incredibly strong, but its claws are also coated in a potent poison and carry disease! It’s a miracle your friend is still alive!”

”Sir, let me describe the monster’s appearance for you. Tell me if this is it.”

”Y-yes! Yes!” The Attendant, who was on the verge of death after being screwed over by his employers, nodded frantically. All he wanted now was for Ron to take pity on him and treat the wound Levi had given him. What Ron described was completely irrelevant.

”So? What’s the verdict?” Levi felt a smile tug at his lips as he saw Ron’s expression grow increasingly grim.

”The situation is critical. He’s beyond the point where ordinary healing methods will work,” Ron said, waving a hand behind him. ”Victoria, it’s time for the last resort.”

”You mean...?” The Priest could guess that Ron had no intention of actually healing him, but she still needed to confirm the plan.

”End his suffering, and then use Resurrection Magic,” Ron said, looking up at Levi and Stellan. ”As for the rest of you, you’re unaware, but the poison and disease from this (Elf Language) are contagious. Although there are no symptoms in the short term, waiting too long will certainly lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore, according to my diagnosis, the rest of you...”

”...will also have to die first.”