99: Can't you be a little more polite?

The sky, as black as if soaked in ink, poured down heavy rain that, driven by the gale, raged wildly across most of the northwestern territories of the Pedan Kingdom.

Rumble—!

Accompanied by the sound of thunder and lightning that resembled the roar of a god, the entire sky continuously flickered with a terrifying mixture of white, blue, and purple light.

Near the buffer zone on the eastern edge of the Ironthorn Territory, the environment was a hazy mist of rain with extremely low visibility.

A troop of about twenty riders braved the tyrannical wind and rain, galloping toward the Ironthorn Territory.

However, due to the excessive rain, the dirt ground had long since turned into a muddy mess; every step of the horses' hooves sank deep into it, making it extremely difficult to lift them back out.

Amidst the whistling sound of the wind and rain, a shouting voice suddenly rang out from the horse troop.

"Boss, this rain is too damn heavy! I can barely keep my eyes open!"

"Yeah, Boss, the ground is so sticky the horses can hardly move."

"What's the panic? Isn't the Ironthorn Territory just ahead? Everyone follow me there to rest and recover. While we're at it, we'll make a quick score to compensate for the suffering we've endured."

"Ironthorn Territory... isn't that the place that's dirt-poor?"

"Boss, why are we going there? I heard Baron Daniel of the neighboring Black Bear Territory is quite wealthy. Wouldn't it be better for us to go there and squeeze him for some benefits?"

"You idiot, is that Daniel from the Black Bear Territory someone to be trifled with?"

"I heard that guy isn't simple at all. The 'Axe Gang' that used to compete with us for territory disappeared right after entering his lands."

"Provoking a baron whose depths we don't know might not end well for us, but the Ironthorn Territory is completely different."

"Ha! Talk about a coincidence. As far as I know, their lord is the same baron we once attacked when he was passing through the Emerald Territory."

"Although we didn't manage to rob him back then, have you forgotten how cowardly that little baron looked? Haha, he was just a step away from wetting his pants."

"Even though the Ironthorn Territory is poor, at least we can safely pull off a job. That's more important than anything else, you blockheads. Do you understand?"

"Boss is wise!"

"We'll all listen to the Boss!"

As the sounds of praise rose one after another, the horse troop drew closer and closer to the borders of the Ironthorn Territory... "Lord Lister, here is some freshly warmed milk."

In a room that appeared quite old due to a lack of cleaning, Red held a cup of steaming milk and carefully handed it to Lister.

In truth, whenever a large group went out on business, Red and the others almost always carried alcohol.

However, because Lister hadn't been particularly obsessed with alcohol in his previous life, he didn't resist it, but since coming to this world...

Aside from drinking heavily during celebratory banquets, he rarely drank at all.

Therefore, ever since Thomas instructed Red, every time they went out...

No matter who accompanied Lister, the daily supplies they carried would always include extra milk or other beverages.

Lister, sitting in a seat directly facing the main door, took the milk, blew on it, took a sip, and said, "Red, are the others and the horses all settled?"

Red, holding a cup of similarly warmed fruit wine, sat in a seat to the side and nodded. "The other brothers have been arranged to rest and wait in several other houses. The horses are also hitched in the stables at the bottom of the slope."

"Although these houses are a bit small, they happen to be situated on a small high slope, providing an excellent view for observing anyone coming from outside the territory."

"And the stables are right at the bottom of the slope near the inner side of the territory. Looking from outside the territory toward this spot, one can't see the existence of the stables at all."

"It's just that I'm a bit curious, Lord Lister—why did you choose this place to rest?"

Hearing this, Lister gave him a meaningful look.

In his view, Red, who had followed him for so long, could surely guess roughly what he intended to do, yet he still asked.

This act of appearing to know very little to let a superior explain things could only be described as Red truly mastering the art of handling superior-subordinate relations.

However, this was also a result of his personality; there was nothing wrong with it. As long as the result was loyalty to him, the way the process was presented didn't really matter.

He took a sip of the milk in his cup, curled his lips, and said cryptically, "You'll find out very soon."

Red was taken aback upon hearing this, but he didn't ask any further.

Actually, he had wanted to fish for some advance information from Lister so that he could be a step ahead of the others in showing his worth later.

After all, he had recently noticed that the guys under him were all competing to prove themselves in front of Lister.

Especially that blunt lad Spartacus; although his achievements and strength weren't as high as Red's yet...

With that boy's terrifying talent, he might surpass Red in the near future.

If that happened, he, the veteran Knight Captain from the original group, would be a laughingstock.

Therefore, while feeling no small amount of pressure, he would think of ways to demonstrate his utility.

Part of it was to avoid losing face, and part of it was for the sake of his own position.

Of course, the most important thing was to prove his loyalty to Lister.

Regardless, he knew that Lister would never take them out to do something that wasted time; there was definitely a purpose behind it.

This much could be seen from the many miracles Lister had displayed before.

Accompanied by the sound of the torrential rain that roared like magical beasts, Lister and his group waited calmly inside the room.

Over an hour later, amidst the noisy rain, the faint sound of 'clatter, clatter' from horse hooves reached the ears of Lister and the others.

Because he had given instructions in advance, not a single knight or Soldier in the other houses moved; they waited quietly inside.

Soon, the sound of hoofbeats grew heavier until they stopped not far outside the house.

"Boss, our luck is really good. I didn't expect to find a house right here on the edge of the Ironthorn Territory."

"The luck is indeed quite good. Come on, brothers, let's go take a look together."

A moment later, the horse troop arrived in front of the house.

A young man wearing leather armor slid off his horse in a hurry, ran to Lister's door, and banged on it forcefully, shouting:

"Hey, hey, hey! Is anyone inside? Come out quickly! If you're late, watch out or I'll kill you!"

Just as he finished speaking, the burly man at the head of the horse troop, wearing black armor and looking somewhat weathered, leaped from his horse and kicked down the young man who was knocking.

Standing firm, he scolded with a look of disappointment as if his subordinate were beyond help, "You brat, what are you doing? How many times have I told you? We're thieves, not maniacal killers. Can't you be a bit more civil?"

"Hehe! Boss, wasn't I just trying to show off your prestige?" The young man laughed flatteringly.

"Scram! Watch and learn. I'll demonstrate for you, and the rest of you do the same."

After the burly man cursed him out, he straightened his clothes and, while knocking 'gently' on the door, said with what he thought was a gentle smile:

"Excuse me, is anyone inside? We're thieves. The rain outside is too heavy; could we borrow your house to take shelter?"