But it was not because he wanted to indulge in the airs of the nobility, it was simply because it made avoiding trouble easier. Leaving the rolling hills of Chablis, the journey over the past month had become increasingly monotonous. Although the current state of law and order was collapsing, the bandits around the towns were mostly composed of farmers who could no longer make a living. In contrast, Brand's entourage of a dozen or twenty people, well-armed and looking like the descendants of nobles on an outing, naturally deterred these desperate individuals from easily provoking them.
However, as Brand saw the deserted farms along the way, he couldn't help but sigh a little.
