The company first arrived at Birch Village in the south.
From a distance, the village looked incredibly desolate.
Only a few people were working in the fields, and several farmhouse roofs had already fallen into disrepair.
When the villagers saw the lord's banner, they all knelt in reverence.
Wulfrik noticed they were thin and sallow, their eyes filled with fear.
"Elder, please stand and speak."
Wulfrik helped up a white-haired old man.
"How was this year's harvest? Why are the taxes overdue?"
The elder answered tremblingly: "My lord, it's not that we deliberately defaulted—it's just that... it's just that..."
His gaze flickered, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Just then, a blood-covered young man stumbled over: "My lord! Help us! Black Mountain bandits attacked Mill Village and captured over a dozen young people!"
Wulfrik's heart jolted.
The Black Mountain bandits were a fierce group entrenched in the southern border mountains. Previously, they only came down to raid during winter when food was scarce. Now it was midsummer—why were they suddenly active?
"How many bandits were there?"
"Two or three hundred."
Guard Captain Wagner immediately suggested: "Young master, we should return to the castle immediately and gather more forces..."
"There's no time."
Wulfrik decisively ordered: "Follow me to Mill Village!"
Hearing this, Wagner said no more. If not for concerns about Wulfrik's safety, he would have ordered an attack long ago.
Just two or three hundred bandits—though they outnumbered them, there was no way they could match the combat power of this hundred-strong elite knight company.
As guards of the Sowerbright family, every member of this knight company was carefully selected, well-trained, equipped with fine knight's armor, and even their warhorses were far superior to ordinary mounts.
Wulfrik led the knight squad in a swift advance toward Mill Village.
Along the way, they encountered several villagers who had escaped from the village, confirming the Black Mountain bandits' atrocities.
The terror and helplessness of these villagers further strengthened Wulfrik's determination to quickly suppress the bandits and protect his people.
When Wulfrik's team reached Mill Village, the scene before him filled him with rage.
Several houses were burning, injured villagers lay on the ground, and the cries of women and children rose and fell.
"Which direction did the bandits go?"
Wulfrik asked an injured villager.
"West... the western mountain road..."
The villager answered painfully.
"Everyone listen up!" Wulfrik's voice rang out strong and clear.
"Full pursuit!"
The knights were amazed by Wulfrik's decisiveness and all obeyed his command.
The company then began pursuing the trail left by the Black Mountain bandits. Since they were burdened with a group of villagers who couldn't move quickly, the bandits weren't moving fast.
Before long, Wulfrik and his men spotted a group of bandits wearing black leather armor and carrying weapons, driving a crowd of bound villagers toward the forest.
Wulfrik's gaze was sharp as he quickly analyzed the situation and decided to adopt a swift assault strategy.
He whispered to Wagner: "Captain Wagner, take some men and attract their attention from the front. I'll take the rest and circle around from the side to catch them off guard."
Wagner nodded in agreement, then led part of the knights forward on horseback, shouting challenges at the bandits and drawing their attention.
Meanwhile, Wulfrik led the remaining knights silently around to the bandits' flank.
At this point, the Black Mountain bandits also spotted Wagner's group.
A bandit ran frantically to their leader Hans, saying in terror: "Chief, trouble! Sowerbright family cavalry are chasing us!"
Hearing this, the surrounding bandits immediately fell into chaos.
Bandit leader Hans panicked. He hadn't expected the Sowerbright family cavalry to catch up so quickly.
They were still over a thousand meters from the forest—two legs could never outrun four, no matter what.
Though the charging cavalry looked like only a few dozen riders while they had over three hundred men, Hans knew his own people. His subordinates were fine for bullying unarmed villagers, but against regular troops, they were just a rabble.
However, Hans had no choice now. In this area without any cover, if they turned to flee facing charging cavalry, it would be a massacre.
Now, only by fighting to the death might they have a slim chance.
Hans took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his panic, and roared: "Brothers, don't be afraid! They're few in number. If we can withstand the first charge, we'll have a chance to escape into the forest!"
"Pick up your weapons and charge with me!"
With that, Hans grabbed his weapon and led the charge.
Under Hans's incitement, though the bandits were still afraid, they mustered their courage, drew their weapons, and prepared for battle.
At this moment, Wagner's knight company had already engaged the bandits head-on. The sounds of hoofbeats, clashing weapons, and battle cries merged into one, dust flew everywhere, and the fighting was extremely intense.
Wulfrik led the flanking knight company, quietly waiting for the optimal moment to strike.
He stared intently at the battlefield, looking for weaknesses in the bandit lines.
Finally, when the bandit formation briefly loosened due to confusion, Wulfrik decisively ordered: "Charge!"
At Wulfrik's command, the knights shot forward like arrows from a bow, their hooves thundering against the ground.
Their swords gleamed coldly in the sunlight as they struck at the bandits' vital points.
The bandits never expected enemies to appear from the side. Their formation immediately collapsed, and their defensive line crumbled instantly.
Seeing this, Hans's face darkened. He knew the tide had turned, but still refused to accept defeat.
He swung the great sword in his hands, fighting desperately to try to turn the battle around.
However, under the pincer attack from Wulfrik and Wagner's two knight companies, the Black Mountain bandits' resistance grew weaker and weaker.
After fierce fighting, the bandits were either dead or wounded, and the survivors had thrown down their weapons and surrendered.
Hans was also personally captured by Wulfrik, his eyes filled with unwillingness and despair.
After the battle ended, Wulfrik immediately organized the knights to treat the wounded and comfort the frightened villagers.
The villagers looked at the brave knights with eyes full of gratitude and awe.
They came forward to thank Wulfrik for saving their lives, while Wulfrik smiled and comforted them: "Don't worry, everyone. From now on, I won't let any bandits disturb our villages again."
Wulfrik then announced he was waiving their taxes for the year and would arrange food relief for them.
Amid the villagers' overwhelming gratitude, Wulfrik sent several cavalry to escort the rescued villagers back to their village.
...
Wulfrik stood on a small hill, overlooking the guard knights cleaning up the battlefield.
Three bodies covered with silver eagle banners lay neatly arranged to one side. The seriously wounded had been bandaged by their comrades, while the lightly wounded continued helping with the aftermath.
"What's the battle report?" Wulfrik's voice carried unquestionable authority beneath its calm surface.
Guard Captain Wagner knelt on one knee, the blood on his armor still wet: "Reporting, young master: two hundred and ten bandits killed, one hundred and thirty-five captured."
"Including one bandit leader. No one escaped."