Hadley immediately denied everything and signaled to his men to stir up the refugees into crying out in his defense.
"Bandits are everywhere these days. We came to work under the lord of our own free will, just to fill our stomachs."
"The knight is a good man. Our lord is a good man too. Please spare him."
Nolan only gave a cold smile. His sharp gaze locked onto Hadley.
"My lord, why not tell them the truth yourself?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hadley bit his lip and shook his head stubbornly.
Nolan nodded slightly.
"Good. A tough one indeed. Worthy of a noble of the Golden Dynasty."
Before the words had fully settled, his blade flashed.
Hadley's hand fell to the ground.
A shrill scream tore from his throat. His face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down his temples.
His eyes bulged with terror. He opened his mouth, gasping, trying to speak.
Too late.
The second strike came without pause.
His forearm was severed cleanly.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Nolan looked down at the scene and let out a faint sigh, almost sympathetic.
"You still won't speak? I'll give you that, you're stubborn. But that's fine. There's plenty left of you. We can take our time."
The look on his face carried an odd trace of pity.
To Hadley, however, he was nothing less than a demon.
"Please! Spare me! I'll tell you everything!"
The pain and terror finally broke him.
"The bandits who raided the villages… I sent them."
His voice trembled as he confessed.
"I only meant to seize some wealth and use the excuse of suppressing bandits to raise taxes."
"I never ordered them to kill at will. And I told them not to strip the villages bare."
"After all… these people are still of some use to me…"
He tried to soften his crimes at first, but under that cold stare, he could only speak plainly.
In truth, the moment the first blade fell, most of his forced bravado had already collapsed.
The second strike had simply come too fast for him to beg.
The words that spilled from his mouth were monstrous.
Vyke stood there, stunned.
In the past, when he had followed warriors into battle, they had fought for honor. Wealth and land had never seemed within their grasp.
He had never imagined such calculated cruelty.
Only now did he realize that the hearts of men here were far darker than he had thought.
The farmers erupted in anger.
How many families had been torn apart by those bandits?
And all this time, they had been working for the very man who orchestrated it.
At the thought of it, some of the farmers were so furious they wanted to slap themselves for being so blind.
Nolan looked at them and spoke clearly.
"I am Tarnished, returned by fate's summons. From this day forward, this land is under my protection."
"If you choose to stay, your labor will be repaid as it should be."
"Runes or grain, you will earn them with your own hands."
In these chaotic times, the common people wanted very little.
They did not dream of fine meals every day. Most did not even dare to hope for a full stomach.
To avoid starving to death was already enough.
Before his words had fully faded, Nolan's blade flashed.
Hadley's head fell to the ground.
Blood spread across the soil.
Vyke finally came back to himself and blurted out,
"Lord Nolan, he was a Golden noble. You executed him just like that…"
"Did he not deserve it?" Nolan asked.
Vyke hesitated, then nodded firmly.
"He did."
"My back is supported by the people."
Nolan smiled faintly at the answer and looked back at the crowd.
"If that is so, who here can judge me?"
His gaze moved slowly across the faces before settling on Vyke.
Vyke faltered. He truly had no answer.
Nolan's smile was impossible to read.
The more he stood beside him, the more unfathomable he seemed.
If there were anyone certain to defeat Nolan, it would have to be someone at the level of a Demigod.
The thought surfaced in Vyke's mind unbidden.
Then he almost laughed at himself.
Someone who could only be defeated by a Demigod would be among the rarest figures in the Lands Between.
How could such a person casually appear and choose to walk beside him?
"Val."
Nolan turned from the murmuring crowd and beckoned.
Val hurried over at once.
"I await your command."
"Can I trust you?" Nolan asked with a smile.
Val straightened immediately, his face full of eager devotion.
"My lord, even if you asked me to walk through fire or blades, I would not hesitate."
His sincerity was so exaggerated it was almost impressive.
"Lock up the Morton family retainers for now. As for the Kaiden mercenaries…"
Nolan paused, considering.
"Leave them to me," Val said quickly. "They are mercenaries. Pay them well, and they will not care who they serve."
Nolan nodded.
House retainers raised from childhood by a noble were bound by loyalty. They could not be left free.
The Kaiden mercenaries were different.
They were sellswords at heart, no different from the Cuckoo Knights. They followed coin, nothing more.