Though my Meisterhau proficiency wasn't high yet, I had no choice but to fight here. If I couldn't protect my retainer's family, I wasn't fit to be a knight. The first stance I took was the high stance with the sword extended upward, Vom Tag. Since they weren't surrounding me, I planned to cut down each enemy as they charged, one by one.
The opponents were thugs not even wearing armor, but I wasn't wearing armor, either.
I had to kill them in one strike, no exceptions. The moment I locked swords with one, another could target my back.
"Hans. While I'm fighting these guys, take the chance to escape with Sabine and the young knight."
"What are you saying? I'll fight too!"
"You have to protect your sister! That's an order!"
While I dealt with them, Hans could shield Sabine and the boy named Daniel. If hostages were taken in this situation, I might be forced into an impossible choice. Since surrendering was out of the question, I'd ultimately have to be prepared for sacrifice.
After pushing Hans back, my entire focus was on the thugs. The thugs exchanged glances, then rushed me all at once. However, thanks to them charging in a straight line, a one-on-one situation was created for a brief moment.
The thug who charged seeing my Vom Tag stance tried to close in and stab.
But what he overlooked was that my longsword had more reach than his shortsword.
I precisely gauged the distance, and the moment he entered range, I struck down at his head. Blood poured from the split face, and I immediately cut his windpipe with a thrust. A fair amount of blood splattered on me.
I killed a person for the first time.
The shock wasn't small, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Scheitelhau.
A technique to quickly strike down vertically at the opponent's head. And I had followed up with a thrust. After wrenching the corpse free from my longsword with a sideways cut, I faced the next charging thug. The second thug, eyes wild with fury, swung his sword recklessly.
These guys didn't know the first thing about swordsmanship.
The most important principle in German swordsmanship was seizing the initiative even when the opponent attacked.
Clang!
"Aaaagh!"
After instantly shifting to an Ochs guard and deflecting the downward strike, I immediately drove the sword tip into the opponent's neck. Schielhau. Called the squinting cut, it's a technique to deflect a reckless overhead strike from an untrained opponent and then finish them with a thrust. I followed the manual faithfully.
When two died instantly, the three remaining thugs, shaken by my skill, couldn't charge recklessly.
"Damn it! Neltz and Marco!"
"You! You'll never leave here alive!"
"Scheisse! Surround him! Don't attack alone!"
My heart pounded rapidly.
The hot blood soaking my body set my veins ablaze.
I wasn't naive about what killing a person meant. I'd steeled myself to some degree, but the psychological toll was real. However, what steadied my trembling legs was the knowledge that I had people to protect. Though my lips were parched, I didn't lose concentration.
Taking the Ochs stance, I watched for gaps as the thugs slowly closed in around me. The one directly in front of me was completely exposed. Surrounding with three was sound, but spacing too wide was a mistake. I'd strike first before they could coordinate.
That was the foundation of German swordsmanship. Switching from Ochs to Vom Tag and surging forward in an instant, the startled thug in front attempted a panicked overhead strike, but after receiving his blade, I cut across his neck while still engaged. A very clean and fluid combination.
Zwerchhau.
"S-spare me! Spare me!"
Blood erupted from his neck. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.
Watching their comrade thrash in a pool of blood, clinging to life, the faces of the remaining two filled with terror. But I had no intention of letting them live, for fear of future reprisal. I charged first at the one better positioned to escape.
"U-uaaah!"
The moment he faltered without properly defending, it was already over. I split his head and immediately pierced his windpipe with a thrust. The sound of my hammering heart grew loud enough to burst. Whew, whew. Calm down. One left. Time to finish this. The last surviving thug turned his gaze toward Hans, who was protecting Sabine and the boy.
He was thinking of taking hostages.
But since Hans was firmly holding his shield, the thug couldn't easily break through.
Though Hans hadn't learned proper shield techniques, he could at least block attacks.
However, this thug's opponent wasn't Hans. It was me.
Stab!
"Gurk!"
Thud.
I finished him off by driving my blade into the neck of the man who had taken his eyes off me.
Perhaps because the tension drained all at once, my legs nearly buckled.
If I collapsed after the fight was over, that would look truly pathetic.
I had to maintain some knightly composure in front of Hans and his sister.
Steadying my trembling hands, I sheathed my sword.
"Hans, are you okay?"
"Y-yes! Wolfgang, are you injured anywhere? The blood—there's so much blood!"
"It's not my blood, so don't make a fuss."
I felt a bit dizzy but put on a brave face. Turning my gaze to Sabine, she was still trembling with fear. The boy beside Sabine, on the other hand, was looking at me with a clearly different expression. Hmm, was that admiration? My shoulders puffed up involuntarily.
Oh no, getting cocky wasn't a good look, either.
Anyway, I couldn't easily calm the adrenaline coursing through me.
"Hans. Let's get out of here first."
"What about these corpses?"
"I'll have to notify the guards in this district. For now, take Sabine home."
"B-but Wolfgang..."
Hans hesitated, but the priority right now wasn't me. It was Sabine.
I collected the shortswords scattered on the ground and took them with me.
If I sold these, our household finances would improve a bit.
"I'll take care of myself. Right now, shouldn't you be comforting your family? And that boy's wound needs treating."
The boy had a cut on his arm. He had clearly been desperate to protect Sabine.
An admirable young knight. Eventually, Hans reluctantly took Sabine and the boy home first as I'd ordered. I headed to the nearby guards. Walking around drenched in blood, commoners were naturally startled and gave me a wide berth. The guards' eyes went wide when they saw me.
"Hey! You—that blood?"
"Wolfgang von Streit."
When my identity was revealed, the guards were dumbfounded.
A blood-soaked noble appearing out of nowhere was a bolt from the blue for them.
"What happened, with all that blood?"
"Criminal thugs from the slums attacked my attendant's sister. If you follow the bloodstains, you'll find five corpses. Go recover them and handle it quietly. It was self-defense."
"Understood. Sending the standby team!"
A noble killing commoners wasn't uncommon, and since I had dealt with the attackers under the justification of protecting my attendant's family, the matter was dismissed. I declined to make it a bigger affair. Besides, since the attackers were slum criminals, the guards didn't even investigate and deferred to my standing.
But this incident made me think the slum criminal organization might seek retaliation.
Having Sabine work at her aunt's house to repay their kindness was fine, but in the northeast district where I lived, slum forces couldn't freely run amok. At least the northeast district had patrols.