บท 10: Chapter 10 World 1: The Explosive Rise of Banditry!
"Holy shit..." Pete exclaimed as he looked at the aftermath of Lydia's strategy.
His first ambush ever since becoming a bandit, where the injuries and deaths totaled zero on his side. Pete was shocked, confused, and in disbelief that a woman could do something he's been doing for most of his life better than he could. It was a small consolidation in his heart that this wasn't just any woman but John's woman. That freak of nature who could probably crush a man with his pinky.
"I'm glad we didn't have to resort to Plan B." Lydia happily smiled.
If the soldiers didn't fall for Six's act and he didn't return with them, things might've gotten riskier for the bandits. All in all, Lydia was satisfied with her first ambush as leader of the Golden Snakes. For the soldiers that managed to escape their encirclement, she left it to Pete to deal with. Pete had soldiers waiting out at the town exits to ambush any fleeing horses or soldiers.
"You're going to keep Captain Frank around, right? He's more useful to use alive than dead." Lydia asked.
"Yeah, the fool doesn't even know what happened here. Someone that dumb needs to be used like the sucker he is." Pete agreed.
"What's our next plan, leader?" Lydia felt giddy to call Pete leader.
She finally felt like she was actually a Black Snake now! No longer was she just John's wife. But she was the Boss of the Golden Snakes! A capable bandit in her own right.
"It'll take a long time before anyone finds out about the deaths of these guys. So, we got probably until next year before we have to be prepared for any retaliation if they can find out it was us. If they can't, we have years to consolidate our power in Desmont before spreading to other places." Pete shared.
"Do you plan to become a noble through achievements?" Lydia thought far ahead.
"I shouldn't be surprised that you were able to guess it." Pete sighed.
"Instead of bandits, you're going to label us as mercenaries. Then, as we claim victory upon victory on the battlefield as mercenaries, you'll eventually be granted nobility through the gift of land or through marriage..." Lydia's mind raced as she realized just how far-sighted Pete's planning was. "Wow, you're amazing to think so far into the future, Pete..."
"..." A smart woman was indeed scary. Not to Pete's liking in the slightest...
"Since you can't buy a noble title, the only way to gain nobility is through one's service to the military or marriage. Excluding birth, of course." Lydia continued on. "Have you figured out which direction you plan to go? Marriage or mercenary work?"
"With the performance of the Golden Snakes today, I'm more inclined to mercenary work now."
"Well, just let us know when you have more work. In the meantime, we'll be training to prepare for battle once more." Lydia smiled as she made her way off the roof toward her husband.
"I really struck gold picking up those two..." Pete muttered to himself.
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Years passed, and no one was able to connect the disappearance of General Gordon's troops to the Black Snakes. Pete used this time to form his official mercenary group, Hydra. With Lydia's help through her information network, he was able to successfully spread the name and prowess of his mercenary group far and wide throughout the region. Although many nobles looked down on the commoner-filled mercenary group, eventually, there came a point where beggars weren't allowed to be choosers. A young noble lady at a marriageable age met Pete in Desmont.
"I will pay you and your men if you join my father's army to help repel our enemy." Lady Hestia looked down on Pete.
"I'm sorry, Lady Hestia. My band of mercenaries and I are not lacking in coinage. From what I know, the noble your father is trying to defend himself against has an army of 1,000 men. While your father only has an army of 500, with some of them being commoners with no military training whatsoever." Pete shrugged his shoulders as if he was helpless.
"...!" Lady Hestia bit her bottom lip in frustration. How did this commoner know about the situation of their land so well?! "If not money, then what is it that you want?!"
"I'm aware that you are not yet married, am I correct, Lady Hestia?" Pete asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?" She was confused.
"Let's say that my men and I successfully repel Lord Edmund. Instead of coinage, how about I take your hand in marriage instead?"
"You knave!" Lady Hestia shot up from her seat.
"You don't have to accept, Lady Hestia. My men and I will be completely fine even if Lord Edmund takes over your land. However, I did hear that Lord Edmund already has several concubines. Considering his age and tastes, I'm sure that a nice young, beautiful woman such as yourself would be taken on the first night." Pete idly talked.
Disgust filled Hestia's body from her toes to her head. The pudgy, fat, unpleasant figure of Lord Edmund appeared in her mind. She absolutely refused to be taken by such a man. No matter what, she couldn't let Lord Edmund defeat her father.
"Fine, you rogue. Only and only if you can defeat Lord Edmund's army would I be willing to marry you into my family." She declared.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Lady Hestia. My men and I shall be heading out to your territory immediately. Do you want to travel together with me to get to know your future husband better?" Pete grinned with a wink.
"I'll pass..." Lady Hestia left the office as soon as possible and made her way to her carriage to return home to tell her father the news... Whether it was good news or bad news, Hestia couldn't tell...
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"I heard they've become mercenaries, and a noble has hired them."
"So, they're leaving for good?"
"No one knows. At least, I don't see them packing anything to say that they're leaving forever."
"Our town has become more peaceful ever since the Black Snakes settled here. Any other bandit group that tried to come here was killed or beaten away."
"I still don't trust those criminals. Lately, my innocent son has even started to say he wanted to become a Snake instead of a respectable man like his father!"
"Mine too! Silly little troublemaking little boys. What's so great about being able to bully, drink, and fight all day long?"
"The Black Snakes only get physical with people who attempt to run away from their debts. Not anyone they feel like."
"I heard they broke Theo's legs and forced him to work behind the counter at one of their inns to pay back his debt!"
"Well, I'm sick of them starting fights with the soldiers near my house at night. If you don't like each other, just get rid of each other!"
"Could you imagine if bandits ran the town?! It'd be chaos!"
"If it's just protection, the Black Snakes are even stronger than the soldiers stationed in our town. Haven't you guys heard about the Golden Behemoth? I heard that he's stronger than all of the soldiers combined. None of the soldiers, not even Lord Frank, dares to mess with him!"
Silence and reverence slowly wafted up in the crowd as they watched Hydra riding out on horses. The Golden Behemoth was indeed a part of the Hydra, but he was different from the other bandits. Instead of oppressing commoners like themselves, he set his eyes on oppressing those who suppress commoners either by using the threat of violence, money, or his wife. Surprisingly, out of all of those options, the one most feared was the Golden Behemoth's wife.
If Madam Boss had to get involved in a dispute, that abusive party would soon understand that even their livelihood could become poor and broke. Building an opposing business that somehow always seemed to perform better than their business, directly going with some Golden Snakes to ruin their business until they're struggling to make up for the losses, or just destroying their business completely with force.
She wasn't frightened by Captain Frank with her husband next to her side, but even if the Golden Behemoth wasn't next to her. She always had a squad of Golden Snakes nearby when walking through town. There seemed to never be an opportunity when Madam Boss was alone. This was information that Captain Frank learned quickly. So, people who were more than content to bully peasants and tradesmen were helpless to resist the tyranny and had to restrain themselves around the commoners in Desmont.
Some people refused to accept being bullied and frightened by bandits who happened to stumble upon a lot of money. They attempted to sidestep Captain Frank and ask for assistance to wipe out Hydra from knights outside of Desmont. Unfortunately, these individuals with more money than brains soon came to understand that no one entered or left Desmont without the Madam Boss knowing. The merchants who made money by hauling people in their carriages were in a beneficial relationship with Madam Boss.
Hydra traveled alongside the merchant carriages as they journeyed, protecting them from bandit attacks or wild animals. The bandits gained a share of the money as a protection fee, but the driver would never be at a loss. Due to this relationship, the drivers had no problem selling out their customers' information for Madam Boss. Those who were unsatisfied with Hydra and tried leaving Desmont to invite trouble back were captured by Hydra and returned to their homes. It was at that point that those troublemakers were no longer given a chance to survive.
The Golden Snakes of Hydra cleaned them up. Ruthlessly, efficiently, and quickly. Desmont was home to quite a few upper-class families. 1/3 of them were destroyed by Madam Boss. The infants and young ones were directly taken away by her and raised as Christian monks. They lived in a monastery directly funded by Madam Boss and were raised by the leader of the monastery, Abbot Jim. With the help of other monks and nuns, the children would be taught in the ways of Christianity to spread its teachings.
Christian monks would house weary travelers, nurse the sick, and help the poor. Madam Boss taught the monks and nuns unbelievable medical techniques she wrote down for those wishing to become a healer in the monastery. Many of the monks and nuns looked at her almost as highly as their lord because of her seemingly infinite kindness and wisdom. Specifically, all the nuns looked up to her as a role model and as a woman to become like.
Madam Boss was the sole reason that many of them just couldn't hate the bandit group. She, along with her husband, fought for the commoners. She gave them jobs, opportunities, and treated them fairly no matter what their backgrounds were like. Many commoner children were now being educated, fed, and no longer had to fear the repercussions of accidentally offending someone that could ruin their lives. She built schools that allowed both boys and girls to study equally. Somehow, she hired famous teachers across the nation to work at the school despite her commoner background. This led many people to wonder just how deep her pockets were. Even Lords couldn't compare to how much she could spend.
"Maybe the Black Snakes aren't as bad as we thought."
"Who knew that all it took was some bandits to bring Desmont to its peak."
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