Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"I am a sinner."

The old hunter Vostak glanced at his worried wife and disdainful son, then slowly began to tell his story.

It turned out that the old hunter's exceptional skills had caught the eye of Count von Borgo, who had been frequently assigning him shady jobs for the past two years. One of his important tasks was cleaning up the messes left by the young lord of Borgo.

The young lord of Borgo was extremely lecherous. Before even marrying a noblewoman, he had already impregnated many peasant girls. The old count, upon learning this, was furious and ordered hunters to secretly smuggle the girls out of the castle and execute them. He could not allow these girls to bear children of the noble Borgo family bloodline; illegitimate children would be a great disgrace to the family.

"You know, when I shoot my prey, they fall silently from afar with a single blow, and I never feel guilty. But when I'm asked to kill a pregnant girl, she cries and struggles violently, and my conscience is shattered. I have to do it, though. If I don't complete the lord's mission, I'll die. Even if I do complete it, someone who knows the lord's secret could die at any time! I can't tell anyone this secret, so I can only numb myself with alcohol, and I've become known as a drunkard. Perhaps my incompetence has reached the castle, because the count stopped making me do dirty work and instead found Casper, who used to be a hunter's apprentice in Takhof village. This guy is even more ruthless."

Vostak recounted his painful story, his wife covered her mouth and wept, and his son Witke's initial disdain turned to shock; the young boy had not yet adapted to the darkness of this society.

Vitek suddenly vomited—he finally understood why his father had drunkenly sharpened a knife late at night, muttering, "Human blood is more pungent than deer blood."

"I don't want to defend myself. The girl's dying struggles and pleas have been haunting me. I know this is God's torment for me. Now, I've finally revealed this secret, and I'm willing to accept the punishment. Lord Peter, everyone can see that you will become the master of this land in the future. I yearn for your judgment, to let my soul find peace."

The old hunter knelt on the ground, feeling a sense of relief.

Peter shook his head and gestured to Oda, who was standing beside him, looking lost in thought.

"What's that girl's name?" the masked Oda asked nervously.

"Her name is Amy. I recognize her. She's Mr. Jacques' daughter."

Boom! The last vestige of hope in Auda's heart shattered, and he collapsed to the ground in agony. Two years had passed, and he still couldn't forget that kind-hearted girl, almost foolishly so. When he learned that she had been taken away by Yangbolgao, he had rushed into the castle without thinking, only to be beaten bloody in public and forced to watch helplessly as Amy was imprisoned in the Maiden's Tower.

It was drizzling that day, and he stumbled and staggered home, utterly dejected. He felt deeply ashamed of his own incompetence and hated his own powerlessness. Yet, he could only deceive himself by thinking that perhaps Amy becoming a nobleman's mistress wouldn't be so bad, a hundred times better than marrying a useless, down-on-his-luck knight's squire like himself.

Later, when he heard rumors that Amy had disappeared and might have gone to Prague, he was secretly happy for her. It was good that she had gone to a big city; there was always hope in life.

But now he realizes that his beloved Amy, whom he dared not touch, had already been murdered in the woods!

With a whoosh, the sword was drawn. Enraged, Auda gripped the sword with both hands, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, and roared, "I'll make you pay for Amy's life!"

The old hunter knelt on the ground, head bowed in repentance, waiting for the steel sword to come to his death.

Oda raised his greatsword, stepped forward, and aimed at the old hunter's neck. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the hunter's grief-stricken wife, Zlata, and his son, Vitek, supporting his mother and unable to bear looking at her. His sword swung out of its aim and struck the muddy ground beside the old hunter.

He swung his sword again and again, crying as he slashed, appearing almost insane. Tears and snot soaked the black cloth covering his face, making him look quite disheveled.

After a long silence, the masked Oda, having stopped crying, sheathed his sword and bowed to Peter, saying, "I apologize, sir, for losing my composure before you." He then looked at the old hunter and said, "I cannot forgive you on Amy's behalf, but I know you are merely a tool in the hands of the nobles. Take me to Amy's grave; I need you to repent before it in person!"

"Thank you, Our Lady of Mary, thank you for your mercy."

When Zlata saw that the masked man had spared her husband, she quickly thanked him.

The young hunter Witke quickly declared, "I am willing to serve you with my father and atone for your sins."

Aoda refused the young hunter's offer to follow him, understanding that it was none of their business.

"Thank you for your kindness, please follow me."

The old hunter then stood up from the ground, took out his iron paddle, and led the way with his son to a secluded forest.

Half an hour later, deep in the forest, they dug open an unmarked grave. Inside was a corpse that had long since decomposed into bones, and in the pelvic cavity of the corpse was the skeleton of an even smaller infant.

Beside the tattered clothes lay a silver cross. Oda carefully picked it up; it was the engagement token he had given Amy years ago, which she had worn until her last breath. But God had not spared her helpless state.

Aoda knelt in the mud, speechless, only able to grip the sword at his waist tightly to suppress his pain.

"Father in heaven, all people call on your name; your kingdom come..."

The old hunter and the young hunter also knelt down to repent.

After a long while, the sadness subsided slightly.

Peter concluded, "Volstack, in the name of Peter Griffin, I sentence you to guilt. Given your repentance and your confession of the mastermind, I hereby decree that you purchase a fine coffin, repair your grave, and hold annual sacrifices. From now on, you are forbidden from drinking alcohol. Go."

Upon hearing the verdict, the old hunter burst into tears once again. He seemed to have finally lifted a heavy weight from his heart, and resolved never to drink again, to pick up his skills once more, and to embrace a new life.

The young hunter Vitek knelt down before Peter with a thud, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Lord Peter. I am willing to join your army to fight against that evil Count Borgo and atone for some of my father's sins!"

"Vitek, you..."

The old hunter looked at his son in disbelief. He had always thought his son hated him and would be ashamed of him, but he never expected that his son would take such a risk for him.

Peter looked at Vitek curiously and said, "You should know that I am not yet the sole lord here; greater dangers await me. Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid."

Vitek shook his head firmly. "This forced conscription has made me realize that we commoners have no control over our own destiny. Rather than wait for that evil count to conscript me again to fight you, I would rather join the benevolent and powerful Red Griffin now, to fight for the justice in my heart, and to atone for my father's sins!"

"interesting."

Peter didn't agree immediately, because this Witke was only sixteen years old, and teenagers are always impulsive, plus his parents were still alive. "Go back with your father first. Once the grave is repaired, if you want to come back, find me in Devil's Canyon."

"Alright, alright. But sir, that place shouldn't be called Devil's Canyon. Everyone says it's Griffin Canyon of Strength and Courage."

Peter nodded with satisfaction.

The young hunter reluctantly followed the old hunter home to get more tools for repairing the grave.

Peter then turned his gaze to Auda and said, "You joined my team while masked because you wanted to take revenge on the Borgo family. I've already helped you achieve part of your goal, but I can't kill him now; he's still useful for the time being."

"Thank you so much, Lord Peter. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to even touch that villain. It is because I joined your ranks that I gained the power of revenge and understood why I fight!"

The masked Oda tore off his tear-soaked black cloth, revealing his clear face. He knelt on one knee and said, "The masked Van Cleef is dead. I, Oda Semi, am willing to stay and serve you!"

Removing the mask signifies open support. Since even that little hunter dared to abandon everything and pledge allegiance to Lord Peter, what is there for me to hesitate about?

He believes that there will be more and more instances of such blatant factionalism in the future.

Peter shook his head and said, "Von Polgar ruled Trossky with cold-blooded cruelty for seven years, causing countless tragedies like Amy's. If his rule is not ended, countless more tragedies will continue to unfold on this land. Therefore, I need you to leave, go back to Semi Castle, and return to your father's side."

"My lord, what do you need me to do?"

Auda pressed on earnestly. He would complete any task, no matter how difficult, and even persuading his father, old Semi, to surrender was on his mind.

Peter shook his head and said, "Go back and help your father, organize the common people to resume production, maintain order, and await my call. One day, we will take over the whole of Troski, and then you can move Amy from here to the gravedigger's cemetery, where her soul can rest in peace and enter God's Kingdom."

"I understand, thank you, Lord Peter! I will certainly follow your instructions, play the role of the Semi family heir well, and wait for the opportunity to help you eliminate that Earl von Polgau!"

Aoda had a new goal in mind, and his sadness turned into a burst of energy.

"Ding! Auda's loyalty +5"

.....

"Achoo!"

Far away in Prague City Hall, the Royal Steward von Polgao suddenly sneezed, almost spraying King Sigismund next to him.

"Otto, you are being extremely rude."

The King of Hungary, dressed in a dark gold robe, wearing a large gold scarf, and with his thick, curly red hair bound tightly by a gold crown, was complaining to von Polgar with great dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I may have caught a cold. I'll have the doctor perform some bloodletting to treat me when I get home."

Otto von Porgaard had long supported the return of the wise and intelligent King Gigi to replace the lazy King Wenceslaus IV and revitalize Bohemia. The two were longtime political allies; this sneeze was merely a familiar banter between them.

Just as von Borgo was looking at the many members of the Noble Alliance in the city hall, about to move on to the next topic, a confidant of the Borgo family rushed in with a letter in his hand.

The nobles glared at the man with hostility. If it weren't for the silver-on-red flying fish insignia on his body, they would have called for their guards to throw the intruder out. Who do you think you are, daring to act so recklessly like us?

Even the dignified old Earl von Borgo felt humiliated. If it weren't for something extremely important, he would have given his confidant a lesson he would never forget when he got back.

The old count picked up the parchment letter, glanced at it only twice, then abruptly stood up. His face remained impassive, but his hand trembled uncontrollably as he rolled up the letter. He then disregarded etiquette, gave a perfunctory greeting to King Gigi, and hurriedly departed.

King Gigi and a group of nobles were left looking at each other in bewilderment.