Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Klaus, formerly the captain of the guard in Troskey village, was captured by Peter after the defeat and underwent labor reform. He is now the squad leader of the fourth squad of the Red Griffin Guard.

Yesterday, following Lord Peter's instructions, he entered the Apollonia Mountains to eliminate "Baron Gules the Thief." Gules had been defeated by Peter before, but had now risen again, and his power was much weaker than before. Kras led 14 heavily armored warriors, sneaked into the mountains, found Gules' lair, and launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night, capturing him in one fell swoop.

He walked at the head of the column, his chainmail gleaming, the red griffin emblem on his chest dyed with the finest dye, its color as vibrant as freshly spilled blood in the sunlight. Behind him were the 14 soldiers of the fourth squad, each fully armed, their steps perfectly synchronized. They felt they had never stood so upright in their lives.

And those they were escorting were twenty-three dejected prisoners. Their hands and feet were bound together with thick hemp ropes, strung together like livestock for sale at a market.

Leading the prisoners was a middle-aged man wearing a tattered velvet coat. Despite his face being covered in mud and his fine clothes being torn to shreds by thorns, some villagers still recognized him.

"That's... Gules?"

"Baron Gules the Bandit! By the Holy Spirit, they've captured Gules!"

The news spread like wildfire. Villagers poured in from all directions, crowding the village roads. Klaus saw many familiar faces; this was the village where he had grown up.

Now, all eyes are on him.

"Klaus?" An old woman squeezed through the crowd, her hand trembling as she covered her mouth. "Is that you, child?"

Klaus stopped, his face flushed slightly beneath his helmet. "It's me, Aunt Marta."

"Your mother...your mother would be proud of you." The old woman was in tears.

Klaus's Adam's apple bobbed. He had previously served as the captain of the guards, yet he always oppressed and exploited his fellow villagers on behalf of the lord; he never expected everyone to be so grateful to him.

"I'm doing very well now, Auntie," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "I'm fighting for people who truly deserve my loyalty."

The procession continued forward. Villagers lined both sides, like welcoming triumphant heroes. Children jumped and skipped, trying to touch the soldiers' gleaming armor; men nodded in greeting, and women whispered among themselves.

"Look at their equipment, it's really impressive!"

"I've heard that red griffins never let their men go hungry; they eat meat every day."

"My nephew went to the red griffin camp and sent word back that farming there is rent-free, and in the fall, you can even get a share of the land..."

In the village square, the village chief, Cerouch, was already waiting with several people. The usually smooth-talking middle-aged man had a complex expression, showing both fear of the Borgo family and shock at the scene before him.

Urban, the head of the merchant guild, stood beside Therush, the shrewd businessman squinting as he quickly sized up the group.

Second Manager Clement exclaimed, "The Red Griffins really spared no expense in equipping them with such fine armor, all top-notch combat gear. And look at their expressions—when have the guards of Polgar ever displayed such spirit?"

Klaus is his nephew. If he gets his nephew's support, he will definitely be able to defeat Urban and become the head steward!

Tailor Bartoshek: "These are all fine lads from our village of Trossky! But these clothes could be a bit more luxurious."

Pharmacist Emmerich murmured, "Things have changed. The world is really changing..."

Betty, the tavern owner, wiped the sweat from her brow, both excited and nervous. Today's bustling scene was sure to sell out her tavern's drinks.

In the courtyard of her family's tavern, Hans, Henry, and the others, having been attacked with excrement and urine, had finished washing themselves and were drinking and discussing their next move when a commotion outside caught their attention. It wasn't ordinary market noise, but rather some kind of… cheering?

The six men hurriedly put on their barely clean shirts and walked to the tavern entrance.

The sight before them stunned them.

A well-equipped convoy was escorting prisoners across the square. Villagers lined both sides, their cheers rising in waves. Hans recognized the emblem on the chest of the officer at the head of the convoy—a red griffin.

"The Red Griffins..." Henry whispered, "How dare they act so blatantly here? This is so close to Trostky Castle, how dare they?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Everyone in the castle is terrified of the red griffins; they won't even step out the door." Young Master Hans, clearly still harboring resentment, asked, "Who was captured? Everyone seems quite excited?"

"The one captured is Gules, a cunning thief baron who used to be the leader of the biggest bandit gang in the area. He came to plunder the village before, but was spotted by Lord Peter, who was patrolling the area. Lord Peter defeated him like an angel descending to earth, but unfortunately, the cunning fox escaped. Now he's causing trouble again and has been captured by Captain Klaus, who came from our village."

"I can't talk about it," Betty, the tavern owner, explained with a smile.

"Captain Klaus?"

"Of course, he's a local. When he was working for Borgo, he was a drunkard, a swearing bastard, and a debtor. Now that he's with the Red Griffin, he's like a real officer." Betty clicked her tongue, finding it unbelievable.

Hans carefully observed that the man named Klaus walked with his shoulders and back straight, and his gestures were decisive when he commanded his men, which was completely different from the lax guards under Polgar.

"They're quite impressive," Hans commented. "They're almost as good as the Ratai Guard."

From a corner of the tavern, a drunken voice chimed in: "Haha, you should see what kind of people they used to be."

The speaker was a middle-aged man with dice and an empty wine glass in front of him. He introduced himself as Jerome, a wandering dice player who had been living in Troski village for half a month.

Henry walked over and tossed two small silver coins to the bartender: "Another beer for this gentleman."

Jerome's eyes lit up. He took the newly served glass and gulped down a mouthful, then sighed contentedly, "I know Klaus and his gang too well. They used to be stationed in this village when they were under Polgar's command."

"And then?" Henry asked.

"And then?" Jerome grinned, revealing his gums and missing front tooth. "They were a pile of shit—excuse my swearing, Sir. But they really were a pile of shit. Their equipment was shabby. All they did was collect rent, catch deserters, and bully merchants. The villagers avoided them and secretly called them the lord's mad dogs."

"and then?"

"Then the Red Griffin captured their entire squad." Jerome took another sip of his drink. "Everyone thought those traitors were doomed. And what happened?"

"They joined the Red Griffins?" Henry asked.

“Yes.” Jerome nodded. “Then something strange happened. This group of people changed completely, as if they were under a spell. They became organized and disciplined, and they wouldn’t steal a piece of bread or a beer from civilians. They even took the initiative to help maintain order in the villages and wipe out bandits.”

He pointed out the window: "What you see now is the result. The same people who were despised as mad dogs by everyone under Polgar have become heroes cheered by the villagers under Red Griffin. This world is truly unpredictable."

"Audentes Fortuna luvat! - Fate favors the brave!"

Hans looked at the Red Griffin Guard, who were surrounded and cheering by the villagers outside the courtyard, and murmured to himself, "Perhaps they have found a goal that makes them brave, so the favor of fate follows, and their lives change."

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out again.

This time they came from the castle.

Six magnificent horses charged into the village, and the scarlet griffin banner was fully unfurled in the wind.