The first mission did not end with the defeat of the bandits.
After that came a less conspicuous task, but one just as necessary. They had to deal with the prisoners, check the wounded, and gather everything that could serve as evidence or recovered merchandise. Victory had left the yard full of matters that could not be solved with a simple order, and Liza took a moment to decide where to begin.
The sergeant approached her while two soldiers secured the covered cart.
"Instructor, before we continue, we need to decide what to do with the prisoners and the cargo. If we leave with everything, the unit will lose too much mobility."
Liza nodded.
She had noticed that as well.
"How many men do you need to take them back?"
The sergeant looked toward the captured bandits, then toward the cart and the confiscated weapons.
"Ten should be enough. If we use the cart for the most important cargo, the others can walk while tied. The road back is clear for now, and they should not encounter problems if they move immediately."
"Who will you put in command?"
The sergeant indicated one of the veterans with his gaze, a man with short hair and a serious expression who had held his position well during the attack.
"Corporal Gelt. Of the men available, he is the one best suited to handle an escort like this."
Liza observed the man for a few seconds.
Corporal Gelt tensed slightly when he felt her gaze, but he immediately straightened and waited for the order without looking away.
That was enough for her.
"Corporal Gelt."
"Instructor."
"You will take the prisoners, the confiscated weapons, and the recovered merchandise back to Muno. Deliver everything to Viscountess Nina or whoever she designates. If any of them attempt to escape, prioritize maintaining control of the group. If the cart becomes a burden, abandon what matters least, but do not lose the prisoners or the weapons."
"Understood."
Pochi, who was near Liza, looked at the cart with obvious attention.
"Sister Liza, should we accompany them?"
"That is not necessary."
Pochi lowered her ears a little.
"I see."
Liza gave her a softer look.
"Corporal Gelt has enough men to handle it. They will be fine."
Pochi nodded, though her gaze followed the soldiers preparing to leave for a moment longer.
She was worried about them.
Liza understood. She was worried about them as well. But more than those men, what mattered to her was staying together with Pochi and Tama. Not only because they were the girls under her care, but also because, after her, they were the group's main fighting force. If she lost them, it would become much more difficult to advance quickly and complete the mission.
Tama, sitting on a low fence, raised a hand.
"I'm staying too!"
Liza nodded to her in gratitude.
"I know," she replied.
Tama smiled immediately, satisfied at having drawn her attention.
"Then I'll make sure nothing surprises us!"
Liza looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"I'm counting on you."
While the soldiers prepared the escort, Liza walked through the post once more. There was nothing that justified keeping a unit there. The place could be occupied again if left abandoned, but there was also no point in staying to defend it. Nina would decide later whether to destroy it, repair it, or use it as a watch point.
For now, it was enough to focus on their objectives.
When the cart was ready, the prisoners were set in motion. Some lowered their heads; others stared at the ground with poorly contained anger. None dared to speak. Their leader's head remained covered near the main building, waiting to be taken as evidence along with the confiscated weapons.
Liza did not move Tama or Pochi away from that sight.
They were not ordinary children, and pretending otherwise in the middle of a mission would be a dangerous lie. Both of them already knew death. What mattered was that they did not seek it as a game or grow accustomed to seeing it as something without weight.
Corporal Gelt gave a brief bow.
"We will return without delay."
"Do so."
The escort departed toward Muno.
Liza watched until the cart turned along the road and disappeared behind the trees. Only then did she turn toward the rest of the unit.
Three dozen soldiers had left the castle. Now there were fewer, but still enough to continue. The sergeant remained with her, along with the men he considered most useful for advancing after the first operation. They were not a large force, but they were not defenseless either.
Besides, they had already gained something.
Experience.
Not the kind of experience that turned a soldier into a veteran overnight, but the kind that training inside the castle could not give them. They had felt the pressure of a real fight, seen their mistakes, and heard orders in the middle of battle. That had value, because now that they had tasted victory, they would be more confident.
Excessive confidence could be harmful, but a lack of confidence would only interfere with their coordination. Now, at least, they would carry less fear than before, and that was enough for the moment.
"We will continue toward the next point," Liza said. "Before nightfall, I want to confirm at least one more report."
"Yes, Instructor," the sergeant replied.
The soldiers began to move.
The mission continued.
***
Liza's mission did not consist of cleaning every corner of Muno, but of dealing with the groups Nina had pointed out and confirming information useful to the viscountess. Even so, the road did not remain quiet.
Shortly after leaving the post, Tama discovered a small band trying to ambush them among the trees. Liza ordered the unit to respond before they could close the path, and the fight ended quickly. She struck down the leader, but when the others fled, she stopped the soldiers who tried to pursue them.
"Do not follow them."
Pochi looked toward the forest with unease.
"We're letting them go?"
"We cannot chase everyone or carry prisoners every moment," Liza replied. "Sooner or later, they will be dealt with. Right now, we have other objectives."
During the rest of the day, there were more incidents. They found tracks from large animals and minor monsters, though most fled when they saw the number of soldiers. They also came across a camp abandoned in a hurry. According to Tama, about six people had occupied it, and the spyglass found among their belongings explained why they had escaped before the unit arrived.
They took what was useful and destroyed the rest so no one could use that place again.
After that, Liza allowed Tama to go ahead with a soldier who knew how to ride and use a bow. The measure worked near a bridge, where they discovered four men charging tolls from travelers. They surrendered as soon as they saw the Muno unit. Since they could not take more prisoners, the sergeant suggested leaving them tied up at a visible point along the route, where a patrol passed from time to time.
Liza accepted, though she was not at ease with it. She did not know whether that patrol would turn them in, ignore them, or do something worse, but they were not her priority.
When evening fell, she ordered camp to be set up away from the main road. The sergeant distributed the watches, the soldiers tended to the horses, and Pochi helped place the shields on the most exposed side. Liza sent Tama to check the surroundings before entering the tent she would share with the girls.
Only then, away from the soldiers' eyes, did Liza let out a sigh.
Leading was harder than she had expected.
Throughout the day, she had needed to handle many things she normally left in the hands of others: reviewing reports, listening to suggestions, solving problems, and making sure everyone knew what to do. None of them seemed especially important on their own, but in the end, they piled up into a constant burden.
Her master had always made it look simple. Now that she had to lead, she was beginning to realize that many of the things he resolved were far more difficult than they appeared.
During their travels, she had never seen him hesitate about which path to take or what to do when a problem arose. He always seemed to know what the next step was. He even spoke with nobles and important people as if it were normal, without showing nervousness or concern.
Liza did not know how he did it.
Perhaps it was not that he felt no pressure. Perhaps he also carried worries, doubts, or responsibilities that he simply did not let others see, just as she was doing at that moment. If that was so, then there was much more behind that calm than Liza had imagined.
After all, he was her master, her leader. And, although it was not the same, it was similar to how she was now the head of this unit.
The thought produced an uncomfortable pressure in her chest.
She wanted to be useful to him.
Not only as someone capable of fighting in his name, but as someone he could rely on when things became difficult. If this was the price of becoming someone like that, then she would endure any discomfort.
When she saw him again, she wanted to be someone capable of easing even a small part of his worries.
Before she could rest, she heard movement outside. She took her spear and left the tent, but it was not an attack. Corporal Gelt was returning with the men who had escorted the prisoners.
"Instructor. The prisoners and cargo were delivered to Muno."
Liza lowered her spear.
"Good work."
The first day was ending, but at least one of her decisions had returned alive.
***
On the second day, the unit arrived at a small village surrounded by poor fields and houses repaired so many times it was already difficult to distinguish which parts were still original.
There were no fences around it.
Liza noticed immediately, though she did not need to think much to understand the reason. Badly nailed boards would not stop monsters, hungry animals, or armed men. In a place like this, building a fence would only have been a waste of energy.
The report spoke of a group that demanded food from time to time in exchange for "protection." This was the second band Nina had pointed out. Unlike other groups that limited themselves to attacking roads or isolated villages, these men had established a wide area of influence and moved through several settlements demanding tribute. The village they were visiting was only one of the places under their control, so Liza decided to stop.
An old woman came out to receive them before anyone else.
She was particularly thin, especially considering her age. The clothes she wore had been mended so many times that almost none of the original fabric remained. She walked leaning on a worn wooden cane, but her steps were still firm.
She stopped before the Muno unit and lowered her head with stiff courtesy.
"Welcome."
The old woman gave a small bow.
"I apologize for being unable to offer you a proper welcome. We are a poor village, and we do not have much to show you."
It sounded polite, but…
As she spoke, her eyes briefly passed over the soldiers, shields, and weapons. There was concern in her gaze, though she tried to hide it.
Liza understood what she was really saying.
We have nothing worth taking.
It was a careful way of asking them not to expect too much.
Liza stepped forward.
"I am the leader of this village," the old woman added before Liza could speak.
"We come from Muno Castle."
The woman nodded politely.
"And we have been sent by order of Viscountess Nina to deal with the criminals controlling this village."
Liza's intention was to ease the tension a little.
But she knew at once that it had not worked.
The old woman did not react when she heard the name. Perhaps she did not know it, or perhaps the names of those who governed mattered little to a village that had spent years surviving the same way no matter who gave the orders. However, when she heard the title, she lowered her head more carefully.
"A great lady, without a doubt. It is an honor that she remembers such humble people."
The phrase was correct.
Liza understood that it was not trust, but habit. Before nobles, soldiers, or anyone with power, that woman said what needed to be said to avoid making things worse.
Seeing that she would gain nothing by insisting on introductions or good intentions, Liza decided to go straight to the reason for their visit.
"Explain the situation," Liza requested. "I want to know about the group that comes here. How many they are, what they do, and when they appear."
The old woman looked toward the nearby houses. No one was truly hiding. Some villagers watched from doorways, others from the dry fields, with the dull gaze of those who no longer expected an armed visit to bring anything particularly good or bad. It was simply another day.
Liza obtained most of the information through direct questions.
The old woman knew little about the main group. She barely knew names and rumors heard secondhand. The ones who actually dealt with the village were the men who came to collect the so-called protection fee.
According to her, they appeared every month to demand food, tools, cloth, and anything else they considered valuable. They did not negotiate much and rarely offered explanations. They simply took what they wanted and left.
Liza also wanted to know what happened when a family could not pay.
At that question, the old woman fell silent.
It was not a brief silence, nor one caused by a lack of memory. It was deliberate evasion.
The woman lowered her gaze and shifted the conversation toward other, less uncomfortable details.
Liza noticed immediately.
She also understood that insisting would not be worth it.
These people did not trust them. Perhaps they did not believe Muno could help them. Perhaps they feared the consequences if the situation worsened. Whatever the reason, pressing them would only make them speak less.
So she let the matter go.
What she had learned was already enough to understand the situation.
"When will they return?"
"Today, if they follow their custom."
The sergeant looked at Liza.
"We can wait for them on the road, before they enter the village. There is enough undergrowth to hide part of the men until they are close."
Liza nodded.
"We will do that. I do not want them fighting inside the village."
"Understood."
The decision was made quickly. Tama was sent with a small group to check the surroundings and confirm that there were no other paths by which the enemy could approach. The sergeant handled distributing the rest of the soldiers, going over positions, signals, and closing routes. Some checked their weapons, others drank water or adjusted their straps, while the younger ones tried to hide the tension that came from waiting for combat in a place like this.
Liza observed everything in silence.
The village was too close.
The people too.
And that made the soldiers look toward the houses more often than usual.
That was when she noticed something that made her raise her voice.
"Pochi!"
The girl jumped. Her ears rose all at once, and her tail went stiff when she recognized Liza's voice. In front of her were several children, and in her hands were remnants of food that did not belong to the village.
The children fled without looking back.
Pochi watched them for a moment before running over to Liza. When she saw her expression, she immediately lowered her head.
The nearby soldiers fell silent.
The sergeant did as well.
Pochi tightened her fingers around the edge of her clothes.
"I only took it from my share…"
Liza let out a sigh.
She was not truly angry. She understood why Pochi had done it. She understood it herself, and surely many of the soldiers did as well. Most of the men in that unit were young men who had left Muno wanting to help, perhaps even imagining they might feel like saviors. Now they were seeing with their own eyes that the barony's misery was not something that could be fixed with good intentions.
"Those provisions were entrusted to us by Viscountess Nina so we could complete our mission," Liza said. "I understand that you want to help them, but it is not our place to decide what to do with them on our own. As soldiers, we must obey the orders of our superiors and take care of the resources entrusted to us."
Pochi kept her gaze lowered.
"Yes…"
Liza crouched in front of her to speak more calmly.
"I want to help them too. But giving them a little food now is not the correct way to do it. We have the duty to fight and protect, and for that, we must be in good condition. If we lose our provisions carelessly, we will also put the mission in danger."
Pochi barely lifted her gaze.
"Pochi…"
"You need to be strong so you can defend them," Liza continued. "They are counting on you too. That is why I want you to think of yourself."
Pochi pressed her lips together.
Then she nodded.
"Yes, Sister Liza."
Liza stood and looked at the soldiers who had heard the conversation.
"That does not mean we will ignore what is happening in this village or the others. Check their problems, speak with those who can do so, and prepare a report. When we return to Muno, Viscountess Nina will be informed so these people can receive help properly."
The reaction was immediate.
Several soldiers raised their heads with more spirit. It was not an instant solution, but it was something they could do. Something orderly. Something that did not put the mission at risk.
The sergeant smiled faintly.
"You heard the instructor. Those with specific orders, carry them out. The rest, gather information and do it properly."
"Yes!"
The soldiers moved quickly toward the village.
Pochi looked at Liza.
"I will help too."
Without waiting any longer, she ran after them.
Liza watched her leave with a faint smile.
Then she looked at the village.
The reminder was also for her. Everyone had a duty and a way to contribute. When Nina and her master learned of the circumstances, they would decide how to truly help these people.
For now, her role was another.
***
They did not have to wait long.
Before the sun began to set, several men appeared on the road. There were fourteen in total, armed with short swords, spears, axes, and knives. They did not look like soldiers, but neither did they look like simple peasants. They walked with the confidence of those who had repeated the same scene too many times and did not expect to find real resistance.
Liza stood in the middle of the road, between them and the village.
At first glance, she was alone.
The man walking at the front stopped when he saw her. He was broad-shouldered, with an unkempt beard and a short sword hanging from his waist. His gaze moved over Liza, from her spear to her scaled features, and a crooked smile appeared on his face.
"And who are you?"
Liza did not move.
"Stop and identify yourselves."
The man blinked, he did not expect to hear an order.
Then he laughed.
"Identify ourselves? That's quite a way to speak to the ones keeping this place alive."
Some of his men laughed behind him.
"I was told you come here to collect a protection fee," Liza said. "Confirm whether that is true."
The man's smile widened, though his eyes began to harden.
"That sounds ugly when you say it like that. We keep the beasts, thieves, and everyone who might do worse things to them away. If Muno Castle had done its job, maybe these people wouldn't need men like us."
Liza listened without looking away.
There was some truth in those words. Muno had failed that village for years, and it was obvious that its people did not expect anything good from those who came armed, no matter what emblem they carried. But using a truth to cover abuse did not turn that abuse into duty.
"Then I confirm it," Liza said. "You are the bandits who come to demand goods from this village."
"Watch what you say! You don't—"
Liza raised a hand.
An arrow struck the ground right in front of the leader's feet.
The entire group tensed.
"Don't move!" Tama shouted from the undergrowth.
Before the men could react, Muno's soldiers emerged from both sides of the road. Shields and spears closed the flanks, while another group appeared behind them, cutting off their retreat toward the route. It was not a perfect movement, but it was orderly enough for the armed men to understand their situation.
There were only fourteen of them.
Muno's soldiers were basically twice their number.
The leader's confidence broke for an instant.
His eyes moved from side to side, measuring his surroundings. He saw one of his men step back by reflex and collide with another. He saw that the exit toward the village was blocked by Liza, and that the route by which they had come was no longer free. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"So this was a trap," he muttered.
"It was an opportunity to stop," Liza replied. "It still is."
The man swallowed, but then immediately raised his voice, trying to regain ground in front of his men.
"And what are you going to do? Arrest us for protecting a village you abandoned? Look around you. Without us, someone worse will do it. These people owe us their lives."
Some of his men nodded, but they were no longer laughing.
The soldiers of Muno remained silent.
Several clenched their teeth.
Liza did not avert her gaze.
The leader waited for a reaction. He searched for guilt, doubt, irritation, anything that could open a space for him. But Liza only watched him with the same calm, and that finished irritating him.
"And now Muno sends a slave to confront us?"
The soldiers reacted before Liza.
"Watch your tongue!"
"You're speaking to the instructor!"
"To actually dare treat the instructor like a slave…!"
"I am a slave," Liza said.
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
"Tama too!"
"Pochi is Master's slave too!"
The situation became more absurd when Tama and Pochi raised their hands almost at the same time, as if competing not to be left out. Under the incredulous gazes of the unit members, both puffed out their chests with pride and satisfaction.
Even the sergeant was left speechless.
Liza ignored the surprise around her.
"I serve my master faithfully, and I am proud to be under his command."
She did not sound offended or uncomfortable. Her voice was calm and direct, as if she had corrected a misunderstood fact.
The armed men looked at one another, confused by an answer that did not fit the insult they had expected to provoke.
Liza took a step forward.
"And precisely because my master has more important matters to attend to, I am here in his place. For an insignificant task like dealing with you, I am enough."
The leader clenched his jaw.
The mockery vanished from his face.
"You talk big for a slave."
Liza lowered the tip of her spear slightly.
"Thank you. I work hard for that. Now I will give you one last opportunity. Lay down your weapons, and you will be delivered to Muno alive."
The man looked again at the soldiers surrounding him.
His breathing grew heavier.
If he surrendered, everything was over. If he attacked the full unit, they would be crushed. But Liza was still in front of him, seemingly alone. Furthermore, she was clearly an important piece of the unit. In his head, she was the only way out he could still find.
The leader spat to the side and raised his sword.
"Get her! Take down the slave!"
The men closest to him shouted to cover their own fear and threw themselves toward Liza.
Seeing his men advance, the leader turned on his heels.
He had no intention of staying.
He expected Muno's soldiers to panic when they saw several men rushing toward Liza. He expected shouts, doubts, some clumsy movement to protect their "instructor."
That would have been enough.
A single gap in the formation, a single soldier leaving his post, and he could try to break through before the encirclement closed fully around him.
But no one moved.
Not a step.
The shields remained firm. The spears continued pointing inward. No soldier broke the line, no one shouted Liza's name, no one showed the slightest sign of concern.
The leader felt his blood go cold.
Then he understood why.
Behind him, the first scream rang out.
Then another.
The sound of metal being cut crossed the road, followed by the dry weight of a body falling onto the dirt. A sword flew away, spinning until it stuck into the ground near a stone. Another man screamed, not in fury but in fear, and that scream was cut off when something struck his body with enough force to knock the air from him.
The leader tried to look back.
He did not manage to.
The tip of a spear slid beside his head and stopped in front of his face, so close that he could see his own distorted reflection on the cold steel.
He froze.
Behind him, the men who had charged at Liza lay on the ground. Some writhed, others did not move at all, and the few who could still move were bleeding out on the ground.
Liza's voice reached him from behind, serene as before.
"I told you."
The leader swallowed.
"If you want to return to Muno alive, surrender."