Eleanor was enraged because of the scene she had just witnessed—a bunch of ugly men chasing after a powerless woman and threatening to do unspeakable things to her.

On the other hand, the bandits were furious because of the previous hesitation they displayed.

To them, the fact that they had halted their movements—even subconsciously—at the voice of a mere woman, was a supreme humiliation.

Therefore, the two sides stared at each other with undisguised fury, holding their weapons and looking ready to strike.

However, for the time being, neither side took the initiative to start the fight.

The first side to break the awkward silence was not Eleanor, but the team of bandits.

A rough, middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader stepped forward, waving the half-broken axe around and pointing it at Eleanor.

"How dare you block our way and try to protect our prey? Do you know who we are?", the bandit questioned loudly and pointed at his companions:

"We are all part of the Green Hat Brotherhood. Are you scared now? Woman, if you kneel down and beg for mercy, I might consider letting you go!"

His voice was arrogant while the bandits behind him chuckled eerily, as if they didn't take Eleanor seriously. They looked like members of the Royal Family, who were facing a mere peasant.

Although Liora stood far away, this scene failed to escape her eyes.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes and complain inwardly.

It was obvious to her that all these bandits had just become Knight Apprentices and were barely stronger than ordinary people.

In fact, a team of trained adults wearing metal armor might be able to take them out.

Yet now, these bandits were threatening a True Knight and ordering them to kneel down and beg for mercy.

Worst of all, the bandits seemed to completely ignore the many armed Knights standing near the carriage, not sparing them a single glance.

But then, Liora shook her head.

"No. The worst of all is that these Knights are standing there like idiots.", she thought as she cast a glance at the Knights of the Black Tulip family who were standing still instead of assisting their master deal with the opponents.

Seeing this, Liora seemed to realize something.

Subconsciously, she couldn't help but raise her head and look towards the sky before letting out a light chuckle.

While Liora was deep in thought, the confrontation between Eleanor and the bandits continued.

It soon reached its peak.

It was unknown what each side said, but only a couple of minutes later, the leading bandit suddenly attacked.

He lifted his axe and placed it onto his shoulder before bringing it down, intending to smash it onto Eleanor.

Unfortunately, what he and his companions were facing was not a helpless woman but a True Knight.

Dodging the incoming attack, Eleanor's figure flashed forward, and she continuously swung her sword, harvesting the lives of the surrounding bandits.

In the blink of an eye, most of them had lost their lives, leaving only the man in charge alive.

But even he had collapsed to the ground, with a serious open injury running across his abdomen.

He didn't beg for mercy. Instead, his eyes shone with hatred as he stared at Eleanor and let out his final words:

"The Green Hat Brotherhood will not let you go! You're dead! Dead!", he yelled before he took his final breath.

With his death, the team of bandits had been completely eliminated.

Watching him die, Eleanor's eyes remained calm. Silently, she stepped forward and looked through the bandits' belongings.

Perhaps she didn't discover anything of value, as she soon shook her head with disappointment and approached the Black Tulip team.

"How is that woman? Is she fine?", she asked the guards.

As if in response to her words, the collapsed woman suddenly regained her consciousness, and she rose to her feet.

Her fearful eyes relaxed a little when she noticed that the bandits chasing her had died, while she looked at Eleanor with immense gratitude.

"Lord Knight! Lord Knight! Thank you for saving me! I'm truly indebted to you!", she knelt on the ground and cried loudly, her lowered head facing towards Eleanor.

Seeing this, Eleanor was shocked. She immediately stepped forward and helped the woman get up.

"There's no reason to thank me. Saving innocent people and bringing punishment to those unlawful bandits is what every noble of the Iron Armor Empire should do."

Her words, however, didn't calm down the woman's enthusiasm. Rather, they made it even more intense.

The woman glanced around carefully, and, as if she had made a difficult decision, reached into her belongings and took a long sword out.

The sword was golden, with intricate patterns engraved across its surface, while it shone with a dazzling light.

Even the most ordinary person who knew nothing about Knights would be able to recognize the sword's extraordinariness and would regard it as a holy item.

Holding onto the sword, the woman respectfully presented it to Eleanor.

"My Lady, this sword is the heirloom passed down by my family. It's also the reason why the bandits were after me."

"Although I'm reluctant to part with it, I believe that only in the hands of a great Hero like you can this sword shine and bring out its true potential."

Hearing her words, Eleanor immediately shook her head.

"How could I possibly take your belongings? Please, take it away."

But the woman didn't take no for an answer.

Soon, Eleanor and the woman were caught in a tug of war, fighting over the ownership of the sword.

Watching this funny scene from the side, Liora found it difficult to maintain her composure.

After all, the woman before her looked much like the side characters in the stories sung by the bards, whose sole purpose was to gift the protagonist items and precious techniques.

When she recalled the strange "fight" that had just taken place, Liora's eyes grew deeper.

Though she had expected it, she still felt strange when her guess was essentially all but confirmed.

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