Fortunately, the mercenary only wanted to escape rather than kill Jon. After knocking away Jon's sword, the man glanced at Bronn who was rapidly approaching, dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, and tried to continue fleeing northward.
But his momentum had been broken during the brief clash with Jon, and his horse couldn't immediately regain its full speed. Within seconds, Bronn caught up and drove his sword through the man's back, piercing his heart.
Watching this, Jon couldn't help but exhale in relief, though still shaken by what had just transpired.
He could scarcely believe that he—who had always prided himself on his caution—would charge recklessly toward an enemy. When his horse had galloped at full speed, all his rationality seemed to vanish, as if the blood in his veins had been replaced with pure adrenaline.
It reminded him of a description he'd once heard of cavalry during a charge—"a runaway horse carrying a drunk man."
Shaking his head and firmly resolving never to make such a risky attempt again, Jon began to reflect on his first true battle since entering the world of ice and fire.
His performance couldn't be called impressive—only embarrassing.
During the fight, his mind had gone nearly blank. Though he possessed the memories of riding and swordsmanship that a hired knight should have, these memories were completely disconnected from his body. He had no muscle memory whatsoever. For all his planning, he had no idea what to do in the moment.
While this was partly due to his lack of actual combat experience, it also highlighted a problem—theoretical knowledge was quite unreliable.
He was already considering having Bronn systematically train him during their free time.
Looking back, he saw Bronn leading the dead man's empty horse back to where the other mercenaries had fallen, sorting through the spoils with Gregor.
But Jon's attention wasn't on the loot—it was on the equipment of his two knights.
For once, Jon felt grateful to the game designers because the reward had proven extraordinary.
Clearly, the S-level NPCs provided by the system were outfitted with top-tier equipment. The armor alone was remarkable. When Jon had seen Rodrik's spear strike Gregor, his heart had nearly stopped. Yet to his amazement, it had failed to penetrate Gregor's defense.
Though this was partly due to Gregor's successful dodge, causing the spearpoint to strike his thickest left shoulder plate, the fact that the armor could withstand the force of that charging impact proved it was the finest of its kind.
And then there were the warhorses. Both Bronn and Gregor wore full armor, yet they had barely lost a few seconds before catching up to Jon after his defeat. This showed their mounts were even superior to his own thoroughbred!
Such equipment was a rare stroke of generosity from the game designers.
Soon, Bronn and Gregor finished collecting their trophies—two horses, an exquisite longsword, a dozen gold dragons, a large pouch of assorted coins, and a set of plate and chain armor.
The armor was merely metal plates added to a chainmail shirt, similar to what Stannis Baratheon wore in the Game of Thrones television series.
Jon found this puzzling.
Stannis was a king, however impoverished. Would it have killed the directors to give him stronger armor? Even if he had to wear plate and chain, it could at least have been the type worn by warriors in great battles of legend.
In any case, still embarrassed by his poor showing in combat, Jon was concerned about his appearance. He removed his coat and took the blood-stained armor from Rodrik's body, putting it on without hesitation.
With Bronn's help, he donned the chainmail. Jon and Rodrik were similar in build, and after putting on the armor, Jon found it fit surprisingly well.
After quickly completing these preparations, Jon ordered their return to the salt mine in the small town of Holloway.
When they arrived, the battle there hadn't ended. The surviving mercenaries had divided into two groups facing each other—three men on one side, four on the other. All appeared exhausted.
Evidently, after Rodrik's departure, the situation had deteriorated further. These mercenaries had likely formed small alliances based on their prior relationships to compete for the gold bar.
Three men lay seriously wounded on the ground. Even if either small faction won the fight, those men wouldn't live to enjoy their share.
The arrival of Jon and his knights shattered the temporary stalemate between them.
The mercenaries stared at the bloodied swords of Bronn and Gregor, seeming to grasp the situation immediately. Countless thoughts must have raced through their minds.
Should they fight desperately? Attempt to flee? Or kneel and beg for mercy?
All these thoughts crossed their faces, but it didn't matter—Jon had already given the order to attack.
It was too late for them.
The battle lasted barely a minute. The two knights cut down the still-resisting mercenaries like wheat at harvest, then dismounted to finish off the few seriously wounded men lying on the ground.
After confirming there were no survivors, they began searching for valuables.
Throughout this process, Jon's gaze remained fixed elsewhere.
The night had swallowed the last rays of the setting sun, and across the dark canvas of sky, bright stars were slowly appearing.
Perhaps, he thought, somewhere in that star map lay a distant blue planet where there were no merciless executioners, no mercenaries kneeling to beg for mercy, and no cries of the hunted.
A place with a harmonious society, a stable legal system, and a game designer named Jon Snow who had never created this world.
Soon Jon and his companions finished counting the second wave of spoils.
Most items were abandoned on Jon's order. He kept only Rodrik's family sword—a high-quality hand-and-a-half blade—two exquisite daggers, three sturdy riverland horses, and Rodrik's plate and chain armor.
And, of course, the most important thing—money.
Rodrik's and the mercenaries' personal coins were almost negligible. The real prize was the two payments Jon himself had made plus the remaining eighty gold dragons from Pycelle.
Jon placed the gold bar in his auxiliary system's inventory, and the remaining five hundred gold dragons went into Bronn's saddlebag.
They left the mine and rode to the nearby Green Fork River, where they began washing the blood from their bodies.
"Can you tell me why you were so confident you could turn Rodrik's personal guards against him?" Bronn suddenly asked while Jon was cleaning his clothes.
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