During this time, Prince Julius had his first encounter with someone identifying themselves as Strongarm. He writes in his journals that a dark haired stranger saved him from an army of armed men, wielding a living axe named Secret and fists that were faster than the wind.

Curiously, the account names the man as Juste Strongarm. The popular folk hero (who we are still assuming is actually Leon Fou Bartfort) is named Huan Strongarm, so it seems like he hadn't yet settled on a pseudonym.

Nowhere in the journal does it explain where Prince Julius was or why he was being attacked. I've already cross-referenced the anecdote with the clues for all other Oak Leaves, but none of them match up. If there weren't so much widespread written evidence of Strongarm's existence I could have sworn he just made the whole thing up.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

"Which way did they go?"

"That way, but-"

Leon tore off without another word. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"

As far as minibosses went, Lord Korel was pathetically weak. His quest began with him ordering a high quality sword and refusing to pay for it, at which point the protagonist tracked him down… well, in the region that Leon was in now. He refused to pay, insisted on fighting to the death for it and got whipped miserably.

At this point in his career, Julius was hysterically weak. And Leon didn't rate his odds against someone guaranteed to survive until the plot kicked off.

"Stop right there, villain!" shouted someone who sounded exactly like Julius' voice actor. "Your evil deeds stop here!"

Leon braked hard as the ground abruptly fell away, windmilling his arms to keep from falling. The short cliff in front of him ended in a steep drop, at the bottom of which was a field of grass. The two morons in cloaks were facing off against Lord Korel, who was decked from head to toe in full plate armour. It was elaborately gilded with green accents, as was the kite shield depicting what was presumably his family crest. He sat astride a huge black horse, which Leon thought looked oddly familiar.

He was surrounded by at least fifteen men wearing similar, less fancy armour, all of them likewise on horseback. There were a few other people - presumably servants - hanging around the back that Leon chose to ignore.

"State your business, knave, then remove yourself from my sight. I am in the middle of a hunt!" Korel proclaimed grandly. With his face covered by his helmet, his voice was the closest thing he had to a physical appearance; despite Leon's contempt for the man he had to admit that he had a great voice, and could have gotten work as a voice actor in his old world.

"You are hunting illegally on royal grounds!" Julius proclaimed. Leon was a little disappointed; it seemed like a shallow reason to pick such a one sided fight. "These crimes are punishable by law!"

Korel laughed contemptuously, as did his men. "My family manages this region, and we may do with it as we please! There is only one law here: my law."

Julius said something about treason as Leon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are your friends okay?"

He looked over shoulder and saw that Zane and his merry men had followed him. "They're not my friends," he said flatly. "I just don't want them dead." Julius charged at Korel, only for him to smack him away with his shield. "Man they suck."

"Your Highness!" called Jilk, running to his boss's side. He crouched over Julius and made sure he was okay, then suddenly pulled out a revolver and fired at the laughing miniboss. The bullets bounced harmlessly off his armour and shield, causing both boys to scream and duck as they ricocheted off the ground.

"These guys really suck." Zane gave him an odd look.

"Aren't you going to help?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. Maybe this could be good for them? Like, they realise their own weakness and vow to become stronger… that sort of thing!"

"Why!" Julius sobbed melodramatically. He tried to hammer at the ground, but his big stupid cloak got in the way and turned it into more of a flaccid slap. "Why am I so weak?"

"Or they could be traumatised," Zane pointed out. "And the shadow of this humiliation could haunt them forever."

Leon stopped to consider this. Julius and Jilk were by far the least useless of the male leads, but even they had an alarming fail rate in the lategame. "Huh. That's a good point."

Korel drew his sword. "And now! To destroy these intruders as is my duty to the crown!"

"Fine. May as well." Leon slung Zane's bow across his back, looping the string over the hilt of his bastard sword. "You guys should probably hide. Both sides down there are nobles, and I don't think they'd appreciate what you do for a living."

"Thanks," nodded the bandit. "Good luck out there."

"You too." Rather than dramatically jump off the cliff (as Zane half-expected him to do) Leon jogged casually to the side, where a grassy slope offered a much easier and safer way down.

"We're still going to watch this, right?"

"Oh, definitely!"

"Worry not," Lord Korel was saying, raising his sword above his head. "For I shall let you live once I have- Gah! What the hell?"

Leon's axe had come flying in out of nowhere, striking his sword and knocking it from his hand. Korel yelped and clutched at his wrist, while the axe spun away out of sight.

"Who dares challenge the Lord of this Domain?"

"That would be me," grunted Leon, stomping up to him with a scowl. He firmly ignored the morons in cloaks. "Go home, or I'll have to hurt you."

"You insolent whelp!" Korel snapped. "How dare you speak to blah blah blah…"

Now that he was closer, Leon could tell that Korel's steed was no ordinary horse. It was several times taller than he was and unbelievably muscular, being so wide that it was a wonder that riding it didn't split his pelvis in half. Its mane and tail were incredibly long and braided into dreadlocks, which slightly covered its intelligent green eyes. It had a white star marking on its forehead, and tufts of fur sprouted around its massive hooves.

"Is that a Warhorse?" Leon looked at Korel with amused disbelief. "Why does a worthless turd like you have a Warhorse?"

"Because I am a great man!" the miniboss screamed. "Because I am better than you will ever dream of-"

"Did you just feed him until he stopped kicking you off?"

"N-no! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Hah!" Leon laughed. "Thought so." He suddenly charged at the armoured man, drop-kicking him off the horse's back. He ignored the noble as he began shouting, instead turning to the Warhorse and bowing as if to great nobility. "Greetings, sir," he said respectfully. "I am a humble wanderer, currently answering to the name of Strongarm. I humbly ask your permission to interfere in this matter."

Everyone stared as Leon held the bow. The Warhorse gave him a long, measuring look before gracefully bowing back.

"Thank you, good sir, for your clemency." Leon straightened up, and noticed that Korel's men were pointing loaded crossbows at him. He heard the familiar whistle of the freezing axe spinning through the air, and realised it was rapidly getting closer. "Good timing."

The axe spun between them just as they opened fire, shattering the bolts in midair before they could get anywhere close to him. "How?" someone screamed, but Leon had already charged. He crashed into Korel's men like a wrecking ball, sending them flying in all directions in a tornado of fists.

Julius and Jilk watched, slack-jawed, as he devastated Lord Korel's men. Although he was making an effort to avoid hitting their horses (knowing the Warhorse could kill him whenever it wanted) he still managed to make it look effortless. "Jilk?" croaked the Prince. "Who is that?"

Jilk searched his encyclopaedic memory of the country's adventurers and came up blank. "I have no idea."

Leon bonked embarrassingly off a magical shield, which had appeared around Korel after he held his shield aloft. It took the form of glowing yellow barriers that slotted together in the shape of a dome, which protected him from outside attacks. "Weakling!" he laughed, having apparently regained some of his mojo. "No one can penetrate my ancestral shield!"

"Heh," snorted Leon. "Penetrate."

He began violently punching the dome at machinegun speeds, the ground beneath his feet rupturing from the force. After eight seconds of unrelenting force, cracks began appearing in the shield.

"Impossible… Impossible!" Korel screamed. "My barrier is impenetrable!"

Leon was rapidly proving him wrong, the cracks spreading like a spiderweb over the miniboss' head.

"Stop! Stop this instant! You insect! I command you to stop-"

The barrier shattered with a sound like breaking glass. "Command me to what now?"

"Um…"

To his credit, Korel at least managed to raise his shield before Leon got to him. His gauntleted right fist tore through the shield like tissue paper, carving a hole in the noble's breastplate and causing all the armour not on his arms and legs to explode off his body. Korel flew helpless through air before rolling painfully to a stop.

Leon turned on Julius as the remaining men cowered around him. "What the hell was that?" he demanded. "How the hell did you struggle with that asshole?"

"Wha-What?" Julius stuttered. "I mean I… I-I-I was outnumbered!"

"You were a bitch!" Leon snapped. "Take off your cloak!"

"What?"

"Take off your fucking cloak!" A little intimidated, Julius did as he said. Leon snatched it from his hands and shook it in his face. "First of all this makes you look like an idiot. Second of all it severely hampers your ability to fight. You're going to try that again, and this time you're not going to fail miserably!"

"But you already-"

"Don't question me!" Leon stomped over to Lord Korel, who began frantically trying to crawl away. "Get up, dickhead. The kid wants a rematch."

"But I give up!" Although his torso was still bare his helmet was still intact, though Leon could hear the snot and tears leaking from his face when he talked. "I don't wanna fight anymore!"

"Either fight him and live or fight me and die."

"I'll fight him! I'll fight him!"

Korel scrambled to his feet, running to retrieve his sword. Leon moved to stand by Jilk and the Warhorse. "Don't interfere, Green. He needs to do this on his own."

"You can't let him fight that man!" Jilk hissed. "What if he gets hurt?"

"What if he got hurt when he was fully armed, surrounded by goons and riding a Warhorse?" Leon asked reasonably. "Why didn't you say anything then?"

"That was different," he said hastily. "His Highness was very insistent on-"

"Which made it okay?" Leon interrupted. "Which meant it wouldn't be your fault if he got himself killed?"

"I didn't mean-"

"Because that's what you're doing. You're so desperate to agree with him and make him happy that you're putting his life in danger."

"You don't understand!"

"I don't? So this doesn't all stem from your pathological fear of being rejected?" Jilk literally choked on his own words, staring at him in shock. "That's what I thought."

Julius and Korel stood opposite one another, their blades drawn. They spent a few seconds circling before their blades clashed; quickly, Julius began to lose ground.

"What's wrong, Jules?" Leon taunted. "Struggling?"

"Yes, actually!" Julius shouted, half wondering how he knew his name. "He's way bigger and stronger than me!"

"He's angry and exhausted," said Leon flatly. "Both of which mean bad things for his skill level, which is pretty low in the first place." This only seemed to enrage Lord Korel, who redoubled his attempts to cut his opponent down. "First, just try dodging his blows."

Julius tried taking his advice, quickly finding that he was far easier than he thought. Korel's blade was far too long and cumbersome to be wielded with any kind of finesse, and the man himself was too slow to actually hit him.

"See?" said Leon. "Easy, isn't it? Now try deflecting his swings."

This too was pitifully easy. "I'm doing it!" he squealed. "I'm doing it!" The half nude nobleman snarled in impotent anger, but he remained utterly unable to land a hit.

"Good, now disarm him." Without conscious thought, Julius followed his instructions; with a flick of his wrist the sword spun away, landing blade first in the grass. Korel stared dumbly at his empty hand, sinking to his knees in despair. "Finally. Goddamn."

"I did it," whispered Julius, his voice raising into a hysterical scream. "Guys! I did it!"

"Great!" Leon gave him a sunny smile, which disappeared as soon as he was close enough for him to grab him by the collar. "Now tell me you'll never do this again."

Julius blinked. "What?"

"Say you'll never do anything this stupid again," repeated Leon. "Say it or I'll rip your nipple off."

"Now I know you're bluffing." Leon reached menacingly for his chest. "Okay okay okay! I promise!"

"Good," he grunted, and released him. "There won't always be someone there to save you." A surge of magical energy exploded behind him, sending a beam of light into the air and surrounding them with a small whirlwind of flying dirt. Leon turned around with an expression of mild curiosity. "Hm?"

Korel was decked from head to toe in spiky armour made of white light, complete with a matching sword and shield. "To think a mere peasant would push me this far!" he snarled. "Have you any idea how much money this magic tool cost me? Draw your sword you insolent cur!"

Leon just snorted. "I promised the man who gave me this sword that I'd use it to kill a demon or a dragon. You're neither."

Korel flexed his aura, which he took to be a sign of insecurity. "Dare you still? Dare you still to mock me when I stand before you at my most powerful?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "You see this, kids?" he said to the two idiots conversationally. "This is the very definition of style over substance."

Jilk gave him a blank look. "Style over- W-Why?"

"Because contrary to appearances, all it actually does is raise your attack power. That armour does nothing at all for your defence."

Lord Korel scowled. "And just what is that supposed to-"

Leon lunged forward faster than he could react, uppercutting him into the air. The nobleman screamed as he flipped through the sky; after casting a quick strengthening spell on his legs Leon leapt upward, hitting the miniboss with a brutal downward punch. He hit the ground like a meteor, leaving a crater where he landed as the magic armour shattered like glass. Leon rolled across the grass as he fell back to earth, landing conveniently next to Korel's abandoned sword.

"I'm taking this," he said blithely, yanking it out of the ground and casually stealing its scabbard while he was at it. He sauntered past the two boys, who were looking at him with frightened awe in their eyes. "Come along, children. We're leaving."

"That's… Right, yes!" Julius almost looked like he had been jerked awake. "Let me just-"

"Leave the cloaks."

"But-"

"Leave the cloaks!"

They were forced to jog slightly to keep up with him, flinching as the axe sailed in from the left and landed in his waiting palm. The Warhorse watched them go, gave a thoughtful look at the spot where Zane and his men were hiding, then casually followed.

"Thank you for helping us!" Julius was saying. "My name is-"

"Your name is Jules," interrupted Leon. "And his name is Green. I'm not interested in who you really are."

"Right! Yes! A-and what-" Julius tripped and had to start again. "And your name is-"

"Strongarm. Just Strongarm."

"Right! Cool!"

Jilk was glancing nervously over his shoulder. "Why is that horse following us?"

"He's not a horse," grunted Leon. "He's a Warhorse, a kind of tameable monster. And I have no idea. Maybe he's curious?" By now they were almost back to the castle, and ahead of them were a few farmers being harassed by basic wolf monsters; Leon threw the axe and let it zip back and forth, slaughtering them with ease before returning to his hand. "Good work out there." The axe vibrated in response, creating a low hum.

"Wait, is that thing alive?" asked Julius. "Does it have a name?"

"Secret."

"Hello, Secret! My name is Julius!"

"No, I meant it's name is… Forget it."

They were still trailing after him and asking questions when he arrived at Ragneli's stall; he could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't expected him back so soon. "Mr Strongarm!"

"Mr Great."

"Well met, friend! Have you defeated the robber band?"

"Sure have."

"Splendid!" he beamed. "Now my caravans can set forth without fear. I'll take that bow." He held out his hand expectantly, but Leon just looked at him. "The bow, Mr Strongarm."

"tick, tick, tick," Leon whispered, and the merchant's face twisted in distress. He continued to make the terrifying noise without blinking, until finally Ragneli cursed and pulled the Copper Oak Leaf from his sleeve. "Thank you," said Leon, and pulled the bow from his back. "Here you go. May it bring you exactly what you deserve."

"Thank you!" Ragneli exclaimed, his eyes glistening with greed. "You have my eternal… Wait, what did you mean by that?"

Leon just smiled and walked away.

"tick, tick, tick,"

The sound would haunt his nightmares forever.

"We have one more stop before we part ways." Leon was still carrying Korel's sword in his off hand, and the Warhorse was still trailing at the rear. "Come this way."

"Why?" asked Jilk nervously, but he only led them to the marketplace. He stopped in front of one of the shops around the edges of the square, a surly blacksmith with a thick red beard standing out front.

"Hello, sir," nodded Leon politely. "Is your name Jarl?"

"What is it?" he barked grumpily. "If you wish a sword or armour made, I must insist on payment in advance!"

Julius didn't have much experience buying his own things, but he still felt this was unfair. "Why in advance?"

"My last customer, a nobleman, took a sword he commissioned but refused to pay for it!" Jarl explained bitterly. "A servant came to take the sword, saying that my fee would be paid when his master accepted it."

Jilk rose his eyebrows. "Has he accepted it?"

"Three weeks have passed and still no fee." Jarl sat down on a bench sitting outside his store, sighing in exhaustion. "I have become desperate."

Julius blinked, not immediately comprehending his problem. "Why are you desperate?"

"I can't pay the moneylender unless I collect that fee. The vultures will haul me off to the Keep!"

"Would it help if I gave you your sword back?"

Leon held out Korel's sword with a smile. Jarl appeared to scoff at the suggestion, but did a massive double take when he recognised the blade. "But how?" He took it reverently, his eyes becoming watery from gratitude. "Lord Korel is a mighty warrior that only a fool would dare attack!" Leon gave the two idiots a flat look, and they had the decency to look sheepish. The axe and the Warhorse made mild noises of amusement. "No matter. I'll sell this sword and pay my debts. Please accept this axe for all your trouble."

He entered his shop and came out again with a two handed axe; it wasn't as ornate as the sword, but it was clearly a powerful weapon. Leon accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you," he bowed, his smile fading as he turned back to the two idiots. "Do the two of you understand why I brought you here?"

They exchanged looks, but came up blank. "Um…"

"The two of you confronted that guy because he was hunting on royal lands, but King Roland has so much land that he barely uses it. That sword represents someone's home. Someone's livelihood. No one in that palace is going to be affected if they lose a few rabbits, but a smith named Jarl would have gone to prison because of something Lord Korel did."

"But I didn't know!" blurted Julius. Leon ceded the point.

"That's right," he nodded. "But now you do. And if you only remember one thing that I've said to you, let it be this: the only thing necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. Do you understand?"

Words could not describe what Jilk felt in that moment. This was what Julius needed. Not him. He quietly hung his head in shame.

"Yes," said the Prince quietly. "I understand."

"Good. Now I need you to do something for me." Leon held out the axe for them to take. "Hang this on your wall, and every time you look at it I want you to remember that not everyone in need is rich or a noble. Consider it to be payment, if you like, for helping you earlier."

"Yes, sir," promised Julius, his voice swelling dramatically. "I, Julius Ra-"

"Don't tell me your name," interrupted Leon. "And never talk to me again." He stumped off anticlimactically, the Warhorse casually trotting along behind him.

It was an order - naturally - that they would ignore.

Quest: The Sword of Jarl

Summary: another early quest from Summoner, the quest is virtually identical to Ragneli's Robbers except with fewer enemies and a mandatory boss fight. Unusually, Korel uses a dagger (the weakest weapon in the game) instead of the titular sword. Maybe it's because I'm not nobility, but that just feels crazy to me.

Side note: if you refuse the quest when it is initially presented to you, a glitch will prevent Lord Korel from spawning. This has frustrated so many people that it has made him - and by extension Jarl - into the most disliked characters in the game. Yes, even more so than Gorbus and Ragneli.