As Roland walked away, the recruits erupted in chaotic disbelief. Shouts of "What the hell?"
"This is cheating!" the voices of grievance filled the air. "
How did this happen?" someone screamed, while another's voice cracked with disbelief, "I can't believe it!" .
The recruits who had complied looked around in stunned silence, grappling with the realization that they had been manipulated.
The atmosphere was charged with shock and confusion.
As the recruits stood in tense anticipation, Roland clapped his hands sharply. At his signal, the large tents began to open, and the supposed victims of their task began to emerge. The same prisoners who had been caged moments before walked out unharmed, their expressions a mix of amusement and relief.
The sight was enough to leave the beaten recruits, those who had been subdued by Roland, utterly bewildered. "What kind of shit is this?" one of them whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?"
The prisoners, now free and animated, began to laugh and tease the stunned recruits. "Did you really think our Lord was a monster?" one of them called out. "In truth, all of this was a test of your nature."
The revelation came as a shock, shaking the recruits to their core. The prisoners continued, their voices filled with mirth. "We were never in any real danger. This whole ordeal was staged to see how you'd react. And I must say, the drama was quite entertaining."
The truth unfolded like a dark comedy.
Roland had orchestrated the entire scene, using villagers as actors in the role of prisoners. Inside the tents, the villagers had been imprisoned and soldiers closely monitored ans were instructed to see the people reject the act of killing at the last moment.
Those who attempted to carry out the task had been stopped by Roland's men. The participants were then smeared with fake blood and sent out to simulate the scenes of violence.
Roland had taken this elaborate step to gauge the true nature of his recruits.
The aim was to identify those with psychopathic tendencies or vile natures.
Through this cruel yet revealing exercise, Roland sought to filter out individuals who would be both strong and responsible, qualities essential for his future plans. He knew that while this method could only be used once, it was crucial for ensuring the reliability and capability of his future forces.
He knew that this was one time and next time, people might have guessed it but…
At least for now, he had gotten his hands on some capable people.
With the test concluded, Roland took the stage one final time.
His demeanor shifted from the cold and calculating to a more charismatic and welcoming presence. "Congratulations to all who endured and participated," he said, his voice echoing with a new tone of authority and warmth. "Welcome to the Barony of Weiss."
He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle. "May the odds be with you, and may the Goddess shine her luck upon you."
As the recruits absorbed the full extent of the revelation, they began to applaud. The initial shock gave way to a mix of relief and admiration for Roland's intricate test.
The ordeal had been a harsh but effective means of evaluating their true selves, and with the final speech, Roland marked the beginning of their new journey under his rule.
...….
Roland started training the newly recruited guards and soldiers.With this, they have filled up the security numbers they desired.
However there was also some unexpected gain.
Lucas, Kara, Oren, Jab…
All of them had honed bodies and were quite close to stepping onto 1st Order and becoming a Master Knight.
At such a crude place, Knights are hardly sought after. With their presence, the security of the place was bound to grow.
Three months later…..
Janet's body had recovered its vitality.
Roland and his wife had resumed their days working hard during the day and partaking in sensual bliss at night. Though Janet had been quite averse to giving birth before, she had always co-operated.
During that time, Roland had felt something amiss.
After months of trying and plowing, there had been still no sign of a baby in Janet's belly. It hadn't been that he had wanted another badly rather he had felt something might have been wrong with her that had worried her. Though Roland had used natural methods and had taken measures to prevent pregnancy, there was no 100% guarantee.
So, Roland had invited a priest from the Church of Life to examine her.
According to the divine examination results, it seemed that Janet's fertility had been significantly affected due to prolonged pregnancy.
She had needed to take it easy and slowly recover.
She couldn't have gotten pregnant again in the short term.
Faced with this result, Roland had found it difficult to accept. Still, he had heaved in relief. At least, his wife had been all right.
Janet hadn't been too saddened by it, but she had noticed her husband's sadness that he had masked away.
After all…
If it hadn't been for satisfying her husband's desire to expand the family bloodline, she would have stopped having children long ago.
She had been somewhat pleased that she couldn't have gotten pregnant in the short term.
"Roland, I can't help you have children now."
"How about you marry another woman?"
The moment Roland heard this, all of his senses screamed with danger.
He eyed Janet with a suspicious gaze.
'What is this? A test?'
'Am I going to be kicked out?'
"I don't mind! You can find some more sisters."
After a storm, Janet had laid in Roland's arms and had suddenly spoken up.
She had known how much her husband had desired children. In order to not affect their marital relationship, she hadn't minded if her husband had found other women to help him have children.
However, seeing her voluntary agreement, Roland senses which had been honed by the interactions of the 21st-century girls, screamed for danger.