Everyone looked up, like drowning people grasping at their last straw, staring intently at Lucien.
"Arthur once said, 'My people should not be like lambs scattered in the wilderness, left for wolves to prey upon.'"
"Arthur has a grand plan! He wants to build several sturdy military forts!"
"Military forts?" The villagers murmured, repeating the unfamiliar word.
"Yes, military forts!" Lucien emphasized, his arms waving continuously in the air, as if this grand idea was his own. "High walls built of stone! Taller than the tallest tree in your village! With watchtowers on the walls! Soldiers standing guard day and night! Just like a noble's castle!"
"Let all of us! Live in stone castles like nobles! Never to be harmed again!"
Lucien's words were incredibly appealing at this moment. Their village was not safe at all, and a sturdy, safe castle unfolded in the villagers' minds.
"Arthur plans to bring all of his people to live together in the military forts—farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters, hunters... Everyone will be under the protection of high walls."
"Everyone gathered together, watching out for each other. By then, let alone fifty bandits, even five hundred, would they dare approach the military fort?"
Lucien did not mention relocation, nor merging, nor abandoning land. He simply painted a picture of a new home with high walls, soldiers, and safety for these people who had cowered in fear all night.
To live in a sturdy, safe stone castle, just like nobles.
For the villagers of Shanai Village, who had just experienced a terrifying night of banditry, things like land lived on for generations or feelings for their homeland seemed insignificant in the face of the words 'to survive' and their own lives.
"I will! I will! Sir!" After a brief silence, Old Hans, kneeling on the ground, was the first to react. His face showed immense excitement as he heavily kowtowed to Lucien. He never wanted to experience a night like that again. "I want to go! Please! Sir!"
His shout was like a clap of thunder, waking everyone up, and shouts rose one after another.
"We are willing!"
"Please, Arthur, take us in!"
"We want to live in the stone military fort!"
Lucien stood before the crowd, looking at the kneeling, shouting villagers. A perfectly appropriate look of relief finally appeared on his tense face. Damn it, this was not easy...
The heavy oak door of the small castle slowly opened, and cold wind, dust, and human voices poured into the assembly ground.
Lucien dismounted with a dozen riders. Behind them followed a group of villagers, weary and in tattered clothes, who had spent a night in fear and anxiety.
Leading them was Old Hans from Shanai Village, his weathered face filled with awe and trepidation.
Old Hans and several other villagers, as representatives of their village, walked into the warm, bright hall. The soldiers standing on both sides, with hands on their sword hilts, made them tremble constantly, barely daring to look up at the young man seated high on the lord's throne.
They dared not advance further, their movements timid. They knelt on the ground far from Arthur, their actions clumsy but sincere.
"Arthur... Merciful Arthur..." Old Hans's voice was hoarse and dry, tinged with a sob. "Thank you for giving us food! For giving us livestock!"
"If not for you! We would surely starve to death! Oh, merciful one!"
"The Seven Gods will surely bless you!"
Arthur's expression remained unchanged. He had merely shifted resources from one village to another, while Evelyn, standing beside him, was amazed by the young man's thick skin.
The villagers kowtowed heavily to Arthur, their foreheads repeatedly striking the cold stone floor of the castle.
"We implore Arthur to allow us to move into the military fort! Please grant us a safe place to live! Let us and our families survive! Please, Arthur!"
"Please, merciful Arthur, take us in!"
"We are willing to do anything for you!"
Arthur, however, just watched them and did not reply. The crowd, thinking they would be rejected, gradually broke out into suppressed cries and sobs.
Evelyn stood by, watching this scene, her heart a mix of emotions. She knew how all of this had happened, who had created this fear, and who had given this hope. She looked at Arthur, but saw that he seemed to have no empathy and remained silent.
She knew what he was waiting for: for this group of suffering people to fall into complete despair, and then he would act as their savior. This young man used despicable means to establish himself as a benevolent figure and widely bestow favors.
"Rise!" Arthur finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it echoed clearly in the small castle environment, reaching everyone's ears. "Your request! I grant it! Barna! Arrange for them to temporarily stay at the eastern camp! Ensure they have food and bonfires!"
The villagers, who had been kneeling on the ground, heads bowed deep in tears, heard these words and looked up, praising Arthur with simple language and praying to the gods to bless him.
"Yes, Arthur!" Barna, the newly appointed finance officer, immediately stepped forward to obey. "Rise! Follow me!"
The news spread like wind, sweeping through every village. In the next two days, River Village, Valley Village, Forest Village, Stone Beach Village... one after another, villages that had been harassed and threatened by bandits sent representatives. Their requests were identical to Shanai Village's: to build and move into military forts.
Fear is the most effective catalyst. Under the shadow of death, with life threatened, no one would long for their homeland. The will of everyone in the territory reached an unprecedented unity.
Late at night, only Arthur and Evelyn were in Arthur's bedroom.
The flame in the candlelight flickered, casting long, swaying shadows of the two on the wall.
Evelyn poured Arthur a cup of hot water. The water in the cup indicated she had something to say, and Arthur looked up at her.
She looked up, her beautiful face, disguised by a strange birthmark, reflected the firelight, and her gaze seemed unusually complex. She finally spoke, breaking the long silence.
"Sending out bandits to create fear for the poor, then appearing as a savior..." Her voice was very soft, as if she was talking to herself, or perhaps questioning him. "Your methods are not honorable."
Arthur picked up the water cup, and the steam from it rose, blurring his expression.
"People's vision is short-sighted. When the day of war comes," Arthur took a small sip, "they will thank me. If a good person wants to defeat a bad person, he often needs to be worse and more cunning than that bad person."
Arthur slowly put down the teacup and looked directly into her eyes:
"Otherwise, all that awaits him is a tombstone inscribed with 'The Noble One,' while the despicable person dances and celebrates on his grave."
"You think you're a good person?" Evelyn's breath hitched slightly. The young man spoke well, but she was surprised that after using such methods, the young man in front of her actually considered himself a good person.
Arthur stood up, walked to the arrow slit, looked out at the dark territory, then turned and looked at her strangely.
"When did I ever say I was a good person?"
Note:
Dear readers,
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I wish you all a new year filled with success, good fortune, and prosperity!
Holiday Announcement:
I'm writing this to announce that I will be taking a short break from posting to celebrate the holiday from February 15th to February 22nd, 2026. I will officially return to work on February 23rd.
Don't worry though! During this break, I'll be busy prepping a bunch of new chapters so I can post them consistently once I'm back. I promise the upcoming parts will be even more exciting, so please stay tuned!
Thank you so much for your understanding and for always being such a supportive community.
Happy Lunar New Year!