The journey was long and took a while as this time, they made their way through the road since only the Inquisitor army had exclusive access to the navy. Sylvester could have taken the ship after a bit of talk but decided not to and do his work as a Grand Crusader along the way.
Inside the luxurious carriage, they didn't face any inconvenience other than the occasional bumps of the road. The first stop to stay the night was selected to be a little village that appears just beyond the bridge on the Gold River and enters the Holy Road.
Since it was slowly turning night, Sylvester knew it'd take them hours to reach their destination. Not taking any chances with Shadow Knight, he decided to spend the night there, as the rest of the journey would be on a side road.
The village was mostly happy that the crusaders were living there for the night as it meant opportunities to make money. By cooking food or providing any other service, the villagers would hope to improve their lives, as the village didn't seem that flourishing.
The houses were mostly rundown. The people didn't appear to have decent clothes, and the roads in the village were all made of dirt. The only clean and well-maintained site was the monastery.
"I thought the Duchy of Ironstone was the richest of all of Gracia Duchies. Then why this much poverty?" Princess Isabella wondered while looking out from the carriage window.
"They are rich," Sylvester spoke. "But the wealth lies in the palms of the nobles, not the commoners. This village is probably leftover or not worth much for any noble to care about. What do they sell? Grain? It does not fetch that high of a price."
"But, this village is so close to the Holy Land. The lord of this region should keep it in good condition at least." She replied in pity for the people.
Nobody added anything further as, except Isabella, everyone else had seen the duality of the world and how cruel it can be at times. This village was nothing in their eyes. At least the people were not dying.
"Isabella, who is the suitor your brother talked about? Isn't he from around here?" Felix suddenly asked with great interest.
She instantly turned angry, and her cheeks puffed. "That ugly thing. He's the new Count of the County of Ranthburg after the original Count Ranthburg and his family were destroyed by the church. My brother elevated this man to the Count position after he proved his loyalty and how fat his coffers were—as his belly."
"You've met him before?" Felix asked.
"Only when he swore fealty to my brother. Honestly, I'll kill myself if my wedding is fixed with him. He's fifteen years older than me, for lord's sake." She was going all out, letting out her frustration.
Lady Aurora felt lucky to hear her, even if her childhood was painful. "Good thing I don't have to worry about this."
"I envy you, Lady Aurora. You're so strong and can do nearly anything you want. Everyone respects you." Isabella got depressed.
'How can I ever forget Count Ranthburg?' Sylvester thought to himself, as he now knew that they were the reason why the Shadow Knight was after him.
He forced himself to forget those thoughts and asked. "Aren't you a wizard too? What's your talent rank?"
"Oh, I can be a Master Wizard, but I'm still just an Apprentice, and my mother never allowed me to study anything other than healing." She answered, appearing more saddened by that.
But Sylvester was baffled and excited. 'If she's this much of a genius with mere Appercantis-level magic, what monster would she become with her full potential? It seems investing in her is the most obvious choice right now, no matter what the result of the investigation is.'
Slowly, as they talked, the crusaders set up their camp outside the village and began cooking the meals. The Crusaders had a team of ten men responsible for cooking. These men were all without any magical or knightly talents. They were simple humans who had nothing to do.
Most armies in the world were like that. Only the Holy Land could muster to produce an army full of only wizards and knights, but even that was a rare case. Usually, the armies consist of sixty per cent ordinary soldiers and thirty to thirty-nine per cent magical knights; the rest are wizards.
"Felix, let's go and meet the Archpriest of the local Monastery. They should know who we are so they don't try anything funny." Sylvester got up and stretched his back.
"Sure, let's go." Felix picked up his sword and donned his chest plate.
His armour was customised so that it was easy and fast to remove and wear so he could rest now and then. As for Sylvester, he was still using an old second-hand golden armour, which made him look rugged and all the more dangerous.
"Bishop Lazark, please watch over the Crusaders. They can sometimes be an awful bunch and commit atrocities on the locals. And Lady Aurora, since you're a part of Inquisitors, tell all the Inquisitor men in our armies to act as internal police." Sylvester gave a few commands as he prepared to head out. He was acting on behalf of the Lord Inquisitor, so they had to take his word.
"Got it, blondie." Lady Aurora cheekily gave a thumbs up and brashly went out.
Sylvester shook his head, grunted, and left with Felix. There was nothing he could do to Lady Aurora yet. But he remembered everything as one day his day would also come.
"What do we do now?" Isabella asked Gabriel as he was the only one left in the carriage.
Gabriel merely sat down in the corner, crosslegged, and took out a book. "Come, sister-in-faith. Let's pray in the name of the Lord, for he's the one behind everything—our one true god."
"..."
"I will sleep."
…
Sylvester roamed around the village and saw the plight of the people. They appeared well-fed, but there was nothing much beyond that.
At the monastery, they found out that the village produced nothing but grains, and even that was only enough to feed themselves. So, they never had money to buy clothes or other items for personal care. Only the monastery donates a few clothes on occasion.
"This is the real life of a commoner, Felix. Unfortunately, most villages and towns live like this." Sylvester said as they made their way back.
"Not too surprising, honestly." Felix started. "Most villages in my county were dirt poor as well. Though father used to forgive their taxes in some extreme cases, or else thousands would have died every year."
"Then I must say, Count Sandwall is a good man."
"Fuck no!" Felix cursed from the heart. "He's an animal who lives to gain more power and wealth at all costs. He sees the people as tools, and no real man would want to lose his tools of cheap labour. In Sandwall County, you will never find a cripple. Guess why."
The answer was predictable. "Off with the head?"
"Worse, they get fed to the domestic lions we keep to hunt for Desert cannibals. Father says, 'Why to waste the flesh of men I own?' He's a sick man, Max."
Sylvester nodded, agreeing with the feeling, but he felt the Count was not evil but too pragmatic. The man likely saw everything from the eyes of 'Can it benefit me?'.
"M-My lord!"
"My lord! Please!"
Sylvester stopped and looked to the side. The Crusaders tasked with guarding his surroundings were preventing a woman from reaching him.
"I just wish to speak! Please!"
Felix unsheathed his sword. "What has your rotten luck brought us now, Max?"
Sylvester waved his hand at the guards to let her come close. But, simultaneously, he kept his senses high to smell her emotions.
'Hmm… fear, anxiety and sadness—She's broken.'
Sylvester allowed her to reach him. The woman appeared like any other middle-aged woman but dirt poor from the looks of it. She wore a dirty, patched brown peasant gown that was god knows how old. She had dirt all over her black hair, and her blue eyes appeared devoid of all happiness.
But what made Sylvester pitiful were the two kids on her side. Both boys, wearing old tunics and pants, no shoes. They appeared ten and six years old, but were highly malnourished.
Sylvester raised his palm at them and used some light magic to make them feel warm. "Speak your mind, children of Solis."
Thud!
Seeing his light magic, the woman fell to her knees and forced her children to do the same. But she didn't cry and merely took a folded parchment from her gown and extended it to Sylvester. "M-My lord… I heard the great Lord Bard is here. The archpriest of the monastery ignored my request and called me a lunatic—but I do not lie, my lord."
"What is this?" Sylvester took the parchment and read it in silence. And the more he read, the more curious he became about this case.
"You claim your elder brother is a Cardinal in the Holy Land? And you wish to ask him for help?" Sylvester asked her to ensure he read it right.
The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, my lord. His name is Robert Maxim. He's a Cardinal, but what he does, I know not. I was wedded to the Master of these lands before he died, and his second wife took all his inheritance. She had the support of her father, another Master of nearby lands.
"I have nothing left. My children are dying a slow death. I sent many letters to my brother over the past year but received no reply. I believe he is not receiving these letters. So all I ask of you is that you give him this last cry for help—that is all… I ask for nothing more."
She finally started crying as the sense of hope made her emotions come out. Her sons tried to wipe her tears, but she just hugged them tight and wept.
Sylvester reread the whole letter. The more he read it, the more he appreciated this woman. In the entire letter, she didn't ask for money once. All she asked her brother was to help her find a job.
But what made Sylvester amused and confused was the Cardinal. 'Why would a Cardinal, the highest ordinary clergy rank achievable, not help his own sister even with all the means readily available?'
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