Chapter 380: Chapter 377: Rejoicing Too Soon
Seeing that a pretty young woman had emerged, the adjutant stopped shouting but warned them not to come any closer. Richard cautiously used his Mage’s Hand to lift the handkerchief covering the basket from a distance. Inside were several Valois Snacks.
The small pastries had been left out in the winter air for quite some time, and their surfaces had dried out. Still, the mixture of sugar, oil, and carbohydrates hadn’t gone moldy, so they were still edible. The adjutant and the soldiers all swallowed quietly at the sight of the snacks.
But they all knew that only Major Richard, the acting commander, had the authority to accept and distribute the desserts. The man in question, however, remained unmoved, his cold gaze fixed on the old servant.
The old servant hurried to speak. "Sir, my master is Pon Montville III, the Count of Troyes from the Holy Kingdom. My young lady is his second daughter, Daisa. She... ah, Young Miss, why don’t you say it yourself."
Daisa haltingly recited the words her parents had taught her. "Sir, thank you for taking care of us. These snacks... are a token of my appreciation. If you have any other needs, Sir, I’m willing... I’m willing..." Her voice trailed off as she looked like she was about to cry, unable to go on.
The adjutant and the soldiers were all moved by her pitiable state. At the same time, they inwardly cursed that so-called Count. ’How dare he use this to test our commander? What fine young man could withstand a test like this?’
But Richard remained expressionless. In fact, his face began to darken, which startled the adjutant. It was a sign he was about to lose his temper.
Seeing his young lady falter, the old servant quickly interjected. He tried to force a smile, but all anyone could see was a mouthful of rotten teeth. "Sir, you are truly a brilliant young hero, invincible in battle! My young lady has grown to admire you deeply, and my master is willing to help this wonderful union come to pass. What do you say..."
The adjutant, sensing Richard’s building anger, quickly took the initiative. He raised his riding crop and struck the servant. "Who the hell does your master think he is! A Count? He’s nothing but a dog in exile! Do you have any idea of the Major’s status? A Count’s second daughter isn’t even fit to be his mistress!"
The old servant nearly pissed himself from the blow. He scrambled to the ground and begged, "Sir, I didn’t know, I didn’t know! I deserve to die for offending you!"
Richard thought the whole thing was a farce. He looked at his posturing adjutant, the curious and snickering soldiers, and the spineless coward groveling on the ground. A nameless rage began to burn within him.
"Enough!" Richard snapped. The adjutant immediately stopped. "You," Richard said to the servant, "oversee this carriage’s return to the column. Explain things clearly to the Count. There will be no more disruptions of military discipline." He then looked at his subordinate. "Adjutant, you will also prevent the soldiers from harassing the carriage. Anyone who violates discipline gets ten lashes."
"Yes, sir!"
The interlude had disrupted their rest. Richard forced the image of the trembling, sobbing girl from his mind and ordered the infantry regiment to march on.
Finally, they crossed the wilderness and came upon a sizable manor.
At the heart of the manor was a small castle. When its occupants saw the troops appear on the horizon, they hastily shut the main gate. A crowd of ragged peasants surrounded it, frantically pounding on the wooden doors.
"Didn’t General Carl’s troops take this place? Or was the castle too small, so they just missed it?" the adjutant wondered aloud. But Richard was already preparing for battle. They were a supply convoy, and a manor like this was certain to have provisions they couldn’t afford to pass up. ’Can I take it by myself?’ He had some anger to vent and began assessing the difficulty of storming the castle as a Mage.
Just as he was about to make his move, the main gate swung open again. A donkey came rushing out, carrying one of the Manor Lord’s servants.
"Sirs from the Empire! It was a misunderstanding! My master has already surrendered to the Empire Army’s vanguard, to that... Ca..."
"General Carl."
"Right, right! My master has already surrendered to General Carl. We didn’t realize there was more than one detachment of the Empire Army, which led to the misunderstanding. There are so many bandits these days..."
The troops made camp at the manor. The Manor Lord’s castle and the peasant huts couldn’t possibly house over a thousand men, so the fallow fields became their barracks. Richard was invited into the main house to wash up and dine.
He noticed the gathered peasants were trembling, their eyes fixed warily on the Empireists.
Richard found this odd and asked the Manor Lord, "What are all these peasants gathered here for?"
The Manor Lord’s expression flickered. "They’re just refugees, begging for food. But my estate has no grain to spare. It’s all been given to support your esteemed army." Then, he turned and shouted at the peasants, "Did you hear me, you worthless curs? The lords from the Empire are here now! They aren’t as reasonable as I am, so scram! Get lost!"
After shouting at the peasants, he shot a meaningful look at his household staff. Receiving the signal, one group of servants moved to disperse the peasants while another seemed to be carrying heavy objects into the castle. A few of them even tried to block Richard’s view of what they were moving.
Sensing something was amiss, the Major ignored the Manor Lord and decided to find out for himself. He strode forward and had his orderlies grab two of the peasants for questioning.
The Manor Lord stammered, "Sir, they might be carrying some filthy disease. It’s best we keep our distance."
Richard used Magic to silence the babbling Manor Lord. He saw the peasants’ pale faces and cracked lips and ordered a Guard to bring them some water.
This small gesture of kindness lessened the peasants’ fear enough for them to explain what had happened.
It turned out that when General Carl’s vanguard had passed through, that son of a bitch had immediately opened his gates to welcome them. He had then personally led the Empire Army to all the peasant households and nearby villages to confiscate their grain. With his guidance, the Empire Army had stripped the area bare. Then, using the Empire soldiers’ authority as a pretext, the Manor Lord had ordered his own men to smash the peasants’ farming tools and confiscate any weapons they owned.
The peasant spat at the Manor Lord in hatred. "You cunning bastard! You lied to the invaders, telling them you had no grain, then led them to rob us. After the soldiers left, we had nothing to eat. That’s when you brought out your hidden stores and told us we had to trade our land or sell ourselves into servitude just to eat!"
Richard released the spell silencing the Manor Lord, signaling that it was his turn to speak.
The Manor Lord burst into a tirade. "You damn mud-legs! Your worthless lives aren’t even worth taking! Sir, don’t you dare pity these people. When the Royal Capital was in chaos, someone—I don’t know who—riled them up. They came to my estate and forced me to hand over the land deeds and loan records passed down through my family for generations. Then they burned them all! My great-grandfather was a Knight of the Kingdom! How dare you!"
Having vented his rage, the Manor Lord’s face instantly transformed as he turned back to Richard with a fawning smile. "By the Lord of Order, now that the Empire’s army is here, these lowlifes can’t be so smug anymore. I was only trying to recoup my past losses. Sir, tell me, was what I did so wrong?"
Richard shook his head. "Your quarrels are none of my concern. I only care about one thing: did you hide the grain?" As he spoke, he drew his officer’s sword, the tip aimed directly at the Manor Lord’s fleshy face.
One of the peasants let out a vicious, gleeful laugh. "Hah! Sir, take all of it! Let this fat pig starve to death right along with us! That would make our deaths all the more satisfying."
Seeing that the Manor Lord had fainted from fear, Richard had the Guards drag him into the castle. He found his adjutant. "Prepare for a forced march. The General intends to storm the capital of the Kongdi Region."
The adjutant was confused. They hadn’t received any orders from the troops up ahead.
"The General didn’t wait for us. The fact that he was conscripting grain here means he already has enough supplies for a rapid assault on the city. We need to catch up."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a light cavalry rider arrived. As expected, it was an order from the General, telling them to stop gathering grain and prioritize transporting ammunition to the front lines.
"There’s still grain here," Richard said. "We’ll replenish our own stores, but don’t take on a full load. It’ll slow our march. Leave those exiled nobles here as well."
The adjutant knew the column still had plenty of provisions and they couldn’t take much of the Manor Lord’s hidden grain. "And if there’s any left after that?"
Richard glanced at the peasants being held under guard by his soldiers. "Then bring it out and distribute it. Give it to these civilians to help them survive the winter."
