July 1, an ordinary yet extraordinary day.
A strange military officer visited the workshop of Albert, the Kingsfort goldsmith.
The officer's left leg seemed rather inflexible as he walked with the aid of a horse-head cane.
Another glum-faced constable carrying a sword accompanied him.
Seeing the uniform on the visitor, the goldsmith Albert felt a "thump" in his heart.
In these times, nothing was bigger than the sword. Soldiers, now, strutted about Kingsfort with impunity.
The siege by the Rebels was lifted just two weeks ago, and the bones outside the city were still not completely collected.
Mentioning this siege, the citizens of Kingsfort still felt the shudders.
As soon as the city was blockaded, the price of flour shot up crazily. Often, the price at weighing was one thing, and at payment, it was another.