章 8: Steps to Recover, Determination
It took a while for his people to recover from this calamity. Fredrinn also learned a harsh lesson: he must never let his guard down, no matter the situation.
He may be strong. Ridiculously strong, but his people are not. Even a group of trained, disciplined squires could raze his village to the ground.
The day after the calamity, they held a heroic ceremony to send off their loved ones; many cried, and men even showed their ugly faces. In the history of the Village of Peace, the dead ones who were killed in battle would be sent on their way by scattering their ashes in the Ancestral Graveyard. There are 2 remaining elders to lead the ceremony, and they send off their lifelong companions with a tearful speech.
After everything has calmed down and everyone has overcome their sadness, the Squire Army Project begins in full swing. The one responsible, Ryly, solemnly declared that in the next month, all men must reach the squire realm.
This time, there were no slackers; all the men, women, and children were filled with the fire of vengeance to avenge their loved ones. They would not stop until they knew the one responsible was dead!
Rea wanted to participate, but Fredrinn obviously wouldn't let her; a pregnant woman training herself, wouldn't mistakes prone to happen?
As for Fredrinn, he was planning to integrate the Village of Peace with the Hebel Village. Their village was short of manpower after the purge. There are only 23 men, including the Combat Group, 19 women, and 16 children.
Not to mention a village, even creating a hamlet out of his people was not enough. So integration is a must, a necessity.
As for the force behind the purge of his village...
"I'll raze down everything you love."
Fredrinn looked at the setting sun, his eyes dark with vengeance.
Those who died weren't just any people; they were the people who had been with him from the moment he was born into this world. He recognized every single one of them when he sent them on their way.
After managing his agitated heart, Fredrinn met up with Lez, Ryly, and Ter to discuss the future steps the village will take.
He suggested the village be integrated with the Hebel Village, one of his subordinated villages, to fill the hole in the village. Ryly and Lez easily agreed. Ter agreed with whatever he said, so he could be left out.
Fredrinn also wanted to consult his wife and his mother about Maltel. However, after considering some things, he delayed the confrontation.
The current atmosphere isn't good, and the restlessness would block off their clarity; if he delivered it wrong, he'd get scolded to death.
Thus, the meeting was settled with the decision to put all manpower into the Squire Army Project along with the integration between the two villages.
Fredrinn didn't go to send the message; he was still not comfortable leaving his village vulnerable. Thus, only Ter and his men were sent to relay this message to Kel.
"My Lord, may I request an audience?"
As he sat in his personal workshop, a knock was heard on his door. Fredrinn recognized the voice clearly.
"Enter!"
A cold-faced Lutto entered the room. His sunny countenance was ruined by the calamity.
Unfortunately, Lutto lost his parents, who fought bravely against 3 opponents to protect his family, and he was left with only his wife and newborn son.
"My Lord, I request your permission for me to go and search for information regarding this crest! I do not wish for the killer of my parents to be able to go out freely. I want them dead!"
The furious Lutto smashed a black clothe with a crest painted on it. It was a fanged wolf with white paint.
Fredrinn's eyes lit up, and his fury surged. He didn't say anything superfluous, "Go! Search everything you know about them. Their allies, their friends, their connections, everything must be entailed in your report!"
"Yes, My Lord! I'll search every nook and cranny of the Litel Trading Site!"
Litel Trading Site is the closest chamber of commerce from their village, being the eye of the storm of over 5 territories, and was supervised by three different viscounts.
It was approximately 50 km away, so it usually took 5 days of walking and 2 days of carriage to visit that place. It has been that way as long as he could remember.
Fredrinn truly wanted to follow him and destroy the force as soon as he found out the background of the crest behind this all, but he couldn't.
He must protect this place. He would not make the same mistake, especially not a mistake as fatal as this.
After entrusting the job to Lutto, he silently looked as the cold man left his dwelling and set out. Fredrinn sighed sadly as he clenched his fists.
In the end, he was mentally exhausted, and he raggedly strode into his room, where he saw Rea silently rubbing her belly.
They didn't say much, merely embracing each other and watching the village from their window. As of now, Fredrinn only needs to wait for his men to complete their jobs.
He'll be overseeing the construction and the training of his people; Lez will take care of the minor matters.
He needed to wait if he wanted to continue his conquest.
"There are 7 villages and 18 tribes that I've conquered, leaving behind 7 untouched villages and 60 tribes. However, the Northern Forest was developed, and the forces there had already gotten in contact with the nearby lords, leaving me with 3 villages. Moreover, these villages are not simple, and they are approximately the same strength as the Hebel Village."
"As of now, if I want to conquer with my men alone without my interference, I could only conquer these tribes."
As he hugged the pregnant Rea with his arms, Fredrinn decided. The conquest must not be stopped!
After the project was completed and the integration was established, his village's strength would soar. At that time, he'll be able to strike personally without any worry about the safety of his village.
If a knight decided to attack his village...
"Then I have to use the Purification Potion on Kel so he could enter the Knight Realm."
Time was pressing, and Maltel's talent had no time to develop, not to mention him. So to create a sufficient defense, this is the step that he must take.
Fredrinn was confident that with his strength, getting more Purification Potions was a matter of time; no need to gloat over it. After all, its value lies in its use, not its decorative aspect.
Tomorrow morning, Fredrinn stood before the lines of his people, including Lez and Ryly, instructing them the steps that will be implemented in the future.
The villagers turned fervent as they listened to him, especially the part where their Lord would allow them to enter the squire realm. Once an unreachable chasm was now reachable for them to grasp.
The integration plan especially left them in awe; their Lord had silently conquered such a powerful village and would integrate it with their place. At this moment, the vulnerabilities of their small numbers disappeared, replaced with vigor and excitement.
"Lead the way, my Lord!"
"Lead us to peace and victory!"
"We will believe everything you said!"
Hearing this, the furious Fredrinn became even more determined.
For the next few days, all the villagers underwent vigorous training. Only a few midwives were elected out of the training to prepare the exotic beast meat to enhance the training results.
Although they were expensive, Fredrinn didn't feel pity at all! His people are the most important!
He also inspected the loot gathered from 6 villages and 18 tribes. Compared to the Rein Village, their treasury was somewhat mediocre. Only the dozens of Inferior Purification Potions were worth mentioning.
The money was entrusted by Lutto long ago. As a merchant, he was the one who knew how to put the money to use in the most efficient, effective way. No one doubted him in his field.
However, what he considered as the most precious was a familiar sealed book he often saw in his time as a count's soldier; it's an ability book!
"The reason it remained unused was probably the same as the issue of this village regarding the Coal-grade scripture."
Fredrinn's eyes shined with excitement as he picked up the worn-out, sealed book. From what he remembered, to bind an ability book to oneself, one must create a connection through a drop of one's blood.
He didn't hesitate, and after his drop of blood merged with the ability book, it levitated and turned ethereal. Afterward, it slowly surged into his forehead.
Fredrinn did not resist. Soon, additional, fascinating, and newfound memories began to appear in his mind. He was bursting with excitement as he recognized this ability.
"Amplified Punch!"
It's an ability for the squire experts. Simply put, it will allow the user to utilize the meager pure energy within a squire's system and enhance their punch, capable of exerting 120% of their original power.
For a normal squire, that additional enhancement was decent, but not amazing. For Fredrinn, however...
The increment couldn't be called as substantial anymore; it's absolutely horrendous.
However, Fredrinn remained calm despite knowing this. He did not wish for his delusion of invincibility and arrogance to harm his people anymore. He was lucky that everything he had was still left intact after the calamity.
Fredrinn engraved this on his heart.
He clenched his fists, "I'll protect you all."
He got the system because he became a Lord, not because of the system that he became the Lord. There's a critical, distinctive difference between these two scenarios.
He, Fredrinn, chose to become a Lord because of his own accord.
With a determined look, his resolve became stronger with each passing day.
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