Capítulo 7: A Calamity, Fredrinn's Rage and Resolve
Noticing the familiar paveways, Fredrinn and his men smiled in relief. They looked at each other with a gratified look. With the resources they've got, the rate of development of the village would be increased drastically.
Their faces were bright as they strode to the village. However, their heart turned cold when a massive wave of black, coarse smoke appeared in the distance.
Fredrinn became anxious; what's going on?
"Men, charge! Make desperate strait!"
Seeing that their village head frantically rushed ahead, the other men knew that this was a serious matter.
A moment later, while they were still on their way, Fredrinn had already arrived at the village.
From a distance, he could see the desperate clashes of his people against those foreign, black-clothed people. The corpses of his people lay bare on the ground, and the houses were on fire.
His heart sank to the bottom.
He's been careless!
What about his pregnant wife? His mother?
At that moment, Fredrinn's eyes turned red.
The black-clothed men were leisurely raiding the village when an overbearing force crashed against them. They tried to resist, but their meager strength couldn't do much.
Fredrinn burst out with his full strength for the first time. After he conquered multiple villages and tribes, he was able to accumulate over 700,000 kg of strength! Those villages and tribes were relatively weak, so only 350,000 kg of strength could be gathered.
Only a peak-stage Grand Knight could stand a chance against him, not to mention these black-clothed men!
They couldn't even do anything before they directly exploded. Not even given a chance to retaliate.
"Village Head!"
Seeing the figure of Fredrinn clad in his armor showing off his overbearing strength, the struggling villagers sighed in relief and began to express their grief. Fredrinn nodded, but he still had a pressing matter.
"Where's my wife and my mother? Are they alright?"
They're still alive, according to the count of family members. Still, Fredrinn was afraid. What if something happens to Rea? What if something happens to her fetus? What if his mother was crippled?
"The Head's wife and mother are protected by all men, along with the women and children in the square village."
The man was about to finish when Fredrinn swiftly rushed towards the designated place. His eyes turned cold and chilly. His steps are wide and decisive.
Seeing their desperate Lord, their eyes became more determined.
"Sol, we need to retrieve this bag, and quick!"
"Let's follow the Village Head!"
At the same time, Ter and his men finally arrived at the northern side of the village. They have taken a shortcut, knowing that they couldn't catch up to Fredrinn's speed.
Their eyes turned red as they saw the burning houses, along with the corpses of their fellow villagers. At the farther distance, a battle was still ongoing.
Removing the loot and putting it behind an inconspicuous bush, Ter and his men roared furiously as they charged right ahead!
In the square village, all the men, whether they are farmers, butchers, or lumberjacks, all of them are fighting with all they have. Thankfully, Fredrinn's exercises have drastically increased their strength, so even if these black-clothed men were squires, they could still hold on.
"Ryly, what should we do?!"
At the front, Lez, with his cold face, swatted away an attack with his hoe and poked a hole into his opponent's forehead, cleanly ending his life. His movement was crude but efficient, like how he used to plow his field.
"Keep the current situation quo. I have sent some men to retrieve the potions to forcibly make a breakthrough. As long as we enter the squire realm, none of these guys could compare to us."
Lez, hearing the crazy plan, didn't comment. He agreed in his heart that this was the best way.
A few days ago, Lutto had come back with over 20 vials of Inferior Purification Potions and many exotic beast meat. Seeing that Fredrinn was not in the village, Lez and Ryly, who met up with Lutto, decided to keep the vials in the bag while they used the meat to strengthen the village.
Although they didn't understand why Fredrinn was desperate to increase their strength instead of improving his personal strength, they didn't complain. Instead, their admiration became stronger.
He is such a caring lord; he's clearly thinking of them and not of himself!
They glanced at the pregnant Rea and Cecy who were being protected by others, and their determination became stronger. The Lord's wife and mother cannot be touched!
"Brave Village, surrender! Our Lord would be pleased if you surrender and offer him a beautiful woman; perhaps you could get some benefits!"
The leading figure of these black-clothed men laughed insidiously as he killed another villager; his eyes openly leered on Rea, who shivered in disgust.
Ryly and Lez became even more desperate, and the villagers became more determined in their march. Even if they have to die, even if they'll be dissected, nothing is allowed to happen to the Lord's wife!
The prosperous Village of Peace, which originally had a population of 149, excluding the captives from the Rein Village, has dropped drastically to 57.
The leader was about to take action and reappeared behind Rea to kidnap her when a cold voice that shook the heavens sounded out from the distance. It was unforgiving.
"Take one more step, and see what happens."
It took a second for everyone to react. The desperate villagers suddenly cried out, and their eyes turned moist.
"V-Village Head!!!"
"L-Lord, go! Ran away with your wife and your mother. We'll block them for you!"
"What are you saying?!"
Rea and Cecy looked at the villagers in shock and grief, "If we will die, we'll die together!"
Seeing all of this, the black-clothed men laughed out loud. They looked at the backward people in ridicule, and one of them even went as far as molesting a dead woman with his feet.
"What a bunch of idiots."
"What makes you think you could block us off? Besides, your 'Lord's wife' will be the plaything of our Lord, so letting her leave is obviously impossible—"
These men continued to ramble. However, their faces soon distorted like monsters and demons when a majestic, overbearing force was pressed against them.
Like the previous people Fredrinn crushed to death, they can't even retaliate before they were crushed to the ground like ants; they're too insignificant. Even the leader wasn't spared.
Under Fredrinn's coercion, not a single man could resist!
Even then, Fredrinn wasn't happy. He slowly fell to his knees as he looked at his village. He looked at the corpses of his people and the wounded men, along with his disheveled wife and mother.
He looked at the destruction and chaos in front of him that he used to call home.
Although he is comparable to a peak-stage Grand Knight, although his strength is unprecedented, although his conquest succeeded, Fredrinn realized at this moment.
He had failed as a Lord.
He had failed his people, his vow, and his position.
He gritted his teeth, immersed in his own self-doubt and sadness. However, when a petite, small figure with a small round belly snuggled into his arms, he paused.
Rea slowly stroked his cheek and smiled gently.
"If you think you've failed, you're wrong. After all, your people would never fight for you if you were a failed leader. However, these men, women, and children willingly sent themselves to the battle, knowing that they'd die, all for the sake of the village you've fought hard to develop and protect. I'll be doing the same along with Mother if not for the adamant villagers that do not wish us harm."
Rea didn't say anything deep; she just wanted her husband to realize the truth. Realizing this, Fredrinn's murky eyes widened as he looked at the fallen warriors of his village. Whether it was a child, a woman, or a man, there was no need to differentiate them.
They're warriors.
"Instead of grieving over their death, I'm sure they want you to honor them and accompany them to the Land of Gods; my husband is the mightiest of them all, after all."
Rea cooed as she laid down on his chest. Fredrinn forcefully tried to hold back his tears, but a few were bound to fall.
It was a this moment that Fredrinn realized the true meaning of a Lord. He realized what it takes to be a True Lord!
What defines a Lord is not his strength nor his territory, but his people!
"Rea, how did you figure me out?"
Fredrinn's face, albeit heroic, held a tint of confusion as he looked at Rea. His wife laughed coyly as she smiled brightly.
"Silly. I'm your childhood friend, remember? I basically know everything about you!"
Rea continued to cling to him. She didn't show it, but her tears started to fall as she planted her face on his chest, showing her true feelings. Fredrinn remained silent, understanding her plight and worry.
As the pair, husband and wife, embraced each other to mend their respective souls, Ryly and Lez, who were wounded, smiled. This kind of unity when every single member of their village was willing to fight, no village head was able to achieve it.
They looked at each other and smiled. Although there was this hurdle, with Lord Fredrinn, their village is bound to rise in the future! At the same time, the men Ryly sent had just arrived when they stopped in their tracks.
Their eyes widened at the sight of the exhausted men and women sitting on the coarse ground. There's also their Lord and his wife embracing each other in the distance, as the Lord's mother watched over them with a sad smile on her face.
"Leader Ryly, what's going on?"
An oblivious man asked Ryly, and the man just rolled his eyes.
"Can't you see? Our Lord has come and suppressed all opposition! Anyway, where are the potions?"
"Oh, here!"
Ryly checked out the potions inside and nodded in satisfaction. With these, the Squire Army Project, a plan created with the combined effort of him and his Lord, would be able to start in full swing.
"Where's the enemy?! I cut them down!"
A deranged Ter and his men came running and swung their swords like crazy; some even started to randomly throw their swords to show off their 'Flying Sword' skill. Ryly and Tez directly ignored this embarrassing sight while the sorrowful, exhausted villagers started to laugh.
At least it could bring a sense of laughter into the current gloomy atmosphere.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder