You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 420: Mercy

This time, the largest contingent of guards was leading the charge.

But the captain of the guards, Edmund, was not stopped in any way.

The guards in the watchtower had long since disappeared.

He led his soldiers to this dilapidated village—there were about a dozen such villages on the border of Lion Territory.

They had long been accustomed to the convenience brought by the red-walled houses and the hard stone roads.

Whether it's the City of Origin or the City of Abundance, the living environment is clean and hygienic, and everything is in good order.

So when they saw this poor and dilapidated border village, a sense of disorientation suddenly pulled Edmund and his soldiers back to many years ago.

Children who grow up in the mud, after washing themselves clean on the shore, return to the dirty mud.

An indescribable stench and filth filled their senses, making them somewhat uncomfortable.

They realized that this was the true face of this land.

What it's really like outside of His Highness Roman's rule...

A few days ago it rained lightly, so the road they came on was muddy and the soles of their military boots were covered with thick clay. They had just used exposed tree roots to scrub off the mud, but after walking a few steps, the soles of their boots were filled with a thick layer of mud again.

The environment here is even harsher.

The huts built of branches and thatch are scattered everywhere, making the village layout look messy.

It was desolate and decaying, a bleak scene with no sign of human life.

On the edge of the field, a pitiful man was pushing a wooden plow with all his might. He was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in thick mud.

Edmund glanced at the man from afar, then ignored him.

The man didn't react to the arrival of the guard squadron. He exuded a numbness born of utter despair.

Edmund waved his hand, and the two squad leaders, each with 12 soldiers, split into two groups to enter the village and check the specific situation, while the rest of the men continued to follow behind him.

Edmund took two steps forward, shortly after entering the village.

He saw an old woman sitting alone at the door, her hair gray, wearing an ill-fitting linen dress, her bare feet covered with calluses and sores.

Edmund stepped forward, squatted down, and asked, "Where are the guards here?"

He wore simple plate armor and a gleaming guard helmet, with only his limb joints uncovered. He was tall, strong, and imposing. The soldiers were not as muscular as him, but they were all quite robust.

When Edmund crouched down, he was at eye level with the old woman.

"They're gone. They said the devil came, so they all left. They don't dare fight the devil; they just show off in front of us."

The old woman's brown eyes were empty as she stared at him and the group of soldiers behind him, her tone filled with certainty and hatred, as if to say that it was self-evident who the devil was.

Edmund was not angry.

He knew perfectly well that these people had not yet received His Highness's favor, and it was normal for them to misunderstand him.

He then asked, "Then why don't you leave?"

"We've run out of food and seeds. You bunch of rats sent by the devil, go ahead and steal whatever you want."

She pointed to the moldy straw and dilapidated furniture in the shack.

Her children have now fled, and she is neither afraid of the people before her nor of their sharp weapons.

“That’s all,” she said. “My lord, if you’re unhappy, just kill me. My corpse might fill your stomach.”

The old woman's vicious curse turned Edmund into a knight-errant.

However, this concept has long been obsolete in the Valley system. The system of the War Knights is too outdated, and they are trained with a different military ideology.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind Edmund, and a squad leader, his feet covered in mud, reported to him.

"Report! Squadron, we've checked, there's no ambush, just some widows and widowers."

Soon after, another squad leader returned with his troops and came to the same conclusion.

How many people are still here now?

The two squad leaders exchanged a few words.

They replied, "There are about fifty... I didn't see any able-bodied men... there are a few children."

Upon hearing this, Edmund stood up, looked around the village, and stroked his chin.

Based on the number of houses, he estimated that the village should have had a maximum population of three to five hundred people, but now there are only fifty people left. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that nine out of ten houses are empty.

Taxes, military service, war, drought...

This village, which barely managed to survive, has been ravaged to its current state, desolate and miserable. Last year's severe drought further destroyed its already extremely low production potential.

It's clear that the lord here has chosen to abandon the border village.

Without seeds, this rural area has no way to survive.

Finding wild mushrooms and digging for wild vegetables might allow them to continue struggling, but most people certainly won't survive this summer.

"Squadron, what do we do now?" a squad leader asked in a low voice.

"What are the orders given to us by Commander Jet and Captain Kao?"

The man replied, "Find a place to live, and then settle down temporarily."

Edmund said to the crowd, "Then why don't you gather everyone here?"

They were launching a full-scale invasion, but that didn't mean all their troops would fight their way to Flin Castle.

Each squadron was ordered to set up camp in place.

The soldiers did as instructed, but the villagers gathered slowly. Some of the widows and orphans were physically weak from prolonged hunger and were reluctant to move around.

Some children were in the same situation, so the soldiers had to bring the children with them.

After inquiring, they learned that these children had lost their parents and were orphans.

Edmund moved a 200-pound rock and stood on it in the corner.

Once the crowd had gathered in front of him, he pulled out a proclamation and began his speech.

"I am Edmund Ford, loyal to the esteemed Roman Riftscream, son of Riftscream, King of the Vale, Lord Black Iron, Guardian of the Seven Kingdoms, Hand of War, Undefeated, and my most esteemed master..."

"Your master, Count Felin, is a rebel of the Black Iron who launched this war against the order of the conquerors. His Highness Roman and Princess Tashina of the White Steel jointly thwarted the plot of the rebels."

"Princess White Steel declares: In her capacity as heir to the Black Iron Throne and descendant of the conquerors, she will strip Earl Felin of all his powers!"
"Princess Roman also declares: This land of the Lion Territory, from the rivers to the hills, from the forests to the farmlands, all belongs to the rule of Princess Iotashina!"

Is that really the case? Edmund wondered to himself.

That cold and beautiful red-haired princess probably already knew everything.

The villagers watched the power transition with blank expressions, as if it were none of their business.

All the glory and land belonged to the nobles; now its owner has simply changed the name.

Even if this name belongs to the Black Iron Princess.

Even though she claims that all the land here belongs to her.

But what is the use?
Their former master, Lord Felin, in order to solve the bottomless pit of military consumption, sent mercenaries to plunder every grain of food here, even taking away the seeds.

They were abandoned and left to eke out a living here, suffering from hunger. Many of them did not survive the winter and all starved to death.

The village is now a complete mess.

Farmers are slaves to the land, dependent on it for generations.

The land was abandoned, and their lives came to an end.

For them, dying at the hands of the devil might be a relief...

Edmund loudly proclaimed, "Now, all this land belongs to Princess Tashina."

"And our King of the Valley, Lord Black Iron, Guardian of the Seven Kingdoms, and the greatest Roman in the world! will fund the reconstruction of Lion Territory."

"My lords! Our great Prince Roman is about to grant you mercy! He is about to grant you mercy!!"

"He will hire you; as long as you work the land for a day, he will give you two pounds of dry bread and a pound of vegetables every day."

Edmund's voice, as he waved his right hand, was carried away by the cold wind in the open space, vanishing in an instant, as if it had never existed.

The farmers looked numb, blank, and stiff, as if they hadn't heard or had misheard.

Since the severe drought last year and the loss of their crops, their spirits have died.

Edmund remained silent, and so did the soldiers.

After a long time, a surge of vitality suddenly welled up in the villagers' parched eyes.

A faint ray of light shone through the dark clouds that covered the sky.

New spring water gushed forth from the parched earth, nourishing the entire land along the dense cracks.

That was new hope, a new way of life, and a new future.

(End of this chapter)