Chapter 191
TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
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Sam of Yurdo stared blankly at the campfire, his stomach growling.
As Yurdo's sole blacksmith, Sam had inherited the position after his predecessor died from an infected boil. He'd simply started hammering iron the next day as if nothing had happened.
Blacksmithing wasn't a poorly paid profession. Though working with iron was harsh, blacksmiths rarely went hungry. Until a few weeks ago, Sam had lived without knowing hunger.
But when a beast with pitch-black wings attacked the domain, Sam's daily life shattered. Unbeknownst to him, it was a dragon named Predius.
The dragon burned fields and slaughtered people. Soldiers in plate armor rushed in, only to be incinerated by the black dragon's flames. The Barony of Yurdo was ruined in an instant.
When goblin raiders invaded the devastated domain, Sam fled without looking back. He ran for his life to the Barony of Talian.
Sam's ordeal had continued unabated since then.
"Bread... Do you have any leftover bread?" he'd ask.
"Get lost, you beggar!" was the typical response.
Once a successful blacksmith, in Talian he was just another beggar. The people of Talian were extremely wary of refugees. Sam resented them, but also understood. After all, only priests or monks would be capable of giving alms to the flood of beggars.
'Anything would do... I just want to fill my stomach,' Sam thought as he snapped a rat's bone. He'd already eaten all the animals roaming nearby. After starving for days, he felt like eating even the dirt on the ground.
"Hey, Sam." A refugee from Yurdo village approached Sam discreetly. In truth, there was nothing discreet about it since they were surrounded by beggars' hovels.
"I've got something to tell only you."
"What is it?"
The refugee whispered as if revealing an astonishing secret. "I hear Baron Yurdo is about to make a major decision."
"A major decision?" Sam snickered in disbelief. What kind of major decision could a noble who couldn't stop a dragon and lost his domain make?
But at the refugee's next words, Sam had no choice but to get serious.
"They say the Baron himself is going to open the granary."
Sam's eyes widened. There was only one 'granary' the refugee could be referring to - Baron Talian's warehouse!
"How is that possible..." Sam muttered.
"Don't ask! The important thing is that we need the help of Yurdo people to open the warehouse!"
Sam couldn't help but curse.
Baron Yurdo coveting Baron Talian's warehouse, and the situation requiring help from Yurdo people! The two indicators clearly pointed to one thing: Rebellion. Baron Yurdo intended to seize Talian's food warehouse by force!
"Has Baron Yurdo gone mad? Even so, to rob Talian who took us in...!"
"Watch your mouth! Aren't you from Yurdo?" the refugee hissed.
Sam fell silent.
"We'll all starve to death at this rate anyway!" the refugee continued. "If Baron Talian releases the food, will she feed the Talian people or the Yurdo people? Of course she'll take care of the Talian people!"
The prolonged hunger had made the Yurdo people lose their senses. Die of starvation or die after being driven out, dying was dying. Now that it had come to this, they'd decided to help the Baron's rebellion and at least fill their empty stomachs!
'Sh*t, what should I do,' Sam agonized, his heart wavering.
The refugee's persuasion was far too plausible. Honestly, there was no way Baron Talian would take care of another domain's people right now. On the other hand, if Baron Yurdo succeeded in the rebellion...!
"Come on! Decide quickly!" The refugee urged Sam.
"Baron Talian! Beware of Baron Yurdo!!!"
'Baron Yurdo!'
Sam belatedly realized how disastrous this situation was for Baron Yurdo. Baron Yurdo was on the verge of rebellion. Having gathered followers and even spread rumors, he had already crossed a river of no return. But a suddenly appearing werewolf had ruined all of Yurdo's plans!
"Huh?" Lucy let out a confused sound at the unexpected name.
At the same time, an armored man appeared from the crowd. "Lies! Baron Talian is a liar!"
"Baron Yurdo!" someone gasped.
Baron Yurdo was already dressed for a life-or-death battle, wearing armor and even carrying a sword. He clearly wasn't dressed to just meet Lucy.
"Baron Talian has deluded a werewolf with evil magic, gathering beasts in a sacrilegious way!" he accused.
At Baron Yurdo's majestic speech, Ian broke out in a cold sweat. That bastard had surprisingly good intuition. The Baron's guess was somewhat true. A werewolf dreaming of the Sky God and bringing tribute? It was all made up. But they couldn't just admit it!
"Shut up! How dare a mere baron flap his lips here!" Ian shouted back.
"M-mere baron?" Baron Yurdo stuttered in shock. He had never heard such an insult in his life!
"To call tribute offered in Heaven's name sacrilegious! You must be out of your mind!" Ian continued.
"No! I know what the truth is! Last night, God appeared in my dream and whispered to me!" Baron Yurdo shouted, pointing at Ian and Lucy. "This is the result of Baron Talian and your evil magic!"
"Dream? Did you just say dream?" Ian was secretly relieved when Baron Yurdo started blabbering about dreams. The fool had no idea what Ian had set up. He was just treating Ian as a black wizard and spouting whatever to justify himself.
Most things in the Middle Ages were like this. Just do something first, then attach some plausible words and it would blow over. Ian didn't know how psychologically cornered Baron Yurdo was. But he knew the man was about to charge in!
"In place of Heaven's will! I shall bring divine punishment upon you..." As Baron Yurdo started laying the groundwork, Ian immediately used magic.
"Darkness!" he incanted.
Ian's dark magic reached level 5. Now he could summon a bit of darkness even in broad daylight. Ian summoned a veil of darkness, concealing himself and Lucy.
This greatly flustered Baron Yurdo. "Such evil magic again!" he cried. How cowardly to hide in the darkness! This made it difficult to kill Baron Talian!
"Archers! Shoot Baron Talian!" Baron Yurdo called for the archers he had hidden in advance. He planned to kill Baron Talian first, then somehow cover it up by claiming the Baron had plotted evil schemes. While also ruling over Talian in the process!
Crossbow-wielding archers aimed in Lucy's general direction. They couldn't see due to the darkness, but figured they'd hit something if they just kept shooting.
However, the archers didn't know who the old man guarding Lucy's side was.
"You bastard!!!" The robust old man, Sword Master Salvador, roared like a lion. It was a perfect posture for a rebuke, as expected of an old man who loves martial arts novels.
"S-shoot!" Baron Yurdo ordered nervously.
The archers fired their crossbows as ordered. Then an amazing thing happened.
"What utterly cowardly and vile creatures!" Salvador shouted. With a series of metallic clangs, he deflected all the incoming arrows with his sword!
"Ian. Are you alright?" Belenka asked.
"Yeah. Thanks, Belenka," Ian replied. In fact, Belenka had performed a similar feat, but it wasn't clearly visible as her body was half-buried in darkness.
"Capture that madman!" Lucy ordered.
"Ugh! Let go! You lowlifes! I am the rightful lord of Yurdo!!!" Baron Yurdo cried as Damon's subordinates seized him, his assassination attempt having failed spectacularly.
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