Our Family Has Fallen
Chapter 74: Heir?_1

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Heir?_1

Everyone seemed to sense something and couldn’t help but turn their gaze to the seated figure of the Lord.

Rugged features, piercing eyes, his presence commanded respect without anger.

The authority he exuded made them unconsciously slow their breathing, fearing they might disturb His Lordship.

Not long ago he was but a Scholar, but now, after the battles, his hands were stained with copious blood, and the force about him had grown—a domineering aura unattainable by the average person, truly a man who had received Divine Revelation!

However, Lance quickly seemed to realize something.

He himself was surely just a learned man, so why had he become so bellicose and bloodthirsty all of a sudden? It seemed his heightened inspiration allowed him to see many scenes invisible to ordinary people, but also made him more susceptible to the influence of the indescribable. Only slaughter would enable the old one to complete the ritual; indeed, the corruption on this land had never ceased... Oh, wait! I have "Sanctuary"; the corruption can’t affect me. So it was indeed my own belligerence. That’s all right then. Continue killing.

"What do you think we should do next?"

"Train the new recruits," Balistan thought, recalling the military discipline issue Lance had emphasized earlier.

"Prepare to resist the bandits," Dismas thought, remembering the imminent threat of bandits.

"Holy Light will guide us."

Lance smacked his lips and, after a moment of contemplation, voiced his thoughts.

"Training new recruits won’t happen overnight. As for the bandits, it will take them two to three days to assemble. Our target for these two days, however, is Ship Boss. This fellow has also profited from the bandit problem, taking the opportunity to hike up fish prices and buy from the fishermen at low costs. He suppresses, robs, and coerces those who don’t comply. Otherwise, where do you think all those unemployed fishermen in town came from?"

Everyone was somewhat puzzled. Why had he not acted before, and only now was making a move?

"At that time, the town’s foremost threats were law and order and food supplies, so the Mayor and farm owners had to die. Once these issues were resolved, the greatest threat became the bandits. If we were to exterminate them, we had to ensure no problems would arise behind us.

"The tavern and guild are related, and the casino has ties with the Pirates; these two cannot be rashly dealt with. Meanwhile, Ship Boss controls the dock and monopolizes the town’s fishing boats, making it difficult for just a few of us to completely control him. Once they go to sea, we can only watch helplessly.

"Try to imagine, if I had gone to war with them directly, even if we had taken down Ship Boss, what do you think the reaction of the other two would have been? Would the town still be as peaceful as it is now?

"And now that the threat of the bandits has greatly diminished, we have new recruits we can use. Letting them taste blood won’t be a bad thing."

The others, upon hearing this, fell into thought and understood Lance’s meaning.

During a time of external threats and internal unrest, stabilizing the interior must come first. Only after resolving the external threats can we afford to deal with internal conflicts, lest we get dragged into the quagmire of civil strife and face a slow death. The external threats were now practically cleared, and the remaining ones were not worrisome. For handling the fishermen under Ship Boss’s command, the new recruits would suffice. This would even afford them a practice run before the bandits’ arrival.

"When do we act?" Dismas did not care about the details; he just needed to know his task.

"No rush. Everyone’s tired from the past two days. Let’s rest first and have a good sleep tonight," Lance said with a smile, indicating they could disband.

And as the others were leaving, Susan approached.

"My Lord, the man you brought back has awoken."

Lance exchanged glances with the others, then nodded and stood up to walk over.

Dismas and the rest didn’t leave either but followed him.

Lance had not disclosed the identity of the captain to the others, so Susan merely treated him as someone who had been rescued.

Because those women knew his identity, the captain had not been arranged to stay in the sanatorium. Instead, he was placed in a room on this side.

Several people entered and saw the captain, who was still very weak, so weak that he couldn’t even move.

All his Armor and weapons were taken away, and his wounds were simply bandaged—wounds that Lance had intentionally left.

"You’re awake."

Lance stepped forward and helped him sit up against the head of the bed.

"Who are you? And where is this?"

The captain appeared very despondent. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the corpses of those soldiers. It seemed he could hear them wailing in his ears, questioning him: why hadn’t he brought them home? Why had he led them down such a path...?

The wronged souls of those dead soldiers were demanding his life. That feeling had begun to torture him as soon as he regained consciousness.

"I am the Lord of Hamlet Town, and you are now on the land of Hamlet."

With Lance’s indifferent words, the captain was jolted from his frenzied state to clarity.

When he heard the name Hamlet, his demeanor froze, then disbelief spread across his face. The person who saved him turned out to be the lord of the very town he had plundered.

"I... I am..."

Yet now he couldn’t even dare to admit his own identity; he distinctly remembered the massacre of the town he led, a tragedy of his own creation.

He didn’t dare face those fallen soldiers, nor did he dare confront the townspeople whom he had harmed. Overwhelming guilt and self-reproach nearly consumed him. The immense pressure was almost driving such a strong man to psychological collapse.

"Why? Why save me? I deserve to die..."

The others found his state quite strange.

Dismas had seen his greed for Extraordinary items.

Reynard had witnessed his cruelty towards his own warriors.

Balistan had seen his madness in battle.

Yet now he was like this, like a hollow shell devoid of spirit, and the contrast stirred profound feelings among them.

But Lance refused to accept this, his cold words incisive, "Do you think going mad here can make up for your crimes? I didn’t save you just to hear such talk."

It must be said that Lance’s words were very direct. The captain was stunned for a moment and did not intend to argue. He numbly nodded.

"I accept... kill me or flay me as you will."

"No," Lance immediately followed up, "I want to know about that woman’s situation, and why you all came here."

Upon hearing "woman," the captain first showed a look of surprise, then his expression turned complex.

However, he did not evade Lance’s question and began to speak.

"At the time, we were running away in the wilderness, trying to bypass the big cities to get back home, until we rescued that woman from a band of robbers.

"She claimed to be a descendant of Nobility, traveling to a small town called Hamlet to inherit a vast family estate, but was intercepted by robbers along the way. She wanted us to escort her back, and in return, she would pardon our status as deserters, allowing us to stay."

Upon hearing this, Dismas and the others wore strange expressions, subconsciously glancing towards their Lord.