Our Family Has Fallen
Chapter 77: Heart Execution_1

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Heart Execution_1

They could head to the tavern to unwind and rest, but Lance couldn’t; he needed to thoroughly inventory all the spoils of war from this outing.

The three cannons were the most important gains aside from a few extraordinary items, as only the Empire had the technology to cast them; his small town couldn’t even produce gun barrels.

There were sixty Long-barreled Flintlock Guns that could function normally, and only twelve short guns.

There were only twenty complete sets of armor; most of the rest were low-value cold weapons and protective gear cobbled together from various sources.

However, he planned to melt down and recast all the armor from the artillery and the Wolf Faction.

Because one belonged to the Imperial army and the other to a wanted Mercenary Corps, being found with any of it would be troublesome.

Moreover, his army needed its own distinctive features, and he also had to design their uniforms.

They had to be cool!

That was the way to deepen the soldiers’ sense of belonging, as well as the townspeople’s recognition and adoration of the military.

This was a long-term order. Regarding clothing, he had plenty of fabric and manpower, but it was uncertain how long the blacksmith would need to equip thirty men.

Lance strongly realized that he needed more people, more talent.

But for now, the old road still wasn’t open; he had to wait a while longer...

His attention quickly shifted. He took out the several extraordinary items he had looted and examined them in detail.

As for the Collector’s mask, he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

His study was in archeology, not Mysticism. He had never come into contact with such things before. Without text or obvious features, he lacked the ability to identify extraordinary items.

But thanks to the Secret Scrolls, the Head Wolf Pendant and Wolf Head Statue did provide some clues.

Unfortunately, fully deciphering them would take some time, and time was what he lacked the most.

Lance felt a bit helpless but could only put them aside for now; having obtained the Collector’s Showroom this round was a huge windfall anyway.

But then came a surprise: while cleaning out the Collector’s Showroom, he found quite a few treasures.

Some antique artworks and books, strange bones, and a mysterious stone box.

He had wanted to open it, but it was locked. Since he did not want to force it open violently, he had to leave it for now and study it slowly later.

Beyond these, Lance also unearthed a large number of weapons and equipment, even complete sets of Knight’s Armor, as well as various types of weapons.

These must have been the weapons and equipment accompanying the collectibles in the Showroom, their quality far surpassing that of the bandits’ gear.

He was finally able to shake off the embarrassing predicament of not being able to cobble together even a decent piece of protective equipment.

Among these, he selected a set of fitting steel armor and a helmet; in terms of weapons, Lance also kept a few heavy weapons, like Great Swords and Warhammers.

He had previously chosen a Short Sword because it was convenient to carry, given that he also needed to take a backpack and a Crossbow.

But after actually engaging with those people, he realized that ranged attacks were often powerless in certain situations. Moreover, his small knife could not penetrate armor in close combat.

The reason it was so difficult to fight the fully-armed warriors of the Wolf Faction was that his attacks couldn’t penetrate their armor.

Now that he had the Collector’s Showroom, he wouldn’t need to carry a backpack. He could store everything inside and quickly swap weapons according to the situation, which would make battles quite interesting.

Ranged with Crossbow Arrows, pistols, long guns.

Close combat with Short Swords, Longswords, Warhammers.

To survive in this world, he needed to be precise from a distance and skilled in close combat.

That was his requirement for himself; he must be well-rounded to face any enemy without exposing a weakness.

「Meanwhile.」

"...Because bandits have cut off merchant caravans, the prices in town..."

Susan spoke slowly of the experiences during this time, her words stabbing into the Captain’s heart like sharp knives.

He was originally from a civilian background. Because he knew what the life of ordinary people was like, he understood all the more the pain his leading of troops to plunder had brought them.

He also remembered how his parents had worked tirelessly night and day to put him through school, and yet this was what had become of him today.

If his parents knew that the son who had once made them proud had become not only a deserter but also a bandit, how heartbroken they would be...

He had already felt too ashamed to face them before, and now even more so, as intense guilt tortured his soul.

Why did I do such a thing...

"Are you okay? Does it hurt again?" Susan noticed his strange reaction.

"I’m fine, those damn bandits deserve to die," the Captain hissed through clenched teeth, filled with hatred.

He hated himself for having believed a woman’s words and doing such a thing.

I really deserve to die...

"Alas, the past is past," Susan said, thinking the Captain was remembering the torment from the bandits. She sighed softly, consoling him, "Don’t worry, My Lord will definitely annihilate those bandits, and you’ll be able to go home soon."

"I..." Upon hearing these words, the Captain suddenly choked up. "I no longer have a home..."

He knew all too well that the Empire’s military department had probably long declared him a deserter. Now, returning home, he would have no way to face his parents. This was especially true considering he had committed the slaughter of civilians—an act as bestial as it gets.

Susan fell silent upon hearing this. She now understood why this man hated the bandits so intensely; his family, like hers, had probably been killed by them.

She could... understand... that feeling...

Remembering her own past situation, Susan emulated what My Lord had done for her. She opened her arms to hug him, softly comforting, "Those things won’t happen again. I’ll ask My Lord to let you stay. My Lord will protect us all. Once your wounds are healed..."

It wasn’t always harsh words that hurt people; sometimes, kindness could be the most "vicious" blade.

The kinder Susan was to him, the more it weighed on his fragile psyche, and the pressure mounted intensely.

The Captain suddenly broke free from Susan’s embrace and slammed his head against the headboard.

I’d rather be dead than carry this regret.

After a muffled thud, by the time Susan reacted, the Captain’s face was sporting a conspicuous wound, and blood flowed freely.

In a bit of a panic, Susan called Lance over.

"What happened?"

Lance, too, was curious upon seeing the Captain’s state. This kid had actually dared to attempt suicide.

After Susan briefly explained the situation, Lance was somewhat speechless.

To kill may be a stab to the flesh, but tormenting the mind is a death by a thousand cuts. Her words are just twisting the knife, aren’t they?

However, the Captain’s real attempt at suicide somewhat altered Lance’s view of him; it seemed that the man wasn’t the orchestrator of those events but had been bewitched by that woman’s Sorcery.

[Flesh Reconstruction]

With a mere lift of his hand, Lance staunched the blood from the wound but didn’t waste experience to fully heal it.

He bandaged the wound with a piece of gauze, then laid the man back on the bed, and turned to Susan.

"Once he recovers a bit, take him out for a walk. Make sure he sees the homes destroyed by the bandits. Talk to him about those who were killed and the shattered families."

"My Lord, this..." Susan seemed to feel it was inappropriate. Isn’t this just provoking him?

"Let him know how detestable the bandits are, what the bandits owe you all, and why I want to eliminate them," Lance said earnestly. "The harsher you speak, the more he’ll want to survive."

"Yes," Susan agreed.

She understood what My Lord meant. She herself had survived solely on her hatred for the bandits. Her hope in awakening the old soldier was that he—the only one who would protect civilians—would help her kill the thieves.