"Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!"

"Tap tap tap tap tap!"

"Tap tap tap—"

The Adventurers' Guild, which had been quiet for a long time, was bustling with activity again. Knights in iron armor rode through the streets with great spirits. The Campbell family crest—a griffin standing on one side—was applied to their silver chainmail with the finest gilding technique.

Following behind the heavy cavalry were the light cavalry, whose armor was noticeably simpler. In addition to chainmail protecting their necks, hands, and thighs, the light cavalry also carried long spears to fight the enemy.

Following at the very back were Lord Aigard's slaves. They had neither the fine equipment of heavy knights nor the lances of light cavalry; their only protection was the blades in their hands.

According to the laws of the Adimas Empire, a count can possess 200,000 square meters of territory and 20,000 subjects. This number can fluctuate depending on the development level of the territory, but there are specific regulations on the number of knights a lord can possess.

Therefore, even though Westco County has a very important strategic position, Lord Egard Long Campbell can only recruit twenty-one heavy knights, twenty-one light knights, and one hundred and thirty infantrymen.

This is also why Egard forced free people to become slaves. In the eyes of the noble class, slaves were not considered human heads. They were just like horses and grain, merely a standard for measuring whether a territory was prosperous.

Most of the slaves wore hemp clothing and carried the lowest quality weapons. Slaves had no property rights; they were the wealth of their slave owners. The orc slaves, who were demi-humans, were even more miserable.

"Smack!!"

"Hurry up!! Lord Aigard is so merciful, actually allowing you lowly orcs to go to the battlefield to atone for your sins. This is your honor!"

A light knight, whip in hand, spat contemptuously at the pitiful group:

"You have committed a crime by causing damage to the property of our territory! Now stand tall and proudly accept this glory. We will follow Lord Egard to defeat the 'Slime Witch' who can control monsters and reclaim our forest's edge!"

The slaves being whipped showed no emotion; they simply stared blankly at each other, their eyes filled with the fear of going to war.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."

"...Waaaaah, I don't want to go to the battlefield..."

"I want to go home—"

"Beast God above, I beg you to save your poor believers..."

Seeing everyone watching, the knight became enraged and raised his whip, lashing it mercilessly, leaving one of the orcs with gaping wounds.

"Damn lowly orcs! A filthy, contemptible race!"

Xu Milu immediately covered Fanny's ears and hid the trembling little orc under her cloak.

She stared at the knight who took pleasure in torturing orcs, her eyes filled with nothing but coldness.

No race should consider itself superior to other races.

...

Most of the slaves were enslaved because they owed the city entry tax. The hunger and punishment of the past few days had robbed them of their most basic judgment. So when faced with that thin, weak whip, everyone's instinct was not to fight back, but to hold their tails and hide in a pitiful manner.

“Enough, Kru. These slaves were once our compatriots. Although they have become criminals because they broke the law, we should follow the code of chivalry and not raise our swords against the weakest.”

Egard arrived late, riding a tall horse. His armor gleamed with a dazzling silver light, and the griffin emblem on his chest shone brightly. His face, with its deep-set eyebrows and high eyes, exuded a dignified and righteous air.

Beside him was the orc slave Greer, whom Xu Milu had seen before, except that Greer wore an iron muzzle on his head, a symbol of humiliation—something only used on dogs.

After stopping the knight, Aigard turned to the crowd, raised his knight's sword, and repeatedly shouted the name of "God of Light":

Long live the God of Light! Long live the Empire of Adimas!

"That vile witch has manipulated monsters to seize what was rightfully our forest border, plunging this once prosperous and beautiful town into chaos! My people! Today I will fulfill my promise to you. I will lead the Black Forest Knights to challenge that wicked witch! I will lead my knights to reclaim our land from the clutches of that king-level monster!!"

"Oooooooooooo!!"

"Oh oh oh!!"

The surrounding crowd seemed oblivious to what was happening; everyone was cheering and jumping for joy, their faces beaming with fervent smiles, seemingly convinced that Aigard was the hero who would save Westco County.

"Oh oh oh oh! Long live Lord Aigard!"

"Long live the God of Light!! Long live Xike County!!!"

"Reclaim our Westco County!!"

—If Xu Milu hadn't overheard that conversation and figured out Aigard's true nature beforehand, she would have genuinely believed he was a "kind" lord.

Amidst cheers, Fanny opened her eyes from under Xu Milu's cloak, staring intently at the orc slave Greer beneath Aigard's horse. Soon, her large eyes filled with tears.

"Uncle Greer..."

As if realizing something, Greer, standing in the crowd, finally reacted. He slowly raised his head, and the instant he saw Fanny, his pupils dilated sharply, his silver ears stood up abruptly, and for the first time, an expression appeared on his numb face:

Get out of here immediately!!

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