LC

I hope this chapter doesn't confuse you because of many information in it. I know I tagged this novel as SOL, but the conflicts are heavy.

If you have any confusion feel free to ask me in the comment section or you can give me suggestions. Thank you for reading this chapter!

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"The hideout was a complete mess, not a soul in sight. Signs of a fierce altercation were everywhere, but the place had been abandoned," Auden explained.

"We also stumbled upon several emblems, the kind typically worn by knights," he added, handing Lucien a bag containing the emblems.

"Brigantiea's assistance was crucial in finding these items at the Brown Fox bandit hideout. Without her, we'd have left empty-handed," Kleith chimed in. "The box was cleverly concealed within a magically protected wall."

Lucien picked up one of the letters with the LC seal and ran his fingers over the familiar seal, feeling a sense of unease wash over him. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"They're clearly trying to cover their tracks," Lucien murmured, realizing the situation was far more complex than simply wanting to destroy Euclair's village.

They proceeded to read through all the letters. The LC letters contained reports detailing the shipment of items such as tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes to three individuals: Laurice, Odil Wod, and Everin Rotes, with meticulous records of dates, times, and routes used. The sender was noted as being from Ruby Town.

Similarly, the RR letters followed a similar pattern, except instead of sending items to people, the bandits were instructed to send various types of rocks—basalt, granite, and gneiss—to Seafire Harbor.

The book cataloged the rocks sent to RR, with detailed counts and dates. There was also a report indicating that the bandits likely acquired the items from the recipients of the LC letters.

"LC letters likely indicate a spy from the Brown Fox bandit group in Ruby Town, keeping records of merchants using that route and ambushing them," Gibson theorized, scratching his chin.

"But why target just three individuals with the same kind of vegetables? It doesn't make sense, especially if the items are cheap and of little value," Amanda countered.

In the past, she has many merchant clients. So she found it highly suspicious that the bandits were targeting shipments of cheap items.

"It could mean they're actually purchasing the items and sending them to their members for their own use," Auden suggested, attempting to piece together the puzzle. "The route they're using is also close to their hideout, near our village."

"Why not send the items directly to the hideout? Why go through the trouble of using these routes?" Clyde argued, raising a valid point.

"It must be some sort of code," Cassius interjected suddenly. "Each of these items likely represents something different, and they're being sent to three villages."

"Because of the routes?" Lucien ventured.

"Yes, and because Laurice is an anagram for Euclair," Cassius pointed out, pressing his finger to the name on the letter.

Seren scrutinized the letter and exclaimed, "You're right! Odil Wod is an anagram for Wildwood village and Everin Rotes is an anagram for Riverstone village."

The two villages were near Euclair, and both were under Lord Edgarda's jurisdiction. Lucien then compared the official scroll from Lord Edgarda with the record in the book and LC's letter.

It showed that on the same day, the knight arrived in Euclair, a shipment of carrots was sent to Laurice.

"Does Lord Edgarda always send an official letter before dispatching his knights?" Lucien inquired.

"Yes, My Lord, but he didn't last time," Gibson explained. "Ah... This means—"

"LC's letters contained information about when Lord Edgarda would send his knights. But why hide the official letter?" Lucien pondered.

Amanda looked at the official letter sent by Lord Edgarda. It was more flashy since it was in the shape of a scroll. The reason behind the knight's arrival to the village was to collect taxes.

It makes her question everything. Because the reason the last knight came here was different from the scroll.

"It might be because Lord Edgarda sent the knights for different reasons. As I know, there are three scenarios when he sends his knights: for taxes, to collect crops, or—"

Before Amanda could finish, Auden interjected, "For conscription! Sending our men to war! My Lord, before you arrived, the bandits disguised as knights told us that was their purpose!"

"If you and your family hadn't arrived in time, many of our men would have been sent elsewhere," Gibson added, his face turning paler as he checked the records to ensure their villagers hadn't been shipped off.

"Then RR's letters... it's likely a liaison between buyers and sellers. My guess is... It's human trafficking," Lucien declared, causing the room to grow even more somber as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

"The fact that they ambushed the knight..."

"Lord Edgarda's knights will come for us sooner or later," Cassius said, fixing his gaze on Lucien.

All eyes shifted to Lucien. As the village chief, the burden of strategizing for the village's survival rested heavily on his shoulders, and he couldn't afford to let it become a scapegoat.

He knows that facing them with violence won't work. They were a knight of a Lord, a Count, and a Noble. Even when they could defeat them, it would bring more trouble since killing nobles in this era would receive hard punishment like the death penalty, especially when the perpetrators were commoners.

If it ended up like that, this village would be annihilated.

Lucien realized that they needed to pursue regional diplomacy, but the idea of a noble heeding the words of a commoner seemed far-fetched.

They needed a different approach. Perhaps if he could persuade Roby or Jenna to cooperate and provide the letters and records, the nobles might be more inclined to listen.

But the worst thing was, the notification from the system about the new quest:

[New Territory Quest is available!]

[The Defender of Euclair Village: The village lacks a vanguard or defense mechanism to protect its people and territory. As the village chief, you need to establish this defense mechanism to safeguard the village]

[Objective: Build a defense and vanguard group to be part of the Defender of Euclair Village.]

[Reward: 200 Satisfaction Rate and 5,000 Nexus Points.]

Lucien clenched his fingers on the edge of the table, frustration bubbling within him. He hated that system now. It becomes such a pushover. He didn't even finish any of the quests and it already has more for him?!

The worst part was that the system seemed to know exactly what the village needed and how to improve it. Did this mean that a clash between Lord Edgarda and Euclair Village was inevitable?

Lithira noticed Lucien's inner turmoil and offered words of comfort, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We will support you and stand by whatever decisions you make. But for now, let's take a moment to rest. You all must be exhausted," she said, gently brushing his back.

Lucien managed a small smile, grateful for her encouragement.

"She's right. This problem requires careful consideration, and the solution won't come easily," Seren chimed in, sensing the tension in her brother.

"Agreed. But remember, this situation is like a ticking bomb. We need to make the right moves, but we've also got to act swiftly and with precision," Cassius advised.

"Don't drag your feet, son. Make your moves wisely." With that, he rose from his seat and left the room with Amane.

After contemplating for a while, Lucien ordered the people in the room to keep interrogating Jenna and Roby and search for the rest of the bandit members who might survive the attack.

He didn't want to dig up about RR yet, since they needed to focus on Lord Edgarda's knight who might come anytime.

He also instructs Gibson to gather man who has skill in sword or martial arts. If they were part of the workers in construction, they need to stop working for a while.

He needs to build a vanguard and defense system first.

As the others departed, leaving behind a silent and chilly atmosphere, Brigantiea and Lithira remained, casting concerned glances at Lucien, who seemed lost in thought.

Brigantiea nudged her daughter's back and whispered, "Come with me, I need to tell you something."