Incitement

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

The revelry—or rather, the chaos—continued until evening, and it was only when everyone was exhausted that things around Fabe Village quieted down.

Although their bodies were tired, everyone was still in high spirits, having found a lot of good stuff.

The crowd gathered in the Biden family mansion, showing off their loot from the day. They planned to rest for a while before returning to their own villages.

Among the crowd, only Kevin had nothing. He anxiously gathered a few of the more respected villagers.

He expressed his concern: after all the looting in Fabe Village, the lord would definitely not let them off the hook.

The group was immediately cooled by a bucket of cold water, their previously fiery emotions dampened.

When resentment accumulates beyond a certain threshold, impulse can overwhelm reason, leading to actions they wouldn't normally dare to take. However, they forgot that a higher authority was maintaining order in Alden, even if this order was oppressive.

Someone timidly asked, "But... wasn't it Biden who first made a mistake? He even killed some of our people, and several of those hit by the slingshot never woke up."

Kevin shook his head. "But clearly our [crimes] are more severe. The lord will definitely punish us first."

He felt a surge of resentment, frustrated with the villagers' impulsiveness and lack of rationality.

While everyone was frantically looting, Kevin had considered fleeing to Frand Port to report to the city hall and ask the mayor to send people to restore order. But after some thought, he decided to stay and wait for everyone to calm down before coming up with a solution together.

"Haha, Kevin, you're making too much of this [crime]."

Just as everyone was frowning, a voice came from the side.

A shifty-eyed man approached, and Kevin's frown deepened as he recognized him—Biso, the village idler.

"It was landlord Biden who illegally imposed heavy taxes and made our lives unbearable, which led us to do such irrational things. Besides, so many of us were involved; haven't you heard the saying 'law does not punish the many'?"

Kevin sternly pointed out, "The current lord is a strong figure; you can tell from how he dealt with the pirates."

Biso waved his finger. "Even if he wants to hold us accountable, what can he do? Hang us all? Or imprison us all for labor? We've gathered the young and strong from several villages. If he takes us away, what about the elderly, weak, and women in the villages? Will he support them for us?"

The crowd looked at Biso, who seemed to have a point.

Biso proudly continued, "Will the lord want to acquire a harsh reputation for himself? What will the bards say—'The villagers, driven to rebellion by the tyrannical landlord, were all executed indiscriminately by the Earl'?"

People nodded in agreement. Despite being a lazy drifter, Biso had accumulated some insight.

Hearing this, their fear for their lives eased considerably.

However, as everyone relaxed, Biso became serious again. "But our gains today will definitely be confiscated and returned to Biden or… end up in the lord's own pocket."

His words made everyone clutch their bags tightly.

"No one is taking the treasures from my bag!" someone shouted.

They were terrified of losing their newfound wealth and were willing to fight to keep it.

Kevin rubbed his forehead, already anticipating trouble.

Sure enough, Biso raised his fist and said, "Everyone, why don't we 'negotiate' with the lord? The ill-gotten wealth of Biden's family was accumulated through extorting us. We have the right to claim it, as it originally came from us. It's just returning what was ours."

"Enough!" Kevin shouted angrily. "What do we have to negotiate with the lord? He can summon an army against us!"

"Kevin, you're too timid!" Biso retorted with righteous indignation. "We're numerous and have seized a large quantity of Biden's weapons. We're essentially an army ourselves and have the leverage to 'negotiate' with the lord."

"Have you forgotten how the pirates of the Northwest Bay were dealt with?"

"Do you remember the former pirate chief Edward? He was feared by all the lords of the Northwest."

Ignoring Kevin, Biso's argument attracted many more people.

He shouted to the crowd, "How did the pirates under Edward make the lords fear them? The secret was unity. They formed a single force, gaining power far beyond the individual. After Edward disappeared, the pirates fragmented and were easily defeated."

"Fellow villagers! We've gathered people from several villages. As long as we stay united, the lord will have no way to handle us. He will ultimately accept our demands and allow us to keep the wealth that rightfully belongs to us!"

"Everyone, the fall of Biden proves our strength. Even a powerful landlord like him couldn't withstand our united force!"

The crowd's spirits were once again fired up by Biso's words. Indeed, the once-mighty landlord Biden had been easily driven away by their combined efforts.

The lord? Isn't he just a bigger landlord?

These villagers, who only roamed around their own village and had never ventured far beyond Frand Port, had no real grasp of how large a barony could be, how many people it contained, or how many soldiers their lord could summon.

They could only estimate based on the strongest force they had encountered—Biden's family.

If they could drive away the powerful Biden, then driving away the lord's army would be even more challenging, considering the lord was a greater figure.

Thus, the crowd chanted, "Unite! Negotiate with the lord!"

In Alden, where there were no knights governing villages as feudal lords, the rural farmers had no direct sense of the lord's power. Their obedience to the lord's decrees was more out of long-standing habit.

In other territories, such events as those in Fabe Village would be rare because local knights would quickly suppress any gathering, and there would be no chance for multiple villages to join forces.

(End of the Chapter)

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