Once the village chief was hanged, the entire village froze in place. There was a world of difference between vaguely thinking one could die and witnessing an execution firsthand.
"There are quite a few notable faces besides the chief."
"...!"
At Roderick's remark, the villagers trembled. Although they outnumbered the rcenaries and the single knight, most of them were rely farrs.
With just a handful of rcenaries and one knight, a mountain of corpses could be created right here.
"Oh great knight! Please have rcy!"
"It was all the chief's doing!"
"We couldn't resist the pressure!"
The villagers quickly knelt and pleaded their innocence. Roderick, Gaiden, and even the rcenaries looked on in disbelief at the villagers.
Perhaps a noble might not know, but how much power could just one chief wield? Such things could not happen without the whole village's agreent.
The disgusting self-defense made Roderick's blood boil.
"I'll deal with these scoundrels right now—!"
"Calm down, Roderick."
Once again, it was Sylas who stopped Roderick. The villagers looked at Sylas with hope on their faces.
In their eyes, Sylas was their last hope.
"Sylas! No, my lord! Please save us!"
"Please, for old tis' sake!"
At the ntion of "old tis," Sylas clicked his tongue. Had they already forgotten that they had just raided his hut?
In their panic, they seed to be saying whatever ca to mind.
Though Roderick had always followed Sylas's words until now, this ti he would not back down.
"My lord, please don't stop . This is my revenge."
"That's true. But there's no need for you to strain yourself when you're still recovering."
"What do you an?"
"Let the rcenaries handle it."
Sylas's gaze turned to the rcenaries. The rcenaries, still confused and not fully understanding, exchanged puzzled looks among themselves.
"Do you rember what I said earlier?"
"Yes, we do rember."
"You've heard the circumstances, right? Rain down divine punishnt on this wicked village. Take what you need."
"...!"
As soon as Sylas finished speaking, joy spread across the rcenaries' faces, while despair engulfed the villagers.
Sylas's declaration was a license for plunder.
***
There are two types of plundering. One is the kind done under the watchful eye of a noble commander, while the other is completely unchecked looting.
Though it may seem like the sa act of plundering, the two concepts are entirely different.
From a noble's perspective, a conquered territory becos part of their domain. Naturally, turning it into a wasteland makes it difficult to collect taxes later.
However, if they reward the rcenaries and soldiers less, dissatisfaction will build up, so they permit a moderate level of plunder.
During this ti, there are even instances where the villagers voluntarily offer their wealth. It's a kind of collusion.
For the village, it ensures safety at the cost of a slight loss, and it suppresses the soldiers' discontent with adequate gifts.
But if they have no intention of occupying the territory, or if the rcenaries are on the verge of rebellion, the situation changes. They completely withdraw and turn a blind eye to the looting.
Naturally, the rcenaries turn the entire village into ruins, uprooting everything. Whatever they plunder becos their own property.
What was happening in Brick Village right now was precisely the latter kind of plunder.
"Wow, this necklace is nice! It must be worth quite a bit."
"T-That's for my daughter's dowry…"
"What? Are you saying you'll give your daughter to ?"
"I'm so sorry! Please, take whatever you want!"
The rcenaries began to rummage through every corner of the village, taking whatever wealth they could find. The villagers hid their possessions with all their might, but it was futile.
Had the rcenaries not done this before? The hiding places were obvious.
Even the livestock, which could not be taken, were no exception.
"Are you offering this for to eat? Who do you think I am, a pig?"
"Oh dear, this is the best we can do given our village's circumstances!"
"Am I seeing things? I see a delicious goose over there."
"That goose is ant to be sold in spring… No, wait! I'll prepare it right away!"
Small, valuable items were all swept away, and the large livestock all went into the rcenaries' bellies.
If they had just swept through once, it might have been bearable, but the rcenaries didn't leave at all.
''Since Lord Roderick would recover soon, let's stay a bit longer''.
It was due to Sylas's suggestion. Though the healing was an excuse, everyone knew he intended to punish the village.
Naturally, Roderick agreed without hesitation, and the rcenaries were even more excited.
"Ugh, I thought I was going to be ripped off because of the client, but what a lucky turn of events!"
"This small village is surprisingly lucrative. At this rate, we'll definitely break even."
"Long live the young master! And cheers to the foolishness of this village that tried to ambush a knight!"
The rcenaries chatted rrily while stuffing themselves with rich food. Thanks to that, they would enjoy luxury for the next few days.
One of the rcenaries, while happily eating and drinking, glanced at the thoughtful rcenary leader, Eric.
"By the way, what are you thinking about, boss?"
"No matter how I think about it, sothing feels off."
"Off? What do you an?"
"This village seems pretty well-off for being so out of the way, doesn't it? Especially the amount of oil and leather they have; how did they acquire all that?"
At Eric's words, several rcenaries nodded in agreent.
"Now that you ntion it, I found it odd too. They cook at really well. If they didn't eat it often, they wouldn't know how to cook like that."
"Exactly. If half the villagers are hunters or if soone isn't just giving away free at, that's impossible."
"Who knows? Maybe there were a few talented hunters who all died at once? Just to make it easier for us to loot."
With that silly joke, the rcenaries burst into laughter. Then, as if losing interest, they began talking about sothing else.
Regardless of the reason, it was a good thing to have plenty to take.
'Co to think of it, that young lord seed like a hunter too… or maybe not?'
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