Chapter 5 Sacrifice <TOC> Chapter 7 The Situation
Translator: SumTLMan
After crossing a stone bridge over a river, Lance and his party finally arrived at the town of Hamlet.
Upon entry, Lance was struck by the desolation that hung in the air. Unlike the vibrant city embedded in his memory, most of the town comprised clustered, diminutive wooden houses, their roofs barely thatched with straw providing a meager defense against the elements.
In the broad daylight, the streets were scant of inhabitants. Those few who lingered huddled or sprawled in corners of buildings, garbed in frayed, age-worn hemp clothes. Their sallow complexions, hollow eyes, and emaciated figures bore testament to a life devoid of hope, resembling figures awaiting their inevitable end.
The town bore scars of previous battles; numerous houses lay collapsed, the charred remains from fires still starkly visible. It was challenging to conceive the dire circumstances that might have prevailed back then.
Furthermore, the place was bereft of inhabitants. Several homes stood empty, leaving behind a chaotic scene that hinted at unknown events of the past.
Witnessing this sight, Lance could only internally curse his predicament.
The old man truly was useless, leaving him such a rotten situation to handle.
“My Lord, what shall we do now?” Dismas too had discerned the inhospitable nature of this place.
“We eat and rest first; we will discuss what follows afterward.”
Lance ventured deeper into the town, and to his slight relief, found conditions to be marginally better than anticipated. Although the buildings were still thatched with straw, their wooden structures had been replaced with mud and stone walls, offering a somewhat sturdier appearance.
However, the ground was still mired in filth, with some people casually disposing of their waste in the streets, resulting in a pervasive, nauseating stench.
Lance carefully sidestepped the refuse, each step taken adding to his mental turmoil.
The layout of Hamlet was simple. It was more like a fishing village than a town, with only the vicinity around the central square vaguely resembling a township.
The few towering brick-and-stone buildings around the square hinted at the town’s past glory. But with the inexorable march of time, all that remained was the echo of decay. Every building had sustained varying degrees of damage, displaying the devastating impact of war in its full severity.
“Let’s go, to the tavern.”
It was still early. As Lance pushed open the heavy door to the tavern, he was almost fearful the structure would suddenly collapse. There was no one at the bar, save for a young man who appeared to be a staff member, busy wiping the tables and chairs.
“Good morning, dear patrons!” The staffer greeted as they entered.
“What’s available to eat?”
“We have vegetable stew, potato pot roast, black bread, and some chicken and fish.”
Lance was taken aback by the price of the food here, despite already hearing about the inflated grain prices from a bandit leader.
The black bread was a mishmash of various coarse grains, bran, and pea flour. Its fermentation problems gave it a sour taste and its texture was like chewing sawdust.
In the city, one copper coin could buy two pounds of soft, sweet white bread, and a pound of beef cost only 3-4 copper coins.
Here, black bread that was only fit to feed pigs cost one copper coin per pound, and pork was priced the same as beef. As for beef, it was beyond the reach of anyone with even a modicum of wealth, let alone common folks.
“Three servings of vegetable stew, three of fish, and a mug of beer each for these two.”
They began their meal, and it was only then that Lance saw the face beneath Reynard’s helmet.
A face adorned with a thick beard suggested he was in his thirties, but it carried an air of haggard sadness, an inexplicable sense of self-shame. Yet, those eyes still harbored the fervent power of the divine light.
However, hunger was currently Lance’s primary concern, and he decided to worry about the rest later.
As they were eating, a ragged figure with a grimy face and unkempt hair barged into the tavern.
“Hey! What are you doing here? If the boss sees you, I’ll be in trouble!” The staffer quickly abandoned his cleaning and hurriedly intercepted the figure, but he couldn’t stop her from pleading.
“Please, I’ll do anything for some food.”
Lance realized from her voice that she was a woman, albeit a very weakened one.
The intruder was quickly driven out by the staffer, who then hurried over to apologize to the patrons.
“I apologize for the disturbance, she’s just a pitiful soul. I hope you won’t hold it against us.”
“Oh?” Lance’s curiosity piqued, he pressed, “What’s her story?”
Before the staffer could answer, a commotion at the door drew Lance’s attention.
“Cursed luck! First thing in the morning and I see your wretched face!”
A swaggering ruffian at the tavern’s entrance was hurling abuses while kicking the ragged woman who’d just left. She lay on the ground, curling up and enduring the blows without a fight.
Seeing this, the staffer rushed out, bearing the ruffian’s verbal onslaught while praising him to calm him down. He eventually led the ruffian inside, and the woman was spared further punishment.
The ruffian strutted in, sneering at the staffer.
“What’s going on here? Even these…”
Before he could even complete his sentence, his attention was seemingly drawn by the piercing gaze of Lance, and he snarled fiercely in their direction.
“What are you looking at?”
However, upon discerning them as strangers, his interest piqued considerably. Not to mention the immaculate and pure appearance of Lance that elicited greed in his eyes, reminiscent of a wolf in the wild who had just spotted a plump sheep, and he started approaching them.
“I am the sheriff here, and I suspect you guys are bandits. Let me inspect…”
His words were abruptly cut off mid-sentence as he was met with the muzzle of a gun wielded by Dismas.
Lance watched as Dismas held the firearm in one hand while the other was busied with a spoon, consuming his meal, all the while neglecting to even cast a glance at the goon, an expression of disdain openly displayed.
However, the thug was rooted to the spot, paralyzed with fear. His survival instinct was screaming at him — this man would not hesitate to pull the trigger.
“Of course not, sir~ They’re just passing through and will be leaving soon,” the waiter interjected, attempting to diffuse the tense atmosphere.
“Where’s my food? You’re trying to kill me by keeping me waiting this long!”
Now, the ruffian could only vent his frustration on the waiter, hurling a few harsh words his way, but dared not to provoke Lance and his company any further.
“Right away, sir,” replied the waiter with a placating smile. He quickly retreated to the back, returning swiftly with the food, and soon managed to send the brute on his way.
At this moment, the waiter quickly approached Lance’s group, trying to console them.
“He must’ve just come out of a brothel. You should leave quickly after you finish your meal, in case he calls for backup.”
“Perfect,” Lance responded, seemingly undeterred. He placed a copper coin on the table and turned to the waiter, “We noticed something odd about this town while passing through and have some questions for you. If your answers are satisfactory, this coin is yours.”
“Ask away, sir. I will answer to the best of my ability,” the waiter replied, flattered, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the copper coin.
Here, where life is not as prosperous as in the cities, what he could make in a day would just cover a full meal. Money was a rare sight. Yet, despite these conditions, there was still a fierce competition for this job.
“What happened to this town?”
“Well… The town was fine initially, but then bandits…”
Before long, Lance had a rough understanding of the situation. Half a month ago, bandits had raided the town, causing a sharp decline in population due to their acts of arson, murder, and plunder.