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Silently, they entered the deeply indented bay of the fjord. Without a sound or a light to guide them, they navigated through the darkness, relying solely on the light of the full moon.  The skilled sailors, who had traversed Oregano’s waters many times before, handled their ships with ease even in the perilous task of nighttime navigation. They too were angered by the desecration of their homeland.

Smoothly passing through the bay, they spotted a harbor with bonfires burning. Their square sails were furled, and they relied only on the rudder for navigation. The harbor drew nearer. As the sails were furled, the speed of the ships decreased due to the water resistance. They adjusted their positions with the rudder, and as they neared the point of docking, anchors were dropped.

Some of the lookouts at the harbor noticed the incoming ships and shot flaming arrows at them. But their aim was poor, and most of the arrows fell into the sea. As the anchors and chains reached the seabed, the speed further decreased. With skill, the ships docked almost perfectly against the quay. Wooden planks were extended between the ships and the quay,

“All hands, prepare to disembark!!” (??)

A voice called out, and knights emerged from the cabins, disembarking one after another. Unpleasant noises could be heard from elsewhere. When I looked, I saw that several ships had collided with the quay, crashing into the harbor. This was the plan from the beginning that these ships had no intention of anchoring. The knights abandoned ship before they sank, leaping onto the land.

Some ships were already ablaze, arrows sticking into them. But it didn’t matter how much they burned. As long as they could get off. Those who had shot the flaming arrows were quickly driven away by the approaching knights.

I descended from the ship and headed towards the knights gathering in the square in front of the harbor. By the time I arrived, most of the knights had finished disembarking and were assembling.

“Everyone, well done on enduring the unfamiliar voyage. Dimitri, lead 400 men to assault the main residence. I will lead the rest to deal with the enemy coming from the city gate.”

—

It seemed that a large number of troops were indeed deployed at the main assault route, the city gate, which led to the main road. When news of the disturbance at the harbor reached them, they came in droves along the main street to deal with it. Ambushing them from the side streets and annihilating them, the battle was almost over.

“All right, you lot, scatter in groups of ten and patrol the city. Kill any enemy soldiers you find.” (Yuri)

“Yes, my lord!” (??)

The knights of the Hou Household saluted and responded.

“Just one group, follow me. I’m heading to the main residence.” (Yuri)

Saying so, I singled out one group and proceeded towards the Noza Household’s main residence.

As I walked, I looked at the town of Oregano, which was painfully devastated. Though I had visited several times before, the once peaceful and simple town was now unrecognizable. Most houses were ransacked, with doors presumably broken in attempts to keep intruders out. Many doors were left wide open.

On the roadside, the corpses of slain citizens were left in a gruesome manner. It felt as if they had been kicked to the side of the road to clear the way. Bodies left indoors were probably killed there.

‘It is worse than I had anticipated.’

Upon reaching the main residence, it seemed that it too had been ransacked. By the entrance, the corpse of a serving maid lay sprawled. Her lower body was exposed, and it appeared she had been stabbed in the chest.

‘It’s disgusting.’

“Thank you for guarding me. Tear down a curtain from somewhere and cover this woman with it. I feel sorry for her.” (Yuri)

“Yes, my lord!” (??)

“After that, patrol the city and kill any remnants.” (Yuri)

“Understood. Let’s clear her grudge and show her.” (??)

“Do it.” (Yuri)

With that, he entered the main residence. Inside, Dimitri, who had completed the takeover, was waiting.

“Your Excellency Yuri.” (Dimitri)

“What about the feudal lords?” (Yuri)

“They’re alive, but not in good condition. We’re preparing some porridge for them.” (Dimitri)

I knew from Enrique’s information that the feudal lords who happened to be in Oregano were imprisoned in the underground dungeon.

“Lead the way.” (Yuri)

“Right this way.” (Dimitri)

Dimitri walked through the main residence for a while and guided me to the underground dungeon. As I descended further down from the ground floor, the air changed. It was hard to describe, but it felt cold and damp, like a cold, wet cloth touching one’s cheek. Looking at the walls, the wooden walls on the first floor had changed to stone walls.

‘It must have been skilled craftsmen who built this. The evenly cut stone walls are tightly fitted together, leaving almost no gaps.’

In the underground chamber, there were cells on each side, and there were quite a number of people inside. From the looks of the ground floor, it was clear that there were no menial workers involved in the looting, so there was no one to clean up the mess. It smells of filth. The people inside all had overgrown beards, their noble clothes dirtied, giving them the appearance of vagrants.

‘If they’ve been locked up here since the massacre of the Noza Household, it’s been over ten days without cleaning. Being alive means they were probably given water and bread at least.’

“How much have they talked?” (Yuri)

“Almost nothing. They seem to know that the Noza Household has been wiped out.” (Dimitri)

“I see… Hey, are there any feudal lords in here?” (Yuri)

As I said that, two figures emerged from behind the iron bars.

“I am.” (??)

“I’m the head of the Tonau Household! Please, help us!” (??)

‘There are two of them, huh? I hit the jackpot.’

“I’m Yuri Hou. There’s been a lot going on, but well, to put it simply, I defeated Vilan Tomin and ended up here.” (Yuri)

‘Well, at this point, there’s probably no one foolish enough to resist.’

“Choose now, surrender to the Hou Household or not. If you surrender, we’ll give you food and warm baths and escort you to the territory. There, you’ll be ordered to disarm and return military authority to the royal family as the responsible parties.” (Yuri)

“Uh—” (??)

‘He’s stammering, after all. I’m tired of this. These knights rely entirely on their born position for their livelihoods. So, losing that means losing everything, their whole way of life. They won’t be able to live as commoners from tomorrow.

Whether they’ve been lording over and oppressing the commoners who have struggled and innovated to make a living due to the privileges bestowed upon their households or not, they’ve been standing on top, lording over them. They can’t live as commoners now. I understand, but it’s too unnatural.’

“Don’t worry. We won’t take away anything beyond your rights to land and buildings. If you’re of the first or second generation, you should be able to live without working.” (Yuri)

“…Understood. The Tonau Household will surrender.” (??)

The head of the Tonau Household nodded.

“What right do you have to take that away from us…” (??)

The one who spoke was an old man who seemed to be another feudal lord.

“What?” (Yuri)

“I haven’t done anything. I’m being locked up here without having done anything, and my ancestral rights are being taken away…” (??)

He looked at me with resentful eyes.

‘Well, it’s true that he hasn’t done anything.’

“Why should I, who owe you no favors, have to grant you the same rights as ordinary citizens? Tell me.” (??)

‘I can understand complaining if I were talking about taking away even the rights of ordinary citizens and turning them into slaves.’

“That’s because it was a right granted to our family.” (??)

“It was probably entrusted to you by the Noza Household as a reward for your loyalty. It’s your misunderstanding to think of it as something permanent and unchanging.” (Yuri)

“Then, let me pledge my allegiance to you.” (??)

‘What is he saying?’

“Is that so? Then show me outstanding performance on the battlefield. Depending on that, I’ll give you preferential treatment.” (Yuri)

“…Hmph.” (??)

The old man sighed.

“I’ve been serving Borafura-dono as an advisor for thirty years. Is this the result…”

‘Who is this guy…? I said I’d leave his private property, didn’t I? If he’s not going to fight, why should I grant him land? If he’s a genius at governing territories with outstanding talents for internal affairs and development, I might consider it, but I haven’t heard of any such promising areas in the Noza Household’s territory. If anything, the Amian Household should have exceptional records of increased revenue, but apart from that, there’s nothing.’

“What’s your name?” (Dimitri)

Dimitri asked.

“…Jired Dein.” (Jired)

As the response came back…

“It’s the Noza Household first-class feudal lord household.” (Dimitri)

Dimitri whispered to me.

‘So, this is what a first-class one looks like…’

“…It doesn’t matter, but if you intend to fight me, I’m ready to take you on. Choose to fight or surrender.” (Yuri)

“If I fight, will you guarantee the protection of the property you mentioned earlier?” (Jired)

“…Huh?” (Yuri)

‘What kind of reasoning is that? Is this guy crazy?’

“There’s no way. Instead of protection, it’s obvious you’ll be killed.” (Yuri)

“In that case, I surrender.” (Jired)

He said it easily. Involuntarily, I looked at Dimitri, and our eyes met.

‘He’s probably having the same expression, but it’s the face of someone who can’t believe of seeing such a creature. When I saw Vilan Tomin, I thought there was no way someone with only this level of military strength could take over the capital, but seeing this situation, it all made sense. Well, he’s probably particularly insane, but it’s likely a result of the unique culture or atmosphere of the Noza Household, where such a kind of lunatic is cultivated. He was a type of person that couldn’t exist in the Hou Household. It feels like a factor that only thrives in a knight society where valor isn’t praised.’

“Just in case, I’ll ask if anyone refuses to surrender. If you intend to fight us, it would be a disgrace for knights to receive mercy here. Speak up now.” (Yuri)

As I said that, all the knights, dignitaries included, fell silent, as if afraid to make a sound.

‘The reason I’m doing this now is that during the conquest of the Boff Household, there was a resisting feudal lord, and it resulted in 300 casualties. Considering that they would have been included as combatants if they could surrender and the same number of casualties were inflicted on the enemy, more than 600 people would have been lost as a target for the Crusade.

At that time, only a small town resisted, but if a solid city like Shimiya, guarded by a force of thousands, were to resist, I don’t know what would happen. If we take them in advance and make them surrender, we can prevent such tragedies. While they’re not all the knights of the Noza Household, taking them along for persuasion might contribute to their surrender.’

“It seems there aren’t any. Then, wait a while longer. I’ll have them bring some porridge.” (Yuri)

—

The next morning, in the fully pacified square in front of the harbor in Oregano, a gallows brought out from a warehouse were assembled and set up.

Vilan Tomin was on the platform with a noose around his neck. In a nearby buildings, over 200 of Vilan’s henchmen who surrendered without being killed, awaiting imprisonment and execution.

The square was packed with citizens, almost as if all the citizens of Oregano had gathered, waiting to witness the execution, even though there was no coercion, just the announcement of the execution. The citizens were shouting loudly, driven by anger and directing hateful glares at Vilan.

“Arr! arrr!” (Vilan)

Vilan seemed to be screaming, but he was gagged because it was too noisy, even with his jaw broken.

The gallows was set up high, with a long hole at the bottom, capable of executing three people simultaneously. However, Vilan was alone, placed on a chair specifically to make him taller and more visible to the citizens. Despite his impending death and the beginning of necrosis in one of his legs, making it difficult to balance, he desperately clung to the chair.

I climbed the stairs of the gallows. The noise of people shouting insults at Vilan was too loud, making it impossible to converse, so I blew my whistle loudly.

*Piiiiiiii―!*

The sound echoed, and the citizens quieted down.

“I am Yuri Hou. Let me speak for a moment!” (Yuri)

I tried to speak as loudly as possible, hoping everyone could hear me. With no wind today and speaking from above, my voice should carry well.

“Here stands the perpetrator who slaughtered the Noza Household overnight, causing you all pain, Vilan Tomin!” (Yuri)

As I said this, one of the citizens misunderstood and shouted, “Kill him!” From there, a chain reaction started, and it turned into another chorus of insults.

‘Hey hey. That wasn’t my intention.’

Once the excitement subsided, I blew the whistle again. Somehow, the citizens were interested in the words of the new ruler, so the commotion settled down.

“Silence! I have more to say. It won’t take long.” (Yuri)

When I said this, the commotion ceased.

“It seems the Noza Household, who ruled this land until now, was a peaceful household. However! That’s why this man was easily killed, and you all couldn’t protect Oregano entrusted to you by Her Majesty. It must have been tough. If you were only robbed and destroyed, it would have been bearable. But among you are those who lost parents, children, siblings, or were violated. Houses can be rebuilt, wealth can be regained, but the lives lost and the dignity defiled cannot be reclaimed. I offer my deepest condolences. However, from today, you must rise again and erase the scars of violence from Oregano and rebuild!” (Yuri)

With that, I looked around at the crowd. They were listening attentively.

“Today! Starting with this man, we will execute his party that ravaged Oregano. Those who do not wish to witness their deaths, I ask you to step away. I believe that is a noble spirit to cherish. However, for some, witnessing the death of those who oppressed them may be the catalyst to start anew. I eagerly anticipate and bless that new beginning!” (Yuri)

With that, I kicked the chair out from under Vilan.

“Guh―” (Vilan)

Vilan’s neck tightened.

“Step over the corpses of those who oppressed you and create a new Oregano! I look forward to your efforts.” (Yuri)

I said, stepping down from the gallows.

At the same time, cheers for the liberators and curses for the looters mingled in the air, creating a tumultuous wave of sound.