The Village Chief's hut was a cut above the rest. The heavily patterned cloths sowed into the walls provided an extra layer of insulation that other homes in the area lacked. Even the nobles in the village were bundled up in heavy blankets when they went to sleep.
These same nobles always complained about the cold they felt without understanding that they were just feeling a fraction of what the common folk felt. Of course, they were not true nobles. They held no titles. Those who were considered nobility in Homr Village were prominent blacksmiths and the average knights. The wages given by the empire allowed for a fulfilling life for both themselves and their children. They lived a life above the commoners, so they were called nobles by the villagers.
True nobles owned territories and gigantic castles. Even the lowest of nobles oversaw hundreds of millions of people. The continent of Avalon was so large, it was impossible to ever get to the middle of the continent if one was at the far edges in twenty lifetimes. Therefore, there were millions of nobles in the country that governed areas for the Blitz Empire alone. There were probably hundreds of millions if one considered the other kingdoms in the continent of Avalon.
At any given time, there is always a rebellion happening inside these large empires. There are always tragedies and suffering. So that begs the question, what are nobles, those who care at least, supposed to do to help their people? Especially when a crisis occurs every second.
The nobles never found the answer to that question. Therefore, as generations passed, nobles thought that it was their duty to keep the land safe and not the people. They had forgotten the reasons their ancestors were elected to be in positions of power. Even now, no matter how many peasants and commoners were killed, they would not lift a finger until property gets damaged.
The highly romanticized knights in the eyes of commoners were left wondering what they were doing was right. They were given power, training, and funding with the commoners thinking it was their job to protect the wellbeing of citizens just to find out the knights only protected noblemen's property.
Knights were essentially just bodyguards for the nobles. Therefore, villagers themselves usually solved their own problems. If there was a shortage of food, either they do population control or they attacked other villages.
The nobles looked the other way in instances like this since there was never a shortage of workers. Even if ten villages went down in flames, their territory would not feel a thing. Of course, an excess of violence had to be dealt with lest the peasants forgot who was ruling them.
As Village Chiefs, and especially those chiefs within the Burdol House territory, they only needed to worry about the other villages. Things like pacts with bandit groups and other villages could make a raid go wrong.
This was the dichotomy the Homr Village Chief faced. His people inside the Worl Village were not that high up in the village's ranks. He only had a simple understanding of the relationships. However, he was still ready to make a move. If he could convince the 'nobles' from the village to help him attack, then he could secure food for his people and cargo to trade with the Red Rising Merchant Group.
"Do you know why I have called this gathering?" The Village Head asked solemnly. His long red hair accented his deeper red eyes. His fit body reminded everyone in this room how he got the position of the Village Head.
One of the slimy-looking people smiled uncertainty, "Isn't it to prepare for the Graduation Exam?"
To gather all of the nobles in one place and also to keep spies unexpecting, the Village Head used the Graduation Exam as a cover for his war plans. And it worked, everyone in the village thought that the nobles were going to go over the exam.
"In a sense, yes." He said mysteriously, "The main reason I asked you to come is to deal with a problem. Our people are unable to work so we cannot provide tradable times for the Red Rising Merchant Group."
Siii!
The nobles who were once calm stood up quickly and with such rigor that one of the chairs broke.
"MAKE THEM WORK DAMN IT!" The fattest noble, a blacksmith, yelled as spit flew everywhere.
"They have children, tell them they are working to support their families too." A soft-spoken scribe said grimly.
A couple of other people spoke as well. They were essentially all agreeing with sacrificing a few thousand abled men so that their families could live. The Village Head sat still listening to all this. His eyes growing gloomier with every new agreement.
'Have you forgotten the same could be said about you? Have you forgotten that you aren't true nobility?' the Village Head thought but did not comment. He needed their support for the raid.
"It is no longer a matter of who is willing to work but a lack of work to be given. The wood prices have decreased manyfold over the years. We lack a skilled hunter to sell fur and leather. Our livestock is only enough to feed 2/3rds of the population. If these men riot, we are done for." The Village Head reminded them. They were outnumbered by a grand amount. Even if they were all in the Legendary Sequence and contracted an Astral Pet, they would not be strong enough to survive a rebellion at that level.
The 'nobles' frowned as if realizing that fact. Their day-to-day lives were too comfortable that they have forgotten how fragile the scale they were on was.
"So what do you suggest?" The scribe asked the Village Head.
The Village head's eyes glowed red as he activated his ability. The coldness of the room vanished, and they gave a comfortable shiver. Each person in the room slid back down comfortably.
"War on the Worl Village." He said slowly. "We have a couple of problems we need to address. The most important right now is the lack of food. A rebellion could be made any second now. The second most important problem is overpopulation. We need to thin the numbers to make the commoners more manageable. The last problem is the lack of tradable items. A war of Worl Village would help us hit every single problem."
The Village head scowled in his mind as he reasoned with the nobles. It was as if they had forgotten that they were just as insignificant to the Barons of Burdol house. They had forgotten how their ancestors were the first to be sacrificed in times of trouble.
The Village head took the time to convince everyone.
"What about the exam?" The fat blacksmith asked.
"What's a better examination than in war?" The Village Head answered.
The pacified nobles went into a hissy fit.
'This is going to take forever.' The Village head thought.