'What the hell is going on in this village?' Sylvester tried to make a wild guess but didn't want to accept it.
"Tell me everything, Archpriest Norin," he demanded.
"The man over there is Master Hornbill, who runs this area for his liege, Baron Vermilion." Archpriest pointed at the men on horseback, watching the villagers being put inside the cage slowly. "Our village faced a heavy drought this year, and nothing grew.
"And with the death of Markus, the head monastery of the region does not send money anymore. The people are desperate to survive here—they have kids too. So, like hyenas smelling meat, Master Hornbill came to abuse them.
