Exhausted but determined, Raymond walked on with his mother and younger brother, following the direction pointed out by the armored giant. After another hour's journey, it was noon and a clamor arose ahead. Cautiously hiding behind a large tree, Raymond peeked out and then shrank back, startled.
A battle was underway in the forest! Hundreds of human soldiers were clashing with a tribe of beastmen.
War was nothing new in this dark world, but what truly surprised Raymond was that the human army was overpowering the beastmen without a trace of fear. Instead, they were even more ruthless and aggressive than their adversaries. The elite soldiers, clad in breastplates and armed with spears and halberds, advanced in formation while groups of crossbowmen continually fired arrows. Swordsmen bravely engaged the beastmen head-on under the command of their officers, and many knights and their squires joined the fray.
"For the lady! For Count Ryan! For Countess Sulia!"
The beastmen were scattered in disarray as the unicorn beasts and lesser unicorn beasts continually retreated. Human swordsmen pressed forward under the protection of the spearmen and halberdiers, slaughtering the beastmen and quickly reducing their numbers by more than a third. The addition of several knights and a dozen squires further crushed the beastmen's morale.
"Bertrand! Take down the Beast King!" shouted a leading knight.
"Yes!" replied a sergeant in a tight green outfit, complete with chainmail and a tabard, and wearing a green tricorn hat adorned with a splendid white plume. Reacting quickly to the knight's command, he pulled two arrows from his quiver and drew his longbow to its full extent.
A great bow was drawn taut.
Was he going to shoot from here? Raymond gasped in disbelief. The beast king was at least one hundred and fifty paces away, while a normal peasant archer's effective range was only about thirty to eighty paces.
"Whoosh!" The arrow flew through the forest, piercing the left eye of the beast king as it raised its head, causing it to retreat in agonizing pain.
"Whoosh!" Another arrow followed, blinding the beast king's right eye. The newly appointed beast king let out a wail before collapsing to the ground.
"Nice!" With the beast king down, the beastmen's morale plummeted. Several knights mounted their horses and charged, with the squires following closely behind, scattering the beastmen and then routing them completely.
"What a powerful army..." Raymond swallowed nervously, feeling somewhat relieved. If Count Ryan's knights were all this formidable, then at least the security of their lands was assured, and the peasants need not fear bandits.
Out of caution and care, Raymond and his family waited a while before moving on, once the army had left after clearing the battlefield.
The road ahead was much easier to travel. It was wide enough for four horses to pass side by side, made of solidly compacted earth. Raymond swore it was the best road he had ever walked on.
Their bread was gone, but thankfully the road was easy to traverse, even for his aging mother who was struggling to walk. Young Thomas tugged at Raymond's clothes as they were all exhausted.
The road featured guard posts and outposts. Following the instructions of the armored giant, Raymond only mentioned they were refugees, omitting their origins or from which duchy they came.
Peasants remained guarded by nature.
As expected, the guards did not trouble them. After a thorough inspection and questioning to confirm they were human and refugees, they were allowed into the outpost.
Dozens of people, mostly other refugees, were already there, with a few merchants among them complaining, and some individuals who neither looked like merchants nor peasants but complied with the guards' demands.
"Your name is Raymond? Are they your family?" asked a sergeant, his back adorned with a hand crossbow and a long sword at his hip, dressed in chainmail and a robe, looking impressive.
Being promoted to sergeant and becoming a freeman was a peasant's lifelong dream.
"Yes, yes, I am Raymond, this is my brother, and this is my mother. We're from the north, we couldn't survive there anymore, so we fled here for refuge. Please, take care of us poor people!" Raymond bowed quickly, smiling ingratiatingly at the sergeant.
"Another one from the north? Why have there been so many refugees from the north lately?" The sergeant seemed unfazed. He looked at the disheveled state of the family and smiled, "Had a tough journey, huh? It's not easy to make it here!"
"Yes! By the lady's grace!" Raymond hurriedly responded.
"Alright, you're safe now. We're the patrols of Charon's Forest, rest assured, this place is secure. We welcome newcomers as long as you work hard and diligently, there
's no worry about not having enough to eat," the sergeant continued. "But if you dare to break the law, the only end is the gallows!"
With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Take them down for inspection, clean them up!"
"Yes!" A group of infantrymen roughly escorted Raymond and his family down. They trimmed their tangled hair with knives and scissors, then led them to bathe and changed them into plain hemp clothes.
Raymond and his family, fearing for their lives, silently complied with all arrangements.
So many people, indeed too many, were waiting!
Noticing that merchants transporting goods through the outpost were not subjected to such checks but had to pay taxes, the soldiers checked the refugees again, ensuring they had no strange spots or extra limbs, and were generally healthy.
Each received a bowl of thin porridge and then lined up, eating as they moved along.
"What are we doing?" Raymond asked the man ahead of him who did not look like a peasant.
"Waiting for the cart, ah, by Tal's teeth! How many people are here now! Waiting for the cart takes forever." The man in front complained, "I'm not a refugee, yet I have to wait for a cart with them!"
Raymond, seeing this, dared not say more.
After about an hour, it was their turn. Several two-horse, four-wheeled wagons arrived, each able to seat eight people. Raymond and his family climbed aboard.
"Alright, you can go now. Follow the main road, and in about three hours, you'll leave the forest and see a village. Just ask at the village office how to proceed, someone will guide you. There are also signs along the road," the sergeant nodded, indicating that Raymond and his family could leave.
After several more hours, it was late afternoon when they finally emerged from the forest. The wagons unloaded the people and then promptly returned.
The scenery outside the forest stunned the family. The lush fields were densely packed with farms, and clear canals directed water from the Xinon River. Large water wheels spun continuously along the streams, and peasants, with their pants rolled up, harvested vast stretches of winter wheat. The wide roads were paved with stone slabs, bustling with activity. A massive windmill spun in the distance, and no idlers were visible across the countryside.
A clear bell rang through the village, which was surrounded by sturdy wooden and stone walls about three meters high, providing a comforting sense of security.
More substantial than the mere one-meter-high fences back in Raymond's village, the guards appeared vigilant. They stood straight, helmets on, spears in hand, breastplates fastened, watching the horizon. On the road, a handsome knight, dressed in magnificent attire, rode a tall horse proudly along the road. Behind him hung two wild rabbits and several pheasants, surrounded by squires. Everyone rode horses, carrying game, and talked loudly about the bounty of the hunt, praising the lake nymph.
As the knight passed, the peasants stopped their work to bow and show their respect. It was evident they genuinely admired and respected the knight, who felt very pleased with himself. He took a pheasant from behind his horse and tossed it to the ground: "Consider this my charity! Whoever grabs it, keeps it!"
The pheasant, now free, scrambled about as many peasants dropped their tools and scrambled after it. A robust peasant managed to grab it, and the others, cursing his luck in good humor, returned to their work.
In Raymond's village, such an event would have led to a fierce fight. He thought to himself that the knights of the south seemed more approachable; if a peasant greeted them, they would nod back. The peasants here worked hard, not lazily as in his village, where the final yield was always claimed by the lord anyway.
Several wagons loaded with grain moved along the road, and some wagons were meant for passengers. Cart drivers waited at the town gate to pick up fares. These passenger wagons were much fancier, painted brightly.
These must be for the wealthy, Raymond thought, observing that business seemed good.
Near the village, groups of children played under the supervision of a merciful goddess priestess, who seemed about forty years old. About twenty or thirty children tugged at her sleeves and skirt, circling around her, playing games. The fields rang with laughter as the priestess took the opportunity to teach the children about faith in Lady Shalya, breaking bread for them to eat.
So many children! Could people here afford so many? Raymond wondered.
It was late afternoon, edging towards evening, when a cold breeze swept across the fields. The family, tired and hungry, slowly approached the village.
"Excuse me, sir," Raymond called out to a peasant collecting wheat by the roadside. "Could you tell us how to get to the village office?"
The peasant, tanned from the sun and wearing a straw hat and thick animal
skin clothes that looked warm, put down his sickle. "From the north, are you?" he asked upon hearing their accent.
"Yes, we're from the north. Disaster struck our home, we couldn't pay the taxes, so we fled here hoping for a better life," Raymond said with a forced smile, holding back some details.
"Oh, I see. Welcome to Redfish Village. Has there been a disaster in the north lately? There's been a lot of northerners arriving recently," the peasant said nonchalantly. He first looked at Thomas, who was clutching Raymond's coat, and then at their exhausted mother who could barely stand. "My name's Bono. Unfortunately, it's getting dark. You won't make it to the town of Gien in time; the gates will be closed. You won't be able to enter the town tonight. If you don't mind, you're welcome to rest in my barn for the night. You can head to the town office first thing tomorrow morning; there are signs along the way."
"That would be greatly appreciated!" Raymond quickly thanked him.
Could the south really be so much more prosperous than the north? Raymond noticed the barns full of winter wheat, nearby houses made of solid stone, everyone's healthy, joyful faces celebrating the harvest, every household raising chickens and ducks, and many fields dotted with oxen. Some homes even had goats, with smoked meat and fish hanging outside. As dinnertime approached, smoke rose from every chimney.
The tranquil and serene village scenery.
The barn was tidily arranged, filled with stacks of firewood and beds of straw and blankets.
"Brother, I'm so hungry," Thomas whispered inopportunely.
Raymond looked awkwardly at his bag, containing only half a loaf of black bread.
It seemed they were about to run out of food.
"You've traveled a long way from the north, haven't you? Must have been hard. Here, have some food," Bono said, entering with five black bread loaves and a pot of soup made from vegetables and flour: "Thanks to the count, thanks to the countess, thanks to the lady, you're lucky to have made it here."
"Oh no! We can't eat!" Raymond exclaimed, startled, and quickly waved his hands. Five loaves of black bread and a pot of vegetable and flour soup would have fed his family for four or five days back home!
"Why not?" Bono looked puzzled, placing the basket of bread and pot of soup with a few wooden bowls and spoons in front of Raymond's family. "You must have run out of food by now, right? It's okay, this is my gift to you. Eat up. I'm going to town tomorrow too, so we can go together."
"No, we all pay taxes to the lord, how can we eat your food that would last several days? We'll just manage somehow," Raymond's mother quickly shook her head, her innate kindness understanding how hard it was for peasants to spare some food.
Escaping was their own fault; how could they burden others?
"What?" Bono was even more baffled. He looked at Raymond and his mother, then at Thomas who was already salivating. "Wake up, what time do you think this is?"
"Count Ryan has been here for five years now! Who doesn't have a few extra loaves of black bread?"
"???"
"There's plenty of black bread at home, it'll just mold otherwise. Really, I was planning to go to town with you tomorrow to sell some vegetables. The kids have been nagging me for meat, and I was thinking of buying some since the Day of the Grail is coming up."
"??????"
"Go ahead and eat~ Northerners always make a big fuss over nothing." Bono's face couldn't hide his smugness as he set down the food: "You eat first, I need to go back and check on my five children~"
Heh, sometimes it's good to change perspectives for the readers to see the changes in the protagonist's territory. Hope you like it! And don't forget to vote!
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