Looking at these people in front of him, wearing worn out leather armor, holding standard weapons, which could barely be called warriors, Jared smiled coldly.
"I'm not here to protect you."
His first words were unexpected .
"I'm not here to save you either."
Jared was kind enough to add, at the same time sealing off the last avenue of speculation and hope for the crowd.
"You may be wondering what I'm doing here then, why I'm destroying a city. The reason is simple."
He shrugged his shoulders and continued.
"It's simple, because the policies that this country is practicing make me very angry, and it's hurting one of my loved ones ... very important loved ones, so I think it's necessary to completely mess up, mess up, and then screw up this country. It's as simple as that, it's a revenge." He spread his hands, looking quite innocent." I'm not going to say that there are people who persecute us so we have to rise up and fight and all that crap, you guys see for yourselves, because I'm not happy with this policy, so I'm going to take action. As for you ... I don't know if you don't dare, can't, or won't. But if you don't act, I don't know what to do. But you did not act, I do not know what you are waiting for, or you have already resigned yourself to this life as a rat-like hide in the nest, under the gutter to survive?"
He shook his head slightly .
"I don't think so, the world is very tolerant of you, you can go to the San Marino Empire to find your new life, so what are you staying here for?"
"For revenge!!!"
One of the men gripped his rusty sword tightly in his hand, waving and yelling in anger.
"Those bastards killed my daughter, my wife! I want revenge!!!"
"So you just cower in a rat's nest?"
Jared's sarcastic look rendered the man's speech unsustainable for a moment, and he hesitantly lowered his brandished longsword, clenching his teeth .
"Or are you going to wait until you're old and gray on the grounds that the time is not yet ripe, and then excuse your inaction with the inexplicable reason that 'hating each other is pointless'?"
Jared's rhetorical question was sharp and precise, and his words caused quite a stir in the crowd. It was true that it didn't take much time to travel to San Marino from here, but none of them chose to leave, but stayed in this land where they grew up. They could have chosen a more peaceful and stable life. Although the Kingdom of Marco has been blocking and forbidding the news about the San Marino Empire, and has tried its best to portray it as a country with demonic judgments and cruelty, where "devils" roam everywhere. But as everything has two sides, the demonization of the San Marino Empire makes it easy for the real "devils" to know where they are most comfortable and suitable.
But the ones who stayed were lost.
Unarmed, unarmed, unmanned. They had no ability to intercept the convoys escorted by the mechanical armor to protect their own people, but only wandered the periphery, searching for those who might, or had the luck, or had the strength to escape, and bring them back to their own homes. They thought that this was the only thing they could do, and resigned themselves to this, and in fact, there were indeed many wanderers who were lucky enough to escape and were saved by them. But that was all they could do.
Until Jared came along.
He actually destroys a city, something these people have always hoped to do but couldn't, and Jared's fall gives the crowd a shot in the arm that this powerful teenager and his team can do what they couldn't do themselves, and protect their lives.
"I hate heroes."
Jared said coldly, with an irrepressible disgust in his voice.
"Heroes are the product of laziness, and it only takes a hero to pay for their laziness when no one else wants to do it ..."
"Ms. Caroline? What's the meaning of the bill?"
Kelly, standing by, asked in a puzzled whisper .
(This ...)
"I don't want to be, and I don't want to be, a hero. If you can't fight for yourselves, but only find reasons to run away, then what's the point of staying here?" Completely oblivious to the following tidbit, Jared continued." It's up to you, and by now I think you know who we are and where we come from. So, I'm going to give you the opportunity to make your own choice. Do you want to be the masters of the new territory of San Marino, or do you want to be the masters of the new Kingdom of Marco."
Jared said this and stepped back, signaling that the conversation was over.
"Lord Guardian, this is not in accordance with your previous agreement with Lord Cthulhu."
Jared didn't need to think about the voice behind him to know who it was, after all, there weren't many people in the world who could approach and be ignored without a word.
"Wasn't the Lord of the Heavens left to me to choose anyway? I think this is just the right opportunity ."
Jared stared at the crowd in front of him and replied with a sneer to Wendy, who, on the contrary, was a little puzzled by this .
"Chance?"
"That's right, if they really don't want to do it, but instead put it all on us, then it means they're only qualified to be ruled too. That would make things a lot easier, wouldn't it?"
(But on the other hand, if they're willing to come forward, they'll at least maintain a semblance of autonomy, right?)
In the face of Caroline's question, Jared did not answer positively, in fact, since they have decided to do it, then the Marco Kingdom can only go one way to destroy. But after all,... Jared's best thing is to lie.
"Each, each mighty warrior ..."
The fat man came out again, wiping the sweat from his head and asking with a smile on his face.
"As in, if it fails, then, then, then what will become of us ...?"
"Only death."
Jared's answer was quite dry and unforgiving.
"Perhaps it will be more ... than your death at the stake."
Here, Jared frowned slightly, and seemed to have sensed something, so he stopped talking. But his words had already caused a commotion among the gifted warriors, who looked at each other uneasily and exchanged whispers. After all, their number is not much, in the several years of hiding in the ruins of this place, there are only 20 or so gifted people who can live, even with Jared's helpers together, still less than a hundred people, with such a small number of people, how to destroy a country? This is even more impractical than a mantis blocking a car, and even more difficult than a dwarf hammering a mountain giant into a photo.
"I do!"
A man came out, he was the man who appeared in front of Jared in the city of destruction that day, perhaps because the scene at that time was too shocking, so he was the first to come forward to express his will, which also showed his trust in Jared. Then, the female archer came out silently.
The power of example is always present.
Gradually, everyone stepped forward, even the fat guy with the big belly who talked a lot of nonsense. It was clear that they had chosen their destiny and were determined to fight to the end.
"Nice."
Jared nodded, feeling as if he had returned to the original era, the high and tense feeling he had before leading his partners to the next target. In that case, a change of plan was needed.
Caroline quietly watched Jared, eyes full of trust. She suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve, and when Caroline turned her head in surprise, she saw Kelly looking at her with a slightly red face.
"Ms. Caroline, do you have a moment?"
She asked uneasily, a tremor in her voice.
"There's something ... I want to talk to you about."
(What's up?)
"..."
Kelly looked around and shook her head slightly.
"Not here. Can you come with me, please?"
(No questions asked...)
Although she was surprised that Kylie could speak so strangely, Caroline nodded in agreement with her request. After all, after Vito's death, Kylie's mental state had been worrying them. After all, this kind of excitement was more than anyone could handle. And Kylie didn't have anyone to talk to besides them. According to the Celestial Master, the Vidocq family was going to be purged, and Kylie was thankful she wasn't in the middle of it, so how could she say anything to those people?
Deeper into the untouched forest, Kylie's behavior became more erratic as she peeked up at Caroline and then quickly looked down. When they reached the edge of a small river, Kelly finally stopped. Caroline duly sat down on a rock, not forgetting to wipe it clean, of course.
（What's going on? Ms. Kelly?)
"Can you promise not to tell Jared about this ...?"
(Of course...)
Kylie's odd request instead made Caroline even more curious, although she and Jared could be considered close, women always have to have a secret or two, after all, it's the woman with the mystery that's attractive.
"I ..."
Kylie was about to say something, and then she bit her lower lip so hard that it looked like she'd made up her mind.
"I would like to know, during that previous massacre in the city of Green ..., Ms. Caroline, what did you think?"
Although Kelly asked, she continued as if she didn't need Caroline's answer.
"Although it may be annoying to you, at that time, I was very happy, excited, and felt that the burden that had been weighing on my heart had been lightened a lot. I know it's not right, I shouldn't take pleasure in other people's pain, it won't work. But I don't know what to do ... I ..."
(There's nothing wrong with that...)
Caroline stood up quietly, walked over to Kelly and gently stroked her head.
（Ms. Kelly, it's perfectly normal to take pleasure in the suffering of others. If we see a demon king destroyed, we certainly don't feel sorry for him, and if we see a butcher with bloody hands living in pain, we don't feel pity for him. The journey of life is the process of basing one's happiness on the pain of others, but it depends on the person. There's nothing wrong with your feelings, Miss Kelly. In fact, when I saw the men who brutalized Gina and reveled in her pain go up in flames, I felt the same sense of relief. I won't forgive those men for their atrocities. They hurt my friends, my companions, my loved ones. So they must pay for their actions. Only then will I feel relieved ... But, don't indulge in such pleasures.)
"Addicted to ...?"
(That's right.)
Caroline nodded.
(Once you indulge in this pleasure of taking life, you will soon become no different from the creatures you want to destroy.)
"So, Miss Caroline, you're not going to hate me?"
(Of course not...)
Hearing this, Kelly let out a long sigh of relief, her face turned much better, apparently, Caroline, unlike Jared, was the type of person who was very good at comforting others. Or maybe she was just good at it because she was the one who cleaned up every mess Jared left behind. Just when Caroline thought that was the end of the conversation, Kelly suddenly pulled her back and looked at Caroline with a firm gaze.
"So, Miss Caroline. What would you do if I confessed to you that I like Jared?"
She inquired seriously .