Chapter 11: The Rebels

“I thought you really meant to starve them all to death…”

Seeing Farra give away part of the grain he had gathered, Freya felt slightly relieved. She suddenly realized she did not want Farra to be the pot-bellied noble she had known before.

“When did I ever say I would starve them?”

“You…”

Meeting Farra’s half-smiling black eyes, Freya froze. Only then did she notice he had indeed never said anything of the sort. Everything had been her own groundless speculation. At that thought, her expression turned awkward. It seemed she had judged him with undue malice.

“S-sorry…”

Freya apologized honestly.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” Farra looked at her and spoke in the same indifferent tone. “I will not starve them because they are still useful, not out of kindness; everything in my domain is my property, and if they all die I will have nobody left to use.”

After speaking, Farra ignored Freya’s reaction, turned, and looked at Axi who had returned from the night with several others behind him.

“Lord, I’m back…” Axi panted.

“Do these men have objections?”

“Yes, Lord…”

Farra looked at the men and said, “So you intend to defy my decision?”

“Lord… !” The men immediately knelt, wailing.

“Please give us a way to live, we beg you!”

“We really cannot hand over all the grain!”

“Even if we can keep just a little, Lord!”

Farra stared at them expressionlessly and then asked Axi, “Did you tell them what punishment awaits the crime of defiance?”

“I… I already told them,” Axi answered, “but they still insisted on coming and I couldn’t stop them…”

Farra nodded, rested his right hand on the hilt, and asked the kneeling men, “You know everything here is mine and you know the penalty for disobedience, yet you still choose to defy my order, is that correct?”

“Lord… we just want a way to live!” one man cried out.

“Yes, we only wish to stay alive!”

“We do not wish to defy your order, but…”

The others echoed him.

“Very well; what will you do if I still enforce this order?”

“We… we…” The men lowered their heads and glanced at each other. They saw resolve in one another’s eyes. Since death awaited either way, they might as well gamble. “We… we can only obey…”

“Good, then go back; tomorrow I will send someone to collect the grain, and then…”

Before Farra finished, the kneeling men leapt up, produced stones, and hurled them at him. The sudden turn of events left Freya unable to react. By the time she recovered, Farra had already drawn his sword. The still-sharp blade sliced through the air and cut across the men, flinging a spray of blood.

“Splurt…”

“Aah!”

Seeing his arm droop instantly, the man howled in agony. Farra stepped back half a pace, dodged the other stones, and immediately swung the blade upward. The sharp sword swept across and, as easily as slicing melons, killed the other four. Then the blade ran straight through the central man’s abdomen, emerging from his back. With scarcely a struggle, the man quickly lost all life.

Holding the thrust, Farra saw another achievement notification flash before his eyes:

「Bloody Suppression」

「Gained 2 Resource point」

Farra withdrew the sword and casually shoved the corpse aside. He looked at the terrified Axi and said, “Have someone come clean up these bodies; don’t just toss them into the woods, dig a pit and bury them.”

“Uh, y-yes, Lord…!” Axi jolted and hurried off to fetch help.

Farra bent down, tore off a strip of cloth, and began wiping his sword. Noticing Freya still standing there in a daze, he said, “Why are you staring? Get back to the wagon and sleep.”

“Oh…” Freya snapped out of it and left with a complicated look. She found she understood Farra less and less. Some aspects of Farra matched her image of nobles perfectly, yet in other aspects he did not fit at all. How strange… why was that?

Freya’s inexperienced mind could not figure it out. For the next few days she kept pondering the question as she observed Farra’s ways.

…

After killing the five commoners who had tried to attack him, the next day Farra had Mas watch over everyone in the village, making each person draw a fixed ration of grain for the day. He then picked suitable timber, sharpened it into crude wooden spears and handed them to thirty men, ordering them to guard three hundred shackled half-beastman slaves while they felled trees at a site he designated to build a granary. He himself took Axi and ten men from Bichi Village, armed them with wooden spears, and left with them.

“I hear you are dissatisfied with my order?”

“Lord, not at all! I fully obey your orders!” Reis dropped to his knees and raised both hands. “I have already had the grain gathered exactly as you instructed!”

“Is that so. Axi, were any of yesterday’s five men from this village?” Farra asked.

“No, Lord!”

Axi, who had eaten his fill that morning, answered loudly. Yesterday he had truly thought he would starve today. Only this morning did he learn he could eat his fill… and have three meals a day! The huge emotional swing made him instantly obedient to Farra.

“Hmph…” Farra looked at Reis and said, “Have everyone in your village move over to Bichi Village; understood?”

“U-understood, Lord!”

Only after Reis agreed did Farra lead the group away. Watching them disappear, Reis let out a long breath of relief. When Farra had stared at him earlier, he had felt he was about to be killed. Once relaxed, Reis immediately arranged the relocation.

Farra continued along the road, warning every steward… namely each village chief… he passed. He then ordered them to move next to Bichi Village at once. These were the villages to which he had not sent anyone with Axi the previous day.

As for the villages whose people had left with Axi yesterday…

“You seem quite unhappy with my decision?”

“Lord, we only want to live… if we hand over all the grain we will truly starve…”

“So your whole village intends to defy my order?”

“We… we just do not want to die…”

The village chief drew a breath, feeling his whole body tremble. How much courage did it take to oppose a noble?

“Hmph, very well.” Farra glanced at the villagers behind him and said, “Those willing to obey me stand on the right; those unwilling stand on the left!”

After his words fell, everyone hesitated. Eventually one-third crept to the right; the remaining two-thirds stayed where they were.

“Good, good; it seems living in these savage lands too long has turned your brains savage as well.” Farra gave two cold laughs and barked, “Axi, tell them what the penalty for defiance is.”

Axi replied at once, “Anyone who defies Lord must die!”

“Do it!” Farra ordered directly and charged with ten men at the more than sixty opposite them. Neither side really had weapons; the best they had were hoes. Yet once Farra drew his sword, the so-called battle became a one-sided slaughter. Farra did not take the fight seriously; while reaping lives casually he observed the System’s response. Even without formally declaring war, as soon as hostile intent was sensed, the System judged the groups as Factions at war.

The ten men Farra had brought had little fighting experience and offered scant help. The opponents all charged at Farra himself. Thus the battle was practically Farra single-handedly dueling more than sixty people. After over half had died, half of those remaining knelt in terror and begged for mercy.

“I surrender, I was wrong, Lord! Please spare me…”

“I was wrong, forgive my sins! I should not have resisted the Lord!”

“Spare me, please spare me…”

Farra did not stop. He kept swinging, slaughtering everyone who had stayed put. In the end he spared ten people and handed them to his own men. Under Farra’s gaze, they stifled revulsion and skewered the rebels with long spears. Only one village chief remained. He was relatively young, no more than thirty. He stared blankly, out of his wits.

“How could this happen…” he murmured. How could more than sixty people fail to beat a single man? Why? It does not make sense, does it?

Farra walked up to him with sword in hand. Seeing the blood-dripping blade, the chief’s legs gave way and he knelt. “Lord, I…”

“Axi.” Farra looked down and called.

“Here, Lord!”

“Execute this traitor.”

“Yes, Lord!” Axi stepped forward and drove a spear through the chief’s mouth, the point bursting from the back of his head.

“Good; when we return today, each of you may draw an extra jin of grain.” Farra turned to the ten behind him. “Th-thank you, Lord!” they stammered, tremulous but excited. A new feeling of power spread through them… never had they been told obedience could bring rewards.

Farra glanced at the popup at the edge of his view:

「Bloody Suppression 2」

「Reward: 3 Resource point」

This loot box was generous.

Farra looked at the villagers who had chosen not to resist. When his gaze swept them, they all turned pale, trembling, not daring to meet his eyes. Farra walked over and casually grabbed someone.

“You.”

“L-Lord, please don’t kill me…!”

“What is your name?”

“I-I’m Aza, Lord…”

“Take them and move near Bichi Village, do you hear? Move everything there.”

“Y-yes, Lord, I understand…”

“Go.”

Farra pushed Aza aside and left with the ten subordinates, now elated.

“H-hurry up and pack!” Aza turned to shout at the others as soon as Farra was gone. “Move faster; if you don’t want to die, hurry up!”

“Yes…!” Having witnessed over sixty executed, their motivation shot through the roof.

Farra handled the other villages with the same procedure. The only difference was that among the five who had followed Axi back last night, one had slipped away. Therefore he could only spare one village. Very soon Farra had made a full circuit of all thirteen villages.

Back at Bichi Village, the ten who had followed him and Axi all received rewards. The sight made the others gape and crowd around to ask questions.

“S-so following the lord outside earns this many rewards when you return?”

“We didn’t just go out, we went out to fight!”

“Does fighting earn extra rewards?”

“Don’t know, you should ask the lord!”

The crowd mustered courage and went to Farra. He smiled and said before everyone, “From now on, anyone who renders merit will receive a reward; whether you earn one depends on your performance!”

At his words, everyone became excited. They had never heard of such good fortune.

“Wise lord!” Axi dropped to his knees and shouted. The others quickly joined in.

“Wise lord!!”

“All right, enough, stand up. From now on anyone who goes out to kill the enemy with me and earns merit can receive a reward.”

Farra lifted his hand and gave Axi an approving glance. This lad learned without a teacher… he definitely had talent as a lackey.

After the crowd rose, another System notification appeared:

「Achievement: Inspiring War」

「Reward: 100 bronze swords」