Reclaiming the Lord’s Mansion
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Without a doubt, the words of Chief Steward Ford and Supervisor Hayden threw the police and militia into chaos.
Everyone stared blankly at each other, unsure of how to react, as if waiting for a companion to suggest what to do.
Meanwhile, Blare McReynolds, who was under the control of Ross Hayden, looked ashen. His earlier intimidation had been his last desperate attempt, hoping to find a way to survive. However, not only did he fail to frighten those present, but he also heard more troubling news from Old Ford: Paul Grayman was still alive!
Now, Blare McReynolds was utterly broken! A question kept swirling in his mind: How did the people from the lord's mansion obtain outside information?
Old Ford and the officials from the Administrative Council anxiously watched the police and militia. Although the guards inside the lord's mansion were elite, there were only thirty of them, and they were not adequately prepared for a conflict. Faced with the overwhelming numbers of police and militia, once a fight broke out, no one could predict the outcome.
Everyone was in a state of nervous standoff.
At that moment, a decisive voice broke the stalemate.
"I believe Chief Steward Ford's words!"
Lucas from the police force loudly declared his judgment.
"I've thought for a long time that Captain McReynolds was acting strangely! Brothers!"
He stepped out from the ranks, standing in front of all the police, speaking directly to them: "What are you hesitating for? With Butler Philip and the esteemed Old Ford here, as residents of Alden Town, you must know their character. They have served three generations of the Grayman family. If we can't trust them, who can we trust? There's definitely an army led by Lord Schroder outside the city. Moreover..."
He glanced at the police captain, who was already in despair.
"Blare McReynolds just admitted that he and Beluga participated in the rebellion against Earl Grayman. As police loyal to Earl Grayman, how can we side with traitors?"
"Yes!" someone immediately responded, "We absolutely cannot stand with traitors."
Lucas was somewhat surprised that the response came not from his colleagues, but from the militia captain, who seemed to be named Zane.
Zane stepped forward and saluted Chief Steward Ford, saying, "Sir, please give us orders. Whatever you need us to do, just say the word."
Before he could wait for Chief Steward Ford to respond, he raised his hand and turned to the militia of Tata Village, shouting, "Long live Grayman! Long live Alden!"
"Long live Grayman! Long live Alden!" The militia of Tata Village responded to Zane, making their choice.
"Yes, Beluga is definitely not more trustworthy!" Perhaps influenced by the militia's momentum, the police also made their choice.
"I pledge loyalty to Earl Paul Grayman!"
"I have always been loyal to Earl Paul Grayman; it was all because of McReynolds' deception..."
Now, everyone in the hall had distanced themselves from the traitors.
"Good!" Old Ford and the others saw the situation developing as they hoped, and the tension in their hearts finally eased.
The head of the Administrative Council commanded, "From now on, you will be under the unified command of Supervisor Hayden, preparing the defenses of this castle. And we must make a show of force to let that traitor Beluga know that something is happening in the castle, to disrupt their morale."
Following Chief Steward Ford's orders, everyone immediately sprang into action. All combat personnel—guards, militia, and police, over two hundred of them—were divided into several groups by Hayden and assigned to specific defense areas.
The castle gates, which had been closed, were once again piled high with barricades—boxes, furniture, sandbags, etc., with Hansel, Bernard, Cecil, and others all participating in the moving.
Then, a cannon set at the castle gates was lit.
The booming cannon fire conveyed some message to the distance.
...
At the junction of Lake Moore and Emden, two armies were facing off.
The larger side had nearly a thousand people. Except for a few knights dressed in polished armor on their tall steeds, the majority of the remaining people—presumably soldiers—wore clothes of various colors and styles, mostly made of linen. Besides those knights, the soldiers wielded an assortment of weapons: long spears, swords, and even pitchforks. They lined up loosely, constantly waving their arms at the opposite side, making various provocative gestures and shouting obscenities.
On the other side, the smaller group consisted of less than three hundred people, but they stood in a neatly organized line, with soldiers closely standing shoulder to shoulder, armed with quality guns and bayonets. In stark contrast to the noise of their opponents, these soldiers remained silent, staring seriously ahead without whispering or chatting, creating a sharp contrast to the commotion of the opposing forces.
In the open space between the two distinctly styled armies, two mounted men were conversing.
"This is outrageous!"
Earl Bazel was furiously questioning Major Walton.
"I was clearly invited to come to Alden Town to exterminate bandits, and you... you actually dared to disregard your lord's orders and stop me here!"
"Earl Bazel! We can handle our own affairs here; we don't need outside troops to help!" Walton replied calmly and respectfully.
"Moreover!" A doubtful look appeared in his eyes. "Are there really bandits? Could it be... you made it up?"
"You... bold!" Earl Bazel shouted sharply, "You dare... you dare to doubt me!"
If it had been in the past, Bazel wouldn't have even bothered to speak with someone like Walton, a mere knight, unworthy to sit and talk face-to-face with a noble Earl like him.
"I am Earl Bazel, a noble of the kingdom; how dare you... how dare you? This is an insult to me!"
"Listen carefully, Walton! Just a week ago, a gang of vicious thugs attacked my territory, killing and burning, plundering goods, and I spent tremendous effort to find clues... They came from Emden, and Alden Town promised to give me an explanation, allowing me to personally lead troops to capture these bastards. I think you should have received the orders!"
Though he said this, Earl Bazel's heart was beating fast. What's going on? Wasn't it agreed that I could be let in? Why is this Walton so arrogant?
Could it be that something happened with that gang?
(End of the Chapter)
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