Merchant Noble is out (2/4 chapters for today)
Rebel Force (1)
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“Randal is back!” (??)
“He drove away the punitive force again!” (??)
When Randal and Laika, along with the rebel forces they had led on a pursuit, returned to the castle, they were greeted with loud cheers from the soldiers who had stayed behind. In the church at the center of the castle, which served as the headquarters of the rebel force, the comrades who had been defending the castle all along raised their hands to welcome Randal.
“Thanks to Randal and Laika coming to our rescue, this castle has been saved. Thank you.” (??)
“That’s not true. It’s thanks to everyone holding out and buying us time.” (Randal)
Randal shook his head modestly, praising the efforts of his comrades.
“The leader of the rebel force rushed here and saved this castle. Normally, I’d want to throw a feast for you, but…” (??)
The comrade trailed off after saying this. They walked from the castle entrance to the church in the center, but there was only the smell of sweat and dust, with no trace of food. According to previous reports, the food shortage in this castle seemed severe. Randal patted the comrade on the shoulder, sensing his discomfort.
“No, don’t worry about it. I was supposed to steal all the enemy’s food, but those bastards burned it and retreated…” (Randal)
“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Randal. But we need to do something about this situation as soon as possible.” (??)
The two spoke quietly. They wanted to avoid letting the ordinary soldiers and the townspeople hear about the food shortage. The food shortage wasn’t a problem limited to this castle alone. It was an issue affecting the entire rebel force. This was not surprising, given that the rebels consisted mostly of farmers who had revolted because they were struggling to find food.
—
“Randal, something terrible has happened!” (??)
As the two were discussing the situation seriously, another comrade came rushing in.
” Yuku has killed a prisoner.” (??)
“What did you say!?” (Randal)
Randal, shocked by this unexpected trouble, hurriedly ran to the scene in the square. The square was crowded with people in an uproar, and an elderly man lay on the ground, bleeding. He had been the deputy governor of the castle before it was taken over by the rebel army. The man was skilled and elderly, with no risk of escape, so he had been released from prison to help with administrative tasks, effectively a semi-free prisoner.
Standing over the fallen prisoner, a young man was triumphantly holding up a blood-stained sword. It was Yuke, a young man who had been a member of Randal’s unit and had just entered the castle with Randal.
“I’ve avenged my father and mother!!!!” (Yuku)
“Well done, Yuku!” (??)
“That’s the way!” (??)
As Yuku shouted loudly, those around him cheered him on. The cheering seemed to excite Yuku even more. Randal pushed through the crowd of people and stepped inside.
” Yuku!” (Randal)
When his name was called, Yuku slowly turned his face towards Randal. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was breathing heavily. He was clearly very agitated.
“Randal-san.” (Yuku)
“Why did you kill him? Killing a prisoner is against the rules.” (Randal)
“It doesn’t matter. He was just a prisoner.” (Yuku)
“This prisoner was both highly skilled and held a high position. We could have put him to work or demanded a ransom from the kingdom. He had many potential uses.” (Randal)
Randal had just been thinking about negotiating with the kingdom to exchange prisoners for food. Yet, now this valuable bargaining chip had been killed, and Randal was starting to feel a bit irritated.
“This guy! He came to my village to collect taxes! The crops weren’t growing at all, and everyone in the village desperately begged him. They pleaded with him to reduce the taxes. But he went ahead and collected them anyway. Whether we starved to death or not didn’t matter to him at all.” (Yuku)
Yuku’s voice grew angrier, perhaps irritated by Randal’s frustration. He started to breathe heavily, becoming even more agitated.
“Because of him, my father and mother died. Ever since then, I never forgot his face. Today, when I came to this castle, I saw him. Even as a prisoner, he was shamelessly alive. So, I killed him. That’s why I killed him!” (Yuku)
So, he had killed this man impulsively upon finding the one who caused his parents’ death. While Randal could somewhat understand his feelings, he wished Yuku had taken a moment to calmly assess the situation. Not that saying this now would help. In fact, it might just agitate him further. However, the surrounding crowd thought differently from Randal.
“Well done, Yuku!” (??)
“What’s wrong with killing him?” (??)
Shouts of support erupted from the crowd. The people around them were all rebel soldiers, and most of them shared similar backgrounds to Yuku to some degree, making them quite sympathetic towards him.
Knowing that scolding Yuku further while he was this agitated would be risky, Randal kept his message short and to the point.
” Yuku, get to the jail. Reflect for three days.” (Randal)
“Why? Did I do something wrong?” (Yuku)
“Rules are rules. And I’m being lenient with you.” (Randal)
“Rules, rules… I—my parents were killed by this guy—” (Yuku)
“Do you know Duke Geese of the South?” (Randal)
Randal interrupted Yuke, who was about to repeat himself again.
“What? …He’s the hostage we released in exchange for a large amount of food, right?” (Yuku)
“He’s the man who killed my father.” (Randal)
“What…?” (Yuku)
To be precise, Randal’s father, a former adventurer, was drafted as a soldier but refused due to illness, and was subsequently executed for treason against the lord.
“As the leader of the rebel force, I am always thinking about the best strategy. I understand how you feel, but you need to cooperate a little.” (Randal)
Randal’s tone conveyed his frustration clearly, as if to say, “You’re just dragging us down,” and the people around him fell silent. Realizing how much he had angered Randal, Yuku lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
” Yuku, get to the jail now. Reflect for three days.” (Randal)
With that, Randal said no more and returned to the church.
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