Chapter 21: Subjects
Chapter 21: Subjects
The people, looking at Lothar who was drenched in blood and had slaughtered those brutal bandits as if cutting vegetables, like a demonic god, were scared into silence, completely unable to believe his words. Only after he repeated himself did someone stand up, trembling, and say with a sorrowful expression:
"Respected lord, thank you for saving us from those villains and generously granting us our freedom. But where can we possibly go now?"
Lothar fell silent for a moment. The village had been thoroughly burned; rebuilding it would take too much effort and time.
The man continued, "Our lord is a cruel and miserly man. I was his personal manservant; no one knows him better than I. When he learns that we failed to protect his manor, although he won’t execute us, he will certainly choose to sell us into slavery and seize all our possessions. Respected knightly lord, he will not help us rebuild our homes at all! He will only squeeze every last drop of oil from us before abandoning this place!"
Lothar frowned, sensing this was a tricky situation. "If he abandons his fief, won’t his own liege lord sanction him?"
"I don’t know. Perhaps, but it certainly won’t be severe, because he is the liege lord’s wife’s younger brother."
The man sincerely lowered his head, knelt on one knee, and said, "Please let us become your followers. Those of us still alive here are all strong young people. I guarantee they will labor like the most diligent mules and horses, and serve you like the most loyal hunting hounds, asking only for your protection."
The men and women behind him also chimed in, promising they would work hard. They could see that Lothar was a rare, kind lord. Being his servants was an entirely different concept from being sold as slaves in the market. More importantly, this lord was clearly more powerful. He had such well-armored warriors loyal to him and had dispatched those bandits with clean efficiency—far stronger than their original knightly lord.