Chapter 70: The Life of a Villager Part 2
In front of the large castle, hundreds of young men gathered in organized rows, surrounded by dozens of armed soldiers who closely monitored them to prevent any foolish actions.
Following Arthur’s strict orders, a second recruitment campaign was conducted, but this time, all the young people of the barony were gathered, whether they were from distant villages or isolated houses scattered throughout the land. This was unlike the first time, when only the youths from the city were gathered due to time constraints.
In the middle of the massive crowd, Willard stood nervously, struggling to maintain his composure because he didn’t understand what was happening. His eyes moved slowly, scanning his surroundings with suspicion, and after a few seconds, he let out a long sigh.
’How did I end up here? Those knights didn’t answer any of my questions. They even dragged the youths from my village who refused to come with them. This is violent.’
Every time he recalled the events of the previous day, he felt a bit of distress and questioned Arvan’s kindness. But at the same time, he couldn’t do anything, and all he wanted were answers to his questions.
’Why were we gathered here? Only young men? Could it be that he wants to launch a military attack on some barony? No, no, that’s crazy. The kingdom is stable and there are no wars in the region as far as I know. Has something changed?!’
His questions multiplied, and his head started to hurt. He had been exposed to the sun for too long, which annoyed him greatly. He raised his hand to shade his eyes and calmly turned to look beside him, where the familiar youths from his village stood. He observed their expressions for a moment and saw how tense and frightened they were. Feeling responsible, he reassured them, "Don’t worry, everything will be fine."
But he received no response, only sharp gazes and some hateful snorts.
He didn’t know why they were upset with him, but he didn’t get angry and mocked himself, ’And I bothered myself thinking about the village’s affairs. Now that all the young men have been taken, the adults won’t worry about the small harvest; that amount will suffice for them.’
While lost in thought, he suddenly heard one of the soldiers shout loudly, "Stand firm, the lord has arrived."
He quickly raised his head and began inspecting the front of the crowd far ahead, but due to the many heads, he couldn’t see this so-called lord. However, after a few seconds, he saw a black-haired man standing on a short platform at the front. That man’s eyes were so sharp they made him uncomfortable.