Chapter 239 Chapter 236 Fragile Hope
In the city of Quinas, the midday sun shone brightly.
The square was bustling with people, the streets crowded, as several paladins maintained order with their soldiers.
George stood on a makeshift platform, over ten thousand eyes were watching him, some filled with confusion, some with doubt, and some with numbness. The crowd seemed like a flock of lambs, still trembling from fear.
George restrained the urge to turn and run. His tongue felt tied, his breathing was heavy. He longed to pull down the visor of his helm to shield himself from their gazes.
George had not slept well last night. He always believed that his life would be as glorious as the battle heroes in history, perhaps even more radiant. All along, the Church had been striving to shape him into the sword of the faith.
Neither George nor the Church had anticipated that one day he would become a leader.
Fortunately, he was accustomed to maintaining a calm expression on his face. He was high enough for the crowd below to see only his majestic armor and tall stature, which fit the image of a savior.
The citizens below, regardless of their wealth or poverty, had no idea that the famous Dragon Slayer George was more afraid of their eyes than facing a dragon a hundred times over.
After a long silence, George finally spoke. The crowd below felt the invisible pressure and gradually quieted down; under the influence of the herd effect, even those in the back fell silent.
Finally, George’s tongue untied, and he spoke loudly:
“I, George, am honored to be the commander of this city. I swear here that I will do my utmost to protect this city from being breached by the beastmen!”
His words were not stirring, but they weighed heavily in the ears of the listeners. Everyone subconsciously believed what he said.
Although his voice was not loud, it resonated throughout the square and the surrounding streets, and everyone present could hear him.
The fear in people’s hearts waned a little. While being a Dragon Slayer did not equate to saving the city from the beasts, it was still better than the knights who abandoned the city and fled.
“The support from the Church has arrived, and we will establish order. As long as everyone adheres to their duties, we have hope to hold until the beast horde withdraws.”
“Here, I officially announce three decrees.”
“First, all materials related to the war will be confiscated and rationing will be implemented.”
“Second, a curfew will be imposed at night, and all lawbreakers will face severe punishment.”
“Third, all labor forces must serve in the defense of the city.”
The crowd stirred with unease.
George continued, “I swear to do my best to ensure that every loaf of bread will reach the hands of the hungry. Regardless of status, those who break the law will be punished.”
The people felt reassured again, which only made George feel guilty.
He understood that the crowd was swayed by his extraordinary abilities. He could not guarantee his own survival alongside this city, yet he expected so much from these mortals….
“Do you understand?!” George asked.
A sparse murmur rose from the crowd: “We understand.”
Among the crowd, George could only feel thin threads of order, which stemmed from the system he had established, so it was normal for them to be thin.
George methodically proceeded to the next phase—judgment.
More than ten cultists with torn shirts revealing the evil god’s marks on their chests were brought up. Since the news of their defeat spread, this underground cult had begun to grow; many desperate people were willing to change their faith and join the cult for just a vague promise of survival.
But the bright future of this underground cult was crushed when one of its members tried to lure a black-haired girl into joining, motivated only by wanting to prevent her from falling victim to the beasts.
In the end, their stronghold was raided, and all high-ranking officials were brought to the gallows.
George raised his massive sword and pointed at the cult leader, declaring, “He believes in the dark gods and leads the cult in plotting to collude with the enemy!”
The leader attempted to speak, but his tongue had already been severed.
With a swing of his sword, George beheaded the cult leader.
Second, third, fourth… After George had finished slaying them all, his order, nourished by the blood of the cultists, began to grow strong in the hearts of the people.
After the meeting, George instructed that today’s events be communicated to everyone.
All of this followed the Church’s written guidelines—including the part about cutting off the cultists’ tongues.
Next.
The Church’s paladins led soldiers holding freshly printed papers detailing the new decrees, which were plastered all over bulletin boards, walls, and tree trunks.
With only about three hundred soldiers in total, including the ten paladins from the Church and the local clergy, they spread out like nerve endings, trying to control the paralyzed Quinas city, gathering all forces to survive the beastmen’s attack.
After ensuring that his order was disseminated throughout the city, George climbed to the castle tower of Quinas.
This had already been transformed into a command post, with a detailed map of Quinas hanging behind him. It was a newly drawn map prepared overnight by the local Church branch, dividing the areas with vertical and horizontal lines into sections.
George closed his eyes, feeling that more and more people were violating the new order he had established. He selected the most severe cases and opened his eyes to speak:
“In Zone F4, there are people hiding large quantities of food in the basement.”
Saying this, he pointed at the red-tiled house within grid A4 on the map.
The clerk beside him hurriedly took notes.
“There has been a robbery and murder case in Zone A3; I have marked the murderer.”
“There is a large quantity of unstored food in Zone F2.”
“There has been a home invasion robbery in Zone A6; the murderer has been marked.”
At another side, near a round table piled with papers, a small council consisting of the elder priest from White City, inspectors, and mobile judges was gathered, discussing George’s “commands.”
Reporting illegal cases was George’s responsibility and authority, but how to allocate manpower and handle the situations was theirs.
“Is there a ‘privilege zone’ among the illegal food storage in Zone F?”
“A privilege zone is a Church term referring to the residential area of the city’s authorities.”
“No, it just happens to be in the ‘rich area.’”
“We should send some knights; to the Bartholomew knights, the rich all appear as fat mice.”
“Each team should also send a priest or paladin who can detect lies since the Bartholomew knights can easily be deceived.”
No one rebutted this point.
“Zone F should be the ‘poor area.’”
“Correct, the murderer must be executed as soon as possible, no exceptions.”
“Let the militia handle this.”
“We must send two people to supervise; otherwise, they will use this small power to pillage the possessions of the impoverished clean.”
After quick discussions, lines of orders were written on paper. An aide quickly ran to relay the orders below, and before long, the sound of hooves echoed from the castle’s base.
Two hours later.
“The person in charge of incident number A6 has filed an appeal, stating that the killer broke in to reclaim food debts owed by the victim and was provoked upon being discovered, resulting in the murder. He has two daughters and a son awaiting his care.”
“Tell that young paladin that there will be no exceptions, and give him time to write ‘actions speak louder than words’ a hundred times.”
“Also explain to him why, so as not to extinguish his passion.”
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures; if we do not execute him, no one will follow the order.”
George kept gazing outside the city when suddenly he said:
“In Zone G4, a large quantity of stored food has been stolen and hidden in this area.”
The small council began discussing among themselves:
“Privilege zone! We ensure that those noble knights enjoy their privileges; are they not satisfied?”
“They must learn the consequences of illegal actions. We should gather all our troops to arrest the culprit and impose severe penalties.”
“No! That’s too reckless; the Bartholomew knights are very proud. If we do that, a physical conflict may ensue. We should have George take some knights to negotiate on behalf of their honor, forcing them to hand over the true culprit.”
“I’ll ask brother George.”
“I feel it’s somewhat unfair.”
“Brother George, may I talk to you?”
George replied:
“I know we need the strength of the knightly class, and we also cannot afford the cost of maintaining fairness. Objectively speaking, a knight can kill a hundred lesser beasts, while a poor man can be killed by a single beast.”
“Once the law goes against objective facts, it will not last long, brother George.”
“I understand, but unfairness is still unfairness.”
“Don’t forget, the current order is to defend the city and let more people live, not to pursue equality for all.”
Although George felt this was somewhat unjust, he set off with a dozen close knights towards Zone G4. He recovered the food and beheaded the deceptive servant, while his knight master would earn back honor by standing on the front lines of the city defense, and battle blood would be shed.
And that was all.
By evening.
The order that George established had gradually taken root in people’s hearts, and incidents of lawbreaking were decreasing.
The military statistics were also completed.
There were a total of seven hundred thirty-two knights. The peasant militia numbered eight thousand three hundred twenty-one, among which five thousand four hundred twenty-one were old farmer archers. More detailed statistics would require time and manpower.
Surprisingly, some discovered a forgotten arsenal, with weapons sufficient for thousands. The city also had many counterweight catapults, and fortunately, they had plenty of manpower.
The counterweight catapults could be activated immediately, with plans to calibrate their firepower the next day.
The streets were crowded with people coming to receive food.
Some rode horses, patrolling beside the queue, and upon seeing anyone with a green aura above their head—which signified queue-jumping—they would wield a heavy club to forcibly drive the queue-jumper back to the end.
With ample food being distributed, a well-organized atmosphere, and news of lawbreakers being caught, the formerly anxious residents began to feel a glimmer of hope.
“I have lived here for twenty years and have never seen such an orderly line.”
“I heard that the murderer hiding in the sewer was dragged out, his head glowing red, visible from three streets away.”
“We can survive, right?”
The tense muscles of worry began to relax. Looking at George’s figure far away on the city wall, they sincerely said, “Yes, we can hold on.”
The evening sun shone on George’s face as he gazed into the distance, where a gigantic one-eyed giant was slowly approaching, carrying stones.
George said, “It will be hard for us to hold on.”
The elderly Gregory beside him admonished, “George, remember to maintain your bottom line and do not rely on lies.”
“Hmm?”
“I remember yesterday, the succubus created the illusion of a giant attacking the city. While you did not lie, you must remain vigilant. Today you are able to gain the trust of the people because you have not lied for many years.”
George felt even more exhausted, giving a half-hearted “hm.”
The second one-eyed giant appeared under the sunset.
From below came the laughter of soldiers joking that, in this siege war, they were eating better than before. Did they still fear not being able to defeat those beastmen?
O mortal hope, as the giant’s boulders rained down upon the city walls, crushing and injuring all in their path.
George remembered that day of breaking out. The stones fell as knights were crushed like bugs hit by an unknowing child in a backyard.
At that time, this fragile hope would turn to shards just like the city walls.
Just as George was troubled,
The succubus Jima walked up the stairs, yawning and stretching as she approached Gregory, who ignored her completely as if she did not exist.
Jima treated him as though he was invisible, intimately wrapping her arm around George’s and smiling, “Dear, I am ready to set off.”
George was too distracted to indulge Jima in games; he looked at her cheerful face, feeling guilty, and reached out to pinch her cheek with his iron gauntlet.
The mingled scent of blood, sweat, and leather rushed up to him, prompting Jima to wave her hand in front of her face and ask:
“What’s up? You messed up my face.”
“Sorry,” George said, “I’m sending you off to take care of the most critical matters again.”
What he and his fellow Church members did was nothing compared to the burden on Jima’s shoulders.
“It’s fine,” Jima laughed, “but you need to remember the reward for this time.”
“I remember.”
“Repeat it.”
“You must ensure your own life.”
This was the only reason George could not say “I will live and die with this city” in front of tens of thousands.
“Okay, I’m leaving. Goodbye, George, and goodbye to that old man over there.”
Jima leaped off the city wall, flapping her wings. The evening sunlight illuminated her back as she soared over the queue of people receiving food. Everyone who caught a glimpse of her couldn’t help but be drawn to her extraordinary charm, raising their heads as their gazes stuck to her.
Jima smiled and shouted, “Everyone! Bow down to me, for I am fighting for your little lives, hahahaha.”
After saying this, her slim figure disappeared into the sunset amid the gazes of the crowd.
In the dream palace.
On the grass outside the palace, Jima drank sweet red tea while lying on a reclining chair, and Li Anxi was diligently massaging her shoulders.
Akanis lay sideways on the table, restoring his true appearance—short, with silver hair, green eyes, and a half-elf ear—holding a task briefing in his hand.
“Are you ready? Akanis, we are going for something big.”
“To steal the demon lord’s extraordinary material from the beast horde? Sounds rather boring,” Akanis said, “I would rather steal the fetus of the Mother of All Beasts. I wonder how much I could get, and how angry she would be, haha.”
“I’m curious about how long you can live if you make enemies like that.”
“I’ve got a short life; killing that bastard is already a big gain. If I die, then I die,” Akanis sat up and asked, “There’s something you must promise me.”
“Speak.”
“Do you have any leaf springs for sale?”
“Leaf springs?”
“Those for damping on wagons,” Akanis said, “Today I need to take a little kid out of that hellhole called Silvany, she told me that the wagon is going to shake her butt off.”
“A little kid?”
Akanis briefly explained the situation to Jima.
Immediately, Jima had unwelcome thoughts, thinking of herself and George.
She asked, “Have you considered the possibility that the white bald guy revives a bit too quickly?”
“What do you mean too quickly?” Akanis asked, “Part of his soul is imprisoned in his remains by me; I was about to take it to the Grim Reaper’s Church to give them. They will build a church to suppress it to prevent its revival. It won’t come back to life for hundreds of years.”
“Only suppressing it for a few hundred years?”
“Time ages people. Once everyone forgets what terrible things are suppressed under the church, those vampires can plan to reclaim the remains.”
“The sorrow of short-lived beings.”
