Chapter 242

The first woman didn't come out; another woman has. Is this woman easy to mess with? He doesn't know, but based on those two brief sentences, he knows this woman is definitely not someone to be trifled with!

However, the woman did not make a move immediately upon arrival.

Maybe he's just all bark and no bite.

"I am the Chief Priest of a local shrine." The Chief Priest stepped forward, displaying his imposing presence, and said, "I am the apostle of God, God's Executor on earth."

"I convey God's thoughts, God's words and God's will on God's behalf."

"If I were to speak from the bottom of my heart," the Chief Priest said with regret, "I do not wish for Yae Rin to become the Wife of the God. I love her more than my own daughter."

"But there's nothing I can do. This is the will of God. If Yae Rin cannot become Wife of the God..."

"Then someone must replace her."

"I do not want to see Theresa become a substitute."

"This is not in line with the tradition of Yae Village."

"This..."

"Roll!"

Kallen was fed up with this Chief Priest's incessant rambling. She issued a final ultimatum, slamming her greatsword into the ground and shouting, "Shut up!"

The Chief Priest was speechless.

He truly hadn't expected the girl in front of him to be so rude.

But should it just fade away like this?

The Chief Priest glanced at the few young and middle-aged villagers around him out of the corner of his eye.

He has no way out!

If things hadn't come to this, he could have easily backed down and found any woman to replace her. The Chief Priest's original intention was simply for those lands.

Of course, they also need to protect their own positions!

He needed a reason that would convince people, and something that would convince the villagers.

Otherwise, given human greed...

He might not be able to hold onto it with peace of mind.

But if they had chosen a different offering, they might have suffered some losses and had to compromise with the head priest and the Guardian Deputy. He wouldn't go that far.

Until now, Chief Priest has had to acknowledge a problem.

He gambled too much.

We've already missed the best opportunity to cut our losses!

Because everyone wanted it, they missed the best opportunity!

If a replacement is made on the spot, it will greatly weaken his authority and cause dissatisfaction among the villagers.

This raging fire that I stirred up myself won't be so easily extinguished!

"It seems you are unwilling to consider my feelings," the Chief Priest said, clutching his chest in anguish. "I have no choice; this is the will of God."

"It is also the wish of the villagers of Yae Village. If this anger cannot be extinguished, the gods will once again bless Yae Village."

"Then there might not be a Yae Village."

The Chief Priest is planning a head-on confrontation.

But he really didn't dare to actually fight.

The only option is to resort to moral blackmail.

He could only gamble now, betting that this woman wasn't strong and was just bluffing. He gambled that she wouldn't dare to actually attack, that she might be like Yae Sakura or Theresa, bound by some restriction that prevented her from harming them.

"So," Kallen said with a sly laugh, "You can't possibly quit?"

"Yae Village has nowhere to retreat." The Chief Priest said as if he were indifferent to life and death, "Behind me is Yae Village, the villagers of Yae Village!"

"I have nowhere to retreat."

"Then why don't you go and talk to your god about it?" Kallen said sarcastically. "Maybe he'll make an exception for you."

The words were spoken.

The Chief Priest watched helplessly as Kallen pulled something out of the ground, then felt a pain in his chest and a chill down his back as something pierced through him.

"Let me put it this way," Kallen said sarcastically, "There has never been a class with vested interests in this world that voluntarily withdraws."

"No idea will retreat on its own without bloodshed and death."

"Now there is bloodshed, death, and a wave of ideological change."

How about we start with you?

"My dear Chief Priest!" Kallen cried out, "If you are truly a messenger of God, please go and tell your God to forgive the villagers of Yae Village!"

"Of course, if you're very angry, then tell your God that I killed you."

"How about letting him uphold justice?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kallen drew her longsword.

The Chief Priest's body went limp on the ground as if his bones had been removed, and he trembled as he looked at Kallen. His eyes were filled with hatred and fear! He had made a wrong bet.

This is the price he paid for his wrong gamble!

He will never have another chance to make a sound; he will just lie here and turn into a pile of rotten flesh and eventually into a pile of bones.

Scattered with the wind.

As for those villagers...

They were, of course, terrified.

These people never imagined such a thing would happen, and the emotions stirred up by the Chief Priest were doused with cold water from head to toe with the Chief Priest's death.

I snapped back to reality in an instant, filled with fear.

I have absolutely no idea what I should do.

"Look at the state you've reached!" Kallen sneered loudly. "Look at you! Is this the legendary, simple, and kind villagers of Yae Village?"

"Don't joke around. In my eyes, you are nothing but a bunch of ignorant and foolish beasts."

"Why do you dare to use farm tools as weapons and hold torches to block our way here?"

"Because you know, you know deep down."

"Yae Sakura, Mei, and Theresa are protectors!"

"He's a good person!"

"The strong will draw their swords against the stronger when they are angry," Kallen sneered. "The weak will only vent their anger on the weaker, while the foolish will only vent their anger on those who protect them."

"Ever since the disaster in Yae Village," Kallen demanded loudly, "What has Yae Sakura been doing?"

"She was actively treating the villagers, completely disregarding the possibility of these plagues infecting her."

"What is Mei doing?" Kallen said. "She is looking for the Guardian Deputy, she is talking to the Chief Priest, she is pleading with him to help you. To help all of you."

"What is Theresa doing?" Kallen shouted. "She's trying to find the source and solve the problem at its root."

"But what are the Guardian Deputy doing? What is the Chief Priest doing?"

"They did nothing."

"Not really." Kallen sighed and said mockingly, "Guardian Deputy has never worried about food for a single day. He's living a life of pleasure every night, a groom every day, drinking wine and being served by girls."

"He would rather let his grain rot and mold in his granary, or even hire ronin to come over."

"They are also unwilling to provide disaster relief and rescue!"

"As for what this Chief Priest is thinking?" Kallen shouted again, "He's thinking about how to acquire land! Come on, ask the yamen chiefs who brought you here."

"Ask them what they think. These hypocritical people, who talk about the people's hearts, the masses, and the villagers, are like."

"How much land did they take? How much property did they receive, and how much extra grain did they get?"

"Would you like to have a talk, everyone?!"

The gang leaders were so frightened that they trembled and dared not utter a word.

But Kallen won't stop.

She realized that she was just one small step away from success.

"You think a Sacrifice Ritual is to save you?" Kallen questioned. "No! It's a celebration for the beneficiaries, a way for them to feed you with the leftovers after they've had their fill."

"It's euphemistically called disaster relief and saving lives."

"I'm asking you," Kallen demanded loudly, "What do you think will happen if this Sacrifice Ritual doesn't work?"

No one answered; the villagers of Yae Village looked at each other but no one responded.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for Kallen's answer.

"Not very good." Kallen shrugged and said, "Let's have another Sacrifice Ritual, and let you donate money, goods, and people again."

"This cycle repeats until the disaster is over."

"Villagers!" Kallen cried out, "Your livelihood is not here, nor in a Sacrifice Ritual! Where is it? In the shrine's granary, in the Tenshu-kaku's granary."

"Sacrifice Ritual can't save anyone; it only makes you feel more at ease when you die."

"If you really want to live, you should take up arms."

"Charge in, kill those samurai, kill the Guardian Deputy."

"Take away the life-saving rations that should have been yours from them!"

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

"Why are those samurai living a life of luxury while you're stuck here waiting to die?"

"Villagers," Kallen cried, "Either die or smash those termites and live."

"Which one would you like?"

Which one would you prefer?

Yae Sakura was surprised to find that the villagers who had been blocking their way had actually used their weapons to kill the bandits. Their eyes were bloodshot as they turned and charged towards the Tenshu-kaku.

In just a few minutes, nothing was left except for a few bandits and the corpse of the Chief Priest.

"This..." Yae Sakura exclaimed, her mouth agape, "Kallen... you... how did you..."

"It's nothing," Kallen said, finally letting out a sigh of relief as she watched the departing villagers. "I just gave them a choice that seemed like a way to survive."

"It seems like an option that allows you to survive?" Yae Sakura asked, puzzled.

"It seems like he can survive?" Yae Sakura was even more puzzled.

What does this mean? I don't understand, but Kallen really managed to convince this villager to become Guardian Deputy in just a few words. Of course, Yae Sakura is now certain of that.

Yae Shrine will also suffer.

"If you were a villager," Kallen retorted, "Would you think it's more reasonable to kill me, or to kill a samurai?"

"If we absolutely have to find someone to chop it up."

"This..." Yae Sakura scratched her head, and after thinking for a while, she said uncertainly, "Probably a samurai."

"Of course." Kallen shrugged and said, "At least the difference between samurai and me isn't that big, but if they were to fight me, even if they all went at me, it wouldn't be enough."

"Moreover, I also possess an invisible blade that is powerful enough to deter them."

"So, I just sang the praises of the Guardian Deputy Kallen Yae Shrine, those who instigated this violence."

"Playing with fire isn't fun; it can cause bedwetting!"

Kallen was unwilling to call the villagers' current actions a revolution or anything like that; she called it a disturbance or even a violent incident.

After the villagers' emotions went through ups and downs, they inevitably needed an outlet. With so many people gathered together, this matter will not be so easily forgotten.

The villagers couldn't just go back home like that.

When they get back, they'll definitely feel angrier and more frustrated, and they'll wonder how so many people could be scared by just one person.