Humble, Benevolent

The sky was bright, and outside the north gate of Tewain Village, several villagers were clearing rubble from the road and filling in potholes. Old Hoyd and his son were among them.

However, unlike the others who were working diligently, the two men kept glancing back towards the village.

"We shouldn't have both left home."

Old Hoyd muttered dejectedly. He had a premonition that tragedy was about to strike.

"If I had known, we wouldn't have resisted paying taxes during the summer harvest. That scoundrel of a village chief will surely bring those Knight Lords to find Little Charles and the others!"

As a grandfather, was Old Hoyd not despairing? He was, but he dared not and could not resist.

As a husband, was Young Hoyd not resentful? He was, but he could not and dared not show it.

They had witnessed firsthand what happened at their neighbor's house last night. But as long as it didn't involve them directly, they didn't dare to speak out!

And if it did involve them...

His wife was his own, but if a noble lord took a fancy to her, he would have to clean her up and offer her. His daughter...

She would eventually get married. If a noble lord took a fancy to her and made her a maid, they would be blessed.

The father and son, tears streaming down their faces, were looking down and working when a rumbling thunderclap sounded in the distance.

"It's a cavalry! Get out of the way!"

The overseer at the front shouted, leading the way as he knelt by the roadside. All the villagers moved quickly and uniformly.

The Hoyds didn't even dare to lift their heads!

Two years ago, a Knight had passed through the village. A idler, who was merely looking out from his own yard, was shot through the neck with a crossbow, mistaken for an assassin.

Afterward, the village chief was whipped and stripped of his position, blamed for failing to educate the villagers. However, the Knight's indiscriminate killing went unpunished.

It was rumored that the Baron's court advisor had even praised him for being vigilant, cautious, and brave.

Ergons, leading the way, finally arrived at the assembled village, and his mind began to relax considerably.

Just as he found the village's grand welcoming ceremony peculiar, the System, which had been silent for a long time, spoke up.

"Tewain Village appears quite poor and desolate. Only a portion of the people can work the land, leaving much of it fallow. Most of the remaining inhabitants are sallow and unable to labor, or have already left to beg. The livestock have not been fed for a long time, or have simply been eaten. Some of their skeletons are discarded on the ground outside, their bones being gnawed on by wild beasts!

You remember this village, and the surrounding lands, belong to the Lord of Tervalin in the Styria Duchy. The villagers are sadly looking at you (?)."

This prompt was a bit strange.

The System, however, expressed excitement. "This village is filled with an atmosphere of despair. Almost everyone has become completely numb to the misfortunes of life. They are an excellent place to harvest faith, immersed in sorrow!

Don't be fooled by the fact that this village's population is not even as large as your Tervain Village. Their faith will be several times that of your villagers, and some individuals' faith may even produce miraculous effects."

"Immersed in despair?"

Ergons Tervalin slowed his horse and turned his attention to the people lining the road. He noticed a father and son pair, similar to "Yamila from the night before."

"Sorrowful Old Hoyd" and "Despairing Young Hoyd."

Ergons stopped his horse. The warhorse snorted, its hot breath hitting Old Hoyd's face, causing him to tremble and bury his head even lower.

"My people, why do you grieve?"

Reverend Ramses Bolton found Sir Davis Tervalin's behavior strange, but as one of the strong contenders for the inheritance of Baron Tervain, he had the right to speak like this.

Seeing that Old Hoyd dared not speak, Ergons looked at the map. Several helmeted and armored Knight icons were gathered around a dilapidated house within the village, with the text "(Being Plundered)".

Ergons frowned almost imperceptibly and called over the person who was clearly a camp follower: "I am Sir Davis Tervalin. Who is in charge of the village now? Why are Knights still plundering civilians?"

After speaking, he had William Adena and Adamson lift the trembling father and son, and the cavalry set off again.

Reverend Ramses Bolton and his attendant also quickly urged their docile mares to catch up with the Knights.

At the Hoyd residence, in another dilapidated two-story wooden house not far from the half-burned ruin, several court Knights were following a enfeoffed Sir Ramai, watching the wretched village chief search for the entrance to a cellar inside the house.

"Their mother and daughter are definitely hidden away. As the village chief, I know best. He definitely didn't send that little girl away.

That little girl is certainly no match for the women in the castle, but she's different from these robust village women. The Hoyds wouldn't bear to let her work in the fields!

So her hands, feet, face, and skin are still delicate, and her body is still soft and not yet robust!"

As the village chief, Servant Hausen couldn't be said to be devoid of humanity, but he was truly wicked to the core!

Because he was a lifelong servant of Tervalinburg, he was only released to be a steward in his old age, and he was extremely overbearing in the village.

He was accustomed to flattering nobles from his time in the castle. Furthermore, Old Hoyd and his son had resisted his private levies during the summer harvest. The army was gathered here, and if they didn't make an example of him, how could he establish his authority?

He had almost turned the dilapidated wooden house upside down, but he still hadn't found the entrance to the cellar.

Servant Hausen's old face was sweaty. Not only sweat flowed down the wrinkles and crevices of his skin, but also the white powder and grease he had applied, mixed into mud.

He knew that the Knights he had brought with him had limited patience. If he didn't quickly find the mother and daughter, he would likely offend them. The act of toying with nobles would make all his efforts in vain.

"This dilapidated old house must have a cellar. During the summer harvest, this lowly peasant hid grain and provisions privately, so he must have a cellar!"

The commotion they caused was too great, yet no one from the village dared to come and watch. They secretly cursed Servant Hausen to a miserable end, but no one dared to neglect the work assigned by the village chief.

Tewain Village, having been ravaged by pirates, had not suffered as much damage as these Knights who came to save them. The villagers had grown accustomed to it.

If they didn't report being plundered, by the time the autumn harvest grain was ready, the castle's tax collectors would also take their lives.

Therefore, enduring the plundering by pirates and the exploitation by Knights had become a habit.

The village of Tewain was in a dire situation, with death on all sides. More and more able-bodied men were "dying" in pirate raids, a fatal condition for the village.

Village Chief Servant Hausen was still desperately searching, but the entire section of the floor showed no signs of any problems. Just then, the sound of hooves approached.

William Adena stepped forward from the crowd and shouted, "Old servant, what are you busy with pointlessly? Open your dog eyes and see who's here!"

The court knights surrounding Sir Ramai, who had been granted a sealed title, instinctively turned their heads and witnessed a scene that shocked them.

A line of knights, fully armored, carrying banners and lances, surrounded a handsome knight who held his helmet under his arm.

It was as shocking as when Liu Bang, forty-eight years old, dirty and down on his luck, first saw Xiang Yu, twenty-four years old, in Xuecheng.

"Sir Davis Tevalin," an heir to the barony, possessed a handsome appearance, a strong and brave body, and a cavalry far more powerful than theirs. He looked so radiant.

Village Chief Servant Hausen heard the familiar shout and turned to see "Sir Davis Tevalin," whom he had previously tried to curry favor with.

He immediately ran over like a loyal household dog and knelt before the horse, which had not yet stopped, appearing so overjoyed that he wasn't afraid of being trampled by its hooves.

"Young master! I had those lowly wretches tidy up the road early this morning, knowing you would be arriving soon. This old servant congratulates you on acquiring Tewain Village and its surrounding lands!"