For the people of Morton, things hadn't been very peaceful lately... Actually, to be precise, they'd been very, very unsettled!
First, Hiller, one of Lord Robert's generals, had suddenly rebelled and led his troops in a siege of Morton's main city, leaving the wealthy merchants and nobles inside trembling with fear. Then the rebels were crushed and Hiller was beheaded. Though it had all happened rather inexplicably, everyone had still thought that peaceful days would finally return. But they were wrong. News of Demon Beasts had come from the northwestern border, and rumors claimed that Robert's last campaign against the inn had actually been an attempt to hunt down Demon Beasts!
They said this Demon Beast lineage was extremely savage, leaving nothing alive wherever it went... Then the Kingdom's Third Legion arrived... But it had only been a few days, and the Third Legion's soldiers hadn't gone to exterminate the Demon Beasts. Why, then, had they suddenly imprisoned Lord Robert and charged him with the grave crimes of colluding with Demon Beasts and violating the Kingdom's sovereignty? He was to be hanged today in the central square...
The many events that had followed one after another left the people uneasy. Everyone knew that whether it was chaos, a change in government, or war, once it started, it would surely affect those at the very bottom of the pyramid first...
The sky had only just begun to lighten when Robert, Angelina, Chelman, and Clot were brought to the central square in four separate prison carts. The people, who had received the news three days earlier, had already packed the place so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.
The fully armed soldiers of the Third Legion stood in formation, protecting the entire square. They kept an especially close watch on the four prisoners, wary of any attempt to break them out.
The four of them were led onto the gallows that had been hastily erected. Their clothes were still in fairly good condition, showing that they hadn't suffered much in prison...
"Lord Robert has treated us so well. I just can't believe he'd betray the Kingdom and collude with Demon Beasts!"
"That's right. Since Lord Robert took charge of Morton, he first sent troops to wipe out the bandits, then built canals and roads and encouraged commerce. Thirty years ago, Morton was a dangerous border town. Now it's become a famous economic center across the country. We owe it all to Lord Robert. To say he colluded with Demon Beasts? God of Light above, I can't believe it for a second!"
"Hey, what do you know? The charge of colluding with Demon Beasts is a complete frame-up. Listen, do you remember Hiller's rebellion? Do you know who Hiller was? He's the illegitimate son of Isli, the Kingdom's current finance minister! His rebellion was launched on Finance Minister Isli's orders. But overnight, he was beheaded and his head hung on the city wall. Isli didn't say anything in public, but he's hated Lord Robert with all his heart ever since. Now that the Third Legion has failed to wipe out the Demon Beasts, they've immediately pinned the blame on Lord Robert!"
"God of Light above, is that true?"
"I'm telling you, saying this puts me at risk of ending up on the gallows too. But Lord Robert has treated us so well. If it were anyone else, I'd just pretend I didn't know a thing..."
"No! If Lord Robert is hanged, who knows what kind of noble the Kingdom will send here? Good heavens, what if they send a bloodsucker? Will we have any good days left?"
"Exactly! They can't hang Lord Robert. He's innocent!"
"That's right! Lord Robert has been framed. They can't hang our lord..."
"They can't hang our lord!"
"They can't hang our lord!"
Those scattered voices instantly swelled into a sea of protest. Thousands upon thousands of people waved their right hands, their cries surging like a tidal wave.
Warwick had originally scheduled the execution for noon, but the ocean of furious shouts forced him to appear early.
Warwick stood on the platform in front of the gallows in the central square, feeling the anger of the crowd rising like a tide. Suddenly, he roared, "Silence!" The shout of a Diamond-Rank Fighter, amplified by battle aura, rang in everyone's ears like a thunderclap. Those at the front felt it most keenly; quite a few people clutched their ears in pain and crouched down...
"Foolish people! Do you know what crime the man before you committed? Death just passed you by. If my Third Legion hadn't arrived in time, all of Morton would have fallen to the Demon Beasts' slaughter!"
"Ye, Ye Luo would never do that! And he, he really, really chose to attack because you, you forced him into it!!!" Robert was extraordinarily weak, but he still shouted with all the strength he could muster.
Warwick didn't even look at Robert. His icy gaze swept over the crowd, but his right hand pointed at Robert. "I don't want to hear another word from him!"
"Thud!" The soldier behind Robert struck him hard on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious at once...
This only made the people below even more furious.
"Weak, foolish, short-sighted. The borderlands of Morton are filled with people like this. What a disgrace to our Kingdom..." Warwick spoke in a frigid voice as he watched the crowd grow furious again. Then he suddenly raised his right hand. "Robert's execution begins now!" To avoid further trouble, Warwick chose the simplest solution. Since Robert was the source of the conflict between them and the people, he would simply carry out the execution early!
"Prepare the gallows!" the executioner shouted. The soldiers behind Robert and the others came around in front and led them beneath the gallows. They stood on the boards that were about to be pulled away, and the four nooses hanging from the gallows were placed around their necks!
"Carry out the execution!" The executioner raised his right hand and brought it down sharply. Beneath the gallows, four other soldiers yanked away the boards under Robert and the others. With nothing beneath their feet, four holes opened below them. The moment they dropped into them, the nooses tightened around their necks!
"Boom, boom, boom, boom..." Just then, the warning bells on the city wall suddenly rang, signaling an invasion of the territory!
Warwick narrowed his eyes and roared, a trace of irritation in his voice. "Who rang the warning bells? What's going on?"
At that moment, a messenger rode his warhorse to the edge of the square in a panic. The square was packed with people, and no matter how much he urged them, not a single person made way for him. He could only dismount in a hurry, nearly falling in his haste. Pushing through the crowd, he shouted, "The Demon Beasts are attacking the city! The Demon Beasts are attacking the city! Legion Commander! Legion Commander! That... that Demon Beast we surrounded—there's a black mass of them, more than a hundred thousand! The Demon Beasts are attacking the city!"
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