Major John called back that stupid pig, Sergeant Wendy, and viciously yanked her chubby face as punishment. Watching Wendy bare her teeth in pain yet dare not voice her anger, John's fury finally dissipated. After some brief thought, he took Wendy—who kept muttering complaints about him—into the baron's manor, casually found himself a servant's outfit, and had Wendy put on some clothes worn by local children. After taking some Penny from his private stash as funds, he led the excited Wendy past the patrolling soldiers and began inspecting Bahamut Town.
Perhaps because the town had suddenly been occupied by the Imperial Army, the most prosperous commercial street near the baron's manor was nearly deserted amid the panic. The roadside shops were either closed for business or left wide open, though their goods had long since been moved away.
As if afraid the Imperial Army would come and loot them, the entire street seemed lifeless, practically worthy of being called a ghost street.
It was only after moving farther from the troops that John finally heard merchants hawking their wares.
Yet their voices were generally very soft. Some fruit vendors had even replaced their cries with price tags, while nervously glancing around as though afraid a squad of uniformed Imperial Army soldiers would suddenly emerge from some corner and overturn their fruit stalls without a word.
Although John had long known that the Imperial Army's terrible reputation was widespread, seeing such an exaggerated scene firsthand still gave him a headache.
Because even without thinking too deeply, he could tell from the current situation—
The task of governing Bahamut Town would definitely be more troublesome than he had imagined.
After all, if he wanted to implement policies, he first had to win the hearts of the town's residents.
Otherwise, there would only