The Red Tide Law was explicit: under the military household system, if rebels emerged in a village, the entire village bore responsibility for failing to supervise them.
Louis turned to the elderly village chief at the front of the crowd. "Did you not know, or did you refuse to speak?"
The old man leaned on his cane, his face ashen, his lips trembling slightly in the wind.
His gaze drifted past Louis, as though searching for a way out.
"I... I'm just an old man. They don't usually tell me anything... I saw them leave, and they... they said they were going hunting... How could I know they would... would do something like this..."
The barbarian village chief offered hurried excuses, his words halting, his eyes evasive.
"I truly didn't know, my lord. If I'd known they were planning this, how could I not have stopped them? They... they were only talking. They weren't serious. I thought it would be all right..."
The more the barbarian chief spoke, the lower he bowed.
By the last few words, his throat seemed to seize up, and he could no longer force out a sound.
The chief knew perfectly well that he was lying.
He knew everything. He knew what they were doing and had simply pretended not to see it.
He also knew perfectly well that this would not convince Louis.
Finally, he lowered his head, as though giving up.
"I understand," Louis said calmly.
There was no reprimand, no unnecessary word. He merely nodded to the enforcement officer beside him.
Within two short minutes, the noose was raised again.
Everyone saw the aged body hoisted into the air, but no one spoke. A suffocating silence fell over them.
Louis did not leave and bring it all to an end. He merely