Soon, with all the soldiers dead, the adventurers who had joined the escort for a few dozen copper coins also gave up resisting one after another. They threw their shoddy weapons to the ground and gave the members of the Defias Brotherhood the French military salute.
Felix and his group took them into the dense woods beside the road and held them together under guard, then moved the three money wagons into the shadows deep in the woods as well.
Joseph carefully inspected the three money wagons and found a small quantity of silver coins and a large quantity of copper coins inside.
Now, the adventurers began weeping and wailing:
"Please, have mercy! I'm only twenty! I don't want to die yet!"
"Spare me! I still have parents, a wife, and children to support..."
"They forced me into service! I didn't volunteer!"
"They only paid me one silver coin and thirty coppers for this trip. I'll give you all of it! Good sirs, spare me..."
"I only came here from Stromgarde to find work. I'm not from Stormwind City! I wasn't fighting any of you good sirs just now..."
Listening to the adventurers' pleas, Joseph tilted his head to one side. "'Hawkeye,' tell us, what should we do with them?"
As soon as he spoke, the nearby rogues turned their eyes to Felix. After all, he was the leader the chairman had personally appointed for this operation, so naturally, the decision should be his.
Felix gritted his teeth. "Let them all rest in peace. May they strive to be good people in their next lives and stop risking their lives for villains. Let everyone know that this is what happens when you risk your life for the nobles of Stormwind City."
At his words, the captive adventurers grew even more terrified.
"No! You're supposed to be good people, so you can't do this!"
Good people? Do good people deserve to get the short end of the stick?
"But we have the power to do it!" He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the adventurer who dared to morally blackmail the Defias Brotherhood with a gaze as sharp as an eagle's.
Had their reasons failed to satisfy these good sirs? The adventurers began cursing Stormwind City, the king, and the Alliance, their curses growing increasingly foul.
"Not a single noble is worth a damn!"
"The nobles of Stormwind City should've all died out long ago!"
"The grand duke-no, the whole Fordragon family are bastards!"
"The Wrynns are all useless, and so is the entire Alliance!"
Good grief. Felix had never expected these people to start competing over their curses.
"Aren't we going too far?" Dudmore asked uneasily. "After all, they only chose to risk their lives for Stormwind City for a few lousy coins."
"That's right, Hawkeye. Everyone has some shameful things in their past. Remember, just half a month ago, we were still shamefully toiling away for the nobles of Stormwind City ourselves."
"That doesn't matter, Big Eyes!" Vladimir, known as "Mediterranean," interrupted them irritably. "Hawkeye is right. We still have things to do. We need to hurry back with the money tonight. We don't have anyone to spare to guard them here."
"Then let them go." That was Joseph's voice.
Felix and Vladimir were stunned by their companion's wildly fanciful idea.
"Big Beard, you're too soft!" Vladimir accused. "It'll take us time to get back to Westfall from here. We're not far from Stormwind City. If we release them, they'll definitely run there to tip them off."
"Exactly," Felix said. "Then Westbrook Garrison will get the intelligence, and they'll be bound to step up security. SI:7 and the city defense forces might even come out to deal with us. How will we get back then?"
"So," he said, a vicious glint in his eyes, "the best thing to do is dispose of them all right here!"
"Hawkeye, how could you!" Dudmore was stunned by Felix's ruthlessness and decisiveness. After all, in his eyes, these Alliance adventurers were unfortunate people working for Stormwind City too, sharing the same plight as the brothers of the Stonemasons' Guild.
"That's only a possibility. We can't kill them all over a 'possibility' like that!"
"Damn it, Hawkeye, these aren't worm-ridden apples! They're more than a dozen living people!"
"Hawkeye, these are pitiful people. They're not the nobles' lackeys. They're only forced to work hard to survive. We can't slaughter them like livestock just because we're afraid!"
Fuck, these rogues actually have morals as lofty as paladins? Our cause can't be so refined, so unhurried, so cultured, courteous, gentle, and deferential!
Felix was about to lash out, but he quickly scanned the eyes of those around him and realized, in despair, that most of them thought that way.
"Then let's put it to a vote." He reluctantly compromised. "Everyone in favor of killing them, raise your hand."
He quickly counted. Including himself, only a scattered two or three people had raised their hands.
"Now, everyone in favor of releasing them, raise your hand."
There was no need to count anymore. The result was plain to see.
"Then, according to the principle that the minority follows the majority, we will release them." Felix sighed. Although he was the overall commander of this operation, he ultimately accepted the result of the democratic vote rather than forcibly overturning it with his personal will.
For an organization, this was especially important.
In his previous life, a certain teacher had also been questioned repeatedly by comrades of equal and higher rank, and had even been stripped of all leadership authority and say on multiple occasions by so-called "collective resolutions."
However, this teacher was a highly capable commander, and under his leadership, the army always won its battles. Thus, he gained the soldiers' support. Many hoped he would defy the organization's resolutions and draw up battle plans according to his own correct ideas, giving those lackeys of the White bandits a sound thrashing-
But the teacher refused. Because once he actually did that, the principle of "the party commands the guns" would be overturned and replaced by "the guns command the party." Then his ideals and his cause would be finished.
Felix walked over to the adventurers, reached out, and grabbed one of them at random by the collar. "Tell me, will you run to Stormwind City and report us to those bastards?"
"No, I won't. I only want to go home now. Please."
"Then get lost," Felix ordered. "Don't even think about taking anything with you."
"Thank you." The man hastily nodded and bowed, then fled as fast as he could, not daring to look back even once.
"And you?" Felix turned his fierce gaze on another person.
"By the Holy Light, I swear on the honor of the Orlanbo Family that I'll take everything that happened today to my grave."
"Then you can go too."
Seeing that someone had already been successfully released, the others began volunteering promises as well:
"I swear I'll return to Stratholme, my hometown, right away. I'll never come to Stormwind City for work again."
His words nearly made Felix lose his composure-Stratholme, now that was an auspicious place blessed with outstanding people and a splendid land.
"I swear I'll never risk my life for those nobles again. If I do, may the Holy Light punish me."
"I swear I absolutely won't tell anyone. If I do, may I die a terrible death."
After everyone had sworn solemn oaths guaranteeing that they would never leak the secret, they were all released.
"All right, fellows, let's hurry back now," Felix said helplessly. "Hopefully, we're still in time."
Before you continue