Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 36 - 35: First Meeting with the Subjects
Chapter 36: Chapter 35: First Meeting with the Subjects
Ronin lingered on the hillside for a long while. Only after confirming that the men from Sain Territory had departed did he prepare to move out with his retinue.
Although he had smoothly navigated the immediate crisis, Ronin did not let his guard down against Sain Territory in the slightest.
He knew Sain Territory’s desire for Mountain Forest Town would not simply vanish. They had only chosen to avoid a direct confrontation for now because Baron Reisen had his reservations.
The day those reservations were gone, they would surely launch a full-scale invasion.
And until that happened, they might not openly move against Ronin, but it was impossible to say if they would resort to some dirty tricks behind the scenes.
“Malt, starting today, you will wear a mask and take a new name.”
Malt, who was following beside Ronin, felt a storm of complex emotions.
He was in awe of Ronin, but also terrified of him.
Having just played dead on the ground, he couldn’t fathom how this Baron possessed the audacity to pull off such a spectacular bluff.
Malt had truly seen the world today!
Tearing a strip of cloth from a nearby corpse to cover his face, he bowed and pleaded, “My Lord, if I may be so bold, I would like to ask you to grant me a new name!”
Ronin raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the man to ask him for a new name.
“Then you shall be Tom.”
Malt respectfully dropped to one knee. “Thank you for this name, My Lord! Malt is a man of the past. From this moment on, I am only your follower, Tom!”
Ronin nodded and swung himself onto his horse. The party then slowly began to move, heading toward the town.
Macken rode at the head of the column with a few mounted Infantry. Ronin, Elron, David, and the others were in the middle, followed by the carts hauling grain and corpses.
He hadn’t buried the men from Mountain Forest Town. Most of them, after all, had family in town. Returning the bodies to their kin was an act of mercy on Ronin’s part.
Furthermore, he planned to announce to everyone in Mountain Forest Town that Civil Servant Princest had led a rebellion against Wushan Castle and had been eliminated by him. He would not pursue the crimes of the others.
This would also serve as a powerful deterrent.
After all, Princest had been in charge here for nine years. Who knew if he still had loyal followers or subordinates within Mountain Forest Town?
“Tom, do you have any other family?” Ronin asked.
“I… My mother is still alive.”
Malt, now Tom, felt his heart clench with anxiety. ’In his eyes, Ronin was the kind of man who would kill without hesitation. He feared Ronin might execute his mother as he would a prisoner, yet he didn’t dare lie.’
“What does she do?” Ronin asked.
“My Lord, my mother, Leia, used the small amount of money my father left behind to open a tailor shop in town. She raised me on that meager income.”
Ronin nodded and said to Chahar, “Once we reach Mountain Forest Town, Chahar, have Tom’s mother come work at the castle.”
“Yes, Master!” The manservant, Chahar, made a note of it.
Tom let out a silent sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness.’
The column moved at a slow pace, but it wasn’t long before they arrived in town.
And so, Ronin finally laid eyes on his subjects.
Men and women alike, their faces were weathered and worn, as if they had suffered greatly. Their expressions were dull and listless.
Perhaps only the children, chasing each other and roughhousing beside the dilapidated longhouses, retained a spark of vitality that could bring a smile to Ronin’s face.
However, when the townspeople saw that the last few carts were filled with corpses, when they saw the blood—DRIP… DRIP…—leaving a long, crimson trail on the ground, their faces filled with terror. They hurriedly pulled their children close and knelt by the roadside, not even daring to flee.
The closer Ronin rode to the center of town, the more people fell to their knees.
Finally, on the foul-smelling main street, he reined in his horse and came to a halt.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I come from Wushan Castle. I am the eldest grandson of Marquis Lurans, the lord of Wushan Territory. As of today, I am the Baron of Mountain Forest Town—your Lord!”
Ronin cleared his throat. “My name is Ronin. Remember it!”
The kneeling subjects couldn’t help but look up at Ronin. To them, the man on the horse seemed to be radiating light, making it impossible to look at him directly.
Some of the more discerning Free People recognized the Wushan Clan’s crest on the carts and knew Ronin was telling the truth.
They couldn’t help but marvel. After so many years, Wushan Territory finally had a true master. And this time it wasn’t some Pioneer Knight or a newly minted Baron, but a direct descendant of the Wushan Clan!
Ronin pulled on his reins, guiding his horse next to the last few carts. His tone was no longer gentle.
“Princest, the former Civil Servant of Mountain Forest Town, betrayed Wushan Castle! He betrayed Mountain Forest Town! He betrayed his Lord! He and his accomplices have all been executed by my Knights!”
Those who had dared to look up at Ronin moments ago now quickly lowered their heads after a single glance at the corpses.
“I show no mercy to traitors!”
Ronin let out a dry laugh, his voice chilling the subjects who heard it. “My mercy is reserved for those loyal to me!”
The crisp sound of hooves echoed through the street. The crowd of kneeling people held their breath, though some couldn’t help but weep softly.
Ronin glanced over. Those must be the traitors’ families.
Meeting his gaze, they frantically lowered their heads, not knowing what to do.
“I believe their betrayal was a personal act and does not involve their families.”
Ronin had no desire to continue speaking in such an atmosphere. “Any of you who are their family members may come forward and claim their bodies. So long as you remain loyal to Mountain Forest Town and to me, I will not hold any of you responsible.”
With that, Ronin instructed his man, “David, take two Guards and watch over the carts. Let the families claim the bodies.”
He then added in a low voice, “Enforce my orders without fail. I’ve already told you what happened on the mountain. You know what to do.”
“Understood, My Lord!”
David selected two Guards and bellowed, “The Lord is merciful! You may come forward and claim the bodies of your family!”
No one in the crowd dared to move.
Ronin knew they wouldn’t have the courage as long as he was there. “Let’s go, Tom. Take me to the castle of Mountain Forest Town.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
The castle of Mountain Forest Town stood on a hill in the northeast corner of town. It had been built by the first baron over a decade ago and had been renovated and partially rebuilt under Princest’s direction a few years prior.
Ronin had expected the castle to be quite crude, but as he approached, he found that was not the case.
Aside from being a bit small, it had all the necessary structures: an Outer Fortress and inner keep, curtain walls, a gatehouse, and watchtowers.
Princest had acted as if he despised the nobility, but he had lived a life no different from one.
The castle’s Guards had already been routed, so Ronin and his party entered without any opposition.
After entering Mountain Forest Castle, Tom led the Guards to round up all the castle’s stewards and servants.
Ronin, meanwhile, walked straight to the sturdy-looking stone fortress and sat upon the “throne” at its head.
His mind drifted to Lurans at Wushan Fortress that day.
The man had simply sat quietly on his high seat, not uttering a single word, yet both Wiggin and the Golden Frenzied Lion of the Hyde Clan had submitted to him.
’The weak scream themselves hoarse to no avail, while the strong need only whisper to be heard by all.’
Watching the servants of Mountain Forest Castle being dragged in and forced to kneel before him, Ronin, for a fleeting moment, savored the thrill of being powerful.
The feeling was intoxicating.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
