Chapter 621: Imprison Them
Chapter 621: 621: Imprison Them
"So what do you want me to do?"His voice rose sharply.
"Kill them?"
The entire group fell silent.
Ethan pointed toward several children hiding behind their mothers.
"Kill these children?"
"Kill these common people?"
His gaze swept across everyone standing before him.
"Is that what you want?"
No one answered.
A knight finally spoke after a few moments.
"We can imprison them."
Ethan laughed bitterly.
"Then what?"
"Use them as slaves?"
"Send them back to the Empire?"
His voice grew heavier while his expression darkened.
"The way things are going, the Empire will soon have more slaves than it can handle."
"And once that happens?"
He looked directly at the knight.
"What do you think comes next?"
The knight lowered his head.
No answer came.
Everyone understood.
Silence spread throughout the village while many soldiers lowered their gazes, and the respect they already held toward Ethan quietly deepened.
Finally, one knight spoke softly.
"My Lord... we understand your sentiments."
"But this may become troublesome."
Ethan slowly shook his head.
"I know."
Then he looked toward the frightened civilians.
"I will bear the consequences of my actions."
His voice remained calm and firm without the slightest hesitation.
The civilians stared at him in disbelief while several women immediately began crying, and some people lowered their heads repeatedly in gratitude while others simply stood there unable to believe they had actually been spared.
Meanwhile Ethan turned his horse around.
"Move out."
The Order of Eternal Blade quickly reorganized and formed ranks once more.
Soon afterward, the army began marching again while leaving the ruined village behind them.
The civilians remained frozen for a very long moment after hearing Ethan’s decision because many of them simply could not believe what had just happened, and even after hearing the words with their own ears, they still looked at one another as if wondering whether this was some cruel joke or if they had somehow misunderstood what the noble lord standing before them had said.
After all, they had already prepared themselves for the worst possible outcome long before the soldiers discovered them.
Some had expected to be executed on the spot.Others had believed they would be chained and dragged away as slaves.
A few had even prepared themselves to watch their families die before their eyes.
Yet now instead of death or slavery they were being allowed to leave.The realization struck them so suddenly that many could not react immediately.
A middle-aged man was the first to move.
His knees gave way beneath him and he fell heavily onto the ground before lowering his head deeply.
Then another followed.
And another.
Soon dozens upon dozens of civilians were kneeling before Ethan while tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably, and some of them cried so hard that they could barely speak properly.
"Thank you, My Lord..."
"Thank you for sparing us..."
"May the gods bless you and your family..."
"May the Goddess protect your descendants for generations..."
Several women lowered their foreheads until they touched the dirt while clutching their children tightly against their chests, and an elderly man whose body was shaking from exhaustion and fear struggled to remain kneeling as he spoke with a trembling voice.
"You have saved our lives, My Lord."
"We will never forget this kindness for as long as we live."
The children looked confused because they did not fully understand what was happening around them, but they could clearly see their parents crying and thanking the soldiers, and some of them instinctively hugged their mothers while looking nervously toward Ethan and his knights.
Ethan remained seated upon his horse quietly while watching the scene unfold before him.
His expression did not change much.
"Go."
"Leave before another army arrives."
His voice remained calm and steady.
The civilians quickly nodded.
Some immediately gathered whatever belongings they still possessed while others rushed to help elderly family members stand, and many picked up their children before hurrying away as fast as they could because they feared that if they delayed any longer, someone might suddenly change their mind.
Several people repeatedly turned back while tears remained in their eyes, and each time they did so they lowered their heads and bowed once again toward Ethan before continuing onward.
Soon the crowd disappeared into the distance.
The ruined village gradually returned to silence.
Ethan merely swept his gaze away and ignored the scene.
There was no point dwelling on it.
The war was still ongoing.
Soon afterward, the Order of Eternal Blade resumed its march and continued advancing deeper into the occupied territory.
Over the next several days they passed through numerous villages and settlements scattered throughout the region, and each place seemed to carry its own story of suffering and destruction caused by the war.
Some villages were completely abandoned while not a single living person remained behind.
Others contained only a handful of survivors hiding among the ruins while desperately trying to stay alive.
Burned homes.
Collapsed walls.
Empty streets.
Everywhere they went, the same tragic sights repeated themselves again and again.
The further they traveled, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Even the soldiers gradually stopped talking as much as before because the endless destruction surrounding them was enough to sour anyone’s mood.
Then several days later, as the army entered another damaged village located near a forested region, Ethan suddenly felt that something was wrong.
The village looked far too quiet.
There were no signs of movement.
No frightened civilians hiding among the ruins.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Stay alert," he warned.
The knights immediately became cautious while hands moved toward weapons and shields were raised instinctively.
The formation tightened.Everyone became prepared for danger.
As they advanced deeper into the village and reached the central road—
SWOOSH!
Several arrows suddenly shot out from hidden positions.
"AMBUSH!"
BANG!
One arrow slammed heavily into a shield while another narrowly missed a soldier’s head.
The next moment armed men burst out from ruined buildings, collapsed homes, and hidden alleyways.
"Kill them!"
"Drive them out!"
Dozens of enemy soldiers charged forward desperately while shouting war cries.
The Order of Eternal Blade reacted immediately.
"Formation!"
"Counterattack!"
The knights surged forward without hesitation.
Steel collided against steel while sparks erupted through the air, and within moments several enemy soldiers were knocked to the ground.
The difference in strength between the two sides was simply too large.
The Order of Eternal Blade was overwhelming them completely.One knight raised his sword toward a fallen enemy soldier.
Another prepared to finish off a wounded attacker.
Then suddenly—
"Don’t kill them!"
Ethan’s voice thundered across the battlefield.
The entire group paused briefly.
Ethan immediately pointed toward the enemy soldiers.
"Imprison everyone!"
The knights froze.
Several confused expressions appeared instantly.
"What?"
"Imprison them?"
One knight frowned deeply.
"Why imprison them when we can kill them?"
Another soldier looked equally confused.
"My Lord, these are enemy soldiers."
"They just attacked us."
"Keeping prisoners will only slow us down."
Many soldiers exchanged puzzled looks.
Even Noel looked surprised.
Randall turned toward Ethan while confusion was written all over his face.
Ethan did not answer.
Instead, he calmly dismounted from his horse and looked toward the captured soldiers.
"Bind them."
"Treat their injuries."
"Anyone who resists gets knocked unconscious."
The knights could only obey.
Soon ropes appeared while weapons were confiscated, and the surviving enemy soldiers were restrained one after another.
Meanwhile Randall finally approached Ethan.
"My Lord," he said quietly.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Ethan glanced at him briefly.
Then a strange smile appeared on his face.
"We can’t imprison the common citizens but we can surely imprison the soldiers right?"
Randall blinked in shock."Will it work?"
Ethan’s eyes slowly moved toward the prisoners.
"You’ll know soon enough."