Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 436: Chapter 286: Developing the Wilderness_1

Hamlet was small, but its vitality surpassed even that of large cities.

Amanda walked the streets. For the first time, she saw so many people with smiles on their faces, all acting very friendly towards one another.

The working people were also very diligent, showing no signs of laziness. Even stranger, this town had no Church, and its very graves had been dug up.

She knew that in all the places she had visited, while some might lack administrative bureaucrats, they would invariably have churches and roaming Clergy—the true controllers at the grassroots level.

Yet here, she hadn’t seen a single member of the Clergy. Instead, ordinary people managed the town’s operations.

They walked around Hamlet, where everything was well-ordered. There wasn’t a trace of bureaucracy about those administrators.

Here, she saw no soldiers who couldn’t stand straight, their faces pale, nor any of the wild, chaotic mercenaries typically found everywhere.

Instead, there were security officers. Their professional quality was high enough to qualify them as a noble’s private soldiers, yet here they were simply used to maintain order.

And under their watch, Hamlet’s level of security simply exceeded Amanda’s understanding.

There were no thieves, no Gangs, no hooligans or bullies, and no brawls or fights. Everyone got along very well, embodying tranquility and peace.

Of course, that was because Amanda had arrived late. A crackdown had just occurred, and those who had only recently begun to exhibit bureaucratic tendencies were, as a result, out in the wilderness digging for mushrooms.

Similarly, anyone who dared disrupt public order was dealt with firmly, maintaining peace and stability through strong measures.

In a way, this was a fortunate misunderstanding, and it gave Amanda a rather favorable impression of the place.

Aside from a few antisocial individuals, people instinctively lean toward the good.

The better the town seemed, the more curious she became about it and about the man behind Hamlet.

However, after looking around, Amanda encountered an awkward situation. The townsfolk were resistant to her as an outsider. This was especially true when she inquired about town matters, which often drew wary glances.

Her inquiries even alarmed a sheriff, who took her in for questioning, suspecting she might be a Heretic.

However, Amanda showed no timidity. Instead, she confidently told the sheriff, ”I am friends with your Lord Lance. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him to come over.”

”Lord Lance hasn’t returned. I’ll notify Chief William,” the sheriff said, somewhat exasperated. He didn’t expect his offhand remark to inadvertently reveal the Lord’s whereabouts.

Hearing this, Amanda confirmed something: the army had returned last night, but the Lord hadn’t come with them. That was very strange.

According to policy, which guaranteed leave after an operation, William had taken leave after attending a celebratory banquet the previous night. However, as soon as he heard that a woman in strange clothing had been brought to the sheriff’s station, he rushed over.

He knew a little about Amanda. She was an assassin hunting the Romani, imprisoned by the Lord for injuring someone in Hamlet. How could she have been released so quickly?

William certainly didn’t want to get entangled in their conflict, but Hamlet’s security regulations absolutely forbade provocations!

However, when William arrived, he saw her chatting with the sheriff, appearing completely at ease, without the usual distance between strangers.

AHEM! William cleared his throat. The sudden appearance of his superior startled the sheriff, who leaped to his feet to report. ”Chief William, good to see you!”

William, however, ignored his subordinate’s greeting. Instead, he looked at Amanda with a scrutinizing, distrustful gaze—understandable, given she had just been released.

His attention then returned to the sheriff. ”You, come out with me first.”

”What exactly happened?”

”We received a tip from some residents...”

Initially, he thought Amanda had been caught causing trouble. But he now realized this assassin hadn’t stirred any. She had merely been brought in for questioning due to suspicious behavior reported by townsfolk.

As for the result of the questioning... Seeing the look on that sheriff, William knew the young man had been swayed by the woman. He felt a surge of frustration at his subordinate’s lack of astuteness.

”What did she ask you? What did you tell her? I hope you remember the confidentiality regulations.”

”No! No! She only asked very ordinary questions, things everyone knows. I didn’t say anything about other matters!”

Regardless, he had undergone confidentiality training; he wouldn’t lose his head over a few words.

”Go back and write a detailed report of your conversation.”

”Yes, sir!” The sheriff agreed, though he felt somewhat helpless.

William’s justice applied to everyone. He didn’t relax standards for his own personnel; on the contrary, he had to be even stricter with them.

They were responsible for Hamlet’s security; even a minor misstep could lead to chaos.

A previous incident had nearly caused trouble. Only Reynard’s quick thinking in calling in troops had prevented a major disaster.

Although Lord Lance hadn’t criticized him for that incident, instead praising his efforts, William knew he hadn’t done enough. Otherwise, the army wouldn’t have been needed for something that fell within his jurisdiction.

His subordinate’s current reaction reminded William of Reynard’s speech at the commendation ceremony. He knew some had grown lax, but danger had never truly vanished. It was only because Lord Lance stood at the forefront, shielding them from peril, that they could enjoy such stability.