Our Family Has Fallen

Alvin still cared about his reputation; obtaining this was tantamount to having a justifiable cause.

However, the Baron shook his head upon hearing this. Alvin was still too young; such matters should either be left undone or carried out decisively.

”No, we shouldn’t rush over now,” the Baron said. ”Instead, we should spread the word in the surrounding towns. First, we’ll announce our invited arrival with a high profile. Second, we’ll find a few people to disguise themselves as men from the Lord of Hamlet asking for help. They will emphasize the enemy’s terrifying nature and spread the word that we’re here to slay the Barbarian Tribes and Heretics for the Lord of Hamlet.

”At the same time, we should appear as if we are willing to rescue them. But alas, by the time we arrive, Hamlet Town will already have been destroyed by the Heretics and Barbarians, reduced to a sea of flames with no survivors.”

The Baron paused suddenly, his expression turning resolute. ”Tonight, give me thirty elite Cavalry, and I will exterminate those Heretics for you, my Lord, and then take the heads of those Barbarians.”

Alvin understood the meaning behind his words, aware of who the Baron referred to as ”Heretics” and ”Barbarians.”

This battle was bound to come at a cost, but Alvin was young and hot-blooded, his courage not lacking in the slightest.

”I’ll join you! The entire army will strike!”

”But, my Lord…”

”No more words! Have the men of the Bastia Family become so cowardly they daren’t even kill?”

Alvin exuded an overwhelming dominance. Count Bastia, defender of the Mountains, was hailed as The Empire’s Fierce Tiger; as his son, Alvin could not be a mere dog.

The Baron had no further objections, having pushed matters as far as he could.

Alvin’s mind was indeed nimble; he quickly pointed to a spot on the Map.

”What about Ovando City here? Currently, it’s the only place in the Hamlet Territory that is somewhat better off.”

The Baron, already prepared, responded to Alvin’s question with a confident explanation.

”Our goal is to draw out ambitious individuals and those loyal to the Lord. Other towns are unlikely to send troops upon hearing the news; even if some harbor ambitions, they won’t muster many people. However, this place is different; they could likely gather a city defense force of a thousand.

”Furthermore, as the only settlement here that qualifies as a city, its Governor’s ambitions are probably not small. This would make it difficult for us to act later. Therefore, I suggest we ignore Ovando City for now. We should focus on spreading the news in the towns surrounding Hamlet Town. By the time word of our actions gets out more widely, the situation in these targeted areas will already be stable.”

Having decided on the rough course of action, the stationed troops quickly broke camp and headed toward a nearby town.

They were all Cavalry, unencumbered by infantry or supply wagons. Paired with their use of the Map, Alvin’s group moved as swift as the wind.

Deploying such a cavalry force within the Hamlet Territory was, frankly, an overwhelming tactical advantage, akin to striking from a higher dimension.

The territorial divisions within the Empire were quite straightforward: settlements with under a thousand people were villages, those with over a thousand were towns, and those with ten thousand naturally were considered cities.

However, this rule was only truly applicable to the Imperial Capital or prosperous areas like Totnes; unfortunately, it didn’t apply to declining regions like Hamlet.

Most of the villages there had fewer than a hundred people, simply because the surrounding area could only sustain that many. Scattered within the territory, these villages had limited resources and lacked the capacity to develop further, even if they wished to.

Only locations at key points, like major roadways, could develop into towns, but such towns generally would not exceed a thousand people—the same reason applied: the surrounding environment could not support more.

To expand beyond a thousand people, essential resources such as mines, forests, or fisheries—pillar industries—were necessary to support such populations.

And to develop into a city required even more conditions, as well as a bit of luck.

Ovando City had developed from a riverside shipping dock into a city, primarily by capitalizing on the devastation of Hamlet.

But now, Alvin and his men had arrived at a very ordinary small town. The Map indicated its population was just over three hundred. Looking around, Alvin saw the town was mostly made up of basic longhouses; brick and stone buildings were rare and concentrated in the town center, a layout common to most towns in the region.

The vast majority here were farmers, with the town’s only industry being agriculture. They couldn’t even produce basic necessities on their own, relying on trade with merchant caravans for such goods.

As for defensive capabilities, they only had some sheriffs and hunters. Not even mercenaries would come to such an unprofitable location.

Only if monsters appeared nearby would they pool their money to post a mission with the Mercenary Guild in the city, though who might accept such a task was uncertain.

Nevertheless, when Alvin’s troop of Cavalry appeared, the townspeople working outside ran back frantically, shouting as they went.

”The bandits are coming!”

”Everyone, run for your lives!”

”…”

By the time Alvin’s group neared, they discovered the town’s entrance was blocked by makeshift barricades. Behind them stood plainly dressed, panicked people wielding crude spears. The townsfolk had become extremely sensitive due to the constant threat of refugees and wandering bandits.

Alvin, seated atop his tall steed, gazed down with unconcealed disdain.

This crowd is a chaotic mess, he thought. A single charge would easily rout them.

”We are not bandits! We are soldiers of the Bastia Family!” shouted the Baron, who had roughly guessed they mistook his men for bandits. ”We’ve come because a warband from the Barbarian Tribes has slaughtered several villages…”

However, the townspeople’s reaction to the mention of ’military’ only made them more resolute. Apparently, they considered the army an even greater threat than bandits.