Our Family Has Fallen

The woman reacted swiftly. The moment Boudica made her move, the woman was on alert, but Lance had already set his sights on her.

Actually, she had somewhat misunderstood. Even if she had made a move just then, Lance wouldn’t have done anything to her. In fact, he was quite eager to see a fight between the woman and Boudica.

He particularly enjoyed watching women fight, and it would also be a chance to test Boudica’s equipment.

Unfortunately, the woman didn’t dare to make a move, which was somewhat disappointing for him.

”Are we fighting or not? If you’re going to, hurry it up. Don’t waste everyone’s time; we still need to go eat,” Lance said, scanning the crowd. The Romani, who had been ready to fight to the death just moments ago, had now fallen completely silent. Their tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong was on full display.

”Arrest those who led the obstruction of law enforcement and take them away for investigation,” Lance ordered with a wave of his hand. ”Go on your own. Don’t make this ugly for everyone.”

The woman considered resisting. But after a glance at Lance, another at Boudica nearby, and finally at the two Guards, her expression turned even uglier. However, she still swallowed her pride and left with a cold huff.

Not putting them directly under lock and key was already an act of mercy from Lance. However, her departure also caused the courage of the others to collapse, crushing their morale in front of the Romani.

The other leaders looked at each other, but when Boudica closed in, they quickly made their decisions.

Lance’s earlier decision to release the innocent Romani was now showing its effect. Those who had done nothing wrong were unwilling to stubbornly resist, knowing they wouldn’t be harmed.

News of their situation would also spread throughout the camp, letting more people know that if they hadn’t committed a crime, they didn’t need to fear arrest. This was the real reason Lance wasn’t afraid of them returning to the camp: his goal was to create division.

Not to mention, they were already internally divided into several factions. Their unity was merely a fragile facade; underneath, each had their own agenda and didn’t want to get into trouble for harboring criminals.

If the leaders had still been present, they might have maintained order a bit longer. But when the few who had stuck their necks out were captured, the psychological resistance they had built up collapsed instantly.

”Continue the operation.”

Lance spoke. William gestured, and the sheriffs immediately moved in, taking the leaders away.

Baton in hand, William stepped into the camp perimeter. Fergus, usually so tame and endearing, now wore a ferocious expression, her menacing gaze fixed on the people there.

Her intimidating posture made some criminals hidden in the crowd panic and try to flee.

But even the slightest movement caught Fergus’s attention. Her gaze locked onto her prey as she let out a deafening bark.

”Take them down, girl!”

William didn’t hold Fergus back this time. He released her leash and gave the order to attack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Fergus dashed forward, leaped up, and clamped onto the man’s arm. She violently shook her head, her sharp teeth instantly tearing through Flesh, blood seeping from her mouth.

The man screamed in agony. His struggles only intensified the pain from the tearing, making the wound larger as blood gushed out.

These Romani always carried weapons when out. The man immediately drew his Dagger to attack Fergus, but Fergus wasn’t alone—William rushed forward and struck him with his baton.

”Beg for mercy in court!”

Fortunately, William didn’t strike the man’s head. He hit his other hand instead, knocking the Dagger away. Otherwise, the blow could have caved his skull in.

But even that hit was agonizing. The man’s fingers were visibly twisted; whether they could be mended was uncertain.

In this era, there was no concept of ’excessive force’ in law enforcement. If a criminal intended to resist, the accepted method was to beat him until he yielded!

William possessed a very pure sense of justice.

This combination of blows left the man half-dead, both his hands nearly useless.

At William’s command, Fergus finally released her bite. The man’s arm was visibly a mangled ruin of Flesh, blood still flowing unabated.

Yet Fergus remained excited, her eyes slightly bloodshot, blood still dripping from her slightly open mouth.

The others, who had been eager to stir up trouble, immediately became docile when they met Fergus’s gaze, terrified she might bite them too.

Indeed, striking hard was the most effective way to deal with criminals!

Boudica had been ready to grab a few of those who dared to stick their necks out and give them a beating, but the cowards backed down immediately, which somewhat frustrated her.

However, when her intimidating gaze swept over the Romani, the silent warning it conveyed ensured they didn’t dare move a muscle.

The Romani had started with great bluster, but it dwindled quickly. The sheriffs searched among them, swiftly apprehending the criminals and confiscating their illicit tools.

”Cowards!”

Once her anger dissipated, Boudica seemed somewhat at a loss for words, continuously grumbling to Lance about the Romani.

”This matter isn’t over yet; arresting them is just the beginning,” Lance said leisurely. ”Select a few typical cases, prepare the evidence, and inform everyone there will be a public trial in the square tonight. The Romani can attend too.”

”What’s that now?”

Boudica didn’t understand, but William did and chimed in with an explanation.

”Apprehending them isn’t the goal. Using them as examples to underscore the authority of the law—that’s the real aim,” William explained.

William was right. Lance wasn’t after their lives, but their hearts.

The most important part of a major cleanup isn’t just sweeping away the trash; it’s teaching everyone not to litter. If they do, they’ll pay the price. Otherwise, no matter how much you sweep, it will never be truly clean.