Our Family Has Fallen

Seeing this scene again, no joy could rise in her heart. Instead, it felt like a suffocating depression, and the look in her eyes toward the woman was one of pity.

But in that instant, their eyes made contact.

The woman, frantically searching for an escape, noticed Laura after only a brief moment of eye contact. Her intuition told her Laura was also a woman, and that her gaze was different from the others.

With no other choices in such an environment, she was like a drowning person grasping at straws, crying out to Laura for help.

”Save me! Save me!”

Laura, struggling to protect herself, did not want to attract trouble and immediately turned to leave upon noticing the woman’s reaction.

Seeing Laura turn away, the woman’s survival instinct kicked in. She seemed to know that missing this chance would seal her fate, so she struggled to her feet and lunged in that direction.

She wanted to grab onto a lifesaver, but in her panic, she accidentally flipped Laura’s hood, revealing the half-shaven hairstyle; the other side only had patches of unevenly grown stubble.

The crowd burst into laughter at the sight, as if two Clowns had shared the stage.

Hair held a special significance for the people of the Eagle Flock, and this act was equivalent to tearing open Laura’s wounds.

Having already suffered much these past few days and having just been ridiculed, her emotions were extremely unstable. Now, they completely exploded.

”Get lost!”

An expression of rage surfaced on Laura’s face, and she instinctively turned and pushed the woman away.

”AH!” the woman cried out in shock. With her hands bound, she was already struggling to keep her balance, and the push made her lose control completely.

But nobody expected what happened next. With just that push, the woman staggered backward a few steps and fell. Her head crashed headfirst onto the corner of the table, blood immediately gushing out. She then collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Nobody had anticipated this because it had happened so abruptly; the scene instantly fell silent.

Even Laura herself was stunned, her furious expression turning to panic. She had only intended to push her away, never to cause her harm.

No...

But others didn’t see it that way, especially the leader on the platform who had been preparing to enjoy the beauty. The leader slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Laura, uttering bizarre curses.

”Damned balding wench!”

Laura suddenly came to her senses and looked at the infuriated leader, at a loss for how to react.

No! I’ve messed up again!

With the leader’s shout, the crowd also came to life. After all, the woman was of no concern to them; if she was dead, so be it. They were just looking for some entertainment, and it didn’t matter who provided it.

The leader was furious. Two nearby guards, eager to prove their loyalty, picked up their weapons and approached Laura, waiting only for the command to kill the one who had offended their leader.

Such an incident would never happen within the tribes, but this was the Eagle Flock, not the Eagle Claw Tribe.

”Forget it!”

The leader truly wanted to kill this nuisance who had spoiled his fun, but the Earl’s decision to have his Butler send Laura back ultimately made the leader restrain himself.

He wasn’t sure if this was a trap set by the Earl—using Laura to kill the woman, provoke him, and ultimately test him.

Ever since the Butler had brought Laura back, the Earl’s implicit involvement had made the leader deeply wary.

A person could die on any mission, but not here. Otherwise, if someone the Earl wanted to protect died on his watch, he would pay a grave price.

It was hard to say what exactly the leader was thinking; at least he wouldn’t dare express it in front of the Earl.

Was all this fuss really just about toying with a woman? It seemed more likely a way to hand leverage to the Earl, reassuring him about the Eagle Flock.

To survive, the Eagle Flock had already completely offended the Barbarian Tribes of the Mountains and was inextricably tied to the Earl’s chariot.

But if the Eagle Flock was too proactive, it would pressure the Earl, not to mention they did the Earl’s dirty work and knew too much.

Damn it! Even my own Barons aren’t as proactive as you lot. What are you trying to pull?

So, they often engaged in petty thievery and oppressed the common folk. They only targeted commoners, never daring to offend the Nobility. The ideal was to cause a stir, but not one that would escalate.

They would intentionally create situations, giving the Earl excuses to reprimand them. Admitting their faults then served to offset any credit the Eagle Flock had earned.

So, this was a method of self-deprecation.

It also served to redirect internal conflict within the group outwards onto commoners, alleviating his pressure of controlling the Eagle Flock.

This showed that the Eagle Flock Leader was well aware of his position. If he truly strengthened his forces, turned the Eagle Flock into an elite unit, and ran their stronghold impeccably, then the Earl would be the one losing sleep. The next day, an Order of Knights in full armor would likely be knocking on his door.

If they rebelled against Bastia and returned to the Mountains, the Barbarian Tribes would also disapprove. This would mean offending both sides, leaving them with no way out—a dead end.

In contrast, the current chaos and pleasure-seeking was truly the way of life for these ”traitors” of the Mountains.

No one cared for the woman who had been abducted as a tool, just as no one cared for common members of the Eagle Flock like Laura, viewed merely as expendable.

Similarly, the ordinary people they harassed and humiliated were nothing more than bargaining chips for the Earl to use against the Eagle Flock.

”Hmph! If you weren’t a member of the Eagle Flock, you’d be dead by now. You will compensate for this woman with your future mission earnings. Now, take the corpse and get out of my sight!”