Chapter 93 - After the Victory (1/2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The crisis had been averted, but there was more work to be done.
The injured required recuperation; someone had to handle the reparations; the frightened residents of the territory had to be pacified; the production work at the camp had to be put back on track again.
The first thing Gawain did was to gather all those blood-red skeletons that had accumulated outside the camp, the mountain pass, and the mountain path. He had used up nearly a third of the manpower to transport those remains back to the camp before they disintegrated. They then stacked the remains at the southern bank of the White River, stacking up a fearsome mountain of skeletons near the sawmill.
The bodies of those monsters were massive and sinister. Even after they died and after their remains were ‘disintegrating’ for one day and one night, the remaining portions still had a terrifying appearance and volume. They were simply stacked up without any order, and there was a constant spiral of smoke and mist that were a mix of black and red. It was just like a formless flame that was burning. Inside the pile of skeletons, there were fewer than ten percent of the skeletons that were complete.
The complete skeletons were mostly left behind from the battle with the defense team. Those monsters that were buried by the cliffs and blasted to death by the ‘landmines’ all had incomplete corpses.
Gawain picked out those skeletons that had a complete frame and supported them using wooden stands. He then placed them in order at the southern bank of the White River. From far away, it looked like the northern side of the camp had a new and dreadful perimeter wall. In front of the pile of bones within the wall, Gawain raised a tall wooden platform.
Every individual in the camp could see the construction process of the pile of bones and the wooden platform. Most of the commoners and serfs got a shock when they saw those horrifying blood-red skeletons. The fear they experienced when their homeland was destroyed back then had arisen involuntarily again, but the thunderous explosions during the defensive battle a day ago had dispelled a portion of their fear. Even those illiterate serfs understood something… Since they were alive in this place and those monsters were stacked up at the riverbank, it meant that their leader’s army had obtained complete victory, and it meant that those monsters weren’t as terrifying.
The soldiers rushed around the camp and announced the leader’s order to gather: Duke Gawain Cecil had ordered everyone on this land to head toward the riverbank’s tall platform to listen for new orders.
The camp that had less than a thousand individuals was easy to move around. Soon enough, everyone had gathered at the plaza located beside the sawmill. Gawain stood at the wooden platform that was constructed at the last moment. He stood in front of the gathered residents while there was a pile of blood-red bones that were constantly disintegrating and fuming with elemental smog.
Heidi released the sound amplification spell, allowing the voice on the tall platform to echo throughout the plaza…
“Residents of the Cecil Clan! Today, I have three things to announce.” Gawain stabbed the Sword of Pioneers on the ground and took a glance at the residents below before he suddenly raised his sword and pointed it at the rows of skeletons that were arranged along the riverbank. “First of all, I want to announce a celebration. For these monsters that once destroyed the Cecil territory, that once massacred your brothers, sisters, and friends, that threatened all of our lives not long ago, these monsters have been defeated! They met us head-on and suffered a crushing defeat! These monsters numbered nearly a thousand, a number that is nearly ten times the camp’s defensive force. But they were ultimately unable to take half a step into our camp… You should know how powerful and frightful these monsters are, but you should also know that these monsters are not undefeatable!”
These words had made the residents below to raise a little uproar; it had made them realize that these were truly simple and honest words. Originally, the residents had guessed that their lord was going to announce the celebration for this unbelievable victory. Gawain’s current words had simply knocked down the facts and started to brew a passionate and exciting atmosphere.
Gawain’s next words were about to turn this atmosphere into cheers. “In order to celebrate, after we finish today’s work, everyone in the camp will get to eat meat soup and white bread! And also the ale transported here from Tanzan Town!”
Soon enough, there were cheers echoing in parts of the crowd… The cheers became a starter that ultimately made everyone cheer along.
Gawain waved his hand while the crowd started to turn quiet. Immediately after, Gawain continued, “Secondly, I want to thank and express my gratitude to everyone for their contributions to the defense of the camp… It includes my soldiers and all of you too.”
Gawain had purposely paused, and as expected, the crowd below started to stir up.
Because this was the first time they had heard such a strange speech.
A noble was expressing gratitude to the commoners and even the serfs… Furthermore, it was such an official and solemn occasion. This was definitely not a joke!
Some of the people started to look at each other in dismay because they felt bewildered. Some of the serfs standing at the corners started to glance around because they didn’t feel that this matter was related to them.
But they saw a few of the individuals being ‘escorted’ by the soldiers, and they walked to the platform and stood behind Gawain.
“This piece of land isn’t just my territory. It is also your home. The people that defended this piece of land aren’t just the lord and the lord’s army. All this is also because of your contributions,” Gawain spoke seriously and was saying things that would be considered unorthodox and bizarre in this era.
“Each and every one of you has put in effort for the defense battle… You smelted those ‘furnace slags’. You filtered out the crystals. You produced the wooden boxes. You carved the runes. You harvested the herbs. You washed and starched the soldiers’ clothes. You cut holes on the Dark Range’s cliff. You dug traps in the mountain path. All those things are the things that protected your homeland and your lives!”