Especially old Abel.
He seemed as if struck by lightning, completely stunned, frozen in place, while the warmth in his fingers cooled again.
He dared not meet the soldier's gaze, only helplessly looking behind him, his eyes scanning his neighbors beside him—
The widowed Kasha who had just lost her husband, the limping carpenter Tom, and the young Billy... It was like looking in a mirror, seeing his own expression on their faces.
Shock.
Despair.
And helplessness.
Murmurs spread through the crowd, then turned into protests and sobs.
A stalwart man stood up, but then bowed to the ground, fear in his eyes as he spoke.
"Please wait! Master, you want to turn this into a ranch, but... what about us?"
The soldier on horseback looked down at him and said.
"You are free, you can go wherever you like, be it as adventurers or to the city, as long as you don't beg in the town, do whatever you please."
