HTLCCBFT Chapter 120

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 120

PSA: depictions of violence/gore

Before winter arrived, Laina City continued to welcome more refugees in succession.

In reality, far more people chose to go to Laina City than to Gregor City.

Through the limited dissemination by the few merchants who had attended Laina’s Summer Market, the reputation of the Duke’s benevolence was not yet widely known.

However, the cold-heartedness of Count McKenna, the lord of Gregor City, was well-known to people in nearby cities.

Moreover, in terms of distance, Laina City was much closer than Gregor City. Therefore, more and more refugees, affected by the turmoil and having lost almost all their property and most of their relatives, soon arrived in Laina with faint hopes.

The number of refugees taken in gradually rose to 860, nearly filling the five designated areas that had been prepared beforehand.

Just as he was hesitating whether to designate a sixth area, Laina City quietly welcomed the first snow of winter.

The temperature grew colder, and it seemed harsher than in previous years.

But in the sturdy and spacious wooden houses, the people of Laina slept soundly.

When they woke up and looked out the window, they saw pure white snowflakes drifting down slowly.

“It’s snowing!” they exclaimed.

Having worked as an errand boy in a knight’s household for so many years, Gennaro woke up earlier than most.

After getting up, he first checked on Sue’s condition. Seeing her rosy complexion and steady breathing, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Sue had been frail and sickly since childhood, and he always feared she might fall ill in Laina.

Gennaro was well aware that this benevolent lord of Laina, as kind as an angel, was by no means blindly or foolishly generous.

He was willing to help the humble commoners from other cities but would not indulge in endless charity, which could foster greed and laziness.

He provided them shelter, allocated them spacious areas for movement, and even charged no fees… yet he also guarded against the diseases they might bring.

In a situation lacking doctors and medicine, even the commoners living in their own cities sometimes struggled to afford medical fees, let alone impoverished refugees like them.

Distractedly poking at the scant firewood in the stove, Gennaro calculated his debts.

When he first arrived in Laina, he had already asked the steward and was told that “debt-repaying labor” would be provided before they were allowed to leave the designated area.

But the specifics were still unclear.

When could he start repaying his debts?

Just as Gennaro was worrying, he suddenly heard the first bell, signaling the slaves to start work.

For the refugees, it was a signal for all adults to gather in the open space and listen to the supervisors.

Without hesitation, he stood up and, like the others, walked toward the gathering place with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty.

“The work you can do has arrived,” the steward calmly addressed the eager crowd. “Before specific assignments, all craftsmen step forward… Remember the consequences of lying.”

In other cities, craftsmen hearing such a command would likely hesitate.

But after experiencing the lord’s kindness firsthand, they stepped forward without hesitation.

After counting, there were 52 in total.

The steward looked down at his records, found the number matched what was registered on the roster, and nodded in satisfaction.

After that, he specifically called out several categories of people.

When “knights or squires” was mentioned, Gennaro’s eyes briefly lit up before quickly dimming again.

He was not yet a squire.

As the steward finished speaking, the already diminished crowd still had no one step forward.

This was not surprising.

Knights typically resided closest to the castle and were duty-bound to fight for their sworn lord until the very end.

Those cowardly knights who deserted their posts—once discovered…

Even if they avoided the gallows, they would be stripped of their knighthood and scorned by all.

Seeing no one step forward, Gennaro gritted his teeth secretly, a faint spark of courage igniting within him.

Like most others, he had already guessed the purpose behind the steward’s inquiry about their former occupations.

Those with specialized skills would undoubtedly be assigned different work—and receive different compensation—compared to ordinary laborers who could only sell their physical strength.

When the steward routinely asked for the third and final time, thoughts of Sue’s frail health and their destitute, debt-ridden household flashed through Gennaro’s mind, culminating in a bold decision.

“Honorable steward, please hear me out.”

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gennaro mustered his courage and took a step forward.

One step, then another, and another.

When he reached the steward, he couldn’t help but notice the man’s furrowed brow and scrutinizing gaze, yet he still voiced his newly formed resolution: “Although I haven’t officially received the title of squire, that is only due to my age. In truth, the knight who instructed me has already trained me in the ways of knighthood…”

Meanwhile, within the castle, the Lord of Laina—dressed in an elegant autumn robe and warming himself with a languid golden cat in his arms—was discussing matters of Albury with his trusted butler.

The merchants who had come for the Autumn Market had already departed within a day or two after the two “trials of the gods” concluded.

The only outsiders remaining in Laina City now were the refugees, the recently revitalized pig merchant Piggs who was preparing to make a comeback next year, and those five merchants originally from Albury.

Having witnessed the refugees’ miserable conditions and heard about the townspeople’s—especially the affected commoners’—sufferings, they were terrified.

They were unwilling to stray too far from their homeland, yet dared not become lambs entering a tiger’s den at such a time.

After deliberation, they simply purchased shops here, engaging in modest business while observing the situation.

Oliver was also quite concerned about the developments in Albury City.

After all, the two cities were closest neighbors, and whatever happened—good or bad—would inevitably affect each other to some extent.

From subsequent Albury refugees, he learned that the slave rebellion—numbering around eighteen hundred people and led by someone named Lieder[mfn]利德尔 (Lìdé’ěr) – Meant to sound like ‘Leader'[/mfn] —had completely taken over the castle.

After storming the poorly defended castle and killing Lord Butor while he was dining in bed, the rebels did not stop there.

Prompted by Lieder, they also slaughtered the lord’s family—whom they considered equally culpable—along with the greedy wine merchants, and massacred the castle servants who had habitually ordered them around.

Lieder led them to open the granary, where they voraciously divided the entire year’s harvest like wolves and tigers.

—They had finally preserved the crops they had toiled over for a whole year!

After three days and nights of celebratory revelry, once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they soon turned their thoughts elsewhere.

“The commoners always lick the boots of the nobles—they’re in cahoots!”

Someone shouted this, though no one knew who.

Thus, the town district, which had not yet fully recovered from the previous chaos, was soon subjected to a bloody massacre by the frenzied slave rebels.

—Men and women, young and old, all whom they could see and catch up to, met tragic deaths under their weapons.

And the belongings of those commoners, of course, all fell into their hands!

“No more farming that damned land!”

Seemingly driven by rage, they raised torches and shouted, completely burning the recently planted crops in the fields and destroying most of the houses in the town district.

As if by doing so, they could completely sever ties with the suffering of the past and never return!

Of course, in the bloody conflict, they also faced fierce resistance from their opponents, albeit belatedly.

Especially the knights, who possessed weapons and had trained in swordsmanship, caused their ranks to lose nearly a thousand men in an instant.

Regardless of any inner fear… for honor and loyalty, the knights and guards all fought to the death.

In retaliation, they slaughtered the knights’ entire families, gutted their abdomens, removed their organs, and finally hung them on the gallows in the suburbs as a warning.

“So, Albury Castle now houses at least eight hundred rebels.”

As for this tragedy of “victims becoming perpetrators, turning their blades on the weaker,” Oliver, who had not fallen into such despair, felt oppressed in his heart but did not intend to comment on it.

He only wanted to focus on Laina’s affairs.

He needed to assess the potential threat these people posed to Laina and then decide on a course of action.

Oliver scribbled on paper, lost in thought, and mused, “What about the remaining slaves? Even Laina has nearly ten thousand slaves. Logically, Albury City should have even more.”

Why hadn’t they joined?

Were they afraid, or had they simply not had the chance?

Contrary to his expectations, Fosse quickly provided an answer: “Your Highness, that is because the foolish Viscount Butor sold off most of the slaves.”

Oliver found it hard to understand: “Sold them?”

Fosse nodded slightly: “After the autumn harvest ended.”

In the harsh winter, many slaves would not survive, and the work they could do was very limited.

Some miserly and malicious lords, to avoid “wasting” food that would be consumed during winter, hurriedly sold them off after rushing to complete the autumn harvest.

The price of slaves is always lowest in summer and winter, and highest in spring and autumn.

Even if they were sold hastily in autumn and bought back in winter, one could indeed profit from the price difference… but few lords would go to such lengths for such modest gains.

However, as grain prices rose higher and higher, slave prices fell lower and lower, leading many lords to entertain such unscrupulous ideas.

After all, as long as they kept the strongest slaves, it would be enough to manage the initial spring planting.

Ironically, it was also them who initiated this rebellion.

Fosse said calmly, “The rest are slaves that Viscount Butor couldn’t sell.”

The old, weak, sick, and disabled—neither salable nor accepted by the relatively stronger slaves—will likely struggle to survive the winter.

Unlike commoners with some assets and knowledge, slaves rarely dare to leave the city where their lord resides.

In their limited lives, this is the first time they’ve experienced ‘a lord being killed by slaves.’ Panic-stricken, they huddle together like lambs awaiting slaughter, trembling.

The rebels in the castle show no concern for them—from the moment they raised weapons against the nobility, they drew a clear line with their former companions.

They disdain to harm them but offer no aid either.

After hearing this, Oliver frowned. “Fosse, I have a bad feeling.”

The farmlands are burned, the commoners have fled.

It’s uncertain how many of the surviving slaves will make it, and the nearly thousand rebels in the castle are recklessly consuming the limited supplies as if in a final frenzy.

Even if the new king, Cameron, is too preoccupied to bother with this small southern city and won’t send troops to suppress and reclaim it for now…

What will these people do once the food runs out next spring?

They’re unlikely to obediently farm or painstakingly reorganize and manage.

By next spring at the latest…

Oliver had a strong premonition that the rebels of Albury might soon set their sights on Laina.

Fosse gave a slight nod.

Oliver sighed softly.

Sensing the shift in his mood, the large cat that had been lying obediently on his lap, feigning sleep and acting as a big heater, suddenly lifted itself slightly, raised its neck, and looked up at him.

Its pure, flawless golden eyes held deep concern, clearly reflecting his image.

Oliver instinctively curved his lips into a faint smile and soothingly stroked its warm, furry back. “It’s a trouble,” he said, then paused and added with a gentle smile, “but… also an opportunity.”

---