( The Next Day, Crest-Hill Barony )
Today was a special day for the netizens of Crest-Hill Barony, as today was the day where Leo had decided to announce his appointment as the region's new Baron to the commoners.
As the first rays of the sun peeked past the distant hills to light up the morning sky, the netizens of Crest-Hill Barony stirred awake, only to be shocked to see that the atmosphere outside on the streets seemed to be much calmer than usual and devoid of the daily morning mess.
As netizens cautiously left their homes to fulfill their daily chores or report for work, they were surprised to see that the usual sight of bandits and militia shaking down the market vendors to pay unlawful taxes, was replaced by a secure calm that they had not witnessed for years.
"What's going on? Is there a gang-war on-going in some far-corner of Berkshire Town? Why are there no thugs on the market street today?" A commoner asked a street vendor who was cautiously setting up his stall with a big smile on his face.
"A gang-war? No! It's something much better….. apparently a new Baron has taken up the administrative duties of this region and as his first act in office he has rounded up all the criminals at the city square" The stall owner said, as listening to his cheery words, the commoner jogged in a hurry towards the town square to witness this unbelievable sight for himself.
As he reached the town square, he saw a massive crowd of hundreds of citizens gathered there, murmuring excitedly yet in hushed voices amongst one another.
Pushing through the crowd, as he eventually reached the front, the scene that unfolded before him shocked him to his core.
In the town square, over a hundred criminals were tied up, their faces bruised and defeated, as irrespective of what gang/group they belonged to, they had all been rounded up and put up on display at the town square for the common citizens to see.
"Holy shit… Someone rounded up the Glazers Gang, the Turnip Gang, and the Queezy Gang too!" a commoner exclaimed, unable to believe that some of the most influential gangs in the region, known for having the strongest members, had also been captured and beaten black and blue.
"Who did this? Who has the balls to go after all the gangs at once?" Wondered the commoner who had just arrived at the town square, as his eyes then moved towards the massive sign board that hung above the criminals.
"Justice Is Inevitable"
The signboard said in bold and underneath the bold letters, there seemed to be two signatures.
'Ben Faulkner'
'Baron, The Boss '
"Ben Faulkner? The legendary assassin Ben Faulkner?" the commoner wondered aloud as upon reading the name of the legendary assassin, he finally understood who had the guts and the ability to round up all the criminal groups in the town in a single night.
"It's not just Ben Faulkner, apparently, his disciple, the winner of this year's Grand Tournament and the new Baron of this region, 'The Boss' helped too, as the two of them cleaned the town of its filth in a single night" another commoner gathered at the towns square said, as he made sure to draw attention to the second signature on the board as well.
"This filthy town has a new Baron?" Muttered a third commoner aloud, as he could not believe his ears that a Baron had actually accepted to administer this shitty Barony.
Slowly, as the sun gained elevation in the sky, more and more townsfolk began gathering at the town square, drawn by their curiosity and astonishment regarding this unexpected situation.
"Is this real?" an elderly woman murmured, clutching her shawl tighter around her frail shoulders.
"I must be dreaming," a shopkeeper muttered, rubbing his eyes. "This can't be happening."
"The Boss?" a young man asked, eyes wide with confusion. "Who's that?"
"I don't know, but whoever it is, they've done something amazing!" another replied, awe evident in his voice. "These thugs have terrorized us for years."
The once oppressive atmosphere of the barony seemed to lift slightly as hope began to flicker in the eyes of the commoners. For the first time in years, they could walk through their streets without the fear of being accosted or robbed.
Children, who were usually kept indoors for safety, peeked out from behind their mothers' skirts, their eyes wide with wonder.
Vendors, tentatively setting up their stalls, exchanged glances of disbelief, as if expecting the criminals to break free at any moment and resume their reign of terror.
One man, known for his daily complaints about the state of the barony, stood slack-jawed, unable to form words. "Well, I'll be damned," he finally managed. "Looks like we might actually have a chance now."
A woman burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Look at them!" she pointed at the criminals. "All tied up like pigs for slaughter. It's about time!"
"Who's this 'Boss' fella?" a burly blacksmith asked, scratching his head. "A new baron? Never heard of him."
"I don't care who he is," a young mother said, holding her child close. "If he can do this, he has my support."
What started as hushed voices and fearful comments, soon evolved into open insults and an expression of repressed emotions, as once the commoners gained faith that the thugs were not going to break free of their bonds and lash-out at them, they began expressing their wrath that they had been holding back for years.
"You caused my young child to die of impoverishment! You and your high food prices caused him to die!"
"You thugs are a cancer for this Barony! You live like kings here while we can't afford a meal two times a day!"
"You robbed my purse the other day! It contained my salary for the week! Without that money, I had to starve for three days straight!"
Throughout the Barony, whether it was the villages of DustBrook and Fendi, or the central town of Berkshire, the commoners gathered at the village/town square and let out their repressed anger on the thugs that terrorized them, while simultaneously praising the new Baron who had rounded them all up.
They had not expected to wake-up to such a scenario even in their wildest dreams, however, because they were suddenly greeted by such a scene, they became shocked and hopeful regarding their future, which provided Leo with the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to the masses.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target, good job everyone! ///