Chapter 81: You Will Regret It
Gobelow Village.
Originally, the ruling Lancay Family had been exterminated, and their manor in the village was undergoing renovations.
Darren was appointed by Administrator Piero as the temporary official of Gobelow Village.
This position was secured by Darren’s family through a substantial bribe in gold coins.
Being in the town brought them closer to the center of power, making them more sensitive to the lord’s commands and providing greater safety.
However, under the previous lord’s suppressive policies, town families like theirs looked down upon rural families.
After all, no matter how much one developed, a single word from the lord could bring knights to trample their manor.
But after the new lord took office and relaxed control over certain matters, the power of the village gentry began to swell.
This made the town families quite envious.
Thus, when the opportunity arose, Darren’s family maneuvered to have him appointed as the administrator of the village, which now had a power vacuum.
The goal, naturally, was to establish a foothold there.
His family was among the lower tiers in the town; securing this position required significant expenditure and favors.
However, Darren himself felt uneasy upon arriving.
He had received news.
Werewolf attacks had slaughtered an entire village overnight.
He certainly knew that werewolves appeared just like farmers during the day.
But at night, they transformed into seasoned hunters.
‘So even if werewolves do attack the village, you only need to hold out for one night.’
‘When dawn breaks, you’ll be the hero who repelled the werewolves and protected the village.’
‘The villagers will rally around you, and we’ll work in the town to help you firmly establish yourself in the village.’
‘You can start a new family; then, you’ll be the head of this new family.’
Even though the family head said this, Darren remained reluctant until he left the town.
He considered himself unambitious; holding a minor official position in town was sufficient for him.
Therefore, he resisted anything that might threaten his life.
However, upon reaching the village and seeing the Lancay Family’s manor, a thought occurred to him.
‘This place will belong to me.’
Thus, his initial resistance turned into enthusiasm.
That very day, he publicly read Administrator Piero’s appointment and began mobilizing the villagers to prepare for wartime conditions.
Naturally, some people were uncooperative.
After all, the Lancay Family was gone, but some reputable individuals in the village remained; they too coveted the Lancay manor.
Darren’s family certainly didn’t send him alone.
They provided him with eight hired guards and ten reasonably strong slaves.
While not a formidable force, would these peasants dare oppose Lord Darren?
So, after Darren decisively hanged a few people, no one dared to resist.
Darren didn’t even bother fabricating charges; he simply urged the peasants to rebuild defensive lines centered around the manor.
The village’s wooden walls were somewhat useful against small military attacks but ineffective against werewolves.
Especially given the shortage of combat personnel.
Therefore, Darren gathered them around the manor to construct new fortifications.
The Lancay Family had invested more in defending their manor than the village itself.
As for what to do if the inadequate defenses led to peasants being killed by werewolves?
Darren didn’t care.
The Lancay manor was large enough to accommodate eighty people, and during wartime, it could squeeze in over a hundred.
Darren brought young women into the manor, sheltering them inside the house.
He brought in older children to assist with logistics.
He brought the village’s original guards and strong men into the manor, integrating them with his hired guards to form a defense force for the manor.
As for the ten slaves, Darren left them outside the manor with the peasants.
See, Lord Darren hasn’t abandoned you; he’s placed half of his own people among you for protection.
The peasants weren’t all fools; they guessed Darren’s intentions.
But what could the remaining elderly, sick, and disabled do?
The strong and healthy wouldn’t step out of the manor to stand with them at this time.
They also knew that gathering the strong together increased their chances of survival.
Especially after Darren skillfully divided the crowd and, under the pretext of unifying resources, collected all the external food supplies into the manor.
Thus, those outside fell into despair.
They didn’t dare assault the manor; they couldn’t break in.
All they could do was desperately pile up defensive structures before nightfall.
However, their strength was insufficient to build wooden walls; they could only stack wood and mud.
Such defenses might make it slightly harder for werewolves to climb over.
So, when darkness fell, their eyes were filled with despair.
They didn’t dare sleep, merely trembling as they held wooden sticks and farming tools.
Time passed slowly; the werewolves didn’t come, but they were met by a group of people arriving in the night.
Even on the day they died, they wouldn’t forget that night when someone came carrying a glowing cross.
That person leaped over the defenses, glanced at them, and smiled.
"Looks like I’m not too late."
Thus, the night passed peacefully.
……
"Monk George, you should know that werewolves capable of destroying an entire village aren’t something we can fend off just by defending," Darren whispered as he leaned in.
It was daytime; the villagers had been organized to build fortifications, and Darren, under guard, had left the manor.
He wanted to recruit George and his group; he could see they were elite warriors, and if they entered the manor, they could better protect Lord Darren.
"What about them?" George asked expressionlessly.
"Oh, my dear Monk George, I know your church people are compassionate and unwilling to see them die," Darren said, somewhat theatrically extending his hand.
"But sometimes, we must learn to make choices."
"If we try to protect them all, our strength will be spread thin."
"Those werewolves are seasoned hunters; they’ll spot our weaknesses and exploit them."
"You must understand, when facing werewolves, the weak can only tremble under their claws, scared out of their wits."
"This will affect the warriors’ combat effectiveness, allowing the werewolves to pick us off one by one."
"Therefore, we should be more rational, abandon some of those who should be eliminated, and let the valuable ones survive."
Darren tried to persuade him.
That night, from atop the wooden wall, he had seen the faintly glowing cross on George’s back.
It must be a precious magical item.
He wanted to recruit George’s elite warriors; he wanted that magical item even more.
With these, his family could be built on a solid foundation.
"Mr. Darren, you’re right, but I refuse your proposal," George said.
"My faith doesn’t allow me to watch these innocent people die before me due to the invasion of dark creatures."
"Therefore, I will stay with them."
Darren was somewhat annoyed.
Faith? What faith?
It was merely something to deceive the peasants, just a switch from the Flower Church to the Church of the Sanctuary.
Even the gold coins used to build the new church were donated by gentry like them.
And yet, this church dog wouldn’t protect Lord Darren but chose to protect these peasants who only went to church for free sacraments?!
He cursed inwardly but still managed a smile.
"Alright, Monk George, I respect your faith," he said.
"However, if you regret it, I’ll open the manor gates for you anytime before the werewolves attack."
With that, he turned and left.
After all, George’s people were guarding in front of the manor; when the werewolves attacked, they would naturally protect Lord Darren along with the peasants.
However, upon entering the manor, he couldn’t help but whisper to the gatekeeper.
"Starting tomorrow, halve their food rations; the manor’s food reserves aren’t abundant."
George, who was about to help carry wood, paused.
He had heard Darren’s words.