Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 367: Chapter 257: Pacification_2

He tossed it into the carriage with ease and drove off. Geralt struggled to mount his horse and followed behind.

Along the way, Lance learned the general situation from Geralt. As for Tamara, she was still in the carriage holding a torch, dazed and not yet recovered.

”What happened in Totnes? Why is that Wizard wanted?”

”I’m not sure. I only went over after seeing the bounty nearby. But I heard in the guild that it’s related to a Heretic incident that occurred in Totnes recently.”

A Heretic... Lance pondered for a moment. It couldn’t possibly have something to do with the Old Ancestor, could it?

If he wanted to know more, he would have to wait until that woman woke up.

”We’ve arrived. The town is just ahead.”

Since Lance stepped forward, the soldiers naturally didn’t stop him. It was only when Geralt heard how the soldiers addressed Lance that he understood the terrifyingly powerful young man before him was actually the local Lord.

Lance brought Geralt to the town’s inn, which was actually just rooms on the second floor of the tavern. He arranged rooms for them—of course, they had to pay for it themselves.

”You can rest and move about the town, but remember one thing: do not interfere with the locals’ lives. Hamlet prohibits violence, and deaths are absolutely forbidden. If you run into trouble, you can find me near the town’s central square. When she wakes up, remind her of this.”

Geralt nodded in agreement. These rules weren’t overly strict; in fact, they suggested that public order here was quite good.

After all, most towns in the Empire adopted a laissez-faire attitude. As long as things weren’t blown out of proportion, it was fine; the deaths of a few commoners weren’t considered a major issue.

Geralt and the Nun stayed at the inn, but Tamara was completely unwilling to leave her carriage. It made sense, though, as the interior of her carriage was far more comfortable than the inn.

However, Lance wasn’t comfortable letting her wander around unsupervised.

”Come on, my house is quite large.”

He made space for her carriage in the front yard and had Wang Cai keep an eye on it. Ultimately, he was wary of these Transcendents.

As for the Wizard’s accomplice, he pulled her out directly and dragged her towards a room.

”Boss, why didn’t ya wait for me!” Boudica came out upon hearing the commotion. Seeing Lance carrying someone, she curiously approached. ”Whatcha caught there?”

She was different from the others; with no family here, she simply lived at Lance’s place.

Dismas’s earlier return had already alerted her, but by the time she came out, Lance was long gone.

”You’re just in time. Help me get her out of these clothes and into some plain ones.” Lance handed the woman over.

Boudica grabbed the woman. Seeing her ordinary face, a look of disdain appeared on Boudica’s, and she didn’t hesitate to remark.

”Why d’ya like this type, Boss? She ain’t even pretty.”

Lance was rather speechless and had to explain, ”Enough nonsense. She’s a Wizard and very dangerous. Watch her closely and make sure she doesn’t hide anything. If she escapes, I’ll hold you responsible.”

Lance’s face darkened. He threw out the warning and quickly walked out.

This matter wasn’t over so simply. He needed to understand Dismas’s situation first, and also carefully arrange the town’s defenses.

A monster carrying the Old Ancestor’s power had appeared near Hamlet, right when he had just wiped out an evil cult camp. If this was truly a coincidence, he refused to believe it.

Dismas had witnessed the methods of Wizards. Although he had absolute confidence in the Lord, he also understood the Lord’s parting words: to be wary of a diversion tactic. So, after making his report, he hadn’t gone to the tavern or the brothel but had remained at the barracks.

”My Lord!”

”The matter has been resolved, don’t worry. First, tell me what happened on your journey.”

Dismas let out a sigh of relief, a great weight lifting from his heart. But as he began to speak about it, his expression was still a little strange.

”The letter wasn’t delivered. By the time I arrived, the city had been overrun by refugees. I spoke with some who managed to escape; most of the nobles were either killed or had fled.”

”What!” Lance’s expression flickered with surprise. He had considered many possibilities, but this wasn’t one of them.

After all, it was a city, garrisoned by the city defense force and protected by its walls. For such a large city to be breached so easily... Could this be a bit...

”Were there any signs of monsters?”

The situation was highly abnormal. Lance couldn’t help but recall Barton’s encounter. If Supernatural Power was involved, it would actually make more sense.

”I made specific inquiries in the vicinity. The attackers who seized the city claimed to be refugees. However, I heard from people who fled the combat zones that these ’refugees’ were well-equipped, their weapons even better than those of the city defense force. Furthermore, the moment they acted, collaborators inside seized the city gates. The entire operation was definitely not the work of ordinary refugees; it was more like a Regular Army disguised as refugees.”

Dismas’s words sent Lance into deep thought. The Empire’s earlier laissez-faire attitude towards the drought and displaced people... it probably wasn’t that they didn’t want to help, but that they couldn’t. Totnes’s reaction, the emergence of the Bountiful Harvest evil cult, and now so many cities falling, the nobility fleeing in disarray... This fragmentation suggests the internal conflicts within the Empire can no longer be suppressed. This great disaster is merely the fuse.

Lance sighed. ”Ah, troubled times are approaching. How many more people will die...”

He contemplated the plight of ordinary people during the chaotic periods of feudal dynasties. What was once just an insignificant line in history books now held a profound, new meaning after he had witnessed the misery in the refugee camps.

He couldn’t say for sure about other things, but he was certain that the combat zones were far more horrific than the refugee camps, places where human lives were trampled as carelessly as weeds.

Although Hamlet was on the fringes of the Empire, no one knew if the war would spread this far.

Even without war, the chaos brought by roaming refugees would still be unacceptable.

Because death and chaos would strengthen the Old Ancestor, and he would not allow such a situation to occur.

Faced with this pressing crisis, Lance quickly solidified his objectives. He had to start preparing to withstand the impact; he absolutely could not let Hamlet fall into disarray.

At the same time, he had to accelerate his progress in the dungeon. As long as the Old Ancestor existed, he couldn’t afford to slacken his efforts.

Although Lance had learned some things from Geralt, he still harbored doubts about their truthfulness. Therefore, upon returning, he went directly to her carriage and boarded it.

Tamara lay inside the carriage, looking very weak. She clearly hadn’t recovered from the recent battle. She seemed surprisingly casual about Lance’s intrusion.

She wasn’t a fool. Especially after witnessing that terrifying power, she wouldn’t dare vent her anger on Lance, no matter how furious she might be. She could only silently grieve the losses from this trip.

”Drink this. It will make you feel a bit better,” Lance said, producing a vial of Potion. He took a sip himself before handing it to her.

Tamara knew Lance’s gesture was to prove the Potion was harmless, but when she took the vial, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

As someone experienced and knowledgeable, she could usually identify the type of an ordinary Potion at a glance. But this Potion before her, which looked like clear water, was something she truly didn’t recognize.

After a moment’s hesitation, she took a small sip. It had only a faint salty taste. What kind of Potion is this?

But just then, an inexplicable surge of energy welled up within her, and her intense headache genuinely eased considerably.

Puzzled, Tamara couldn’t help but look at Lance, only to meet his smiling face.

”It’s good stuff. Why would I deceive you?” Lance replied, casually taking back the Potion vial, which was still more than half full.

The concoction was, in fact, just saltwater. The refreshing effect Tamara felt was due to the restorative effect from a small amount of Bless Strengthening.

It was only a temporary fix, however, addressing the symptoms but not the root cause. The fundamental issue was damage to her body and soul, and Lance couldn’t heal her completely.

”Thank you...” Tamara murmured. She then realized she might have missed out on something. I should have gulped it all down earlier.

But as she thought this, her headache began to throb again, and she couldn’t help but frown.

”We’re friends; there’s no need for thanks,” Lance said. ”I just didn’t expect our reunion to be under these circumstances.”

He wanted to learn more from her, so his approach to the topic was naturally gentle; he was playing the sympathy card.

”Speaking of which, how did you end up here? And how did you get into this state?”