Our Family Has Fallen

A cold remark was made unwittingly against this feudal old thing.

”It was you who invaded Hamlet, not me who invaded Bastia. You have no right to say this nonsense to me, and I have no time to listen to such nonsense.”

As he spoke, Lance let out a sinister cold laugh, ”No wonder Alvin was taught by you, the same kind of failure who won’t even accept the defeat right in front of him.”

”You!”

”What do you mean by ’you’?” Lance retorted forcefully, ”Did I say anything wrong? Stop putting on a face here; all I see is a clown unwilling to take off his mask.”

”You did say something wrong!” Lawrence couldn’t bear this accusation and immediately rebuked.

”First of all, I only taught Alvin combat skills, other matters were beyond my control, and I am not responsible for his conduct.

The order to invade Hamlet was issued by the Earl. I wasn’t the leader of the Order of Knights, nor was I the one commanding the war. I advised him many times; he was the one who doomed the Order of Knights, not me, you know.

We lost, that’s it, and I never denied it, but you can’t wrong me.”

Clearly, Lawrence had been here for days, pondering how a lifetime of wisdom ended up in this ruined place?

Thinking it over, it was still Alvin to blame. He had advised him several times not to be too aggressive; if they had retreated back then, he wouldn’t have ended up in this state today.

The longer he stayed, the stronger this obsession grew, until the arrival of his daughter severed the last of his ties.

Your father wants to kill my daughter, so I won’t show you any mercy either.

”Then I did indeed say something wrong.” Lance admitted with a smile, sensing Lawrence had a significant issue with Alvin, thus immediately flattering him in an attempt to lift him up.

Surely he hadn’t really taught Alvin much, being the son of the superior, unable to intervene. Considering Margaret’s upright character, Lawrence surely played a positive role.

Lawrence seemed somewhat surprised that Lance admitted his mistake, and for a moment, didn’t know what to say.

”Let’s talk, you didn’t call me over for this, did you?”

Lance took the initiative to speak; the confrontation just now had a winner and a loser, so he no longer pressed aggressively.

Lawrence looked up to meet Lance’s gaze, still somewhat resistant but forced to speak due to the situation: ”You want to know about Bastia, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

This was the attitude of cooperation and not presenting the face of a Baron anymore.

Both sides needed a topic to interact; Lance pondered a little but didn’t choose a too direct topic.

”Then tell me the rise of Bastia.”

This choice by Lance significantly eased the tension between the two, and after a brief pause, Lawrence spoke.

He was a witness to Bastia’s rise. Like the Earl, he was once one of Hamlet’s knights, or more accurately, a cavalryman, because unlike the Earl’s origin, he was a descendant of fallen nobility, with no standing, owning only a Knight’s Armor, not even a horse.

At that time, Hamlet’s structure hadn’t collapsed, and the external war pressures kept the Hamlet military’s promotion channels open. He displayed strong talents and courage, advancing from an ordinary infantryman to a cavalryman.

With passionate zeal, he prepared to restore the family’s glory, but reality delivered a harsh blow, as a major event soon shook Hamlet.

He couldn’t access Hamlet’s upper-level matters at the time, but in his impression, all military leaders were gone. He was fighting on the frontline but couldn’t get pay or rations; eventually even weapons and equipment became problematic.

Then they had to find their own way out, as the Earl rallied people to follow him, leading to almost unending wars with the Barbarian Tribes until Bastia City was established, and he, through his military achievements, leaped to become a Baron.

In essence, his words were not much different from what the Earl had told Bruce, just from a perspective distinct from the Earl’s, he recounted roughly.

”So, you were originally a knight of Hamlet...” Lance couldn’t help muttering as he listened, but pursed his lips, refraining from saying [but you led the troops to invade and slaughter Hamlet].

Hamlet fell first, and Lawrence was forced to find his own way out, so no one could blame him, because it was a blurred account.

All were sins of his ancestors, yet he, this confused heir, had to bear them.

Damn ancestors!

But from his words, he could still discern some of the tragic events in Hamlet back then, and it seemed that there were very few who knew these matters, giving him room to maneuver.

”Do you feel that Hamlet owes you?” After a moment of silence, Lance pursued the question.

Lawrence furrowed his brow, unsure of Lance’s intent with this question, but his hesitation already revealed his answer.

Lance, however, paid it no mind, and immediately followed with a declaration.

”Hamlet owes nothing to anyone in this world, for to prevent disaster, Hamlet gave everything, leaving only me alive in the entire family.”

This statement startled Lawrence, as he had seen Hamlet in its prosperity and found its destruction inconceivable.

At this moment, these suppressed emotions were finally stirred.

Lawrence’s steadfastness was stronger than others; another might have eagerly pursued Lance’s reasoning, but he remained silent, making Lance, who intended to keep a secret, somewhat embarrassed.