Kaito and Monika had now been traveling for a month. After a long and arduous walk, they finally arrived at a town called Ringol. The view of the city walls made Kaito's shoulders relax and a smile appear on his face.
"Finally, a town." said Kaito, the half-wolf, relieved and exhausted at the same time.
"I want a fluffy bed!" added Monika, her emerald-green eyes glittering with fatigue. Her words sounded like music to Kaito's ears, since he was also longing for a proper rest.
Both were totally exhausted, but the thought of a comfortable bed gave them the strength they needed to continue walking towards the town. Their steps were heavy, but the hope of a warm meal and a restful night drove them on.
"Let's look for an inn right away and get some rest first," Kaito suggested as he looked down the main street. The town wasn't as busy as Aldère, but the sounds of merchants and people passing by still filled the air. The smell of roasting meat and fresh bread filled the air, and his stomach growled loudly.
When they arrived at the inn, they went to the reception desk to check in. But something didn't seem right. The receptionist looked at them and quoted a price that made Kaito raise his eyebrows.
"Whaaat?! 6 silver coins per person? Why is that so expensive? That's a total scam!" Kaito gets upset at this price.
It was unacceptable that he had to pay more than in the previous town where he was reincarnated. It was outrageous and unfair.
"My fluffy bed..." said the sad Monika with teary eyes. Her disappointment was clear to see, and Kaito felt a wave of sympathy for her. He hated to see her like this.
"I'm really very sorry, dear customers. But due to increased taxes, we had to raise the prices as well." the receptionist regretted, his voice full of apologies. He seemed genuinely sorry that he had to break this news to them.
"Taxes, huh. Whom do we owe this to?" Kaito asked scowling, which visibly frightened the receptionist. The situation was more than just annoying, it was wrong, and he couldn't just ignore it in silence.
The receptionist explained to them that After the death of the former Lord Duke Willhelm von Heilstedt, Duke Franz Heinrich von Talberg had taken his place. Since this change, prices have risen dramatically. Residents used to have to pay 30 gold coins in taxes, but for the past year it has been 55 gold coins.
A new rule also stated: "Those who do not pay the taxes must abandon their belongings and leave Ringol."
"Leave the town? That's a harsh punishment. If you say it's been going on for a year, how many residents have had to leave the town?" Kaito asked as he imagined the extent of this misery. It sounded almost unbelievable.
"Let's think about it. Before Duke von Talberg became Lord, we were about 300,000 inhabitants, now we are about 130,000." the receptionist replied, his voice softening as he spoke the words. The sadness and despair in his voice were undeniable.
"So more than half of the town has been banished and your Lord hasn't done anything about it?" Kaito's question was rather rhetorical, since the answer was obvious. It was frightening how one man could cause so much suffering and injustice. Before the receptionist could continue, there was a noise outside. An agitated crowd had gathered outside the inn, and curious as Kaito was, he went outside, followed by Monika.
Outside, they saw a group of city guards leading away an elderly man in chains. The crowd around them murmured agitatedly, some shouting angrily, others crying.
"What's going on?" Kaito asked a woman nearby, who looked worried.
"That's Mr. Becker, one of the few merchants who still manage to pay their taxes. But today he refused to pay because he simply has nothing left. They're forcing him to leave town," she explained, her voice quivering.
"That's not fair." Monika said quietly.
"No, it's not." Kaito agreed. A feeling of anger and determination rose up in him and his hands clenched into a fist.
"Stop him!" shouted a guard. Suddenly the man, who was still tied up with chains, freed himself from the guards holding the chain and ran away. A few meters further he stumbled on the chain, which was partly hanging down, but he seemed to try to get up quickly, you could see this in his eyes, which hadn't given up fighting yet.
Kaito recognized this and couldn't watch any longer. However, one of the guards had a firm grip on the chain again, and the other guards surrounded him with a whip in their hands, which they now wanted to use to punish him for his escape.
But before the lashes hit him, someone forced his way through the guards and rescued the elderly merchant. They were now a few meters away from the guards, and the young half-wolf called out:
"This is your chance! Hurry!" The man took advantage of this extra time and fled, but no one knows where. Perhaps he had a place somewhere in this town where he felt safe and could hide.
"How dare you interfere, you lad!" shouted a guard who looked like the leader of this small group.
" I can't just stand by and watch the townspeople being expelled one by one, can I?" said Kaito with a confident smile. The city guards quickly surrounded him.
"You're under arrest!" said the supposed leader, while two more grabbed Kaito by the arms.
"Eh?" exclaimed Kaito in surprise as they led him away.
"Hey... No... Wait a minuuuute!!!"
"Kaitoooo!" Monika called after him. Then she sighed and added:
"I guess there's only a fluffy bed for me then." she went back to the inn and paid the exorbitant amount for herself alone.
Thus began a new stage of their journey. While Monika rested in the inn, Kaito found himself in the clutches of the town guards. The fortune teller's words still echoed in his head. He, knew that their journey would be full of dangers and challenges, but he was ready to face them - not only for himself, but also for those who suffered under the tyranny of the new lord.
------------------------------------------
I got imprisoned.
How could this happen to me? I'm in prison! And this is supposed to be my oh-so-great journey? No way! Being locked up after just one month is the very worst, damn it!
The cold, damp walls of the cell depressed my mood, and the constant dripping of water added to the feeling of hopelessness. Anyway, I have to think for a way out of here.
I wonder what Monika is doing right now. She's probably worried about me, hehe.
No, enough with this nonsense. I quickly wiped the drool off my chin and focused on my current situation.
First, I looked at the chain that was attached to my foot and then I glanced at the cell bars. I might be able to destroy the chain and the cell grid with my Skill
I couldn't risk anything in this dark and damp cell. A tinge of nervousness crawled up my spine as I opened my status window.
Name: Kaito
Level: 6
Job: None
HP: None
MP: None
ATK: None
DEF: None
CRIT: None
ITEMS
SKILLS
Level 6 it is. That's good, but it's a shame that I still can't see my full status. Why are there so many
Well, I have to accept that, I told myself. I stood up and took a few steps to the side, pulling the chain on my foot and keeping it taut. My hands were shaking a little with excitement and tension.
Let's do it then. I focused on my right hand. My fingers began to glow slightly, my fingernails grew a few centimeters longer and yellow-green transparent claws appeared around my fingers. That means my skill had activated, I just had to release it. I made a throwing motion with my right arm and five slightly curved lines appeared in the air and flew towards the chain.
The chain shattered into several fragments, and I was able to move freely. The relief that flowed through me was indescribable, but I wasn't free yet. I was still in that cell, so I turned to the bars and focused my right hand again to activate Super Claw.
When my skill activated again, I attacked the cell bars, which, like the chain, broke into small splinters and I was finally free. But freedom was still far away, I just had to get out of here. But I couldn't just walk around the building like that.
I needed a disguise, but where could I get one?
Huh? Someone is coming. My heartbeat quickened, I had to hide. I quickly ran behind some crates and waited for the door to open.
A guard in knight's armor came in. He, had a torch in his right hand and a bunch of keys in his left. The guard walked down the corridor, looking to his right, and noticed that there was no one in the cell where I was imprisoned.
"What? How can that be? He's escaped! An esca-..." before he could finish his sentence, I jumped up and knocked him out.
"I'm sorry, man. But there was no other way." I took a closer look at the guard. No, not the guard, but the armor he was wearing for some reason. That would be the perfect disguise. I quickly suppressed the shame and fear that overcame me while I took off his armor. It was necessary.
I quickly put on the guard's armor and wandered through the building.
"I wonder where the exit is?"
I walked on and on until I eventually got lost. The corridors seemed endless and every step echoed loudly in my ears. I had to suppress the panic that rose up inside me.
Why is this building so huge? Huh? I was standing at the End of the corridor, where there was apparently a room. I walked that way and sneaked towards the door. I opened the door very carefully and looked inside. It looked like an office. I wondered if it was the Lord's office. However, I didn't know until then that there was a huge portrait of Franz Heinrich von Talberg next to the door. Nevertheless, I went into the room with no one in it and looked at his desk - there were lots of books and documents on it, but unfortunately no information about the town's situation.
I kept looking. I reached for a book that was on the pile on the desk, but the pile of books fell over, and everything landed on the floor. The noise made my heart skip a beat, I quickly picked up all the books, but when I grabbed the last book, I discovered a piece of paper under the table. I picked it up and took a closer look.
"That's..."
This piece of paper is not just an ordinary piece of paper, it hides information and reveals secrets. My head was spinning with possible scenarios, and the significance of what I held in my hands made my heart beats faster. My hands trembled slightly as I studied the paper.
Steady tones sounded like someone's footsteps, it sounded like leather shoes shuffling on the carpet in the corridor, filling the hallway with faint echoes. This echo grew louder and in the shadows behind this open door, the moonlight of the current night outlined the silhouette of the person standing in front of me.
A man about forty or fifty years old with black hair and beard and grim expression looked at me indignantly with his gray-colored iris.
"Who is there?" he asked in a raised, deep voice.
The man was dressed like a nobleman, a coat dipped in wine red with silver embroidery, a white shirt with golden buttons underneath and black trousers with a rapier hanging around his waist.
Who is that? I asked myself. Startled, I stared at the man, my gaze suddenly switching to the painting hanging next to the person. Both, the person on the portrait and the person in front of me looked one hundred percent identical.
This could only mean, that this was the culprit who raised the taxes and banished all the people from this town, the Lord of Ringol Duke Franz Heinrich von Talberg.
Damn! What now?
Thanks to my disguise, he shouldn't be able to see my face, but how am I supposed to answer his questions? Normally, a guard has no business in a Lord's office, at least not without permission.
"Why is a soldier in my office..." He stopped his sentence as there was something frightening in the duke's eyes.
There was no one here except the two of us, but I quickly understood the reason for his shock. I realized that I had found the right thing, the paper in my hands was partly responsible for this misery and should be made known to the people of Ringol at all costs.
I quickly took the helmet off my head and threw it towards the duke, but he rapidly drew his silver rapier and cut the helmet in two. Meanwhile, I opened the large window behind the desk chair and daringly jumped out, I landed on a roof and ran away. Reaching the end of the roof, I gritted my teeth and jumped with all my might from the roof across the small grass path and over the wall of the property, landing in a side street of the town.
After a while I stopped for the time being, as I was sure that nobody was chasing me.
Phew. This armor is pretty heavy, I wonder how knights can fight in this, plus the inside is as hot as a sauna. I took off the armor and left it on the roadside, next I went to the inn where Monika and I originally planned to spend the night. I have a feeling that Monika is there right now.
When I arrived, I asked the very surprised receptionist for Monika's room number and at the same time got myself a place to sleep for the night, even though I was reluctant to spend the 6 silver coins.
Monika's room number was 12 on the second floor, and quickly opened the door without knocking and called out:
"Monika, I'm ba-. Hey, what are you doing?" my eyes saw a sleeping, drooling girl with chestnut brown hair in bed, next to a night table.
Shocked, I looked at her sleeping peacefully in her bed like nothing happened. My idea that Monika had at least made the effort to free me from prison had just fallen into a deep abyss. This afternoon we arrived in this town, instead of resting together and possibly sightseeing, I got arrested and did everything I could to get out, only to see this lazy bum on a cozy bed. I couldn't tolerate this any longer and got loud so even the guests in the other rooms heard my voice.
"Wake up, Monika!" But she didn't respond and was caught in a deep sleep, mumbling something to herself instead.
"No, I don't want to eat any more, Mom."
"Wake up now!" I shouted.
My renewed scream caused Monika to slowly open her emerald-green eyes and turn her head towards me, probably trying to understand what was going on. Then she spoke using a weakened voice:
"K-Kaito? What are you doing here? I thought you were arrested."
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"I escaped," I replied.
"Now to you. Instead of helping me, you've made yourself at home here. Are you serious?"
"I'm sorry," Monika apologized, offended and reserved.
Now I felt a little guilty for being angry at Monika and shouting at her. Even if her actions weren't nice or fair, I should forgive her for once. At least I could test my skills and work on my own, instead of being saved by someone.
In my old world, it wasn't necessary to learn combat techniques to fight monsters or villains, except for self-defense, you didn't need to worry about anything if you suddenly found yourself in a fight or struggling to survive.
As well, my world wasn't a nice place without criminals, like murderers. You don't necessarily realize it, but you would think that almost every day, somewhere in the world, someone was being murdered or other crimes like theft or bombings were happening.
The mere thought of the word murder made me think back to that day when, in my opinion, the world changed and went downhill, I never showed that emotion of grief or hatred, but deep down I hated the one who destroyed my life, even now in this world I still hated him, even though I can no longer take revenge, I wish I could have strangled him with my own hands.
Not even Yorihiko or Koji, my best friends, knew about these dark thoughts, despite their knowledge of my loss at that time, they always stayed by my side and cheered me up. If those two boys hadn't been by my side, I might have lost my way ages ago. We have been together since we were children and I am very grateful for that, but in my heart, it really hurts to have left them. I hope they will forgive me.
"Let's forget about that." I said and brought out the paper I found in the Lord's office.
"Take a look at this," I continued, holding the paper in front of her.
She skimmed the contents of the note and understood the seriousness of the situation.
"This is... A contract for the manufacture of military weapons!" said Monika.
"It seems like the duke wants to start a war. But against whom and why?" I added.
Does he have a village on his conscience? Or a town? Perhaps even an entire kingdom? No matter who the target or the cause is, there will still be victims. I can already visualize how innocent civilians will be killed by these war weapons from the hands of reckless nobles. Cold sweat flowed down my back at the possibility of these acts.
"Show me that form again."
Monika literally tore the sheet out of my hand and read it carefully. Suddenly she smiled with a sharp corner of her mouth and looked like she had discovered something interesting. Now she held the sheet in front of my nose and said:
"Kaito, read this part." With her left index finger, she pointed to the passage and I read it over.
"That's a joke!" I said indignantly.
So this is the real reason for the increased taxes. The innocent inhabitants of this town don't pay normal taxes, like a property tax, but for life-ending killer weapons.
I'm pretty sure that even the inhabitants won't come out unscathed if a war breaks out, they might even be the first ones to be killed.
The pieces of the puzzle are slowly falling into place, but there's one thing I still don't understand.
"If he needs so much money, why is there a rule that
"Those who can't pay are useless to the nobles. That has always been the case." Monika explained monotonously.
Useless to the nobles, huh.
In my world, it would be the presidents or the politicians who somehow manipulate people to do their bidding, but in this world, it's the rich people or, in other words, the people of higher rank. When people without titles are ordered to do something by people such as dukes or aristocrats, they have to obey the order, otherwise there could be severe consequences for them or their family. We had already seen an example this afternoon. The way they treat normal people is like stepping on small insects with your shoe.
"Bullshit... That's ridiculous! Nobles ruling over others is absurd! Everyone should have the same rights, whether noble, citizen, demon or demi-human!" I said in a raised and irritated voice.
My shouting echoed in the room for a short moment, until silence finally prevailed. However, this silence didn't last long.
Monika noticeably held her stomach with both hands, hunched her body forward and began to laugh loudly with her mouth.
Monika literally laughed at me.
"What's so funny?" I asked, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment, looking to the side.
"You... You just wanted to play a hero, that's hilarious! Hahahah!"
"L-Let me be." I pouted as she continued to laugh. When she had calmed down again, she asked:
"What now? Should we publish this form?"
It's not a bad idea itself, but if we actually publish it, people might think it's a fake and just a child's prank. So, we have to think of something else we can do against the duke and win the trust of the citizens.
Monika and I thought for a moment, but unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything helpful, but Monika suddenly said:
"We could set the duke a trap."
"A trap?" I repeated questioningly.
"We publish this form, so we have the trust of the citizens on our side for the time being. Then, if the duke claims that it's not real, we'll confront him with evidence," Monika explained.
"What evidence?" I looked at her questioningly, as I couldn't really make sense of her idea.
"I'll get to that now. We claim that we know the hiding place where the manufactured weapons are stored." she continued.
Her idea is crazy. Crazy is not the right word, but impossible. Publishing the form is one thing, but setting a trap for the duke with fake evidence can only go wrong.
My eyes widened and slightly horrified, I told Monika my opinion directly.
"But we can't do that! What if the citizens want to see the hiding place?" I didn't expect an answer to my question at first, but Monika answered quickly, like it was a quiz game.
"Then, we'll just make a hiding place. When we were on our way to this town at afternoon, I spotted a small old shabby house about six hundred meters from the main gate thanks to my long-distance-vision ability. We could use that."
"And what about the mentioned weapons? Where are we supposed to get them?" I asked.
Unlike me, Monika wasn't a bit tense, but rather calm, as she knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. She just looked at me with a confident look and said:
"Leave it to me."
"Hmm?"
I didn't quite understand what happened in the whole conversation. All I could do was listen and sometimes express my opinion. But that only led us to follow Monika's strange idea.
The night ended and a new morning began with the rising sun, its sky colored orange-red by this morning sun.
Large deciduous and coniferous trees grew in a small wooded area, and the grasses were up to my knees, so it was difficult to walk through the forest at first. As soon as we entered the forest, the air and the sounds of our surroundings changed; it smelled like wet leaves that had been dampened by the humidity. Around us, a slight cold breeze blew through the tree trunks and the singing of the cicadas gave us the feeling that the forest was alive and full of energy.
We are now seven hundred meters away from the town, it seems Monika made a mistake with the distance, or she just made it all up and this house in question doesn't even exist. She probably just wanted to go into the forest to look for an abandoned house for her plan, but about three hundred meters further on, we ran into something.
It was a house that actually looked old and abandoned. The front of the house was naturally decorated with tree roots, moss and ivy leaves, while the windows were covered with wooden boards, giving the house a haunted aura.
I was amazed that Monika was right and that we were now standing in front of the mentioned house, if it really was that house.
"Do you really think it's a good idea, Monika?" I asked to be on the safe side so that I could change her mind at the last minute.
"Trust me, now. Our plan will work out," she said enthusiastically and opened the door, which was strangely unlocked.
The door creaked but wasn't difficult to open, it was like someone was sure to open it from time to time. In general, the surroundings of the house seemed strange to me, the house itself is old no doubt, but is it really as abandoned as we think? I noticed on our way that the grass had been trampled flat in some spots, of course this could have been wild animals or monsters, but I still have the feeling that humans have done it and that there is more between the traces and this house than we think.
When the door was fully opened and the light from outside shone on a small part of the inside, Monika and I stood there surprised and frozen. We couldn't believe our eyes at what we were seeing.
"Monika... D-Do you see the same thing as me?"
"Y-Yes... I think so."
So, my feeling was right, this angular abandoned house is not normal, inside were tons of weapons of various kinds. From one-handed swords and two-handed swords to axes and even harpoons.
This can't be a coincidence! Could this be the duke's real weapons storage? One thing is clear, the truth must be revealed!
"What are all these weapons doing here?" Monika asked herself as she picked up a one-handed club.
"Is this a coincidence? What do you think, Kaito?" the girl with chestnut hair asked me.
"It's no coincidence. We really did found the secret storage here."
"Not so fast! We don't even know if these are the weapons belonging to that form."
Monika is right, my thought was a little too hasty, just anyone could hide the weapons here, even if I'm unsure about that thought.
Suddenly my ears pricked up, hearing something from afar. The sounds got louder, are those footsteps? Someone seemed to be coming in our direction, I should quickly tell Monika about it - but she was already pulling on my arm and dragging me behind the dense bushes next to the house.
Monika must have heard the footsteps too, since she was able to react so quickly.
But the footsteps weren't nearby, so how could she hear anything from such a distance? Instincts, perhaps?
Monika and I waited for the people to reveal themselves to us. We heard strange voices of men approaching us, or rather the building. Curious, I wanted to take a look at the people and slowly looked over the bushes until Monika pushed my head back down and tousled my silver-white hair. I brushed aside my bangs that were hanging in front of my eyes and listened to what was happening, instead.
My ears could hear two different voices, which probably meant there were only two of them, and I could also hear a strange clanging sound, like metal hitting metal. Is that...
"Hey, why is the door open? Maybe a person from Ringol?" the man became agitated.
"That would be bad, we should put a lock on the door just to be sure." the other man suggested.
The two of them put the boxes they were carrying inside the house, locked the door and left the house.
We waited a few minutes until we were sure that no one was there. We came out of our hiding place and looked at the house.
I thought about, who the two men could have been, even if it is so obvious. They must be part of the duke's guard. So, more people, besides the duke, know about this contract, except for the inhabitants, or rather taxpayers in their eyes.
But now I don't understand why the guards are involved. Do they perhaps know nothing about this form and are simply bringing weapons here because they were ordered to? Or is it something else?
"Now we know that this really is the duke's weapon storage. We at least have proof now." says Monika.
"Yes, but that was just a lucky guess." she added.
Now we have a proof which we can confront Franz Heinrich von Talberg with and easily show the citizens of Ringol the application to manufacture weapons.
Von Talberg should prepare himself.
....
The church bells have chimed at midday and most of the inhabitants are at the market at this time, either to buy food or ingredients to prepare a dish at home.
The atmosphere in the marketplace was very monotonous, no one showed any joy or was talking to each other, they all had emotionless expressions on their faces, which seemed a bit sad. However, it was understandable, considering the current state of the town. Anyone would feel like that, but today should be the day when the citizens of Ringol can laugh again, I told myself.
Monika and I were also on the market square, the only difference being that we weren't standing on the sandy yellow paved street, but on the copper-red tiled roof of a house.
Our plan was to publish the form from here, where everyone could see us. Unfortunately, not all the inhabitants were in the marketplace so everyone could hear us, but we were lucky enough to have Monika's rare monster drop item, which allowed us to create a communication line via our thoughts, just like a telephone, but without the mind thing. This means I could talk to anyone in a radius that only spreads throughout Ringol, but they couldn't talk to me, at least not at that time.
"Now it's your turn, do it just like we discussed." says Monika.
"Alright." I nodded my head.
Monika activated the mentioned item, which is a skull made of pink colored glass. When she activated it, the skull began to glow and the glass mouth opened. Glowing golden threads came out of it, stretched across the sky in the shape of a spider's web.
The citizens also saw the threads, they were amazed and wondered what was happening.
"The effect only lasts for 10 minutes, now get started." Monika pressed the skull onto my hand. She explained to me that, if I held the activated glass skull in my hand, I could talk to people who were far away, and if the other person also had such an item, they could talk to me. It's the same principle as a telephone.
Before I started talking, I gathered my inner courage and cleared my throat briefly.
Ahem.
"To all the people of Ringol, may I have your attention, please? You're probably wondering
I showed the people the form in my right hand while holding the skull in my left hand.
"And what is this supposed to be?" a bald man with brown gloves asked skeptically.
"What I'm holding in my hand is an application for the manufacture of military weapons! According to the document, the annual investment is 30 million gold coins!"
"What?! 30 million gold coins?!" a man with light brown hair and round glasses on his nose got irritated.
"I found this paper in an office, from none other than... the lord Franz Heinrich von Talberg!"
The crowd reacted more and a commotion started. Among the commotion, I could suddenly hear a familiar voice. The voice belonged to the man I met last night. He said something like:
"Find whoever set up this communication line and bring him here! Get another squad to go to the storage and empty it!"
"Yes!" said a subordinate.
Through my ability to listen from a long distance, I could easily hear his actions, my mouth curled up and I smiled slightly. Everything is according to our plan.
"Are you even telling us the truth! Maybe this is fake!" a woman with braided hair and a basket in her hand shouted.
"That's right! Where's your other evidence?" asked another elderly resident.
That's what I was waiting for.
" There is an old house about a kilometer from the northern entrance gate in a small forest. If you go there, you'll find a storage full of weapons and the truth! But I would hurry in your place, because a troop of guards seems to be on their way already!" The golden threads of light disappeared, and the skull closed its mouth. Communication was ended.
All at once, all the inhabitants were moving, all the market stalls dissolved. Unexpectedly, they went into their houses one by one, and I wondered for a moment that we had messed up our plan.
With a loud bang, wooden doors were opened, and people walked through it carrying pitchforks, fire torches and other household items that could be used as weapons. They marched in unison towards the north, where the hideout was located.
Monika and I watched in amazement at the cohesion of the citizens of Ringol and could breathe a sigh of relief as our work was done and the rest could be left to the townspeople.
Pwehh.
I breathed in and out deeply, then looked at Monika, who also looked at me. At the same time, we gave a thumbs-up to each other and grinned.
The duke's subordinates were already at the weapon storage, carrying away the boxes with the weapons one by one. A short time later, the human mob arrived, carrying their household items as weapons for self-defense.
"There it is!" shouted a pudgy gentleman with an olive green smith's apron and his hammer in his hand. Obviously they saw all the weapons inside the boxes and couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"I can't believe it, that brat was right!" shouted the bald man with brown gloves and a pitchfork in his hand.
"GET THEM!!!" shouted another man.
Assisted by Monika and myself, the townspeople were able to arrest the soldiers and the Lord, Duke Franz Heinrich von Talberg, and put them in the cells where I spent the afternoon yesterday. Surprisingly, another nobleman named Albert White, who was also a duke, was quickly nominated as Lord. He burned the application to manufacture military weapons and immediately lowered the taxes. The former 55 gold coins were reduced to 25 gold coins, which was even 5 gold coins less than Willhelm von Heilstedt's taxes.
The whole town celebrated, and when Monika and I were ready to say goodbye to Ringol and to go our own way, we were gifted with provisions and money, which I put in my shoulder bag with an item box, as a big thank you for saving the town, as they called it.
Now Monika and I walked on, but after about a kilometer I stopped and turned my head back to the beautiful town Ringol.
"Is something wrong?" asked Monika.
"I'm just wondering, if we can help out in the other places we go, like here," I replied, slightly saddened.
"We'll be fine." She cheered me up a little and then said:
"But don't forget why we're on this trip in the first place."
"Yes, I know."
We're looking for... my murderer!