Arin nodded with a helpless expression, as if he too did not understand what was going on. "It is just like what I have stated. Now everyone is here, they were all in the building a few dozen meters away from here. Even though no one died from their encounter with that man who took the village to himself, they were quite injured though not fatal." Arin added while pointing his finger behind him, to the wall which was the direction of the building.
"I see. Now let's go to that place first so that we can see the situation better.” Alvred started walking just as he was in the middle of his talking. He did not even look at Arin, seemingly deep in his own thinking. There were sharp glints that suddenly appeared inside of his eyes, with a weird smile plastered on his face.
Arin followed him up as soon as Alfred passed through him, toward the location where the ‘refugees’ stayed.
~
Enjar was in the middle of a conversation with an old man that had an old appearance with white hair formed on his beard, while his head was already showing how bald he had become from how far apart between each of the hairs distanced each other on his head.
Around the two of them, there were about 8 people that accompanied them in this conversation. Most of them were middle aged men, while the rest consisted of men below and above that age, pretty varied one might say.
“So, Village Head Lumberis of the Wheatfield Village, just like what I had said before, I have arrived here in order to help you to tackle the gang that had been forming their post inside of this village. I did not seek anything from you, either monetary nor services. I was but a humble man that was just passing through this village coincidentally, and decided to help you all through this moment of time.
I knew exactly how much taxes and problems that had come ever since the gang had taken control of this place. So that is why, I will help you to protect this village.
I will not let them come into this village again as long as I breathe. And I will not let harm come onto your families and loved ones.
But I have one request. I want you to cooperate with me and fight them together with me. I can only do so much if I fight them alone. Besides, I can just go away and let you mind your own business while also letting you mend the casualties that had been done to them.” Enjar’s threat could not be more obvious. It was more like a warning than a threat if the opposite party thought it for a while. It was just that the tone and the way he talked led him to be thought of that way.
“The choice is all yours.” Enjar ended his barrage of sayings with a serious expression. There was not a smile or a joking expression, only a plain, contemplating countenance.
He looked at the people in front of him, and waited for them to make the decisions for what was to come. He could guess what the answer would be, but he needed to be patient and calm to make the best situations and atmosphere. If they came to the terms by themselves, he hoped psychologically they would be more responsible with their actions, hence he decided to give them the chance to make a choice.
The old man and his men had complex expressions. They did not know what to do honestly at this point. All of this was just so sudden, they never prepared themselves for something like this. Some even thought that being ordered by Blaid and his men was better than in this kind of position where they did not know which one would bring them to their demise.
But that was life, accidents happened without caution, disasters came uninvited by themselves without giving any preparations to the victims, and important decisions sometimes came at the most unexpected time. They did not wait for us, we could only adapt to the situations and do the best of what we could.
“If I may ask, Mr. Enjar. If what you are doing was indeed to help us, then why didn’t you just kill them on the spot instead of letting them go like this? Doesn’t it mean that you’re just letting the trouble go away and let them be prepared when they want to take revenge?”
One of the middle aged men said. He actually felt fear when he mentioned these things openly, afraid of offending the long haired man in front of him. The man could literally defeat a squad of armed gang without even having an injury, how could he not be apprehensive?
Enjar smiled when he heard that. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening his eyes, clarity and calm was easily noticed just from taking a single glance at them. He seemed like a man who had wisdom, a man that had been through a lot.
“Everyone deserves at least a second chance. I dared to do this because naturally I believe in my own ability. If they decided to learn their lesson and pay back for what they had done onto you, that’s going to be good thing right? And when they decided to bite the hand that had let them go, that’s when the punishment comes to them. That’s why I’m giving you a chance to fight, together with me. Now the question is, do you dare?” Enjar asked with a smile that was a bit off. His smile seemed to be mocking at something.
All of the people in front of him were surprised when they heard these questions. This man was just a weird man, honestly! Why was he doing all of this? This was just weird! But they could see the seriousness of his sayings and the logic behind it, so they could only take what was given to them.
Even though they thought like that, naturally no one dared to say it outright in front of his face. Doing it was like asking for a beating, one could say. So they could only follow the flow and continue the conversation.
“I see, then what should we pay you with?” The old man asked with a questioning gaze although he was smiling. He did not believe and could not put himself to believe that the man in front of him did all of this just for the sake of them. He had seen life and experienced many things, it would be normal for him to shed his naivety and face reality.
They just don’t know what kind of background that Enjar had, what kind of capabilities that he had, what kind of skills that he had, and so on. If they chose to side with Enjar and then they won against Blaid and his men, then that would be amazing. But if they lost and maybe Enjar trapped them and left when the time was crucial, then they would be doomed.
He appeared modest and calm throughout the conversation, but deep inside his heart there was fear, worry, and apprehension. He was just going with the flow and adapted with how things were going on. He was an old man that lived his life inside of his village, he did not have power or even the intention to achieve something that was beyond his grasp.
It was not necessarily a bad thing. Many people, normal people were just like him. Thinking about the foods for tomorrow to consume for him and his family was already hard enough, how could he spend his time on something that was not his obligation? How could he spend his time on something that had a bigger scale?
Even the risks were enough to cut off his will to include himself into a world of politics and what not. How could an old man like him dare to be like that? Just from remembering the punishment that he could receive if some mishap happened, he could only bear the wrongs and follow whatever walked through his village. As long as they truly had the power to do that, and they did not cross the bottom line.
Enjar grinned when he heard that. “I’m not asking much, I just want the gang’s left offer and let me collect it. Take it as if I’m just taking the loot by defeating my enemies.”
