CHAPTER 124: CHAPTER 124: ANGER_1

Reynard led the caravan into the small town, defended only by fences and wooden stakes, early in the morning. Their arrival stirred intense curiosity among the people who approached them along the way.

The townsfolk had heard of a major disaster and banditry outside, so it had been some time since any caravans had passed through.

Prices in the town’s shops had also risen considerably, and the people needed cheaper products.

Lance wasn’t riding a horse. Instead, he was on the last wagon of the caravan, chatting with the approaching townspeople, mainly about the prices of goods.

Then, Lance "unintentionally" revealed the situation they had encountered outside town. He mentioned hearing about the town’s issues from the bandits they had eliminated.

"We hadn’t originally planned on coming here," he said. "We made the trip just to bring this person back."

As he spoke, he lifted the wagon’s cover, revealing the girl inside, still groggy and not fully recovered.

"It’s her!"

"Isn’t this the child who went missing from town?"

"I saw her mother looking for her just yesterday."

"That’s right, I know her! Quickly, get her family over here!"

A cacophony of voices arose. The news acted like a shot of adrenaline for the town, which had been haunted by disappearances for a month, and it spread with terrifying speed.

"Have you heard? They found the culprit behind the missing children’s case!"

"Who doesn’t know? They’re right on the street now! It’s quite a scene."

"..."

More and more people followed the caravan. Lance, however, observed the situation unconcernedly, leisurely driving the wagon.

The small town didn’t have a square, but it did have a main street, which was where Lance led the caravan to a stop.

No sooner had the caravan stopped than a surge of onlookers surrounded it. This scene pressured the soldiers, who gripped their Spears tighter and formed a defensive line.

At this point, no one cared about the goods the caravan was transporting. They were more eager to learn the truth behind the series of disappearances.

"My daughter! My daughter!" A mother pushed her way through the crowd, calling out.

The soldiers instinctively tried to stop her but heard the Lord’s voice.

"Let her come."

Lance recognized her as the woman who had stopped him at the crossroads. He turned, helped the groggy girl down from the wagon, and returned her to her mother.

The two embraced and wept. This sight ignited a fervor among the people, as many more parents of missing children were present, anxious for news of their own.

"What about my child?"

"Have you seen my daughter?"

"Please, I’m begging you..."

"Quiet! Quiet!"

Lance tried desperately to control the scene, but his voice was barely audible above the hundreds of people. Seeing this, he could only turn to the soldiers and gesture.

"HA!"

The next second, a unified shout finally cut through the chatter, cooling the heated atmosphere.

Lance quickly seized the opportunity to speak.

"Everyone, calm down!" he announced. "We are a caravan from Totnes. We were camped outside last night when bandits attacked us. After repelling them, we rescued this child and captured one of the bandits."

With that, Lance pulled a bound person from one of the wagons.

A moment of silence fell. They had heard the word "bandit"—something they all feared—and now one was right in front of them.

However, seeing the man tied up gave them some courage, and they began to discuss this animatedly.

Lance couldn’t let the situation spiral out of control any longer. He instantly took command.

"As for more details, let him explain," he said.

He then turned his gaze to the bandit, his meaning clear.

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It’s all our fault! It was our boss who colluded with your town’s sheriff..."

He dared not play any tricks. The lines Lance had arranged for him came spouting out as if memorized.

The bandit revealed the sheriff’s dealings with the Slave Catchers, their violent clash, and the resulting deaths of the sheriff and several of his men.

This series of revelations was truly shocking for the townsfolk; they didn’t even know how to react.

The truth was too outrageous, exceeding what most townspeople could comprehend. No one had anticipated that the town’s disappearances were orchestrated by the sheriff and several other sheriffs. No wonder these cases were never properly investigated.

The revelation that the Slave Catchers had then killed the sheriff and his men in a double-cross over payment—or lack thereof—was also a significant blow. It shattered the small town’s long-standing peace.

But this did nothing to stop the parents who had lost their children.

"Where’s my child?"

"Quickly, tell me where he is!"

"..."

Lance kicked the bandit and signaled with his eyes, frightening him into continuing hastily.

"The boss sold everyone. I don’t know where they were taken."

But this statement, far from calming the parents’ rage, only fanned the flames of public anger. Nearly everyone began shouting vehemently.

"Kill him! Avenge the children!"

"Beat him to death!"

"Beat the human trafficker to death!"

If the soldiers hadn’t held them back, the surging public anger would have nearly scared the bandit to death. He couldn’t help but retreat from their ferocious faces.

When he used to wield his cleaver, he hadn’t found ordinary people terrifying. He saw valuable ones as fat pigs; capturing them brought money and comfort for a time. The worthless ones were like stray dogs; a slash of his knife brought a satisfying feeling.

He had lived like this. Now, these "stray dogs" were looking to bite him, and only then did he realize that even stray dogs could unleash terrifying force.

"It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!" he exclaimed. "It was all them! All their doing!"

Lance grabbed the man, who was nearly frightened out of his wits, and whispered into his ear with a chilling voice.

"Why are you running? Ready to get cozy with them, are you?"

Overwhelmed by a desperate urge to survive, the bandit instantly understood. He struggled, shouting at Lance, "You can’t do this! You promised to let me go!"

"No problem," Lance said. "I’m letting you go now."

With that, Lance pushed him out. He then gestured for the soldiers to retract their line, leaving the bandit alone to face the surging crowd. In an instant, he was swallowed up.

The last thing Lance saw was the bandit’s despairing face; then, Lance’s own mouth slowly twisted into a smile.

They all deserve to die.

Just then, a piercing whistle rang out, followed by barking dogs. Finally, a sheriff could be seen wielding a baton, driving back the encroaching crowd.

But how could one man stand against so many?

Besides, he didn’t dare strike the townspeople as directly as he might Heretics, only managing to push them away from the periphery.

Fortunately, most were simply onlookers who scattered when he pushed them; after all, no one wanted to be bitten by a dog.

By the time the crowd dispersed, the angry townspeople had already beaten the bandit to death.

For this human trafficker, such a death was getting off easy.