The three ultimately parted on bad terms; they were already at loggerheads, each leading their respective teams to different corners of Offshore Cliff, mutually wary.
The next day at dusk, the harassment suddenly ceased, much to the bandits' surprise. With dark circles under their eyes and pale faces, they gathered on the wooden wall to observe.
They saw a group of people appear below Offshore Cliff. They were not soldiers, but a group of civilians.
There were women holding babies, old people leaning on wooden crutches, and some children who had not yet reached adulthood.
Hake stood behind them, herding these people. His expression was still one of shock. He turned to look at the expressionless Lord Arthur standing by the cliff.
He had just carried out an order that made him question life itself: finding the relatives of some of the bandits on the cliff within the territory. It was an impossible task, so much so that he suspected Arthur was only feigning forgiveness and actually intended to kill him.
But when he met with the military fort's steward, military officer, and tax officer, and announced Lord Arthur's order to them, he was stunned.
These stewards quickly combed through every household under their jurisdiction like a fine-toothed comb, accurately locating the relatives of some of the bandits on the cliff.
He couldn't understand at all how these stewards knew the information about their relatives.
He turned back to look at the herded crowd, deciding not to think about these matters anymore. There was even a hint of fear. Lord Arthur's rule over the territory was like an invisible net that, within just half a day, had accurately fished out those with blood ties to some of the bandits on the cliff from the rivers of various military forts.
The terrified crowd, like a flock of sheep, was herded by Hake before Arthur. The people looked at their Lord Arthur with fear and trembling.
Arthur did not speak. He waved to Hakon, signaling Hakon to step forward and speak. Hakon straightened his back and stepped forward, speaking loudly:
"Your relatives! Are being held by bandits! Trapped on the mountain!"
"Lord Arthur believes their resistance with swords is not intentional but due to coercion! He has no intention of harming the innocent! He only wants them to return home!
As long as they are willing to come down the mountain! All past grievances will be forgiven!"
Among the crowd, an old woman holding her granddaughter was the first to break down. She had previously reported her son, but she never expected him to be such a scoundrel, refusing to return home for a peaceful life.
Rejecting Lord Arthur's kindness, watching men from other families return home one after another to receive public land for farming, her tears for him and her granddaughter had almost dried up waiting for him to come home.
She rushed to the front of the line and cried out heartbreakingly towards the cliff: "Tok! My son! Do you hear me!"
The old woman pushed her granddaughter forward, and the girl began to cry loudly.
"Please! Put down your sword! Come home! Lord Arthur will forgive you!"
"Look at your daughter! How long has it been since you last saw her! Seven years!"
The bandit named Tok dropped his sword with a clang. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, sobbing silently.
The cries of the old woman and the little girl stirred emotions, and people rushed forward, wailing and crying bitterly.
This time, what echoed on the mountain was not irritating noise, but heart-wrenching cries.
"My son! You truly are a scoundrel! Get down here!" An old woman with graying hair knelt on the ground, beating her chest, crying out her son's name in exasperation, "Get down here!!!"
A young woman held a baby boy in her arms, angrily yelling: "Or! You dog! Get down the mountain! Look at your little dog!"
The young woman's curses were like a sharp knife, accurately piercing the heart of a certain bandit on the cliff top.
"I haven't been back for three years!" The bandit named Or, his face flushed, chest heaving, cursed angrily, wanting to rush down, but was held back by those on either side, "Is that my child?!"
"You bitch! Who is it?! I'm coming down to chop you to death!!!!"
One name after another was called out, and one cry of sorrow after another echoed in the valley. The bandits on the wooden wall had varied expressions.
These sounds, more than the previous horns or any other sound, were more lethal and destructive. They accurately seized the most vulnerable soft spot of a dozen bandits on the cliff.
They couldn't understand how Arthur knew their families' information. They had thought they were well hidden, believing their families were safe, which was why they dared to risk their lives, to gamble on a chance at destiny.
Now, all their illusions had vanished. The fear that their families might be harmed flooded their hearts like a torrent. In their view, if they didn't come down the mountain, that Black Lion would surely push their family members off the cliff one by one in front of them, their will completely destroyed.
Cries also began to sound on the cliff top, with a dozen people kneeling on the ground, sobbing silently.
Brin silently watched all of this, clenching his fist, without a single word.
His gaze passed over the broken bandits and landed on the back of one of his companions. That man, usually so resolute, was now shaking his shoulders, tears streaming down his face. Below the mountain, his old father was crying out his name.
Yes, they were not his subordinates or anything of the sort; they were his friends and companions.
Below the mountain, Arthur stood with his hands behind his back, watching the commotion continuously emerging from the cliff top, and a strange smile appeared on his face. How could this not be an advantage of a "system"?
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