Early Morning in Dolez
As the first light of Mira illuminated Dolez, Punk and his group had already departed. Within the city, soldiers and priests stood ready, awaiting the signal to launch their attack on the Church of Tishachar.
Meanwhile, outside the city gates, a growing crowd of refugees gathered. At the forefront, a strong, elderly man led a group of young, resolute individuals, their eyes burning with fury as they glared at Zweig, the noble standing atop the city walls.
"You have more than enough food," the old man bellowed, his voice carrying across the restless crowd. "Yet you hoard it and force us into ruin! Is this the kindness and nobility you so proudly claim?"
Around him, younger men raised their fists in protest:
"Yeah, hand over the food already!"
"They forced my sister to sell herself—give her back!"
"Our families are starving while you hoard grain you can't even eat!"
"Apologize and distribute the food!"
Fueled by their shared suffering, the refugees' anger roared like wildfire. Strengthened by their sheer numbers, even those usually too timid to speak found the courage to curse the nobles openly.
Among the crowd, Dickey, Bilan, and Luo Taran struggled to push through the mass of bodies. The refugees' raised arms blocked the morning light, their shouts drowning out any attempt at reasoning. Luo Taran's eyes locked onto Zweig, standing motionless on the platform. She knew he was nothing more than a scapegoat, a figure placed there by the nobles of Dolez to bear the brunt of the refugees' outrage. Soon, she thought, he would give a false apology, distribute some food, and then drive the desperate masses away.
The crowd surged forward, crushing Dickey and the others in its wake. Despite their efforts, they couldn't reach the old man leading the protest.
Then, Luo Taran's eyes widened in shock.
"Look! They're bringing something to the wall!" she cried.
Dickey struggled to see past the mass of bodies, finally managing to stand on tiptoe. What he saw sent a wave of disbelief through him.
Zweig's servants were hauling massive sacks of grain onto the walls. The sheer quantity was staggering—enough to form towering hills of food. The scent of fresh wheat filled the air as loose grains spilled onto the stone.
A deafening silence fell over the crowd.
"Gulp."
The sound of thousands of refugees swallowing at once was almost tangible. For a brief moment, hunger eclipsed all other emotions.
Even Dickey, Luo Taran, and Bilan were stunned into silence. The sheer amount of food stored within the city was obscene.
Dickey clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He thought of the starving children he'd seen scraping dirt into their mouths. The girl who had secretly sold herself in the barracks just to bring food home. And now, seeing the abundance of grain piled before him, he felt his heart twist with fury.
These nobles had hoarded food while refugees suffered—no, while they died. And even worse, this display was nothing but another layer of their sinister plan. They would distribute just enough food to instill hope, only to cast the refugees into the abyss once they were forced to leave.
"Damn it… Damn it all…"
Dickey's body trembled with rage. His clenched fists had drawn blood. He had never imagined such cruelty existed in the world. Never imagined that people—no, monsters—could willingly let thousands starve while stockpiling excess food to rot.
A soft hand gently covered his bleeding fist.
"…"
Dickey looked up in a daze.
Bilan's face was close, her eyes filled with quiet understanding.
"It's not your fault," she whispered. "We can't save everyone, and we can't punish all evil. But we can protect the person in front of us. Isn't that what you said?"
Her words were like a cool stream washing over his burning anger. His fists slowly unclenched.
"You're right, Bilan," he murmured. "Right now, our priority is to save those in front of us. But…"
His gaze returned to Zweig, standing above them on the platform. The noble raised a speaking horn to his lips.
"Are we already… too late?" Luo Taran muttered, despair creeping into her voice. She had expected Zweig to feign regret, offer a false apology, and then instruct the refugees to leave for other lands—before handing out just enough food to make them believe in his deceit.
But Zweig's lips curled into a sinister grin.
His eyes gleamed with madness.
He took a deep breath, then declared in a voice that echoed through the city:
"Now, I, Zweig Koala, issue this order… Burn all the food. Leave nothing behind!"
"…"
"…"
"What… What did he just say?"
A stunned silence engulfed the refugee camp.
Even the city guards standing atop the walls were frozen in place, unable to process the insanity of the noble's words.
But Zweig's personal soldiers moved without hesitation. They pulled out flint and steel, striking sparks into the food piles.
In mere seconds, flames erupted across the city walls.
The fire spread with terrifying speed, consuming the stacked grain. It seemed almost unnatural, as if an accelerant had been mixed into the sacks.
Thick, black smoke billowed into the sky.
Zweig stood above it all, his face bathed in the flickering light of the inferno. He laughed, his greasy features twisting with manic glee.
"You lowly scum dared to demand anything from noble lords?!" he bellowed. "By the decree of Lord Hutt, all this food shall be reduced to ash! Consider it a lesson from the noble families of Dolez!"
His laughter rang out over the stunned masses.
Below, more than twenty thousand refugees stood frozen in horror, staring at the blazing inferno that had once been their salvation.
"This… this isn't supposed to happen…" Luo Taran's voice shook. "The nobles wouldn't do this. This… this isn't part of the plan!"
The scene before her was beyond her worst fears.
Zweig hadn't followed the expected script at all. Instead of appeasing the refugees with empty promises, he had set everything ablaze—shattering any illusion of mercy.
She had no idea why he did it. No idea what drove him to such extremes.
But one thing was certain.
This was no longer a calculated move by the nobles.
This was chaos.