Chapter 94 - Conflict in the Fighting Arena
The Lanwan Bay region forms the shape of an acute triangle. At its narrowest point lies the Lanwan Isthmus, and the side opposite this narrow angle opens out into the vast ocean.
Fishtail Island stretches across this opening, blocking about a third of its total length. It earned its name from its resemblance to a marlin.
Fishtail Island is rugged, covered in jagged rocks, with barren soil and scarce freshwater. Charlotte desired this island solely for its unique strategic position. It acts like a gate barring the entrance to Lanwan Bay; stationing a fleet there would grant complete control over all shipping lanes within the bay.
Of course, placing a few Dragon-Slaying Crossbows on the island would enhance its effectiveness even further. However, despite Ethel Holovin's clear favoritism towards Charlotte, she was unwilling to provide such weapons, and Charlotte couldn't find any other viable way to acquire them.
With the Lanwan Isthmus now entirely under Charlotte's control, if Fishtail Island – the gate – also fell into her hands, the entire Lanwan Bay would effectively become a cage, at least from an outsider's perspective.
So, who were the fish trapped within this cage?
One such fish was undoubtedly the city-state on Lanwan's southern shore: Lesser Sassini.
Before Charlotte departed the Lanwan Viscount territory, Lesser Sassini had maintained an ambiguous relationship, keeping its distance yet never fully separating. They refused Charlotte's offer to ransom the Ambrato prisoners but also ignored the Ayye Alliance's command to sever all ties with the Viscount territory. Clearly, they wished neither to align with Charlotte nor to explicitly declare themselves her enemy.
But since Lesser Sassini hesitated to make a move, they couldn't blame Charlotte for pressing her advantage. She was determined to secure the Sokya Peninsula, that 'golden horn' of strategic importance.
Fishtail Island was desolate, home only to a few fishing villages. It lacked even a single knight's fief, let alone a navy.
Just as Charlotte was discussing with Jose Mellerfield whether the Green Plains Duchy could lend her some warships to defend Fishtail Island, issues began to arise back in the Lanwan Viscount territory.
During Charlotte's absence, the first phase of the Elm Tree Village project she had initiated was completed. Oh, Elm Tree Village had since been renamed Elm Tree Town.
With Cecilia successfully opening the trade route to the Ressarev Kingdom, the newly built Elm Tree Town welcomed one or two merchant caravans daily. For a small town with just over four thousand residents, this influx was enough to sustain them. Furthermore, numerous independent travelers and merchants passed through, their spending providing a significant additional income stream for the town.
Beyond the revenue from passing travelers, Elm Tree Town experienced an unforeseen change Cecilia hadn't anticipated – an increasing number of outsiders began staying for extended periods.
Most of these newcomers were mercenaries or merchants who had just completed a job. Instead of merely staying overnight while passing through the Lanwan Viscount territory, they would rent rooms in inns for days, sometimes even weeks, clearly intending to settle in Elm Tree Town for a while.
After interacting with these individuals, Cecilia learned they were staying specifically to gamble.
The cost of food and lodging in Elm Tree Town was deliberately kept low. Charlotte had explained this was both to entice caravans to return and to give visitors the 'courage' to gamble away their entire purses right there.
Cecilia hadn't fully grasped it initially. But after witnessing several gamblers, eyes bloodshot from losses yet unwilling to leave the gambling dens, she finally understood Charlotte's words and the potent allure of the diverse gambling games Charlotte had introduced.
Overall, Elm Tree Town was visibly thriving. The casinos and taverns generated a gross profit of over a hundred Fuso daily for the Viscount territory – nearly equivalent to the income of seven or eight local Lanwan knight fiefs combined.
However, alongside the growth of this service industry, Cecilia also clearly sensed a rapid deterioration in the town's social order, worsening at an unprecedented rate.
As Charlotte's chief knight and commander of the Lanwan Viscount Guard, Sir Herman Green earned nearly the highest salary among the knights. Yet, his personal life was remarkably simple. His clothes were worn from repeated washing, and he took all his meals in the guard barracks. The money he saved wasn't spent on land or gambling; instead, he used it to support and adopt over a dozen orphans and elderly people.
One day, after finishing his routine patrol, Herman Green carried some freshly bought food to a thatched hut just outside Elm Tree Town.
This hut was one of many built by workers at Charlotte's instruction when the village construction first began. After the first phase was completed, most of the thatched huts surrounding Elm Tree Town were demolished, as most families involved in the construction had earned enough credit through their work to be allocated a new house, large or small, within the town. Those still living in these dilapidated huts were likely the families who had contributed very little during the construction months.
Herman Green pushed the door open. His eyes met a small girl dressed in simple linen. She looked about seven or eight years old, sitting alone by a straw-covered bed, her gaze empty, seemingly lost in thought or perhaps just staring blankly.
"Little Sally," Herman Green called out with a smile.
"Uncle Herman, you're here!" The girl, Sally, stood up in pleasant surprise. However, even as she spoke to Herman, her eyes didn't turn towards him.
Sally was blind. Her parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents had all perished under the undead army of a necromancer. Sally lived solely with her only relative, her older brother, who was merely thirteen or fourteen himself.
With only two children, one of them blind, the 'work points' this family had accumulated during the Elm Tree Village construction were naturally among the lowest of all the subjects. The new houses in town were limited and couldn't possibly be allocated to this pair of siblings. Thus, the two children still resided in the thatched hut.
"I brought you something to eat. Some bread, barley, and salted meat." The hut didn't even have a table. Herman Green glanced around and had no choice but to place the food bundle on the floor.
"Thank you, Uncle Herman," little Sally said gratefully, bowing low.
"I've told you before, you don't need to thank me like that every time," Herman Green chuckled, ruffling Sally's hair gently. He then asked, "Where's Freddy? Why isn't he home?"
"Brother found a job! He said he's going to earn lots of money to cure my eyes," the little blind girl reported happily, seeming to trust her brother's words without reservation. If her brother said he could cure her eyes, then he could.
"Oh? What kind of high-paying job did Freddy find?" Herman Green asked, intrigued.
"Brother said he just needs to kill a Mane Cat to get a lot of money. He probably went hunting," Sally replied, tilting her head.
"Haha, Mane Cats sleep in their dens during broad daylight. Where would he go hun—" Herman Green's words trailed off, the smile vanishing abruptly from his face.
"Uncle Herman?" Little Sally sounded confused as to why he stopped mid-sentence.
"It's nothing," Herman Green patted the blind girl's head again. "I'll go see where Freddy is hunting this Mane Cat. You stay here and be good, okay, little Sally?"
"Okay," the little blind girl nodded obediently.
Herman Green hurried away from the hut, a deep unease settling in his heart.
Just yesterday, during his patrol, Herman Green had seen a convoy transporting several Mane Cats into Elm Tree Town.
Mane Cats were unique creatures of this world, commonly found in the Kanpei Mountains. They resembled small leopards distinguished by a ruff of fur around their necks. Unlike tigers or leopards, Mane Cats were strictly nocturnal. During the day, they almost exclusively slept in their dens. If disturbed in daylight, they became extremely aggressive and prone to attack.
There was only one place in town Herman Green could think of that would require Mane Cats, and he desperately hoped Freddy wasn't there.
His hopes, however, were dashed.
When Herman Green arrived at the fighting arena, he saw a Mane Cat – clearly roused from its daytime slumber and dragged onto the fighting stage – viciously pounce on a young boy with a distinctly immature face. It then lunged, sinking its teeth into his neck.
"Yeah! Yeah! Kill him!"
A crowd of gamblers, who had obviously bet on the Mane Cat, roared in approval.
Meanwhile, the few gamblers who had bet on the boy, lured by higher odds, cursed furiously, calling the boy a useless waste.
"No!"
Herman Green bellowed, shoving aside the onlookers blocking his path and leaping onto the fighting stage, sending the Mane Cat flying with a powerful kick.
But he was too late.
The Mane Cat's fangs had already pierced the boy's throat. The boy gasped raggedly, struggling for breath as pinkish blood bubbled from his torn windpipe and mouth.
This boy was Sally's brother, Freddy.
"What do you think you're doing! Don't interfere with the match!" A tall, burly man rushed forward, cursing as he swung a fist aimed at Herman Green's temple.
Herman Green dodged the punch, grabbing the man's collar in the same motion. Eyes blazing red, he directed his question at someone standing behind the man: "I should be asking what you think you're doing! This child is a commoner, not a slave, and certainly not a prisoner of war! By what right do you force him into the fighting arena!"
The person Herman questioned was seated in the main chair, clearly the organizer, the bookmaker of this fighting gamble. Herman happened to recognize him – it was Charlotte's cousin, the son of Count Perode, Stanley Mellerfield, who had been sent by Jose Mellerfield to support the Lanwan Viscount territory.
"What does that have to do with us? He signed a death waiver. He entered the arena of his own free will," Stanley Mellerfield said, spreading his hands nonchalantly.
"This kid isn't even fourteen! What does he know? He believed whatever you told him!" Herman Green couldn't suppress his fury and punched the man he held squarely in the face.
This man was one of Stanley's guards. Seeing Herman strike first, Stanley's other four guards charged forward, surrounding Herman, even drawing their weapons. Herman Green, bare-handed, faced five opponents yet remarkably held his ground, not giving an inch.
The conflict quickly drew attention. Before long, Stanley Mellerfield's adjutant, who happened to be nearby, arrived with a dozen knights. Assessing the situation, he pointed at Herman Green and ordered his men, "Arrest him!"
Stanley's knights surged forward, encircling Herman Green. Yet, Herman remained fearless. Not only did he fight against ten odds, but he also managed to knock down several of them.
Seeing Herman Green utilize an extremely rare ability – Radiant Rampart – Stanley spat on the ground and was about to roll up his sleeves and join in himself when a clear voice suddenly rang out: "Brawling is forbidden in the marketplace! Everyone, stop!"
The voice belonged to Cecilia, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.
Hearing her voice, Herman Green hesitated for a fraction of a second. Stanley's men seized the opportunity, landing a heavy blow on the back of Herman's head.
Herman staggered from the impact. The surrounding knights immediately swarmed him, throwing him to the ground and mercilessly kicking and beating him with clubs.
Herman could only curl into a ball, trying to protect his vital organs.
"Stop!" Cecilia commanded again, her voice sharp.
Stanley, however, ignored her completely, allowing his men to beat Herman until he was nearly silent before finally waving them off.
Cecilia took a deep breath and asked, "Lord Stanley, what is the meaning of this?"
Stanley shrugged dismissively. "How should I know? I was just here placing some bets when this man suddenly rushed onto the stage causing trouble. Plenty of people saw it; they can all vouch for me."
"No..." Herman Green, using his one functional arm, struggled to sit up. He spat out blood and a broken tooth, repeating weakly, "Freddy... is a commoner..."
Cecilia frowned deeply. "Lord Stanley, no one can force a commoner into the fighting arena."
"I didn't force him. The kid volunteered," Stanley gestured, signaling a subordinate to show Cecilia the death waiver bearing Freddy's thumbprint.
Cecilia took the waiver but didn't look closely. She knew the thumbprint would be genuine. Stanley had a thousand ways to make a peasant boy put his thumbprint on a death waiver; there was no need for forgery.
Folding the waiver, Cecilia said, "I will investigate this matter..."
But Stanley cut her off with a wave of his hand. "No need to trouble Lady Cecilia with an investigation. The evidence is conclusive; there's nothing more to investigate. Herman Green, an Imperial Knight, attacked his colleagues without provocation and injured several men. According to military regulations, take him away and give him five hundred lashes."
"Yes, sir!" Stanley's knights acknowledged the order, seized Herman Green, and began dragging him away to carry out the flogging.
Cecilia wanted to intervene, but though her mouth opened, no words came out. She could only silently clench the fabric of her dress tightly in her fists.