Do you want to go back to the way things were? Most people would probably, but Henry and his nephew wouldn't at all.
North of Grey Castle Territory, large tracts of fertile land have been cultivated, and the crops are growing well. A bountiful harvest is expected.
The low, simple mud houses of the villagers at the foot of the distant mountain looked rather shabby compared to the thriving crops in the fields.
Looking at the dilapidated house before them, Henry and his nephew, who had just returned from Grey Castle Territory, walked into their former home.
The two of them came in and started tidying up. Actually, they didn't need to tidy up much; they just needed to find a place to sleep.
The uncle and nephew were tidying up the house when news of their return quickly spread throughout the village.
"Village chief, Henry and his nephew Ian are back."
Inside a relatively nice mud house in the village, several people were talking about Henry and his nephew.
"Really?" The village chief looked at the villager who spoke, his words tinged with surprise.
"Yes, village chief, many people saw it, there's no mistake."
"Hmm," the village chief responded indifferently.
The village chief was somewhat surprised that Henry and his nephew hadn't died outside. He had even prepared an explanation for their disappearance, but he never expected them to return.
How have they survived all these days? The village chief was quite curious. Could it be that the people from Grey Castle Territory gave them some food?
If there is food over there, why would they come back? This doesn't align with their original reason for escaping.
"Have they changed at all?" the village chief asked the villager who had spoken earlier.
"No, he's still the same as before, but he seems to have more energy than before."
"Village chief, should we still take them in? Although the lord doesn't know they secretly ran away yet, we'll be implicated if he finds out later," another villager said worriedly.
"Well, let's see how it goes! The lord has been busy with the war lately and hasn't sent anyone over in a long time. Henry and his nephew have been with us for a long time, so I think we should give them a chance."
"Village chief, but..." The villagers in the room were all worried. If the lord found out about Henry and his nephew's escape last time, they would all be in trouble.
The village chief glared at the villager who had spoken, and the man immediately lowered his head and stopped talking.
He looked around at the worried crowd and said, "Here's what we'll do! If the lord finds out about this, just say: Your Tax Collector has arrived and is leaving immediately. We don't have time to say anything."
"Is that alright, Village Chief?"
The village chief did not respond. The reason he was so lenient with Henry and his nephew this time was mainly because the village had been having a hard time lately.
There are many places where people are needed, and now that they're back, it's good to have two more people to help with the work.
Although the crops in the fields grew well this time, their taxes were increased again. And the lord used all of these additional taxes for wars with neighboring countries, so they wouldn't get much of the harvest this time.
Having two more free laborers is very important. But there's an even more crucial reason. The village chief stood up, walked to the window, looked into the distance, and said:
"I heard that the war between the lord and the neighbors has entered a critical stage, and they may recruit soldiers from our village later. Would you like to go?"
The village chief's words silenced everyone in the room, because what he said was bound to happen; it was just a matter of time.
"Village chief, what you mean is..."
"That's enough, don't say anything more. You all go and get to work! If anything happens, come and tell me."
The village chief looked at the people in the room with satisfaction, and they smiled at him, truly admiring his wisdom.
How come they didn't think of such a good idea? The village chief is still the village chief; they can only obediently be villagers.
"Yes, village chief."
The group laughed as they left the village chief's earthen house.