Chapter 1515. I Love You
The people of Lyonnais were known for their internal strife and intrigue, a fact attributed to their unusual geography, particularly their numerous excellent fortifications. The northern region was dotted with earthen mounds, known locally as tufas. These mounds were roughly circular, typically less than 30 meters high, with a nearly flat top and steep sides. An opening at the top led to a complex of caves containing a drinkable underground river. Avignon was built around these tufas, with scattered buildings surrounding the village and a three-meter-high fence surrounding it, surrounded by a ring of horse traps.
Internal strife and conspiracy were matters for the nobles, not Antoine. He was a diligent and honest stableman, with a wife and children. His greatest hope was for his two sons to serve the nobles, feed their horses, and ideally, become sergeants or prison warden, bringing honor to the family. His most outrageous act was flaunting the food gifts from the nobles on Thursdays, the only time of year he could eat a full meal. He also played tricks on the tax collectors when collecting the tithe, using various methods to evade and avoid taxes so that the saved money could be used as a subsidy for his family.
What is the 99% tax?
There's a Bretonnian folk saying: "All under heaven belongs to the king. Taxes and dues are paid with justice. The life of the common people is one of toil and hardship. Only during festivals can we find a break. Ninety percent of what is produced must be paid. One tenth may be kept for yourself." Bretonnia is a land of knights. This law benefits the people, and who wouldn't be happy?
What a virtue of compassion for the people this is! But it's understandable, after all, the knights' ancestors suffered so much when Gilles the Unifier founded Bretonnia.
They're actually evading and evading taxes? What kind of unruly people are they? How disrespectful!
Tonight, all the adult males in the village were mobilized to guard against a possible Beastmen attack, as the weather was so green. However, they never expected that instead of Beastmen, they arrived a group of well-trained, well-equipped, and fearless killing machines. Antoine watched clearly from the gatehouse: about thirty people, shouting something he couldn't understand, shields raised, forming a formation and charging directly towards the village entrance. As they neared the gatehouse, the old farmer above reacted and quickly rang the bell. A man next to him, holding a torch, was shot in the head by a crossbow bolt from below.
This group carried no ladders, battering rams, or similar equipment, nor did they attempt to scale the village fence. Instead, they rushed directly to the gatehouse at the entrance, ignoring the surrounding horse traps as if they were nonexistent. They formed a ramp-like ladder, and several of the Dark Swordsmen took a running start, scaled the gatehouse, and began the slaughter. Antoine had military training, having stabbed to death two inferior horns and an orc boy. Two years earlier, he had fought in the Battle of Cologne, where he had stabbed to death a large axe-wielding man. Besides, his wife and children were still in the village. How could he tolerate such injustice?
Antoine thrust his spear straight at a dark swordsman who was carrying him on his back. The dark swordsman heard the sound of the spear breaking through the air from behind and quickly turned sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack. The dark swordsman looked at Antoine in shock, as if he couldn't understand why Antoine was so unethical. Then, his face was filled with anger. He ignored the old farmer and directly blocked the spear with his shield. He slashed down with his sword and kicked Antoine directly.
Antoine fell from the gatehouse, but his left forearm remained attached. He screamed in agony as he fell. Luckily, the gatehouse wasn't high. Relying on strong willpower and faith in his family, he gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, stumbling towards his home. By then, a few people were already on the village road. These people had fled directly after hearing the alarm, some without even having time to put on their clothes. Like headless flies, they were running around, some trying to climb the mound and run into the cave, others trying to escape through the side door into the woods. Despair and fear spread throughout the village.
Alan remembered waking up to a ringing of bells and screaming. His mother dragged him and his brother out of bed and screamed at them to get dressed. He had never seen his mother so terrified.
He rubbed his eyes and asked curiously, "Mom, what's wrong?"
Alan's mother said in a trembling voice: "My dear Alan, we are about to embark on an adventure. Now we must first cross the forest to reach the cave."
A big adventure? Or his mother taking him and his brother with her? Is there anything happier in the world than this? Alan immediately cheered up and laughed happily at the thought.
Just as the mother and her two children reached the door, a man covered in blood broke the door open and fell to the ground. The mother and her two children screamed hysterically. Alan's mother recognized her husband and rushed to support him. Antoine struggled to stand up. The mother and her two children looked at Antoine's left hand in disbelief. Blood was still gushing out of the broken arm. Antoine's face turned pale. He raised his right hand and slapped his wife hard, yelling, "My wife, cheer up, take the children through the gap in the fence, run out of the village to the cave in the woods, I will see you there soon, I love you."
After saying this, Antoine hugged his wife tightly in his arms and kissed her fiercely. He picked up the woodcutting axe by the door, looked at his wife and two sons with affection, turned around and rushed out the door, rushing into the fire in the distance.
The flames shot up into the sky, blending with the pale green of Morse Ribbon to create a dreamlike, almost ethereal, pale green. It felt unreal, like a gem, lustrous and clear, yet also like a will-o'-the-wisp.
The mother cried, grabbed Alan and his brother's hands, and ran out of the door. Her hands were still wet and warm, but Alan felt that his mother was dead.
The sounds of despair and fear were so close that Alan saw his father's back. He was holding a woodcutting axe in one hand and rushing towards the enemy with a howl. His mother pulled him back, but when he looked over, his father had already fallen to the ground. What Alan saw was a horrific scene of slaughter.
The fire began to spread towards where they were, and thick smoke enveloped the entire village, emitting a suffocating smell. Terrifying sounds came from all directions, the clang of weapons clashing, the screams of the dying wounded, and triumphant laughter.
To Alan, these sounds sounded like howling sounds from hell, and were about to reach an extremely terrifying climax.