Since you've come, don't leave.

At this time, it was the end of the Wind Season. In a forest in the northeastern part of Randall Barony, various wild fruits had ripened, including blackthorn plums, rowan berries, wild rose hips, blackberries, and elderberries. Split chestnuts, mushrooms, and wild celery could still be seen scattered across the ground. After the ant plague, the fierce beasts in the forest had vanished, turning this place into a paradise for roe deer, short-tailed deer, wild boars, takins, badgers, hares, squirrels, and civets. These animals were preparing to survive the cold Water Season, and every single one of them was plump and well-fleshed.

Early in the morning, a dozen strong and agile short-tailed deer waded through the morning mist in the woods, arriving at the stream shortly after. These vigilant animals twitched their noses vigorously, and only after confirming there was no scent of fierce beasts in the surroundings did they lower their heads to drink.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp arrow shot out from the bushes, precisely piercing the buck's head. The herd's leader collapsed to the ground softly without even a grunt. Deprived of the leading buck's guidance, the panicked short-tailed deer herd lost their chance to escape, and more sharp arrows and javelins flew from hidden spots into the chaotic herd.

When the last fawn fell into the stream, a dozen robust and muscular men were already tending to the prey. They carried hunting bows and javelins, wore leather hoods, and sported sleeveless tunics cinched with oxhide belts—truly the full attire of hunters.

"Deer hit by arrows won't run far. A few of you go and bring them back." The leading old hunter squatted down to carefully observe the hoofprints and bloodstains on the ground, gesturing for his companions to search for the fleeing prey.

After their companions brought the game back, the hunters hoisted their trophies and walked out of the forest along the stream.

Just outside the forest was a temporarily constructed camp. Many skinned game carcasses hung from wooden racks in the camp, and a dozen or so women were meticulously rubbing salt into the beast meat. Men wearing leather aprons were butchering a plump wild boar by the stream. On the other side of the camp, numerous wooden barrels were piled high, filled with wild fruits, mushrooms, nuts, and wild greens.

The returning hunting party loaded with spoils appeared outside the camp and was greeted instantly. More than twenty people joyfully took the prey and swarmed around their triumphant companions as they walked into the camp.

"Old Hansen, you and your men had a fine harvest." A middle-aged, brawny man wearing chainmail inspected the plump short-tailed deer and patted the old hunter on the shoulder with a smile.

"Captain Sean, haven't the other squads returned yet?" Old Hansen bowed slightly to Sean, asking with a hoarse voice.

Sean laughed and said, "Their hunting skills can't compare to yours. Still, around noon, pretty much all of them should be back. Those brats won't forget to eat."

The militia captain's flattery made Old Hansen's weathered face bloom like a chrysanthemum. The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked into the camp.

"Old Hansen, this place is truly wonderful. No wild beasts, no monsters, and food can be found everywhere. I plan to have you all stay here until the Water Season passes." Sean patted a nearby round wooden log, inviting the village's most experienced old hunter to sit down.

Hearing this, Old Hansen was startled and jumped back up from the log. "What? We aren't going back to the village?"

"You know the situation in the village as well as I do. This year's harvest failed, and a major portion of the village's grain reserves must be kept as seeds. My father also told me that the castellan did not approve the request to waive the tribute. To be honest with you, my father wants me to lead you out here to hunt and gather, not just to supplement the village's food. If we don't come out here, people will starve to death!" Sean said with a bitter smile.

Old Hansen slowly sat back down, lowering his voice as he spoke, "You didn't say this before we came out! Surviving the Water Season in the wilderness will still get people killed! I heard there was a wolf infestation here! This camp doesn't have any defenses at all."

"What can I do? There are over seven hundred people in the village, and it's not just us coming out; two other teams have to make a living outside as well. If we don't do this, even more people will die," Sean said in a low voice, then consoled him, "Don't worry, wherever the ant-men have scoured, not a single fierce beast is left. Camping here won't be dangerous."

Old Hansen felt slightly more at ease in his heart. Indeed, he hadn't found any traces of fierce beasts or monsters these past few days, but neither did he want to risk lingering in the wild for over a hundred days. Doing so practically turned them into freemen, and by the time he went back, he feared even his home would have been occupied by others. Old Hansen well knew that several freemen relatives were still staying at the village chief's house, and they hadn't accompanied the party out.

"Captain Sean, we've also caught quite a bit of game, plus so many wild greens and fruits—we can just take them back. How about we return in batches?" Old Hansen asked probingl.

Sean sneered inwardly. The village was already overcrowded; bringing people out was, on the one hand, to supplement the village's food, and on the other hand, to make Old Hansen and these people get lost. Anyway, his old man called the shots in the village, and Lord Castellan only cared about collecting tribute, turning a blind eye to the practice of reducing the population below.

"It takes five days to return to the village. With so many people eating and drinking along the way, how much will even be left? Old Hansen, you're the best hunter in the village, and we're all from the same place—you can't just watch them starve to death outside, can you?"

Old Hansen was just about to speak when he saw Sean caressing the hilt of his sword with a half-smile. That was when he remembered Sean was the village's chief warrior and a vassal to the noble lord; killing him would amount to nothing more than paying compensation for a few heads of cattle.

"How much stuff do you want to take away?" Old Hansen asked gloomily.

Sean said with a beaming smile, "We'll leave twenty percent for you, and take all the rest. You're a smart man; you know what should be said and what shouldn't. Go on, the others are back too, time to eat."

The several hunting squads returned to the camp one after another. The aroma of roasting meat drifted through the camp, and everyone sat together happily. Aside from a select few, most of them still had no idea they had already become freemen.

As Sean was enjoying the savory roast meat and delicious mushroom soup, a subordinate in charge of vigilance came running over in a panic.

"Lord Sean! This is bad, people are coming this way!"

The camp instantly descended into chaos. Sean and his subordinates roughly shoved aside the women and children blocking their way, rapidly donned their gear, picked up their weapons, and walked out of the camp.

Upon reaching the outside of the camp, Sean drew a sharp breath. He saw a dozen fully armed soldiers marching toward them. They were sturdy and fierce, equipped with superb full chainmail, and the single-handed spears in their hands shimmered with an indigo-blue glow. Their iron-oak round shields possessed all-metal shield faces, and some of them were even wielding terrifying crossbows.

Elite! Even more elite than the lord's personal guards! Sean swallowed hard and shouted, "We are the liegemen of the Briar family, who are you people?"

A stocky soldier holding a warhammer grinned and said, "Briar family liegemen actually running over to our Randall Barony to poach? You've got some nerve. Drop your weapons and come with us with the stolen goods!"

Sean's eyes rolled, and he shouted again, "This is the territory of the Briar family, and this forest is our hunting ground. Who on earth are you?"

"I am Hammer, the squad leader of Viscount Randall's personal guard!" Hammer pointed at the short-tailed deer fawn hanging from the wooden rack and said coldly, "I've never seen anyone hunt fawns and does in their own hunting ground. You lot are just despicable poachers, drop your weapons!"

At this moment, dozens more men wielding hunting bows rushed out of the camp, surrounding Sean and his men from behind. Seeing that his side had superior numbers, Sean's courage swelled instantly, especially as he watched the soldiers' gazes shift from timid to greedy—the equipment on those soldiers made him exceptionally envious.

"We outnumber them! Slaughter these bandits."

Following Sean's roar, the battle erupted just like that, and ended just as quickly. Three spirit-monkey militiamen charged into Sean's troop like tigers entering a flock of sheep. The equipment weighing over a hundred pounds felt as light as nothing on their bodies. They nimbly dodged the dense volley of arrows, beating their opponents so hard they cried for their mothers using fine-iron single-handed spears. The occasional arrow that hit the rear soldiers was completely ineffective against the fine-iron chainmail. After five crossbows shot down five men on the opposing side, the rest chose to kneel and surrender.

Overwhelming gear, overwhelming martial prowess—the battle was entirely without suspense. If not for Hammer's advance instructions, wiping out these people would simply be a matter of time for the three spirit-monkey militiamen. Unless these people were as fearless of death as the ant-men, it would be impossible to injure the spirit-monkey militiamen. In terms of close combat, the spirit-monkey militiamen who had begun practicing the simplified Funiu secret form had already surpassed the vast majority of squire knights.

Hammer smacked his lips in boredom, cast a deeply envious glance at the spirit-monkey militiamen, and ordered, "Make them carry the stuff, we're heading back to the camp."

By noon the next day, Hammer had escorted these poachers back to the camp. Meanwhile, Victor had been busy practicing the Azure Moon, and only by evening did he spare time to handle this matter.

"My lord, the above is the information I extracted through interrogation," said Baron, the intelligence agent, respectfully.

Victor sighed. He had long since prepared to absorb freemen, but he hadn't wished for bloodshed to be the opening act. A few days ago, the moment these people entered Randall Barony, Victor had already known. However, he hadn't anticipated that Briar family vassals would be among them. Their attempt to take the game away was precisely the reason Victor took forceful measures. To gain population, Victor could tolerate freemen, but he could not tolerate encroachment by other families, especially the Briar family, which had previously plotted against him.

According to Sean's confession, most of these people were not freemen, but villagers of Rota Village, which was a village belonging to the Briar family. Due to a scarcity of food, they had crossed into Victor's territory to commit poaching and foraging. Naturally, Sean insisted that the forest belonged to the Briar family, while also revealing that Viscount Briar's younger brother, Austin, had successfully advanced to a Silver Knight, attempting to use this to threaten Baron into releasing him.

"Baron, do those villagers know they've been driven away by their village chief?" Victor asked.

Baron bowed and replied, "My lord, I have already told them. They appeared very terrified and angry; the overwhelming majority are willing to stay with us in the identity of freemen. Additionally, eight people are Sean's confidants, and they obey Sean entirely."

Victor asked again, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"My lord, most of these people are liegemen of the Briar family. I believe it would be best to drive them away, because they likely are just here for a free meal, and once the Water Season passes, they will most likely flee back. Furthermore, harboring another family's liegemen will be seen as a provocation," Baron said.

Victor could not help but laugh. "I can't just sit by and watch the Briar family's subjects starve to death. Liegemen or freemen, since they've come, I'll give them a mouthful of food. As for those who want to leave, let them leave."

"Hammer, that Sean is a vassal of the Briar family, considered a person of some standing. Release him. Anyone who wants to leave with him can go as well. Don't forget to remind them that the wilderness isn't safe." Victor glanced sideways at Hammer and instructed indifferently.

"My lord, I'll go release them right now." Hammer said with a grin of malicious glee, then strode out.

Victor nodded with satisfaction. Don't let Hammer's honest and naive appearance fool you; he was no benevolent soul. In fact, there wasn't a single soft-hearted person among the Battle Bear Mercenaries—even the delicate Lilia wouldn't bat an eye at killing a person or two. Therefore, Victor wasn't worried that Hammer would misunderstand his intentions.

"Since you've come, don't leave. Hoping to grab a bite and run off—how could there be such a cheap deal?" Victor muttered softly to himself.