Chương 384: 379. Widel - III

"I know you all are tired," the baron began.

"You've been working all day, and you want to eat and rest, so I won't take too long. But I have two big announcements for you all." The crowd went even quieter, like everyone had decided to hold their breath at the same time. Widel found herself hanging on his each spoken word too, wondering what the announcement was going to be.

She kept staring at the baron, still thrown by the fact that he had come to make an announcement himself instead of sending someone else while he stayed in his luxurious manor like other nobles.

"Firstly," Lord Kivamus continued, "the time you have all been eagerly waiting for for weeks has arrived. From tomorrow, everyone in the village will get three meals a day." For a heartbeat, it didn't even feel real. Then the whole crowd exploded into cheering and clapping, loud enough that Widel felt it in her bones. The baron raised a hand, and the noise slowly dropped again.

"Duvas will tell you the details later, of how it will be managed with nearly all the people living in the longhouse blocks now," Lord Kivamus said.

"Of course, everyone was already getting three meals till early spring, but you all know how we had to start saving on food after that raid on the village. But finally, Tiranat has overcome it." The crowd gave another loud applause before he could continue.

"It won't be easy to manage for now, since you know how high the food prices in Cinran are these days, but once the first harvest of wheat comes in late autumn, it will become much easier. This time my target is to continue this scheme for a long time. Forever, if we can manage it." The cheering came back even louder. Men, women, children, even the elderly—everyone was shouting, and it didn't sound forced. Widel stared at them, feeling stunned. The baron wasn't just tolerated here. He was loved.

She had never seen anything like it. When the noise settled again, the baron smiled and went on.

"That was the first announcement. Now the second one," he said, and his grin widened, "which you all will like even more." People leaned in without even realizing it. Widel felt it happen around her—the whole crowd quietening down in anticipation.

"Depending on how a plan of mine goes," Lord Kivamus said, "after around 2 to 3 weeks, and at most a month, you all will be paid directly in coins instead of in kind. That's a promise." This time the crowd didn't just cheer. It roared.

"All hail Lord Kivamus!" someone shouted, and the words rolled through the people like a wave, people repeating the chant as loud as they could.

"Long live Lord Kivamus!" someone else yelled, and that got taken up too, repeated again and again until it felt like the ground was shaking with the sound. The chanting went on and on. Even the guards beside the baron raised their fists with the crowd, yelling in support. Widel found herself cheering with them before she even thought about it, just like the other new arrivals were clapping.

Part of her was still stuck on the idea that the villagers weren't being paid in coins until now, but the enthusiasm and the happiness of the crowd was infectious. She realized she was smiling so hard her face hurt. She decided that she loved this village already! The baron let them have their moment. Finally, he lifted his hand again, and the shouting slowly died down.

"Again, Duvas will let you know more details about it in the coming weeks," Lord Kivamus said, "but I'll do my best to make sure we don't have to return to a barter system ever again." Then his arm came up, and he pointed directly at her. Widel flinched on instinct, her stomach tightening—but it took her a moment to realize he wasn't pointing at her alone. He was pointing at the new arrivals as a group.

"Finally," the baron said, "we have 28 new arrivals today who will be living in Tiranat from now." He smiled.

"I welcome you to my village. You all will get warm stew, enough fresh bread, and some roasted meat in an hour or so. Just be patient until then. If any of you are still sick or injured, let one of the guards know, and they will arrange to provide more medicine to those who need it. You don't have to worry about the cost of that food or medicine. It is on me. For the next few days, your only task is to rest properly and get some good food in your stomachs." You could be reading stolen content.

Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Once Widel got over the incredible fact that they would be getting food for free—at least for a few days—her mind jumped straight to that medicine. She had seen what it did. It had healed the pain from a broken arm and a big gash in the leg of two of their people like it was nothing. It had to have cost fortunes, but the baron was offering more of it, just for asking. For no price. No hidden costs. It felt like she was in a dream now.

The light of the setting sun gave Lord Kivamus' face a special kind of warmth as he looked toward the rest of the villagers.

"Make sure they feel welcome and at home. They have gone through a lot living as slaves in the past, so you all will have to help them integrate in the village, just like you have done for the other people who used to be slaves in the past." Used to be slaves. Widel caught on that phrase and held it tight, like she was afraid it would slip away. Used to be meant they weren't slaves now. Did that mean her group wouldn't be slaves here either? It felt impossible.

But when she looked around and saw the way people watched the baron—smiling, nodding, proud—she couldn't make herself believe he was lying. Not here. Not like this. That's when one of the brash teenage boys who had come with them, looked at the lord of this village, and asked loudly, "Is that really true, milord? We aren't slaves anymore?" Widel was going to scold that idiot for opening his mouth in front of the baron without taking permission, but she was surprised to see that he didn't look angry at all.

Lord Kivamus looked at the new arrivals and gave them a warm smile.

"Yes. I can officially confirm that none of you are going to be slaves in Tiranat, since keeping slaves is fully outlawed in my village. That is something that is never going to change under my rule. That means whether you used to be a slave in the past or not is irrelevant now. Now that you are here, there is a new and happy life waiting ahead of you if you want." The baron pointed at the other villagers.

"Many of these people used to be slaves of other nobles, farm-owners or merchants in the past in other places, but they all live as free people now, from the moment they arrived in Tiranat. You all are still new here, so I know this won't be easy to believe or accept, but it is the simple truth about life in this village. After you have eaten, you can go and talk to other people who used to be slaves. They'll tell you about their own stories, and will make it easier for you all to integrate in this village.

So yes, you all are free people now." He spread his hands wide with a grin.

"Welcome to Tiranat!" It only took a few moments before some of the older women beside her started to cry openly. Mothers pulled their children close in happiness, burying faces into hair and small shoulders. Widel saw tears on cheeks all around her. The baron looked at their group again, and gave them another smile. Then after giving them a quick wave, he stepped down from the bench, turned around, and began walking away with the older man, the guards moving with him.

Widel stayed rooted in place, feeling glad she and the other slaves— former slaves—had arrived here today. If they had come even one day later, they would have missed this. She felt so overwhelmed by everything—relief, hunger, exhaustion, disbelief, hope—that it made her lightheaded. When she wiped her face, her fingers came away wet. She stared at them for a moment in surprise, then looked up at the darkening sky. She whispered thanks to the goddess again and again.

As long as she could remember, her tears had always come from pain or fear. This was the first time she could remember crying because she was happy. She had never thought such a thing would be possible in this life, but it seemed that just like the guards had claimed, Tiranat really was a miraculous place...

~ Kivamus ~ Kivamus took one last look at the newest refugees and stepped down from the bench.

"Duvas, let's return," he said.

"Hudan, call Tesyb." Hudan gave a loud holler, and Kivamus turned away before any of the refugees could read his face too closely. He clenched his fists as he waited. The refugees standing by the road looked thin and gaunt in a way that made him want to grind his teeth. With how malnourished they were, it was incredible that they had remained alive for this long living in the forests. Tesyb joined them a moment later, and the group started moving back toward the manor.

"You called for me, milord?" Tesyb asked.

"What do you know about these people?" Kivamus said.

"This is the first time we've had a group this large arrive in Tiranat."